People’s Artisan Mong Thi Sam from Lang Son Province has devoted more than 63 years to preserving the ancient tunes of ‘Then’ folk singing, a cultural and spiritual heritage of Tay and Nung ethnic groups.

“Then” singing is a cultural activity imbued with the belief and art of the Tay and Nung ethnic minority people in Bac Giang province. 

The Then singing practice of Vietnam’s Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups has been named on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Department of Cultural Heritage said on December 13.

Tuyen Quang has been recognised as one of the role models in preserving Then singing – a distinctive musical genre of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups in northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam.  

Once praised as the leading opera singer in Vietnam, Meritorious Artist Ha Pham Thang Long retired from the stage four years ago and is now working as a lecturer. In a recent interview, she shared her thoughts on how to develop opera in Vietnam.

Thanks to the teaching efforts made by veteran artisans and effective operation of clubs, Then singing has become wide spread in every corner of the daily life as well as in the cultural and spiritual practices of people in Na Hang District

 The northern province of Tuyen Quang is taking steps to have the traditional Then singing of the Tay ethnic group be included on the list of the world intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

VietNamNet Bridge – Chiem Hoa District of northern Tuyen Quang Province is home to 18 ethnic groups, each with their own special cultures. Among these, arguably the most memorable is Hat then singing – a traditional oratorio of the Tay people.  

VietNamNet Bridge – Hat Then, a distinctive musical genre and a special combination of the spiritual and cultural life of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups in Vietnam, has drawn the attention of many collectors and researchers over the past decade.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The National Academy of Music in Hanoi has revealed that traditional Then singing will be submitted to UNESCO in a bid to be recognised as a piece of intangible cultural world heritage.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has added then singing and the long tong festival – two typical cultural features of the Tay ethnic minority groups in the north – to the list of national intangible cultural heritage.