"Barefoot" artists in Thach Loi (Cam Giang) preserve the art of Tuong singing

The artist is still... busy plowing.

It was not easy to meet Mr. Hoang Dinh Quy. This 62-year-old man spoke loudly on the phone:

- Wait a minute, I'm almost done plowing.

About half an hour later, there was the sound of a tractor rumbling outside the alley. Mr. Quy had returned, but the conversation had not yet begun. Having just taken off his muddy boots, Mr. Quy stuck his feet into the pond bridge, splashed around, then jumped onto a nearby corrugated iron boat and rowed out to the middle of the lake to sprinkle fish food. The 1-acre lake had all kinds of fish, and the tractor was the livelihood of Mr. Quy's entire family. Looking at this strong man, few people would know that he was the Director of the Thach Loi Tuong Art Club with 28 members.

Having a love for and often learning about the art of Tuong, with a mother named Vu Thi Dien who was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist, Mr. Le Quy Hau, a commune official, only knew that the art of Tuong had been present in Thach Loi for a long time. It had quietly taken root in every village and hamlet. There were ups and downs, but the art of Tuong in Thach Loi had never disappeared. Strangely enough, in the whole district of Cam Giang, and then the whole province of Hai Duong, only Thach Loi commune had Tuong.

Tuong artist Vu Thi Dien is 78 years old this year and is no longer healthy enough to join the club, but when it comes to Tuong, the story seems to never end.

- 100% farmers. Just after coming up from the field, washing their feet, they step into the practice mat. In the past, Thach Loi plays were not only sung while working in the fields, but also served the resistance. We sang for the workers, sang for the soldiers. In 1969, the whole troupe was performing when they heard the news of Uncle Ho's death. Everything stopped. The actors, musicians and audience burst into tears - Ms. Dien said.

A few years ago, Mrs. Dien was not well and asked to stop performing, but there are some seniors in the club who still stick around. Mr. Nguyen Huu Chan is a musician, now nearly 90 years old. With his three-stringed instrument, this old musician travels everywhere with the Tuong troupe to perform. Or Mrs. Le Thi Ly, who is 80 years old this year, has always been passionate about the art of Tuong. Mrs. Ly has also been farming since she was a child, only recently when her children grew up and had the means to escape the life of muddy feet and hands.

Mr. Hoang Dinh Quy said that although the actors and musicians are all farmers, they are highly appreciated for their expertise, acting techniques, costumes, and are affectionately called artisans and artists by the locals. Tuong is a very difficult art form, with a selective audience, so farmers who can perform well are even rarer. Not only maintaining and developing this art form locally, Thach Loi Tuong also flies high and far with each performance. Thach Loi Tuong troupe was once sent to participate in a national amateur performance festival in Khanh Hoa. At the 2023 Hai Duong province amateur art festival, the team won the A prize with the play Thanh Hoang Que Toi. This is a play written by former Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Tien Tho - son-in-law of Thach Loi commune. The play is about the famous general Ly Quoc Bao and his wife, Vu Thi Huong (from A Loi village, now Thach Loi). Having contributed to the defeat of the Liang invaders, when he died, he was honored as Thanh Hoang and has been worshiped by the people of Thach Loi for hundreds of years.

Farmers with artistic souls

- We have no theory about the play, and even less know the history of the play, but every time we go on stage, we perform well - Mr. Hoang Dinh Quy said.

- This is "Mrs. Vu Thuong, mispronouncing the name of Thanh Hoang Vu Thi Huong", and this is "the enemy Tu Quynh", and I am Ly Quoc Bao - Mr. Quy introduced his roles and Ms. Vu Thi Mai, Vu Thi Tam.

- Again, we are all farmers, but when Mr. Le Tien Tho gave us the script, we all sat down with the lights on to read and discuss - Mr. Quy added.

As for Meritorious Artist Vu Thi Dien mentioned above, for the art of Tuong to exist until today in Thach Loi, it must have the contribution of the audience. Without viewers, there can be no performance, and the audience here are all farmers. When he was alive, Mr. Le Quy Tao - husband of artist Vu Thi Dien always supported his wife in singing Tuong. He also recorded tapes and printed them as souvenirs every time his wife performed.

According to Chairman of the People's Committee of Thach Loi Commune Nguyen Manh Dung, up to now, there are 2 people in the commune who have been awarded the title of Meritorious Artist, in addition to Ms. Vu Thi Dien, there is also Ms. Vu Thi Minh Thuyet (deceased). The remaining people, although they have not been awarded the title and may perform plays with all their love and passion without expecting a title, but they are all worthy of being artists and artisans. They are farmers with the souls of artists.

What the commune leaders and people in Thach Loi are worried about is that the art of Tuong here may gradually fade away because there is no successor. The youngest member of the Thach Loi Tuong Art Club is nearly 60 years old, the oldest is nearly 90. Previously, the commune organized teaching at the elementary level. At that time, Thach Loi's elementary students successfully performed excerpts. But then for many reasons, especially because the children were busy with their studies, they dropped out. In addition, Tuong is a very difficult subject, completely different from many other arts. It is a play that cannot be performed independently but requires a group of up to ten people including actors, musicians, costumers, and lighting. Tuong is difficult to perform according to new plays, for example, it is impossible to compose a play about the new countryside, but must be excerpts from ancient plays... Therefore, the audience, especially young people, are increasingly less interested in this art form.

Although the audience is getting smaller and smaller, although the art of Tuong may gradually fade away, the artists in Thach Loi still live with endless passion every day. For those artists - farmers, the art of Tuong always burns in their hearts!