YBO - Nong Thi Thuy Niem is a 22-year-old girl that grew up in Muong Lai area of Luc Yen district, which is home to Khap Coi folk singing of the Tay ethnic minority group.
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Nong Thi Thuy Niem, President of Khap Coi Youth Club of Muong Lai, Luc Yen.
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The love for Khap Coi melodies has grown in Niem since she was a little girl. She was attracted by the lyrics of the songs, which feature daily life, labour activities, and love.
After graduating from Tourism Faculty of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University – Hanoi, Niem returned to her hometown where she gathered and encouraged her fellow youngsters to form Khap Coi clubs, hoping to preserve the traditional cultural values of their group.
According to Niem, the clubs planned to make a short video clip on maintaining the traditional melodies and send it to the "Vietnamese Quintessence” contest 2021 launched by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee.
"I persuaded many local youngsters to participate in this video contest. Many of them were shy, and at first, only a few agreed to join. I was motivated to learn more melodies and popularise them,” said Niem.
The club has drawn more than 10 regular members, most of them students and that is why they often gather in weekend’s evenings.
With enthusiastic teaching of local artisans, the club has operated more professionally, with members knowing more Kai Coi songs and performing more attractively. The club has received invitation to perform at many programmes and activities of Muong Lai and neighboring communes as well as for tourists.
Not limiting themselves to maintaining traditional cultural values of Tay in Muong Lai, Niem and her friends have developed the club into an economic development model in association with community-based tourism. Along with enjoying traditional culture and food of Tay people, tourists to Muong Lai now have a chance to explore Khap Coi singing of the community.
"This not only contributes to preserving and promoting traditional cultural identities more widely, but also brings economic value and improves local people's income. Currently, the model has earned revenue from tourists and local homestay owners,” said Niem.
Niem showed her pride to represent the youth from ethnic minority groups in Yen Bai to attend the 12th National Congress of the HCYU that took place from December 14-16 in Hanoi. This was also a chance for Niem to introduce the traditional culture and costumes of the Tay people to youngsters from localities across the nation.
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