Guardian of the Pu Na ethnic culture in Lai Chau Province

 Despite being over 80 years old, Lo Van Chien of Ta Xin Chai Village, Dong Phong Ward, is known as a "living treasure" and the guardian of the traditional culture of the Pu Na ethnic people — a branch of the Giay ethnic group in Lai Chau Province. Following his 50-year collection, Chien has published nearly 10 book titles on the folk songs, folk tales, and traditions of the Pu Na ethnic people.

According to Chien, his great passion for the culture of the Pu Na has been developing since childhood through the tales told by his mother through the days in the first lunar month, which is joyfully celebrated with traditional festivals, through the exciting atmosphere of the Long Tong (Going down to the Fields) Festival, through the bustling spring days with the sound of the ‘pi keo’ trumpet, and through the sleepless nights listening to the shamans praying during traditional rituals. These scenes have always remained alive in his mind.

When he grew up, he held that although his Pu Na people are classified as a branch of the Giay ethnic group, they also have distinguishable features in their traditional costumes and rituals.

This motivated him to conduct research to further learn about the Pu Na ethnic people.

Chien’s work has not only revived the ‘hat ong’ singing tradition of Pu Na people, but also helped villagers learned more about the culture of their ancestors.

Despite his old age, he still actively attends cultural events in the locality to collect reference for his research.

After learning that the Pu Na people in Lai Chau Province have similarities with the Pu Na people in Ha Giang Province, he visited Ha Giang multiple times between 1999 and 2015 to collect information for his study.

He then went to Hanoi to have experts from the Vietnam Folklore Association to evaluate and verify his findings.

After his more than 50 years of work, Chien is the author of nearly ten books on the beliefs, culture, and cuisine of the Pu Na people, which have been published by the Writers' Association and Ethnic Culture Publishing Houses.

He is now working on dozens of unfinished manuscripts on Pu Na ethnic vocabulary in Tam Duong District, Lai Chau Province, as well as Pu Na folk poetry and folk songs in the wedding ceremonies and culinary culture of the Pu Na people.

Chien shared that in the past, his homeland of Ta Xin Chai was famous for ‘hat ong’ (singing on the tube). When he was younger, he used to follow his father to ‘hat ong’ singing festivals, which paired many young men and women into couples. His parents also met and became a couple from such singing festivals.

Lo Van Chien teaches his descendant the technique of making singing tubes for ‘hat ong’ singing

‘Hat ong’ also has the characteristics of other traditional community musical activities. It is a simple form of performance, with lyrics focusing on love, the natural landscape, and the daily life of farmers.

His genuine love for Pu Na culture has spread to the people of Ta Xin Chai Village. In 2020, Chien gathered more than 30 villagers who share a similar passion for Pu Na culture and art to establish groups on preserving folk songs and dances as well as the craft of brocade weaving. The groups’ members have collected Pu Na antiques to display at the village's cultural house.

At the end of 2023, he and the villagers successfully revitalised the art of ‘hat ong’ singing. He has actively taught his descendants and young people the technique of making singing tubes, as well as the lyrics and melodies of the singing.

Vui Thi Le, over 70 years old, is a member of the Pu Na Ethnic Culture Preservation Club.

"Chien’s work has not only revived the ‘hat ong’ singing tradition of our ancestors, but also helped us learned more about the culture of our people," she said.

"We now have a deeper understanding of our folk tales, and hold that the good traditions of our ancestors need to be preserved and protected," she added.