LookAtVietnam – For Pham Ngoc Thuc, lullabies are more than just a way to get your kids to sleep. The 73-year-old has spent three decades collecting them and nurturing them as part of Quang Binh province’s rich folk culture.

Duet: Pham Ngoc Thuc and his student, Le Thanh Loc, work together to preserve the lullabies of their ancestors in Canh Duong commune, Quang Binh province.

Thuc relates the example of one famous story from the village. One reason the old man is addicted to the subtle melodies is the meaning loaded into the lyrics, he says.

One of his favourites is a song about two orphaned brothers who worked as fishermen. The older man married a hard-working and tolerant woman. She helped her husband work successfully. The younger man, on the contrary, caught few fish. He grew lazy and started to quarrel with his brother.

In response to her husband’s heavy handiness when dealing with his sibling, the wife sang a lullaby expressing her feelings. She sang to encourage her brother-in-law to work and helped the two regain solidarity.

Because of the nature of the songs, it’s impossible to count how many there are, the old man says.

“Lullabies in Canh Duong reflect people’s inner feelings,” Thuc says, “lullabies are part of people’s souls since childhood.”

To prove his point, he sings:

South wind dims the moon

Public opinion obstructs our love

“This reflects the feelings of a couple,” he says. “No document or book on the genre has been written.”

Hard times

Collecting lullabies hasn’t been easy, Thuc says.

Before 1980, paper was so scarce that he had to write on any surface that would absorb ink, like packs of cigarette, the backs of bills and blank pages left from children’s notebooks.

In recent years, he bought a small voice recorder which helps him record the voices of elderly people in the village.

“Lullabies are easy to forget unless I record them,” he says, “Now people lull their children by turning on the radio, so our lullabies might be lost.”

Day by day, carrying a notebook, pen and voice recorder, Thuc travels the region on his bicycle collecting songs. Sometimes he is moved to compose new songs.

Recently, the old man has been helped by Le Thanh Loc, 40, in Lien Trung Village, Canh Duong Commune. Loc says he lost himself upon hearing Thuc’s melodies and decided to learn some for himself.

Recognising Loc’s diligence and passion, Thuc taught his protegy many songs. Since 2005, the teacher and his student have attended many folk contests across the country and won several prizes.

Tran Trung Thanh, chairman of the communal People’s Committee respects Thuc’s effort and dreams.

“The Communal People’s Committee has decided to set up a fund and a group of lullaby singers to perform at local festivals.

“In this way, the songs will be restored and preserved.”

Thuc says his biggest aspiration is to teach lullabies to future generations, but he is not sure he can do it. Finding students like Loc is very difficult.

“When I pass away, I hope the treasure of my ancestors will live on.”

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News