LookAtVietnam – A documentary about the culture of ethnic groups in the nation’s northwest has been launched on Viet Nam Television.

Terraces: The rich beauty and unique folklore of the northwest region is being highlighted in a 21-episode documentary on Viet Nam Television.

The Khat Vong Tay Bac (Northwest Aspiration) is also the longest ever documentary about original folklore of the northwest region.

Made up of 21 30-minute episodes, it was produced by the Documentary Reportage Centre of VTV under the guidance of head director Vi Hoa.

Hoa, of the Tay ethnic people, said he had been interested in documentary making for 33 years. The idea of Khat Vong Tay Bac came two years ago as a contribution to preserving the area’s unique folklore.

“Northwest folklore culture is so rich and special,” Hoa said. “Even a 20-episode documentary cannot do it justice.”

He said about 13 ethnic researchers and Kinh writers lived in the northwest to write the script.

“Nobody but the local people understands the northwest region. They write scripts about their homelands,” Hoa said.

Each episode will tell one story. The first episode, Mien Bi An (The Mysterious Land), will introduce the northwest region in general. The 5th episode Muong Then-Muong Troi (the name of the area) is shot in Dien Bien Province while the following episode Gia Poong Ke Chuyen Muong Phang (Old Man Poong Tells Story of Muong Phang). Poong was a courier of General Vo Nguyen Giap at Muong Phang, the headquarters of the Vietnamese army in the Dien Bien Phu battle against the French in 1954.

Lai Chau is a small town nestled in the heart of a beautiful valley carved from spectacular mountains by the Da River which is the main flow to the Hoa Binh Hydroelectric Plant.

This is the first time television viewers have been given a chance to know more about upstream of the Da River in Muong Te District.

In Lai Chau, the documentary makers want to feature the xoe traditional dance of Thai people. The xoe dance is usually performed to celebrate crop harvests and Lunar New Year in Muong So District.

Next to the Nam So River, Muong So District is a large valley locating at the foot of mountain Pu Kho Nho. It is known as the cradle of the xoe dances.

In the episode, entitled Nhung Dieu Xoe Khong Tuoi (Timeless Xoe Dances), writer Phuong Lien, of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, desires to describe the beauty of 36 xoe dances.

Optimism

“The most general point of Thai and other ethnic groups in the northwest is optimism. While hard working in terraced-fields, they still sing and play pan-pipes. It is romantic and lyrical,” Hoa said.

Hoa made seven episodes and the rest were made by the other eight directors.

The 21 episodes will feature the ubiquitous ban flowers and xoe dances which are characteristic of the northwest. The ban flower is the symbol of love between a girl, Ban, and a man, Khum, in an ancient Thai ethnic legend.

“It takes time and lots of human resources to complete the works with a view to introducing the original of folklore culture,” said Hoa.

The documentary, airing on VTV’s Channel 1, kicked-off last Wednesday at 10.30pm. It will show on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.

After the Vietnamese dialogue is dubbed with ethnic and English languages, it will be broadcast on Channel 4 for Vietnamese living abroad and Channel 5 for ethnic audiences.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News