The northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang has completed a dossier on the traditional Then singing of the Tay ethnic minority, and will submit it to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for recognition as a national intangible cultural heritage.
To preserve and popularize Then singing, Tuyen Quang province has established Then singing clubs, brought this art into schools, encouraged artisans to preserve songs and built a tourism cultural village associated with preservation of Then rituals in localities.
Then singing is the distinctive musical genre of the Tay ethnic minority group in the northern mountainous provinces, though it is also performed by the Nung and Thai ethnic people in 14 provinces and cities nationwide.
Then singing expresses the emotions and reflects the activities in the daily lives of working people including rowing a boat, washing a boat, pulling a rope, felling a tree, and a dance with a handkerchief, a wooden board and a fan.