[Intangible cultural heritage] Record and preserve Vovinam – a Vietnamese Martial Art and Traditional Musical Instruments

1. National cultural heritage

  • Vovinam – a Martial Art of Vietnamese cultural heritage, is a compulsory subject at FPT University

Traditional Vietnamese martial art is a cultural heritage containing the thoughts and knowledge that our Forefathers have accumulated over thousands of generations. However, the propagation and teaching of traditional martial arts in schools have never been easy. FPT Education, FPT University has taken martial arts Vovinam into the main curriculum for physical education for students.

Students at FPT University can not only improve their health through martial arts but more importantly, understand traditional values

The opening of traditional martial arts classes in the school brings many benefits. With the age of perfect development, the practice of martial arts creates a playground for them after stressful lessons. Also, training self-defense skills will also help them feel a lot more confident.

Not only they are trained with fists, kicks, and self-defense skills, but more importantly, the school also wants to use martial arts to teach about the thought of martial arts and morals to improve themselves. Therefore, in each teaching session, teachers spend a certain amount of time talking about the spiritual history of Vovinam, the quintessence of martial arts in Vietnam.

Vovinam is a compulsory subject at FPT University with the code VOV

The student proudly said: “The Vovinam training gives me a sense of patriotism and responsibility, we understand that learning about martial arts is not to fight but to protect ourselves and protect others, that is what our Forefathers have propagated ”.

During many years of study, the martial art Vovinam has played a crucial part in training students about morality, personality, and physicality, and educating them to live a productive and responsible life with themselves, family and society

Taking traditional martial arts full of national culture into schools is a major policy of the Government. Through martial arts, students will be trained in morality, patience, and martial thought that the Ancestors sent. It is also the wish of the FPT University Masters with the responsibility of “teaching people” when they are silently fostering global citizens that will firmly step into the future.

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  • Vietnamese Traditional Musical Instruments

FPT University is the pioneer school in bringing traditional musical instruments into the training program. At this school, students in Information Technology, Economics, Language, etc know how to play one of 6 ethnic musical instruments: the zither, the two-chord guitar, the monochord, the flute, the two-chord fiddle, the 4-chord lute no longer strange story. Taking ethnic instruments in the training program since 2014 has been considered one of the efforts to teach students the ethnic-cultural quintessence, contributing to preserving and remaining the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Vietnamese people.

Flute Class at FPT University

With a duration of about 30 classes with an hour and a half per class, students are instructed to play some basic traditional music. After a week, students can play simple songs. After three months of intensive study, students can play more complex songs.

FPT University students learn hard to play traditional musical instruments
Vietnamese Traditional Musical Instruments performances of FPT University students

 

With the theme “Vietnamese soul”, the students performed special performances: Ly cay da, Hon que, Giac mo trua, Do ta khong do nang, Auld Lang Syne, Hue royal music, etc.

With a love for traditional musical instruments, many students have set up clubs to share and spread their passion to many young people. Up to now, the students in the club have done many unique music products, showing their talent and passion for folk songs.

Lessons in traditional music help students understand one of the art forms of Vietnamese culture. This is also a great opportunity for young people living to learn precious knowledge about the history and ethnic characteristics of traditional folk songs.

In addition, it can help each student to learn the true value of music, thereby expanding the love of traditional music broadly.

Vietnamese Traditional Musical Instruments is a compulsory subject at FPT University with the code TMI_ELE

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2. Local or regional cultural heritage

  • Traditional folk songs from three regions of Vietnam

Through public performances at FPT University, students gave participants a glimpse of traditional rhythms from renowned folk songs like Trong Com (The Barrel-shaped Drum), Ly Ngua O (song of the Black Horse), to Hue court music.

“Ly Ngua O” performance at FPT Edu Tich Tinh Tang 2022
Ngo Tu Quynh Nhu – Student of FPT University Da Nang with the performance of “Trong Com” at the final round FPT Edu Tich Tich Tinh Tang 2022