The artists at Center for Safeguarding and Promotion of Folk Songs of Nghệ Region collected and learned how to sing Ví and Giặm Folk Songs with master practitioner Võ Thị Vân’s family members in hamlet 4, Ngọc Sơn commune, Thanh Chương district, Nghệ An province, 2013. Photo by Nguyễn Ngọc Quyết; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Ví singing by the conical hat making guild in Phù Việt village, Thạch Việt commune, Thạch Hà district, Hà Tĩnh province, 2013. Photo by Bùi Quang Thanh; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Ví and Giặm performance at Festival of Ví and Giặm Folk Songs of Nghệ Region by Ví and Giặm Folk Songs Group of Diễn Lâm commune, Diễn Châu district, Nghệ An province, 2012. Photo by Trần Duy Ngoãn; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Four generations of master practitioner Võ Thị Vân’s family practice Ví and Giặm sing with Ví and Giặm Folk Songs Group of Ngọc Sơn commune, Thanh Chương district, Nghệ An province, 2013. Photo by Nguyễn Ngọc Quyết; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Ví singing by the knitting guild in Nam Giang hamlet, Thạch Long commune, Thạch Hà district, Hà Tĩnh province, 2013. Photo by Trịnh Văn Phú; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Ví and Giặm singing at ploughing work in Việt Xuyên commune, Thạch Hà district, Hà Tĩnh province, 2013. Photo by Trịnh Văn Phú; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies

Master practitioner Võ Thị Vân instructs Ví and Giặm songs at a middle school in Ngọc Sơn commune, Thanh Chương district, Nghệ An province, 2013. Photo by Trịnh Văn Phú; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Ví singing by the fishing net guild on Lam river in Bồi Sơn commune, Đô Lương district, Nghệ An province, 2013. Photo by Phan Mạnh Dương; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Ví and Giặm singing in corn field in Bắc Sơn commune, Đô Lương district, Nghệ An province, 2013. Photo by Phan Mạnh Dương; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Master practitioner Trần Văn Tư transmits Ví songs of fabric weaving guild at home, Kim Liên commune, Nam Đàn district, Nghệ An province, 2012. Photo by Nguyễn Ngọc Quyết; © 2013 Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies

Ví and Giặm Folk Songs are a popular musical form created and sung by a wide range of Việt communities in the Nghệ Region (Today Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh prov-inces) in the north-central part of Vietnam. They reflect the cultural customs of daily life and are imbued with identity, particularly in terms of dialects of the lo-cal people.