I met Đỉnh in the late afternoon as she returned from gathering bamboo shoots. Pouring tea for her guest, she spoke passionately about her enduring love for Thai culture.

Having been involved in a Thai cultural club for nearly 20 years, she initially joined simply to socialize with other women in the village during her free time. However, through years of participation in cultural activities and programs, she gradually realized that many traditional values of her ethnic group were fading. Troubled by this reality, she became determined to collect, preserve, and actively pass on the cultural heritage of the Thai people. For her, this is both a personal calling and a responsibility to her community. “As long as I can contribute to preserving our culture, I will do my best, because my love for Thai culture burns deeply,” she shared.

Her husband, who is from the Kinh ethnic majority, has lived in the Thai community of Hoong Lếch Cang for decades. Over time, he has developed a strong connection to Thai culture. Đỉnh noted that at first, he worried about the time and effort she devoted to cultural preservation. But as he saw the meaningful results - many cultural values being revived - he became her greatest supporter.

Her collection work focuses on folk songs, proverbs, and traditional tales of the Thai people. In Hoong Lếch Cang village, she collaborates with elderly villagers such as Tòng Văn Tiến and Lò Văn Inh, who also help gather valuable cultural materials. Their work became more effective after joining the Pioneers Group for Ethnic Minority Voices under the Vietnam Pioneers Network, which aims to preserve cultural identity and promote indigenous knowledge. Since 2019, the six-member group led by Đỉnh has collected more than 40 folktales, nursery rhymes, and proverbs.

To gather materials, Đỉnh and her team have visited long-established Thai villages in the Mường Thanh basin, such as Bánh, Pa Lếch, and Pha Đin, in Thanh Chăn and former Thanh Yên communes. They spoke with elderly residents who once had deep knowledge of folk songs and stories but could now only recall fragments due to age. From these scattered pieces, the group compiled and reconstructed complete works.

Among the collected folk songs, Đỉnh particularly remembers the effort to recover a Thai folk song “When you have rice to eat, do not forget the fields”. Collected in 2019 from Bánh village, the song carries meaningful lessons about remembering one’s roots, appreciating peace, and honoring one’s homeland and the contributions of President Hồ Chí Minh.

To pass on this cultural heritage to younger generations, Đỉnh has been running Thai language classes at her home since 2023 for children in Hoong Lếch Cang and nearby villages. “This small class is our group’s heartfelt effort. By teaching the Thai language, we hope children will understand and love their mother tongue,” she said.

After just four months, students are able to communicate in daily life, name household items, and count in Thai. In addition to language lessons, they also take part in traditional games. So far, 40 students aged between 6 and 18 have attended the classes. Many can now read nursery rhymes, sing lullabies, count, and tell folktales fluently during cultural events such as the “Multicolored harmony” program organized by the group. Most students wish to continue learning after completing the course.

For many years, driven by passion and a strong sense of responsibility, Vì Thị Đỉnh and the elderly in Hoong Lếch Cang village have worked tirelessly to collect, preserve, and safeguard Thai folk songs, proverbs, and folktales. More importantly, they act as “cultural torchbearers,” passing on knowledge, skills, and a deep love for their heritage to younger generations, enriching community life and ensuring that traditional cultural values are preserved for the future.