Culture & Life

Honoring the beauty of hamlet heads

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On June 26, 17 hamlet heads representing 17 districts in Hanoi attended the 2018 City-Level Friendly Hamlet Head Contest. They have a deep understanding of people’s thoughts and aspirations to direct them into cultural and civilized behaviours. The organizer gave awards to hamlet heads attending the 2018 Friendly Hamlet Head Contest. Photo by Hoang Lan..

On June 26, 17 hamlet heads representing 17 districts in Hanoi attended the 2018 City-Level Friendly Hamlet Head Contest. They have a deep understanding of people’s thoughts and aspirations to direct them into cultural and civilized behaviours.

The organizer gave awards to hamlet heads attending the 2018 Friendly Hamlet Head Contest. Photo by Hoang Lan

Launched since April 2018, the Friendly Hamlet Head Contest has received the response of a majority of hamlets heads in different communes and districts in Hanoi. Over the contest rounds at the cluster, district and town levels, 17 best hamlet heads were selected to attend the final round of the city. At the contest, special contestants competed with each other in the multiple choice questions and feuilletonTogether showing their talent

performance. In addition, the hamlet heads also had the opportunity to show their interest and capabilities through the self-introduction and talent.

The City Cultural Centre Hall (at No. 4 Phung Hung, Ha Dong) on the morning of June 26th was packed with contestants and audiences. They were from Dong Chanh hamlet (Minh Cuong commune, Thuong Tin district) and An Vong hamlet (Hoang Dieu commune, Chuong My district), etc., which were all tens of kilometers away. Apart from them, there were cadres and villagers represented in the final round to cheer for the home teams.

In addition to the compulsory feuilleton performance with many participants, the talent part was well executed by many units with the dance teams. Talent performances were diverse, such as light-music songs or fork songs and even self-composed ones. Many spectators were impressed with the sweet fork singing of hamlet head Nguyen Tuan Tu (Phuong Dinh hamlet, Dan Phuong commune, Dan Phuong district) through the fork song “homeland is grateful to Uncle Ho”. Mr. Tu, the oldest contestant, is over 60 years old and spent 14 years as a hamlet head. “This is not the first time I have come to the friendly hamlet head contest, but I always see the excitement of the contestants and supporters from localities. In the countryside away from the city centre, the movement has always played an important role in preserving the village culture.”, said Mr. Tu.

Bravery of hamlet heads

On the sidelines of the contest, hamlet heads representing localities supported the opinion that to do well in this work, apart from understanding policies and laws as well as doing examplary actions, the flexibility, persistence and ability to persuate other are essential. Mr. Vuong Duy Quan (Dong Lu hamlet, Dong Quang commune, Quoc Oai district) shared, “Villages are featured by the habitat of most of relatives, neighbors, in-laws, ect. If you are not exemplary and not capable of persuading others, things are very difficult to solve.”

Many problems such as the birth of daughters, domestic violence and shady certification of poor households, and so on were raised by the “contestants” through the feuilleton performances. Although the performances were not professional, these are obviously existing issues which should be addressed by villagers through changes in their thinking and actions. Refusing to escape poverty not only exists in the minds of residents in remote areas, but still in those of many people in the suburbs of Hanoi.

“The hamlet heads wishing to cause the people to give up imposing improper influence to be certified as poor households must be very flexible and persistent, to make people understand their drive not only for the achievement and the title of cultural village, but also for the progress and economic development of the whole hamlets”, said Mr Tran Quang Huy (An Vong hamlet, Hoang Dieu Commune, Chuong My District).

At the end of the contest, the organizer awarded the first prize to Nguyen Quang Huy (Chuong My district),  2 second prizes to Nguyen Tuan Tu (Dan Phuong district) and Bui Quang Ha (Dong Anh district). In addition, the Organizer also gave three third prizes as well as several consodation prizes, Talent Prizes and Best Practices for the hamlet head in 17 districts.

Every five years, Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports organizes a friendly hamlet head contest to see the staff spirit for respective movement in each locality. This year’s contest was not highlighted by the talent of the hamlet heads, but also the rejuvenation of village officials. Many of the contents of the two Codes of Conduct were incorporated into the feuilleton performances which will not only appear in the contest, but will also be a regular activity in the hamlets.

Ms. Bui Thi Thu Hien – Deputy Director of Ha Noi Department of Culture and Sports,  Head of Contest Jury