Up to now, through 3 rounds of awarding, Quang Ninh has had 2 People's Artisans (NNND) and 36 Meritorious Artisans (NNUT) honored. That is not to mention nearly one hundred Folk Artisans awarded by the Folk Arts Association. However, Quang Ninh also has many artisans in localities who are holding different intangible cultural heritages, which need to be paid more attention and honored.

Folk artists are silent teachers, tirelessly on the journey of transmitting cultural heritage from one generation to the next. In Quang Ninh, there are currently many folk artists preserving intangible cultural heritages, such as: Dum singing (Quang Yen), ancient Cheo singing (Dong Trieu), Dao folk singing (Uong Bi, Ha Long, Tien Yen, Binh Lieu), Dao Thanh Y costume sewing and embroidery, the Dao ethnic group's cap sac ceremony (Binh Lieu, Ba Che, Tien Yen), Then singing and Soong Co singing (Tien Yen, Binh Lieu), Nha To singing, singing and dancing at communal houses (Dam Ha, Hai Ha, Van Don, Mong Cai), Sinh Ca singing of the Cao Lan people (Ba Che), ceramic craft (Dong Trieu), bamboo boat weaving, and fishing gear weaving (Quang Yen, Van Don).

The efforts and dedication of the folk artists have created a positive resonance so that traditional cultural heritages can spread their vitality among the youth. Up to now, the whole province has 76 artists who have been awarded the title of Vietnamese Folk Artist. In addition, there are hundreds of other artists who have not been awarded any title but are still passionately practicing, preserving and teaching folk arts.

Meanwhile, most of the current folk artists in the province are 70-80 years old or older, some are close to the age of 100 and are gradually decreasing due to age. Folk artists who are still healthy, even though their lives are not without hardships and difficulties, still join hands to preserve and pass on to the next generations the love of folk culture. Every day, they quietly live in each village of ethnic minorities to nurture the love of traditional culture.

In the fourth round of consideration in 2024, the cultural sector received 16 applications, including 3 applications for the title of People's Artist and 16 applications for the title of Meritorious Artist. Among them, there is 1 individual from the San Diu ethnic group (Mr. Ly Van Sinh), the rest are Kinh people from the following localities: Hai Ha (4 people), Mong Cai (9 people), Ha Long (1 person), Dong Trieu (1 person). Dr. Tran Quoc Hung, Director of the Center for Conservation and Research of San Diu Ethnic Culture in Vietnam, a member of the Council, said that the number was too small compared to other provinces and compared to the potential of Quang Ninh. People's Artist Thanh Chac and Meritorious Artist Trong Binh, members of the Council, also agreed with that view. Just for Cheo singing alone, in the Dong Trieu, Quang Yen, Uong Bi, Ha Long, Cam Pha regions, there are many artisans who are making efforts to practice and teach, deserving of honor.

The above list is similar to the lists of the last 3 awarding rounds in that there is an imbalance between localities and types of intangible cultural heritage. Some localities do not have an awarding dossier. Many areas with strengths such as: Then singing, dum singing, soong co singing, traditional crafts do not have dossiers. In particular, love duet singing on Ha Long Bay has many times had no artists to make dossiers.

Mr. Ninh Van Thuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, frankly admitted: Some localities and coordinating management agencies are still indifferent to the implementation of screening and guiding individuals to propose the title of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist. Therefore, some typical intangible cultural heritages of localities such as the Tay Then ritual (Binh Lieu district), the Dao people's Cap Sac ritual, and the traditional costumes of the Dao Thanh Y and Dao Thanh Phan ethnic groups (Ha Long, Tien Yen, Ba Che, Dam Ha) have not had any individuals propose to consider the award. Some localities discovered that there was a program or plan for the award of the province, but the time limit for receiving applications had passed.

During the process of receiving the application, the Department provided specific instructions to individuals requesting additional awards and how to fill out the application. However, there were still 3 individuals from Hai Ha district who, despite their contributions to the locality in cultural and artistic activities, had sketchy and similar application forms, did not describe their knowledge, detailed their skills and techniques of the heritage they were holding, had no supporting documents attached, and their certificates of merit were not certified...

Pham Hoc