Lesson 1: Learning “Hò Hụi Huế”

Aim: How can a song create community?
Summary: Students will learn to sing “Hò Hụi Huế,” explore movement and song in community settings, and discover traditional Vietnamese instruments.
Materials: Musical Explorers digital resources
Standards: GA- ESGMK.PR.1, ESGMK.RE.3, ESGMK.CN.2, ESGM1.PR.1, ESGM1.RE.1, ESGM2.PR.1, ESGM2.RE.1, ESGM2.CN.2
Vocabulary:  Chén, đàn Bầu, đàn Tranh, Sanh Tiền, Trống, and T’rưng
See Glossary →

Sing “Hò Hụi Huế”
  • “Hò Hụi Huế” is a Central Vietnamese folk song about working on the land together to build a better future for all! The song “Hò Hụi Huế” creates an opportunity for everyone to come together and make work festive, fun, and in rhythm with each other. One person starts to sing, and everyone joins in together!

Track 4.02 – “Hò Hụi Huế”

  • Listen to “Hò Hụi Huế”, Track 4.02, to hear the whole song.
  • Learn the lyrics to the chorus using “Hò Hụi Huế” chorus, Track 4.03, and “Hò Hụi Huế” pronunciation, Track 4.04.
  • Sing the chorus.

Track 4.03 – “Hò Hụi Huế” chorus

Track 4.04 – “Hò Hụi Huế” pronunciation

Track 4.05 – “Hò Hụi Huế” call and response melody

Hò Hụi Huế

“Heave Ho”

CALL: Ai í về 

Response: Là hò là khoan

CALL: Cầu Nội mà thanh toàn

RESPONSE: Là hò là khoan

CALL: Cho em mà đi với 

RESPONSE: Aaaa à a

CALL: Một đoàn mà cho vui.

Chorus:
Là hò la khoan khoan ới khoan-oan hò khoan. 

Là hò ò khoan.

CALL: Gió ó đưa 

RESPONSE: Là hò là khoan

CALL: Cành trúc mà la đà 

RESPONSE: Là hò là khoan

CALL: Tiếng chuông là Thiên Mụ

RESPONSE: Aaaa à a

CALL: Canh gà mà Thọ- o Xương.

(Chorus)

CALL: Đất ư hò 

RESPONSE: Khoan hới khoan!

CALL: Hò la ơ ơ ơ ơ hò 

RESPONSE: Khoan hới khoan!

CALL: Hò là ơ ơ ơ ơ hò. 

RESPONSE: Khoan hới khoan hò

CALL: Cao chạy ớ ơ hụi. Ớ ơ hụi. 

RESPONSE: Ớ ơ khoan! Khoan hò!

CALL: Hết hụi là hò khoan.

RESPONSE: Khoan ới khoan ới hò

(Chorus)

CALL: Are you going to

RESPONSE: Là hò là khoan*

CALL: The citadel bridge where the Imperial City of Hue is?

RESPONSE: Là hò là khoan

CALL: Let’s go together!

RESPONSE: Aaaa à a

CALL: Go to a place of beauty and peace that we have. 

Chorus:
Là hò la khoan khoan ới khoan-oan hò khoan. 

Là hò ò khoan.

CALL: The wind blows lightly

RESPONSE: Là hò là khoan

CALL: The young bamboo dancing under the sun 

RESPONSE: Là hò là khoan

CALL: The sound of Thiên Mụ temple’s bell ringing in the distance

RESPONSE: Aaaa à a

CALL: The Thọ- o Xương rooster just signals a new day come

(Chorus)

CALL: This is our land. This is our home!

RESPONSE: Khoan hới khoan!

CALL: Hò la ơ ơ ơ ơ hò 

RESPONSE: Khoan hới khoan!

CALL: Hò là ơ ơ ơ ơ hò. 

RESPONSE: Khoan hới khoan hò

CALL: Let’s work together to build a better future

RESPONSE: Ớ ơ khoan! Khoan hò!

CALL: Let’s work together, together to build a better future

RESPONSE: Khoan ới khoan ới hò

(Chorus)

*These are nonsense syllables that are like singing, “Ho, Ha, Hey!” 

Explore call and response in “Hò Hụi Huế
  • In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or in response to the first.
  • Listen to the melody of the call and the response section in verse 3, using “Hò Hụi Huế” call and response melody, Track 4.05.

Track 4.05 – “Hò Hụi Huế” call and response melody

  • Use “Hò Hụi Huế” call and response pronunciation, Track 4.06, to learn the words of the call and response.
  • Split your class into two groups to sing the call and response.

Track 4.06 – “Hò Hụi Huế” call and response pronunciation

Create a Working Dance to “Hò Hụi Huế”
  • Agriculture is the art or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock. Vietnam is an agricultural country, and this work is highly labor-intensive.
  • Create a working dance to “Hò Hụi Huế” by choosing an agricultural activity such as planting, tilling the soil, harvesting, or gathering to go along with the chorus! 
  • Brainstorm imaginary objects you can use as part of your work such as a hoe, a rake, or a basket for holding food. 
  • Next, have your students stand in line. 
  • Based on your activity of choice, create arm, hand, and foot motions to perform as a group.
  • Next, put the motions together, and move around the classroom working together in rhythm by “taking care of the land.”
  • Have your students experiment with making their own modifications to the steps and arm motions. They can do whatever feels natural to move as a unit. 
  • You may also experiment with students doing different activities and keeping them in rhythm together!
  • As you move together, students should begin to sing less and move more, bringing joy and happiness to the team of workers!
  • Now, put it all together by having the groups respond to one another! Then ask the groups to switch parts. 
Explore Vietnamese Traditional Instruments
  • Learn about the instruments used in traditional Vietnamese folk music, which often depend on the everyday objects people can find in their homes and villages. (You can help your students go deeper into this concept with the activity “Discover Music in Everyday Objects” on TG11). The song “Hò Hụi Huế” uses the Vietnamese T’rưng, Trống, đàn Tranh, Sanh Tiền, and Chén. The song “Cô Đôi Thượng Ngàn” in Lesson 2 uses the T’rưng, Trống, dàn Bầu, and đàn Tranh.
    • T’rưng: Similar to the xylophone but vertical, this instrument consists of a set of bamboo bars of increasing length that rest on a resonator and traditionally played by striking with a wooden mallet. See SG 27.
    • Sanh Tiền: The Vietnamese “coin clapper” is made from three pieces of wood with old coins attached to create a tambourine-like rattling sound.
    • Trống: The “double-headed cow drum” is made from a double-head barrel made of cow skin and jackfruit tree wood, and is usually played with sticks or hands.
    • đàn Bầu: The “monochord” is a one string instrument originally made of animal gut strings and bamboo trunk. This instrument is unique to Vietnam and has a sound like the human voice.
    • Chén: Two handle-less porcelain teacups held together between the fingers of the player and rattled quickly together to make a percussion-like sound.
    • đàn Tranh: The “zither” consists of a flat sounding box with numerous strings placed on a horizontal surface, played with a plectrum or with fingertips.

Track 4.01 – “Happy New Year” in Vietnamese

Creative Extension: Decorate Your Own Tết Envelope

  • Tết is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, meaning it is based on the moon’s pattern of movement around the sun.  Traditional symbols are dragons, lanterns, envelopes, and the colors red and gold. 

What are some words that symbolize nature? Some examples may be mountains, plants, water, and the stars. 

What do you love about nature, and why? 

What is your favorite place in nature?

  • Using SG28, draw a picture of what you would wish to get as a Tết “New Year’s” gift. 
Musical Word Wall

Add the word Chén, đàn Bầu, đàn Tranh, Sanh Tiền, Trống, and T’rưng to the Musical Word Wall.
See Glossary →

PDF Downloads

↓ SG27 Explore the T’rưng

↓ SG28 Decorate Your Own Tết Envelope

Audio Tracks

Track 4.01 – “Happy New Year” in Vietnamese

Track 4.02 – “Hò Hụi Huế”

Track 4.03 – “Hò Hụi Huế” chorus

Track 4.04 – “Hò Hụi Huế” pronunciation

Track 4.05 – “Hò Hụi Huế” call and response pronunciation melody

Track 4.06 – “Hò Hụi Huế” call and response pronunciation


Lesson 2: Learning “Cô Đôi Thượng Ngàn” →

Unit 1 – Vietnamese Music with Cecilia