Many students can memorize the lyrics of a "hot" song on TikTok, know the names of many foreign singers, and listen to Korean and American music proficiently.
But if you ask me for a Hue Ca melody, a Southern Ly tune, or a Don ca tai tu tune, the answer may very well be silence.
That is the question for adults, how have we brought folk music to children?
When the modern music market has millions of products and just one phone can listen to any melody, it is impossible to ask children to naturally turn to heritage if heritage does not appear in life.
To preserve, first of all, it is necessary to let the younger generation know, and schools are the place where it can be done methodically and sustainably.
The story at Bui Thi Xuan High School, Ho Chi Minh City, is a noteworthy example. About 150 students were directly guided by artisans to "don ca tai tu".
Some students said that from a young age they had heard grandparents and parents play ancient songs, but when they practiced directly, they felt the difficulty and beauty of a type of music that seemed close but turned out to be very far away.
In Hue, more than 160 elementary music teachers are trained in Hue Ca to gradually bring heritage into schools.
The program is part of the Project to protect and promote the value of Hue Ca art heritage to 2030.
This approach shows an important direction: if you want children to love heritage, don't just explain about heritage, let children live in heritage.
Bringing heritage into schools does not mean turning all students into artisans, the goal is simpler, so that they know, understand and love.
Don ca tai tu has been recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, Ca Hue has been included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
But titles cannot replace the fire starter and the successor generation.
A heritage that can be recorded for a very long time still faces the risk of fading if fewer and fewer young people know how to listen, sing, play and care.
The title keeps the name of the heritage, young people can keep the vitality of the heritage.
The younger generation can listen to world music and still be proud of national music, can know Korean, Japanese, American, European cultures and still recognize a Hue folk song, a Ly tune, a Don ca tai tu tune.
Don't wait until one day, young Vietnamese people can sing along to the whole world but don't know how to sing a song of their homeland.
