Poetry of Songs over the Course of Vietnamese History

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Poetry of Songs over the Course of Vietnamese History

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Author: Minh X. Nguyễn
Grades: 9-10

Suggested Amount of Time: 60-75 Minutes
Area of Study: Social & Political Transformations in 20th Century Vietnam

Compelling Question
  • How did French colonialism, political ideologies and geopolitics shape the internal divisions of Vietnam?
Lesson Questions
  • What were the impacts of French colonization on Vietnamese society and political identity? 
  • How do the Vietnamese songs in southern Vietnam influence the music culture in the diaspora?
Lesson Objective

Describe the impact of French colonialism on Vietnamese literature and music by comparing and contrasting two well known poets and their work. 

Lesson Background

Songs have long been used as a medium to convey narratives of poetry, history, and fiction. Historically, this has made literature accessible to a predominantly illiterate population. Some of the most well-known songs in both Vietnam and the diaspora during the middle and late twentieth century reference earlier poets. In this lesson, examples will feature the poets: Hàn Mặc Tử and Hữu Loan. Their works may have originated in central Vietnam, but war and mass migration have contributed to mass dissemination of their repertoire and reputation transnationally.      

Image Citation: (Trần, T.T. (n.d.). Số 38: Hàn Mặc Tử. 1001 Bài Ca Hay. Việt Nam. Retrieved on August 01, 2023 from https://hopamviet.vn/assets/images/sheets/Han_Mac_Tu_(Tran_Thien_Thanh)_inside_2.jpg)

Ethnic Studies Theme

This lesson connects to the ethnic studies theme of reclamation and joy from the Asian American Studies Curriculum Framework (Asian American Research Initiative, 2022). Students explore the ways that communities reclaim histories through art, cultural expression, and counternarratives. Students will explore how poetry is an avenue for Vietnamese Americans to reclaim their cultural identity.

For additional guidance around ethnic studies implementation, refer to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (2021) https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp.

Historical Thinking Skills

This lesson will facilitate student proficiency in historical perspectives, one of Seixas’ historical thinking skills (Seixas & Morton, 2013). To demonstrate the use of evidence to write historical fiction that accurately conveys the beliefs, values, and motivations of historical actors. Students consider how taking the perspective of historical actors means inferring how people felt and thought in the past. It does not mean identifying with those actors. Valid inferences are those based on evidence.

Supplies
  • Access to laptop device
Readings
  • An Nam nhất thống chí
  • Số 38: Hàn Mặc Tử.
  • Màu Tím Hoa Sim Poem
  • Hữu Loan Biography
Handouts
  1. Cultural Energizer (five minutes)
    • Prompt students to consider the following question: What are some of your favorite outlets to absorb information? (Possible responses: books, tv, theaters, films, musicals, social media, etc.). Allow for students to partner share their response.
    • Preface students to the lesson with a similar statement: “Since the majority of Vietnam’s inhabitants were unable to read or write, they had to rely on other measures to access literature such as: oral stories, music and musicals, theater, film.”

 

  1. Anticipatory Guide (10–15 min)
    1. Source 1: An Nam nhất thống chí (https://ucdavis.box.com/s/0xyfhuknvn4vw60waeutyqnfpieua3fg) (sourced from https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667458) 
      1. Teacher shows students the picture of song #1 without telling students any information about the picture. 
      2. Teacher ask students to identify the picture (what they think is in the picture).
        1. What is the writing script? What was its use? Where was it used?
      3. Teacher talking points for context: Tell students that the picture is what a song sheet performed by court musicians in Huế in the eighteenth century would look similar to. (Emphasize that this is not an exact song sheet, but the format and text resembles one). Teacher explains that the writing script is classical literary Chinese, a form of writing that was common in Vietnam.  While the Vietnamese court was aware of other writings scripts (e.g. nôm, quốc ngữ, pali sanskrit), classical Chinese was coveted due to its Confucian prestige. The teacher tells students that if this were a song sheet, the top part is the lyrics to the song, whereas the bottom part is the musical notes. Teacher points to the upper right hand corner, telling students the first vertical line is the title. Teacher gestures from the top going down each line, from right to left (the upper section), explaining that this is how the lyrics are read. Teacher explains that prior to French colonialism, this was the layout to sheet music as well as other writings. Teacher writes on the board that the practice of adapting poetry to songs is referred to as Phổ Thơ. Phổ means either a copied segment or a musical segment; thơ means poem. Literature and music are related historically. 
    2. Source 2: Số 38: Hàn Mặc Tử (https://ucdavis.box.com/s/lixttyrqlyp167tpmofp9v9is40l39o2) (sourced from: https://hopamviet.vn/assets/images/sheets/Han_Mac_Tu_(Tran_Thien_Thanh)_inside_2.jpg). The teacher shows students the picture of song #2 and informs the students that this is the layout of music since the period of French colonialism.
      1. The teacher tells the students to work with a partner and compare the similarities and differences between the 18th century song (source 1) sheet with this one from the 20th century.  
      2. The teacher reviews their answers and asks students for more details to add if needed.
        1. Differences include: 
          1. writing script (chinese characters vs romanized) 
          2. the reading direction goes from left to right now (not vertically)
          3. The music notation changed to the western system of scales and notes  
          4. The lines of music and lyrics are no longer separated into different blocks of text
        2. Similarities include: 
          1. Both songs have lyrical narration  
          2. Both were performed in Vietnam by the Vietnamese
          3. Both adapt poetry to music (phổ thơ)
  2. Interaction with poems 
    1. The teacher informs the students that the two poets the class will be examining are from central Vietnam, who became famous throughout Vietnam and the diaspora during the latter part of the 20th century. 
    2. The teacher can provide the following context: When Vietnam was divided into the northern Democratic Republic (Communist) and the southern Republic, many musicians from the north and central migrated southwards to escape communism.  In doing so, many singers and composers from central Vietnam like Trần Tiền Thanh and Duy Khánh brought their knowledge of poetry from the area to Sài Gòn. The teacher will remind the students about Phổ Thơ — while most inhabitants of southern Vietnam may have never read the poems of either poet, musicians introduced their poems to the public via songs and theater. 
    3. Engage: Hàn Mặc Tử biography and poem (10–15 mins)
      1. The teacher introduces the students to the poet: “Hàn Mặc Tử is a Vietnamese poet from the early twentieth century. Today, he is remembered as both a Catholic poet as well as a mad and crazy poet, or as someone having mental health issues. Nearing the end of his life, Hàn Mặc Tử writings reflect elements of his faith and sensorial deterioration. The trope of the moon in Vietnamese songs is often an allusion to the poet, albeit moon tropes were used by many poets in the twentieth century.”  
      2. In pairs or a group, students read the poem Đây Thôn Vĩ Dạ and biography of Hàn Mặc Tử (1912 – 1940) (see handouts section) to answer the following (ask these questions after the reading as the evaluation): 
        1. Which aspects of the poem remain vague and why?
        2. What aspects of the poem remain clearest and why?
        3. What might the poem suggest about the poet’s life when it was composed?
        4. How does the poem’s structure and language reflect that it was written after French colonialism?
    4. Engage: Hữu Loan (10 – 15 min)
      1. The teacher gives students access to Hữu Loan Biography (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BB%AFu_Loan and additional text below) and poem Màu Tím Hoa Sim (see: https://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/591963/a-love-that-echoes-through-the-ages-in-poetry.html)
      2. The teacher asks students to work in pairs to compare Huữ Loan’s biography and poem with Hàn Mặc Tử.
      3. Students work together to answer the following in constructed responses:
        1. How are the educational backgrounds of the poets similar and different?  
        2. How are the vocational backgrounds of the poets similar and different?
        3. How are circumstances for the composition of each poem similar and different?
        4. How are the two styles of the poets similar and different?
  3. Interaction with informational handout (15–20 min)
    1. Make the handout, “Poetry, Music, and Adaptation” accessible to students digitally or as a physical copy.
    2. Have students read and annotate the text for the following:
      1. Underline key ideas.
      2. Put a star next to information that helps build understanding and context of the poems and poets they just read about.
      3. Write a question mark around ideas that they did not understand.
    3. Then, have a class discussion about the two lesson questions:
      1. What were the impacts of French colonization on Vietnamese society and political identity? 
      2. How do the Vietnamese songs in southern Vietnam influence the music culture in the diaspora?
  4. Cultural Production (20 min)
    1. Students will choose from one of the following assessment options to answer and reflect on the lesson questions:
      1. Construct a written piece (i.e: poem, song lyrics, or spoken word piece).
      2. The final product can be written or typed, and shared through a performance or recording. The final product can be open to a written, visual, or audio narrative. 
      3. Suggested elements for the assessment: 
        1. Historical Accuracy - The product will include historically accurate information and facts, and reflect on impacts of French colonization on Vietnamese society, and southern Vietnam music influences.
        2. Creative Form and Techniques - Students will consider which form best allows them to express their ideas and emotions. The final product should include creative writing strategies such as imagery and figurative language. 
        3. Theme - The product should focus on a central theme. Examples include but are not limited to: resistance to colonization, cultural identity, power of music as a connecting force.

Students will choose from one of the following assessment options to answer and reflect on the lesson questions:

  • Construct a written piece (i.e: poem, song lyrics, or spoken word piece).
  • The final product can be written or typed, and shared through a performance or recording.

Representation: Consider the following method to support with multiple means of representation:

  • Provide written transcripts for videos or auditory clips 
  • Highlight or emphasize key elements in text, graphics, diagrams, formulas 

 

Action and Expression: Consider the following method to support in presenting their learning in multiple ways:

  • Embed prompts to “stop and think” before acting as well as adequate space 

 

Engagement: Consider the following method to support with lesson engagement:

  • Invite personal response, evaluation and self-reflection to content and activities 
  • Provide prompts that guide learners in when and how to ask peers and/or teachers for help

 

For additional ideas to support your students, check out the UDL Guidelines at CAST (2018)  http://udlguidelines.cast.org.

Emerging: Consider the following method to support with emerging students:

  • Reading: Preview the text content with pictures, videos, demos, charts, or experiences

 

Expanding: Consider the following method to support with expanding students:

  • Reading: Provide a content vocabulary word bank with nonlinguistic representations
  • Students use a Frayer graphic organizer to support understanding of a key word or concept. Place the target word in the center amid four surrounding quadrants to support different facets of word meaning.

 

Bridging: Consider the following method to support with bridging students:

  • Reading: Use focused questions to guide reading
  • Students use inquiry posing their own questions and wonderings to guide shared research experiences. 

 

For additional guidance around scaffolding for multilingual learners, please consult the following resources:

  1. Students can identify another song, or any piece of literature, that was created during the French colonialism period, or after this time period. Once they have identified a song and musician, or literary work, they can analyze the historical context and overarching themes.
  2. Students can identify a Vietnamese song that is created in today’s current era and compare and contrast the themes, mechanics, and context of that song with the songs in this lesson. 

A love that echoes through the ages in poetry. (n.d.). Vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved November 30, 2023 https://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/591963/a-love-that-echoes-through-the-ages-in-poetry.html

American Initiative. 2022. Asian American Studies K-12 Framework.  https://asianamericanresearchinitiative.org/asian-american-studies-curriculum-framework/ 

An Nam nhất thống chí. (n.d.). Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved November 30, 2023  https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667458/

Bài thơ: Đây thôn Vĩ Dạ (Hàn Mặc Tử - Nguyễn Trọng Trí). 2008, March 12. Thi Viện.  https://www.thivien.net/H%C3%A0n-M%E1%BA%B7c-T%E1%BB%AD/%C4%90%C3%A2y-th%C3%B4n-V%C4%A9-D%E1%BA%A1/poem-mYEcs2AZA6uARv-MA69oaA#google_vignette 

Britt, K. 2020, May 11. English learner toolkit of strategies. California County Superintendents.  https://cacountysupts.org/english-learner-toolkit-of-strategies/

California Department of Education. 2021. Ethnic studies model curriculum. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp

California Department of Education & English Learner Support Division. 2012. California English Language Development standards (Electronic Edition) kindergarten through grade 12 (F. Ong & J. McLean, Eds.). California Department of Education. https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/documents/eldstndspublication14.pdf

California Educators Together. (n.d.). ELA / ELD framework. https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/resources/6537/ela-eld-framework

CAST. 2018. The UDL guidelines. http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Here Is Vĩ Dạ Hamlet - Translation Poem Of HàN MặC Tử: Đây Thôn Vĩ Dạ - Here Is Vĩ Dạ Hamlet - Translation Poem Of HàN MặC Tử: Đây Thôn Vĩ Dạ Poem by Nhiên Nguyễn MD. 2017, January 2. Poem Hunter. https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/here-is-vi-da-hamlet-translation-poem-of-ha-n-m-c-t-y-th-n-vi-da/

Nguyễn, P. T. 2008. Vietnam. In T.E. Miller & S. Williams (Eds.), The Garland Handbook of Southeast Asian Music (pp. 247-290). Routledge.

San Diego County Office of Education. (n.d.). Providing appropriate scaffolding.  https://www.sdcoe.net/educators/multilingual-education-and-global-achievement/oracy-toolkit/providing-appropriate-scaffolding#scaffolding

Sexias, P. & Morton, T. 2013. The big six: Historical thinking concepts. Nelson Education.

Trần, T.T. (n.d.). Số 38: Hàn Mặc Tử. 1001 Bài Ca Hay. Việt Nam. Retrieved on August 01, 2023 https://hopamviet.vn/assets/images/sheets/Han_Mac_Tu_(Tran_Thien_Thanh)_inside_2.jpg)

Tulare County Office of Education. (n.d.). Strategies for ELD. https://commoncore.tcoe.org/Content/Public/doc/Alpha-CollectionofELDStrategies.pdf 

Wikipedia Contributors. 2022, August 21. Hữu Loan. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BB%AFu_Loan 

 

Supplementary Sources

Lê, B. T. 2010. Thi sĩ Hữu Loan và mối tình bất hủ. VTC News. Retrieved on July 22, 2022 https://vtc.vn/thi-si-huu-loan-va-moi-tinh-bat-hu-ar3637.html 

Nguyễn, P. T. 2008. Vietnam. In T.E. Miller & S. Williams (Eds.), The Garland Handbook of Southeast Asian Music (pp. 247-290). Routledge.

Phạm, D. (n.d.). Ca Nhạc Phòng. Retrieved on July 20, 2002 https://phamduy.com/en/van-nghien-cuu/co-nhac/5444-ca-nhac-phong

Phạm, N. 2010. BBC News - Risking Life for Pop Music in Wartime Vietnam. BBC. Retrieved on June 06, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10312758 

UNESCO. 1957 World Illiteracy at Mid-Century. Buchdruckerei Winterthur AG.

Model Curriculum

Vietnamese American Experiences

Standard(s)

HSS 10.10 RI.9-10.4 W.9-10.9

Grade(s)

Grade 9 Grade 10