Vinh performed a melody she says is only played at night. "When night falls, a virgin girl blows the melody, and the men understand that that family has an unmarried girl. The flute melody guides unmarried people to find each other."

Looking at Vinh’s tanned skin and hardened hands, few people suspect she can play music so beautifully. But they are immediately persuaded when she starts playing music in an assured and  delicate manner. "I can play 8 instruments including flute, two-chord fiddle, and lip lute. My grandparents taught me when I was small. It’s quite difficult and takes a long time to learn. I also learned from my brothers and sisters."

Vinh says playing music is in her blood. Her passion for the culture and customs of her ethnic minority group has encouraged her to master multiple musical instruments. Quang Van Hai, chief of Ten hamlet, says: "Vinh has an exceptional talent. She can play more instruments than her brothers and sisters. We encourage her to play to motivate others."

It takes much time and effort to master a musical instrument of the Kho Mu ethnic group. In Ten hamlet, people are poor and have to spend most of their time earning a living. They have little time for music. Vinh’s family is no exception. She has to work in the field all day. Vinh says she learned music because of the great passion in her heart. "I’ve learned whenever and wherever I could since I was small. We bring the instrument with us to the field and play when we take a rest. I always bring some instrument with me, such as a lip lute," Vinh says.

The lip lute of the Kho Mu is a flat bronze bar the length of a finger. Vinh carries a few with her everywhere she goes. Vinh says she often plays a popular melody that every Kho Mu woman has to learn. "The melody tells of a woman’s memory of her lover. When a woman misses her man, she plays this melody."

After we left Ten hamlet, the sounds of Vinh’s flute and lip lute continued to linger. Vinh says music has helped her and other Kho Mu people relieve the hardship of life.