The 54-year-old artisan was recently honored at the National Conference on the Implementation of Ethnic Cultural Work and the Commendation of Outstanding Village Elders, Village Chiefs, Artisans and Respected Individuals, organized by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He was one of three delegates from Gia Lai province to receive the distinction.
Born and raised in Ia Phí commune, Guk developed a passion for gong music and traditional festivals from an early age. Inspired by his father, a skilled gong player and tuner, he learned to play the gongs by the age of 10 before expanding his knowledge to statue carving, crafting traditional musical instruments and erecting ceremonial cây nêu poles.
Among those skills, gong tuning proved the most demanding.
According to Guk, tuning requires not only technical ability but also an exceptionally precise ear to preserve the traditional tonal system and avoid distorted sound. While many villagers can perform gong music, very few possess the expertise to restore and tune the instruments correctly.
Armed with little more than a wooden mallet and a small hammer, Guk has spent more than two decades repairing out-of-tune gongs for communities across Gia Lai and neighboring provinces, helping preserve the distinctive resonance of the Central Highlands’ musical heritage.
Despite his extensive experience, he continued to refine his craft by attending a gong tuning course organized by the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to strengthen his technical and theoretical knowledge.
His expertise has made him a familiar figure at major cultural events, including the Gia Lai Ethnic Culture Festival, the Central Highlands Gong Festival, the “Weekend Gongs” program and the “Colors of Culture” event. He has also participated in cultural promotion activities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.
Researcher Bùi Trọng Hiền of the Vietnam Institute of Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism described Guk as “a rare talent”, praising his mastery of ancient gong repertoires, traditional tuning methods and performance skills on both the gongs and the ting ning, a traditional string instrument.
Hiền, who contributed to the UNESCO dossier recognizing Central Highlands gong culture as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, said Guk represented a vital source of hope for preserving living heritage in Gia Lai.
Beyond performing and restoring instruments, Guk has focused much of his work on teaching younger generations.
Concerned about the gradual fading of traditional identity, he has spent years helping villagers practice ancient gong pieces and revive communal cultural activities.
In 2023, Guk and researcher Bùi Trọng Hiền established the Mrông Yố Village Gong Club, where regular evening classes are held at the communal house to teach gong playing and tuning.
The pair later expanded their efforts to education. In October 2025, they helped establish a gong club at Ia Grai Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School after being invited to teach 150 students how to perform gong music.
Students at the school have since become accustomed to seeing the artisan arrive every Thursday and Sunday afternoon, regardless of weather conditions.
“He teaches in a way that’s easy to understand,” said seventh-grade student Rơ Châm Huỳnh Vũ from O Sơr village. “Now I can play gong pieces like ‘Welcoming Guests’, ‘Celebrating New Rice’ and ‘Victory Celebration’”.
Another student, Puih Sự, said villagers praised her progress after she performed with her local gong team in Nú village.
“I want to learn all the gong pieces from Mr. Guk”, she said.
School principal Nguyễn Quang Tưởng said the school plans to continue inviting Guk to teach students advanced gong tuning techniques and ting ning performance in the coming academic year.
Reflecting on his long-time collaboration with the artisan, researcher Bùi Trọng Hiền said he valued Guk not only as a colleague but also as “a true treasure of the Central Highlands gong culture”.
“Guk is a beacon of hope for preserving the living heritage in Mrông Yố in particular and Gia Lai in general”, he said.
