In Da Nang's western mountains, the guol, the tall communal house at the heart of a Co Tu village, is both a building and an archive. Somebody has to know how to build one, carve the posts and play the music that goes inside it. In Dong Giang commune, one of those people is A Lang Doi.

Born in 1964 in Lang Gung village and now living in Truong Son village, he began learning traditional wood carving at 15 from his uncle, village elder A Ting Neh, VietNamNet reported on September 28.

What he knows how to do

  • Build: guol and moong houses in traditional style.
  • Carve: wood decorations for the houses, and statues of daily work and festivals.
  • Play and perform: gongs, ritual dances and dozens of traditional instruments, including one made from goat horn.

When he hits the limits of what he knows, he goes looking for other elders and artisans in other Co Tu areas. "Whatever I don't know, I have to find someone who knows and learn it," he told VietNamNet (translated from Vietnamese).

Culture as a tourism job

In 2019 he helped build a Co Tu village space at Toom Sara in Hoa Vang, and later performed there for visitors. In mid-2020 he taught the tung tung da da dance, drumming and gong rhythms to performers at the Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theater.

He now takes part in programs at the Cong Troi Dong Giang eco-tourism area, where he shows visitors how to pound rice, introduces Co Tu dishes and leads young people in dance and gongs. He has also performed at cultural exchanges in Da Nang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

He says performing isn't just entertainment. It's a way for outsiders to understand Co Tu life, customs and values.

The children's troupe

He has built a children's arts group that learns gongs, instruments and dance and performs at festivals. Fifth-grader A Ting Quy of Prao Primary School told VietNamNet the gongs were hard at first, but she hopes to get good enough to teach younger kids.

His own wish is simple: more classes to pass the culture on. He's one of 26 artisans honored by the former Dong Giang district for preserving Co Tu identity.

Why it matters

The 2025 merger made Co Tu communities part of Da Nang. That means the city now has a stake in whether guol-building and gong music survive another generation.

Tourism can pay for some of it. Classes, paid teachers and space for the children's troupe would do more.

Sources

This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.