Love gives birth to us – family!
In welcoming Vietnam Family Day, Action Month for Children – Welcoming Summer 2014, and toward the anniversaries of the nation and Petroleum industry, the Committee for the Advancement of Women (CFTAW), Labor Union and Women Labor Union of PetroVietnam Gas Joint Stock Corporation cooperated and organized “Happy Family” Contest on June 27th, 2014 in HCMC.
A bride that has never visited her husband’s company; a husband that has never experienced the stage light; families that have never stood side by side to bow down and sing a song together; couples and their children that have never practiced so silently, seriously, and urgently to prepare for an art performance... That was the common start for 22 enthusiastic families from 16 labor union units attending the “Happy Family” Contest of PV GAS – 2014. They were neither professionally trained nor desirous to professionalize their performance; simply, they just put aside their daily worries and hustles of life, and families all gather here under the common house of PV GAS, spending time finding about the meaning of Vietnam Family Day and legal knowledge about family and marriage, and especially, discovering their families’ unique characteristics by themselves.
Contesting teams could be a couple of husband and wife, a parent and his/her child or children, or both parents and their child or children of 4-11 years old. The scope of the attendants was expanded so that many families of all ages could come to participate in the contest, provided that they have a member as an employee of PV GAS. And so, there appeared on the stage newly married lovebirds, young parents with their babies, and even middle-age parents supporting their talented children. There were many parents participating with their children so that in the Q&A sections, the children also became equal candidates. From the first welcoming moment, such lively scenes flooded the stage with unrepeated colors like a garden of flowers.
The Contest consisted of three rounds with different requirements creating the liveliness and demonstrating overall talents of families. In the first round, the version of “Who is the millionaire?” game-show on VTV3 was remodeled strangely and lively. It was for the attractiveness of the questions that legal knowledge became closer and attracted even the audience to participate in and remember about.
In the second round, teams went back to... find out about their own families. Daily questions were ordinary yet challenging, funny but meaningful. The audience laughed nonstop and clapped their hands when pairs of contestants seemed so nervous and worked hard to “match the Q&A” correctly: Does your wife have a make-up before going for an outdoor trip? Who calls first when either of you travel away? Which is the dish that your whole family likes? Which does your kid want you to reward for his excellent study? When returning home, what is the first sentence your mom says? What is your best friend’s name at school?... There were numerous situations of daily life that were raised, making the contestants realize that they should know more about each other, their life partners, their parents, and their children.
The third round was also the most challenging one: members of all teams had to work together to carry out and demonstrate a stage performance to show their talents and family solidarity. There were quite many families choosing singing or playing guitars or pianos. Some of them chose dancing. Others chose kungfu, backward poem reading, flower arranging, and storytelling with demonstrations. There was only 5 minutes for each of their shows, so 22 families had to work hard to give beautiful and interesting performance. Especially, the families receiving the highest points from the Examination Board were thanks to their... talented children. For these teams, parents volunteered to... step back and left the stage to be the shining place for their children, taking over the support and companion role.
Most impressive performance was the Chi art performed by Mr. Le Phuoc Khoi’s family (DAK Company). Wearing their traditional sect uniforms, 3 team members demonstrated the smooth and rhythmical cooperation and training talents of no age. While in daily life, this activity gave his family healthy strength and happiness, it made the audience to admire the morale and friendly smile of Mr. Khoi’s family’s members, those of “sons of a kungfu family”.
Coming from Nam Con Son Pipelines Company, the family of Mr. Cuong and Mrs. Truc Phuong offered to the Contest a young-style flashmob dance with the seamless coordination of 3 members on the lively, unique background and music song. Coming from PetroVietnam Gas Vung Tau processing company, Mrs. Kim Nhung, the mother with many singing prizes, seemed to give her best singing performance when her 6-year-old son was playing piano in the background. The young boy climbing and hanging over the chair, his short legs were even unable to reach the floor, was able to master a big piano and play with cute innocence and romance.
With only a few points more or less, other performances were also unique that PV GAS could be proud of and smile whenever remembering the same, such as the ability to arrange flowers fast and create the family boat to overcome major waves by Mr. Tan’s and Mrs. Phuong’s (KCM) family; the play of the wife seeing her husband to the sea for his mission by Mr. Cong and Mrs. Hanh (PMU of NDB Project); “Live Together” song by Mr. Hoan and Mrs. Anh (KMN); an English song with music backed up by paper cups by Mrs. Le Thi Sen and her son (KDN); a double song by Mr. Le Duc Thinh and his son (KTA) or a solo guitar performance by her son with demonstration dance by her and her daughter by Mrs. Ho Thi Thu Ha’s family (KTA)... Even other performances, in spite of some minor faults of amateur contestants and as a result of the pressure of performing on the stage under the light and in front of hundreds of audience that resulted in their poor points, were still successful and acknowledged by both the audience and Examination Board.
Mrs. Phan Thi Vinh, a member of Vietnam Stage Artists Association, Chief Examiner, said: “Coming to the Contest, I am really moved to my whole heart content. All of you have participated in the contest with such enthusiasm that not everyone has. Just by standing here today, you all demonstrate your passion, sublimation and family emotions. You have lived true to yourself and a wonderful life of your own.”
Mr. Tran Hung Hien, Vice President, Head of CFTAW, was also moved to read a beautiful poem as a gift to the Contest.
Loved family in the shadow of the hometown
Where there are parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters
Also there, neighbors and best friends
They are always nearby sharing joy and sorrow
The Contest ended within the atmosphere of common happiness and feelings of love and joy. Small families shall from today’s sharing value more the great moments in their warm families. Laborers shall from the solidarity and support of their teammates love and contribute more to develop their big family, PV GAS. A song rhythm is still within our head ever since the Contest: Love gives birth to us – family!
