92 year old Hmong lady, Ying sings a traditional “kwv txhiaj” at her friends funeral. Kwv txhiaj are spontaneous storytelling songs that are sung by Hmong people throughout the world. In Vietnam, this vocal art form is so prevalent that the term nkauj (song or singer) is often used. Hmong music is an important part of the culture of the Hmong people, an ethnic group from southeast Asia. Because the Hmong language is tonal, there is a close connection between Hmong music and the spoken language.