1/ Hoi An ancient town (Central Vietnam)
2/ My Son holy sanctuary ( Hoi An, Central Vietnam)
3/ Hue's citadel (Central Vietnam)
4/ Hue's court music (Central Vietnam)
5/ The space of gong culture (Central highland)
6/ Quan Ho folk songs (Bac Ninh province, North Vietnam)
Please proceed to "Destination" for details. Below are the brief descriptions
1/ Hoi An ancient town
History of Hoi An
Archaeological study in Hoi An in the 1990s proved that more than 2000 years ago Hoi An was an embryonic port town of the Sa Huynh people. With the finds excavated in the cemetery and habitation sites of Sa Huynh people, we can know that they had a process of cultural and economic exchange with other peoples, especially the Chinese in the Han dynasty. From the 2nd to the 15th centuries, Hoi An was the land of the Champa Kingdom. In these centuries, Hoi An became a prosperous commercial port town, very well developed and famous in Asia. Merchant boats from Arabian countries and China came to Hoi An to trade. Ancient documents said that for a long time, the port town of Lam Ap (present Hoi An) played the most important role in creating and bringing prospered to Tra Kieu and My Son (the capital and complex of temples and towers of the Champa Kingdom). Moreover, relics of the Cham civilization in Hoi An also show that there has had a Cham port with a maritime trade that prosper brilliantly.
Located in the meeting place of the major sources of water in Quang Nam and due to the favorable internal and external elements, Hoi An rapidly developed in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Hoi An port town and the “Silk road” and “Ceramic road” on the seas attracted lots of merchant boats form China, Japan, India, Thailand, Portugal, Holland, Britain, France... They were so many that “they all made quite a forest of masts on the river” (Thich Dai San wrote in his Overseas Diary) and commodities were so plentiful that “merchants could find whatever they wanted” and that “even hundreds of big sailing vessels (8.1 m wide and 45-60m long each) could not carry all of them away at the same time” (Le Quy Don wrote in Phu Bien Tap Luc). And the town's warehouses were full of silk, fabrics, porcelain, tea, pepper, beeswax, elephant tusks, paper... Hoi An in this time therefore, was the international port town of trades that was most developed in the country and Southeast Asia as well as the major economic base in Southern Viet Nam of the Nguyen Lords and Kings.
Among the foreign traders, Chinese and Japanese especially left their mark on Hoi An. Chinese had cultural and economic exchange with Hoi An since 2000 years ago. The Chinese merchant boats often bought silk, aloe wood, cinnamon, pepper... or got more food and water on the way to other countries. But before XVII century, the Chinese just stopped in Hoi An for trading only. Since the middle of XVII century when the Qing dynasty took over Ming dynasty, there was a great immigration of Chinese (Cantonese, Chaozhou, Fujian...) into Southeast Asia. Many of them had a settlement in Hoi An and they built many houses, temples, assembly halls here as well as some got married with Vietnamese... The present most famous Chinese temples and assembly halls in Hoi An are: Assembly hall of Fujian congregation, Assembly hall of Cantonese congregation, Assembly hall of Chaozhou congregation and Quan Cong temple.
The Japanese came to stay here in the beginning of XVII century. Some got married with Vietnamese ladies. But after 1637 when the Japanese emperor forbade contact with the outside world, they had to come back to Japan. According to some researchers, the Japanese did build many houses along present Tran Phu street. And according to Chihara Daigoro, the Japanese houses in Hoi An at that time had the same architecture with Nagasaki ones. At presnet the only remarkable Japanese architecutre in Hoi An is Japanese covered bridge (Chua Cau)
By the end of the 19th century, because of unfavorable conditions, especially the natural condition when Thu Bon river which links Hoi An town to the East sea, silted up and became too shallow for navigation, the “sailing vessels port town of Hoi An ”gradually declined and gave its historic role in the hands of the “young industrial port city of Da Nang”.
Among the foreign traders, Chinese and Japanese especially left their mark on Hoi An. Chinese had cultural and economic exchange with Hoi An since 2000 years ago. The Chinese merchant boats often bought silk, aloe wood, cinnamon, pepper... or got more food and water on the way to other countries. But before XVII century, the Chinese just stopped in Hoi An for trading only. Since the middle of XVII century when the Qing dynasty took over Ming dynasty, there was a great immigration of Chinese (Cantonese, Chaozhou, Fujian...) into Southeast Asia. Many of them had a settlement in Hoi An and they built many houses, temples, assembly halls here as well as some got married with Vietnamese... The present most famous Chinese temples and assembly halls in Hoi An are: Assembly hall of Fujian congregation, Assembly hall of Cantonese congregation, Assembly hall of Chaozhou congregation and Quan Cong temple.
The Japanese came to stay here in the beginning of XVII century. Some got married with Vietnamese ladies. But after 1637 when the Japanese emperor forbade contact with the outside world, they had to come back to Japan. According to some researchers, the Japanese did build many houses along present Tran Phu street. And according to Chihara Daigoro, the Japanese houses in Hoi An at that time had the same architecture with Nagasaki ones. At presnet the only remarkable Japanese architecutre in Hoi An is Japanese covered bridge (Chua Cau)
By the end of the 19th century, because of unfavorable conditions, especially the natural condition when Thu Bon river which links Hoi An town to the East sea, silted up and became too shallow for navigation, the “sailing vessels port town of Hoi An ”gradually declined and gave its historic role in the hands of the “young industrial port city of Da Nang”.
(Source: Hoi An Center for Culture & Sports and other sources)
Hoi An architecture
The architecture of Hoi An, which is almost entirely of wood, is of considerable interest. It combines traditional Vietnamese designs and techniques with those from other countries, above all China and Japan, whose citizens settled there to trade and built houses and community centres to their own designs. The most important are old houses which are the basic elements of Hoi An ancient town.
There are two kinds of typical houses: townhouse (Nha pho) and garden house (Nha ruong)
1/ Townhouse: house to house; each house is 5 - 6m wide and 30 - 40m long; most houses are located on Tran Phu, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Bach Dang streets. The house has maximum 2 floors and is usually divided into three main parts: * The front of the house is used for trading. You will also find the altars worshipping the house's ancestors and gods. The door at the front of the house has two wooden octagonal "eyes" * The middle of the house is often used for living. At this part there is a small courtyard with several functions: to let in light, provide ventilation, bring a glimpse of nature into the home, collect rain water and provide drainage. In some courtyards, there are also some tall trees and flowers * The back of the house is with kitchen and bathroom. In some houses this part of the house has the door open to the outside which is some steps to the Hoai river.
Due to the flooding season which usually takes place in Septmber to November, the second floor of the house is used for storing occasionally.
Among the old houses in Hoi An, the famous ones that are chosen for visiting are Duc An house, Tan Ky house, Quan Thang house, Phung Hung house.(Among them, Duc An house is the one I love most)
2/ Garden houses are located in the areas near ancient town (in the Cam Nam, Cam Chau, Cam Ha districts...). In front of the house there is big yard, and around the house there is leafy garden...
Pics: Vietnamguidebook
2/ My Son holy sanctuary (Champa temples)
Champa kingdom and My Son sanctuary (Description of UNESCO)
The Champa Kingdom was an important phenomenon in the political and cultural history of South-East Asia, vividly illustrated by the ruins of My Son. The sanctuary is an exceptional example of cultural interchange, with the introduction of the Hindu architecture of the Indian subcontinent into South-East Asia.
My Son, a valley surrounded by mountains, was chosen as the site for a religious centre for the capital of the Champa Kingdom. The sanctuary area is one of the most famous Champa architectural and sculptural monuments in Viet Nam.
The Champa Kingdom began in AD 192. The Cham economy was based on farming (wet-rice agriculture), fishing, and seaborne trade. When the Cham came under the influence of the Hindu religion, many temples were built to the Hindu divinities, such as Krishna and Vishnu, but above all Shiva. Mahayana Buddhism must have penetrated the Cham culture later, probably in the 4th century, and became strongly established in the north of the Champa Kingdom.
While the religious significance of My Son was important, its location in a small valley surrounded by high mountains gave it strategic significance as an easily defensible stronghold. Successive kings in the 6th to 8th centuries favoured My Son and endowed it with fine temples. In the later 10th century, most of the finest surviving architectural monuments were built there.
Most of the 11th century was a period of continuous warfare and My Son, along with other sacred sites in the Champa Kingdom, suffered grievously. Harivarman IV had moved his capital to Do Ban towards the end of the century and he undertook the restoration of My Son. From 1190 to 1220 the Champa Kingdom was occupied by the Khmers. From the 13th century the Champa Kingdom slowly declined and was absorbed by the growing power of Viet Nam. It ceased to exist as an entity in the later 15th century, when worship ceased at My Son.
The site represents the ancient settlement and sanctuary area; eight groups of tower temples have been singled out. In date they cover the period from the 10th to the 13th centuries, and this long date range is reflected in different architectural styles. All are constructed in fired brick with stone pillars and decorated with sandstone bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Hindu mythology.
The main tower (kalan ) symbolizes the sacred mountain (meru ) at the centre of the universe. The square or rectangular base (bhurloka ), representing the human world, is built from brick or stone blocks and decorated with reliefs. Above this rises the main tower (bhuvakola ), constructed entirely in brick, with applied columns and a false door facing east.
The interiors are plain, with small niches for lamps; the Shivalingam was situated on a plinth in the centre. It symbolized the spirit world. The towers were separated from their roofs (suarloka ) by a decorated frieze. Many of these roofs were originally covered with gold or silver leaf.
The predominant style of the architecture and sculptural decoration of the My Son temples derives directly from India.
My Son - Angkor - Wat Phou - Sambor Prei Kuk (my point of vew)
Indochina has three famous UNESCO heritage sites: My Son (Vietnam), Angkor (Cambodia) and Wat Phou (Laos). Angkor with its hundreds of temples surviving today is absolutely a wonder of the world and is put into the same list with Egyptian pyramids. Wat Phou temple complex is ruined and small but it is beautifully located at the base of mount Phu Kao with many green trees, some 6km from the great Mekong river. My Son temple complex is much bigger than Wat Phou but in comparison with Angkor temples, My Son is really tiny and contains fewer ruins within a small area that you can easily walk around and discover in some hours.
The first time when I stood in front of Angkor Wat, the largest religious standstone building in the world, I couldnt imagine (and believe) how the Khmer people (and the human too!) could build up this "huge home of gods cast in stone" in the years of 1113 - 1150... Modern world with more and more tallest buildings, but there is definitely no second Angkor!
Vey few and small ruins of Wat Phou didnt give me the feeling of surprise. In fact, its surrounding beautiful and quiet sceneries kept my legs there for a half day.
Visiting My Son with good imagination, you could see the glory of Champa kingdom once sacked the great Angkor empire in the year of 1177! But to some other people, the very much ruined temples of My Son give them a dissapointed feeling. So, you maybe love it or just feel "its a normal destination"
While the main material that was used to build Angkor and Wat Phou temples were sandstone, the temples of My Son were mostly made of bricks. And I love "these elegant fire buildings" in a so green and quiet valley! Sunrise or the night with full moon; raining or the golden sunlights cover the valley, the temples really have different beauties at different times...
Both Angkor and My Son were forgotten in lush jungle for many centuries (5 centuries for Angkor and 6 centuries for My Son) and both were rediscovered also by the French!
In Cambodia, there are Sambor Pei Kuk temples that dates back from 7th century. The temples were made of bricks like My Son. Sambor Prei Kuk is definitely worth a visit if you are a temple/architecture lover. In Sambor Prei Kuk you can see the fighting between the temples and the nature: the trees with its spider-like networks swallowed the whole some temples! Sambor Prei Kuk is about 37km from Kampong Thom province...
Pics: Vietnamguidebook
3/ Hue's citadel and king tombs
For almost 400 years, from 1558 to 1945, Hue was the capital for nine generations of Nguyen Lords in the southern part of Viet Nam (Dang Trong). It was the headquarters of the Tay Son dynasty, then the capital of a unified country during the reigns of thirteen Nguyen kings. Present day Hue still preserves tangible and intangible cultural heritage reflecting many typical values of the Vietnamese concerning the mind and the soul. For centuries the essence of the whole country was concentrated in Hue as a particular culture set in a romantic landscape of mountains and river. In hearing the name Hue, people often think of its ancient Citadel, splendid palaces and solemn royal mausoleums together with many old temples and pagodas.
Thus Hue was based on both a physical and a spiritual foundation from the turn of 19th century. It began when king Che Man, of the Champa kingdom, offered the territory of O and Ly prefectures as his gift for the wedding with princess Huyen Tran of the Tran, continued with the Nguyen Lords during the 17th and 18th centuries, the Tay Son dynasty during the late 18th century and ended with the thirteen kings of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945. All of these left a priceless cultural property in the process of construction and development of Hue. Typical of this rich heritage is the complex of Hue monuments that was inscribed in the UNESCO List of the World Cultural Heritage in 1993.
Located in the centre of Hue, along the Perfume (Huong) River’s north bank, the complex of royal architecture represents and demonstrates the power of Nguyen monarchical dynasties. Contained in this complex are the Capital, the Imperial City and the Forbidden Purple City clustered together, symmetrically placed along the longitudinal axis and facing south.
The system of walls combines both eastern and western architectural styles placed in natural harmony with Ngu Binh Mount, Perfume River, Gia Vien and Boc Thanh islets.
Surrounded by a square wall, almost 600 metres in length on each side, the Imperial City has four gates, of which the south gate (Ngo Mon) is most typical in construction and is widely seen and recognised as the symbol of Hue Citadel. It served not only as the main entrance but was also the place where important events of the dynasty took place. Within the area of the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City was the area reserved for daily activities of the royal family.
The main north-south axis, called Than Dao, runs through the three walls of the Citadel, Imperial City and Forbidden Purple City and was marked with the important constructions of Hue Citadel. Hundred of small and large buildings were built symmetrically along this axis in harmony with their natural surroundings. These buildings include Nghinh Luong Dinh, Phu Van Lau, Ky Dai, Ngo Mon, Thai Hoa Palace, Can Chanh Palace, Can Thanh Palace, Khon Thai Residence and Kien Trung pavilion.
To the west of Hue Citadel, along the Perfume River, are the Royal Tombs, masterpieces in landscape architecture built by the Nguyen dynasty. Each Royal Tomb aimed at creating a living place for royal pleasure before becoming an eternal resting place after the king’s death. This resulted in the architecture of Royal Tombs in Hue being distinguished by unique characteristics.
Each tomb reflects its owner’s life and character: the magnificence of Gia Long’s tomb in the immense landscape of mountains and jungles represents the spirit of a general in war; the symmetry and majesty of Minh Mang’s tomb combiners both man-made and natural mountains and lakes and reveals the powerful will and solemn nature of a talented politician who was also a poet; the peaceful and sombre qualities of Thiệu Trị’s tomb reflects the innermost feelings of an outstanding poet who made few achievements in political life; the romance and poetic atmosphere of Tu Duc king’s tomb evoke the elegant and subtle tendency of a poet rather than the strong characteristic of a politician.
To the west of Hue Citadel, along the Perfume River, are the Royal Tombs, masterpieces in landscape architecture built by the Nguyen dynasty. Each Royal Tomb aimed at creating a living place for royal pleasure before becoming an eternal resting place after the king’s death. This resulted in the architecture of Royal Tombs in Hue being distinguished by unique characteristics.
Each tomb reflects its owner’s life and character: the magnificence of Gia Long’s tomb in the immense landscape of mountains and jungles represents the spirit of a general in war; the symmetry and majesty of Minh Mang’s tomb combiners both man-made and natural mountains and lakes and reveals the powerful will and solemn nature of a talented politician who was also a poet; the peaceful and sombre qualities of Thiệu Trị’s tomb reflects the innermost feelings of an outstanding poet who made few achievements in political life; the romance and poetic atmosphere of Tu Duc king’s tomb evoke the elegant and subtle tendency of a poet rather than the strong characteristic of a politician.
Apart from the magnificent buildings of the Citadel, palaces and tombs, architecture all set in harmonious natural landscapes, Hue also preserves a system of defensive buildings. These include the fortress at the northeast corner of Citadel (Tran Binh Dai) to protect the Citadel from the river-way, the fortification of Tran Hai Thanh to protect the Citadel from the seaside, the Hai Van Quan gate which controls the road to the south and the wall defence system surrounding the Citadel. Amongst this landscape architecture are many monuments including Nam Giao Esplanade where the king sacrificed to heaven and earth; Xa Tac Esplanade where the king worshipped the Spirits of Cereals and the Land; the Royal Arena (Ho Quyen) where fights between tigers and elephants took place; the Temple of Confucius with stone steles inscribed with the names of those who held national doctorates under the Nguyen; the Temple of Military Generals with stone steles inscribed with the names of national military doctorates; and Hon Chen Shrine where Thien Y A na Goddess is worshipped. With the natural arrangement of mountains and rivers, beauty spots along the Perfume River, Royal Mount, Belvedere Hill, Thien Thai Mount, Thien An monastery, Thuan An beach all provide wonderful vistas.
In the past, Hue used to embrace many well-known royal gardens, such as Ngu Vien, Thu Quang, Thuong Mau, Truong Ninh and Thieu Phuong. It is very likely that the style of these royal gardens influenced the folk gardens which surround with traditional, wooden-framed houses and to be known as garden houses. Each garden house consists of manmade features including a small screen that represents a natural screen mount like the Royal Mount in the Citadel, a small pond or water tank which refers to the Perfume River, some rockeries and bonsais play the role of left and right protecting islets in the river in front of the Citadel. These symbols form the typical characteristics of Hue traditional garden houses. Therefore, Hue can also be seen as a place of garden houses each with a peaceful atmosphere, a place of poets and performaners of Hue traditional chamber music.
After 143 years under the control of Nguyen monarchy and based on Confucian political institutions and principles, Hue presents splendid royal architecture. Moreover, Hue was also a centre for Buddhism center with and contains hundred of Buddhist pagodas. In relation to this aspect, Amadou Mahtar M’bow, the former General Director of UNESCO, commented in the application for safeguarding Hue heritage: “as well as being an architectural gem, Hue is also a spiritual shrine and vital cultural centre, where the intermingling of Buddhism and Confucianism with local traditions has given rise to religious, philosophic and ethical thought of great originality”
In the context of a Confucism-based monarchy, festivities and music were strongly developed as part of the national identity. Ceremonies played an important part in the court. These included the ceremony of sacrifice to the Heaven and the Earth, the ceremony of sacrifice to the Spirits of Cereals and the Land, New Year ceremony, Doan Duong (in the summer) ceremony, Birthday Anniversary, Grand Audience ceremony, Ordinary ceremony, New Calendar Delivering ceremony, ceremony for the proclamation of successful candidates after national examinations and royal parades. Each ceremony had its own rituals and was accompanied by music.
In the wider society, ceremonies were also diverse and included the ceremony of Hon Chen temple, ceremony for a good fish-catching season, wrestling contests, boat racing, ceremony at the communal house, Buddhist pagoda ceremony and temple ceremony and all were accompanied by ritual folk music. In addition to the ritual music, music for pleasure in Hue consisted of Hue traditional dance, Hue classical theatre and Hue chamber music, all known as the essential spiritual food for visitors from different places. These treasures have been well preserved in Hue for generations.
In the wider society, ceremonies were also diverse and included the ceremony of Hon Chen temple, ceremony for a good fish-catching season, wrestling contests, boat racing, ceremony at the communal house, Buddhist pagoda ceremony and temple ceremony and all were accompanied by ritual folk music. In addition to the ritual music, music for pleasure in Hue consisted of Hue traditional dance, Hue classical theatre and Hue chamber music, all known as the essential spiritual food for visitors from different places. These treasures have been well preserved in Hue for generations.
With the distinction of both tangible and intangible culture heritages, Hue is a unique cultural phenomenon, both in Vietnam and across the world. In 2003, Vietnamese Court Music was listed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. This listing underlines the outstanding value of the traditional music of Hue.
Nowadays, Hue has become the Festival City of Vietnam. Hue Festival is held every two years to display an ancient capital embued with the abundant values of culture, architecture, music, festivities and traditional gastronomy.
These values of Hue culture will be preserved and enhanced according to world heritage international standards for the pride of Vietnamese and the appreciation of all nations in the world.
Pics: Vietnamguidebook
4/ Hue's court music - The World's Intangible Cutural Heritage
Vietnamese court music (Nha Nhac Vietnam) had a history of nearly one thousand years since the Ly dynasty (1010-1225) to the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945). It reached the maturity under the Nguyen dynasty and nowaday is well known as Hue's court music (Nha Nhac Hue)
The Vietnamese court music is often understood as types of music, dance, singing and Tuong (Traditional drama theatre) performed in Vietnamese palaces for emperors and royalty. Nha Nhac Hue is known as the most sacred music performed in important ceremonies and events of the court including the coronation ceremony, birthday anniversaries of the Emperor, royal funerals, official reception ceremony of ambassadors and the important ritual ceremonies, of approximately one hundred ceremonies per year. Especially, music performed in ritual ceremonies were often accompanied with songs and dances, seen as the means of communicating with the respect for the gods and kings; on the other hands, it represented the philosophical concept of the root of the universe of the Vietnamese.
The examining council of the Intangible Heritage Board belonging to UNESCO realized that Nha Nhac is a characteristic, creative and diversified art source of Vietnam. To recognize the importance of Nha Nhac, UNESCO acknowledged this kind of performing art as one among the twenty eight Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (present day the Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) in the second proclamation dated November 7, 2003 under the name Nha Nhac – Vietnamese Court Music.
Pic: nhanhac.com.vn
5/ The space of gong culture (Central highland) (According to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism)
Gongs or Cong-Chieng
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Gongs are musical instruments made of alloy bronze, sometimes with gold, silver, or black bronze added to their composition. In the Kinh language, the word congidentifies convex gongs and the word chieng refers to the flat ones. Gongs vary in size from 20 to 120cm in diameter.
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| Gongs may be played one at a time or in groups of 2 to 20 units. The Muong, as well as other ethnic groups in the Truong Son-Tay Nguyen regions, use gongs not only to beat the rhythm but also to play polyphonic music. Ensembles of gongs usually include several sets that vary in number and function during the performance. Gongs can be struck with wooden sticks, mallets, or even bare hands. There are techniques that can be used to shut off sounds and to produce melodies. In some ethnic groups, gongs are only intended for men to play. However, the sac buagongs of the Muong are played by women. In other ethnic groups, both men and women may play. In general, taboos regarding cong-chieng customs differ from ethnicity to ethnicity. Gongs hold great significance and value for many ethnic groups in Tay Nguyen. The gongs play an important role in the lives of the inhabitants of Tay Nguyen; from birth until death, the gongs are present at all the important events, joyful as well as unfortunate, in their lives. Almost every family has at least one set of gongs. In general, gongs are considered to be sacred instruments. They are mainly used in offerings, rituals, funerals, wedding ceremonies, New Year?s festivities, agricultural rites, victory celebrations, etc. In the Truong Son -Tay Nguyen region, playing the gongs electrifies the people participating in dances and other forms of entertainment. Gongs have been an integral part of the spiritual life of many ethnic groups in Vietnam. The Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of Vietnam was recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 25, 2005. 6/ Quan Ho folk songs (Bac Ninh province, North Vietnam) (According to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism)
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7/ Ca Tru singing (North Vietnam. You can enjoy Ca Tru in Hanoi city) (According to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism)
Ca Tru
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Young people now enjoy new music that comes to them from the radio, television, audio and video tapes, as well as compact discs. So, do they still show any attachment to the old folk tunes so loved by their elders, such as the melodies of ca tru? Ca tru is a musical genre that calls for expertise as well as sensibility on the part of the listeners. In return, it provides the most refined enjoyment.
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| Fortunately, ca tru is now being restored and is more liked by the younger generation. Research scholars have traced the origins of ca tru to areas of high culture, such as the ancient imperial capital of Thang Long (present-day Hanoi), Ha Tay, etc. Artists of great talent have practiced the art, including Quach Thi Ho, Thuong Huyen, Kim Dzung, etc. Some of them are now in their seventies, but a successor generation has blossomed and holds great promise. Ca tru is where poetry and music meet. People familiar with such ancient verse as luc bat (the six eight-syllable distich) and hat doi (singing tossed back and forth between groups of young men and women), and who are capable of sympathizing with the sentiments expressed in the sound of a small drum or a two-string viol, are more likely to fully enjoy a recital of ca tru. Many famous poets of past centuries were great amateurs of ca tru who wrote beautiful lines to go with its melodies. One well known instance is the poem singing the enchantment of a pilgrimage to Chua Huong (Perfume Pagoda) by Chu Manh Trinh. Coming from the lips of a ca tru singer, it has bewitched successive generations of pilgrims visiting the hills and streams of the famous pagoda complex in Ha Tay Province. Ca tru music is most enjoyable when there is complete harmony between the words being sung, the rhythm marked by a pair of small bamboo sticks held by the singer who strikes a small block of wood or bamboo called phach, and, last but not least, the appreciation shown by a man among the audience beating a small drum at the appropriate moments. In short, ca tru is a refined form of art which is paradoxically appreciated and loved by audiences of all compositions. There are those who sit in small numbers in an urban auditorium to enjoy a recital. A Ca Tru Club has been founded in Ca tru singing is inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding on 1st October 2009. |
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