Right to the name, “The soul of Vietnamese Village” will take you to the countryside of this country in the good old days. Enjoy this exotic Vietnam show by soaking in folk music space, admiring artists telling the story, and getting a glimpse of daily life with various traditional conventional of Vietnamese people in the Northern Delta villages.
Schedule: All days of the week
Duration: 50 minutes
Time: 10:30am, 16:00pm and 18:00pm
Location: Ho Chi Minh Museum, Ngoc Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Special Price: Contact us
Email: [email protected]
Hotline: +84909896286
Special musical instruments
In the show, you can have the opportunity to admire the performance of many Vietnamese musical instruments such as monochord (đàn bầu), plucked lute (đàn đáy), 2-string zither (đàn nhị), 16-string zither (đàn thập lục), 36-string zither (đàn tam thập lục), flute and drum, and more than twenty other bamboo instruments.
Don’t be too surprised at numerous houseware are skillfully used in the show as musical instruments. In the old days, Vietnamese people usually used common goods such as kitchenware and brooms to make different lush sounds to color their hard life.
Structure of the show
“The Soul of Vietnamese Village” reveals the landscape, daily activities, culture, and beliefs of locals in the countryside of Northern Vietnam. It is divided into six acts
Dawn - Bình minh
This act shows the activities of villagers in the early of the morning. The man is fluting while looking at nowhere but far away, like his obscure future. In the fading light when the sun still sleeps, people have to wake up and prepare for a new long day. Then, the scene moves to a man enjoy their simple breakfast – a bowl of tea happily together. His wife is cooling him by the hand holding fan in the cuddle way with a dream of warm and happy life ever after.
Countryside market - Chợ quê
The bustling and buzzing atmosphere of the markets in the Vietnamese countryside. Everything can be the musical instruments from the pot, bucket, chopping board, knife, bowl, chopstick to traditional Vietnamese instruments such as monochord and drum.
Harvest season - Ngày mùa
Continuing the show, the scene moves to a field with many people gathering for taking a rest after hours of hard working. Admire the daily activities of villagers during the time of harvest season.
Summer noon - Trưa hè
The hot weather in Vietnam is the inspiration for this act. With the image of the mother keeps holding the fan to cool her child who is sleeping in a crib, you can deeply learn about the love of a mother.
Girls washing hair - Tắm trăng
On the background of “ca trù” folk music and dark light in the night, a beautiful woman sitting next to a huge jar in the “yếm đào” – the traditional brassiere of Vietnamese women - to washing her hair and body. The poetry image is performed by a talented artist.
Manual labor - Hát ống
The name “Manual Labor” is not the exact meaning of “hát ống”, but they have to use that name because there is no word in English can fully describe the meaning of this act. Woman and man are using the bamboo tubes as the musical instruments and singing along, reveal the flirting activities of young people in the village when they are in the age of marriage.
Performance of folk kinds of music
The show is the combination of all 4 genres of Vietnamese folk music that are also well-known for being UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages. They are “ca trù”, “chầu văn”, “nhã nhạc cung đình”, and “quan họ” with the meaning, in turn, are ceremonial singing, traditional trance ritual featuring music and dance, royal court music, and love folk duets.
The story behind the show
Mrs. Mai Tuyet Hoa – songwriter and also show’s producer – said that the aim of the show is to promote folk music to not only foreigners but also Vietnamese people who want to explore the traditional culture of this beautiful country. She really hopes to bring an interesting experience.
Features of "Soul of Vietnamese Village"
The music combines with stage décor and sound effects will together create a featured space of rural villages in Northern Vietnam. Besides, modern lighting techniques, self-painted backdrops, sound effects of birds, insects, and water will lure you away, move you back to the happy childhood in loving hometowns.
Soul of Vietnamese Village is a completed story which connected 6 parts: Dawn, Countryside market, Harvest season, Summer noon, Girls washing hair, Manual labor to describe clearly a typical day in the life of North’s people. The audience will have an opportunity to immerse in a different space with peaceful morning when the sun coming, starting an energetic day with many activities which are closed with regional life. Based on more than 20 folk musical instruments, mostly were made from bamboo - was known as the symbol of Vietnam, this show is a lively proof for the eternal existence of the traditional culture of the Northern Delta. With the participation of more than 40 talented artists, prepared carefully and effectively for a long time, our performance promises bring for you an unforgettable experience.
Especially, Soul of Vietnamese Village also contains two types of traditional music which were recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO are “Ca tru” and “Quan ho”. You can delight in original types of Vietnam traditional music, formed from the past with special features and have strongly existence until now. One Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity – Music from Hue Royal Court was recreated dexterously in the stage with others performing arts. Throughout vivid, traditional music and other special arts, this show brings to the audience spectacular feelings about an ancient and rustic Vietnamese countryside where people and nature have a close-knit relationship.
Soul of Vietnamese Village was originally premiered every day in Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ba Dinh District with 3 slots per day. Bringing this show to the audience is great efforts of Vietnamese artists community to retain, protect and promote beauty and traditional values of Vietnam for the next generation and visitors.