Bai choi performance (or says, folk singing performance in the Central Region), an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, has been regularly held on weekends in Nha Trang city, the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa. The club is a local movement in preserving and promoting the traditional folklore art form.
The public art form has been practiced for hundreds of years. Bai choi used to be popular in Nha Trang city during 1950s and 1960s since it was usually held as spring came.
Time flies, there had been fewer performers practicing the art form and therefore, fewer performances being held until 2014 when the province made Bai choi performance an integral activity in its yearly Spring Art shows. The locality’s move to preserve this folklore art form was stepped up as it has been organized bai choi performances on every Saturday and Sunday in Nha Trang beach park.
Khanh Hoa’s Bai Choi singing club now has 10 members who are all a family.
“At first I merely had no ideas but after having been taught by my instructors and practiced hard by myself, now I can perform quite well,” said Do Ngoc Chuong, a member of Khanh Hoa’s Bai Choi singing club.
“My kids also love Bai Choi. Now they are still at school but when they grow up I hope I can pass down the art form for them,” she added.
Bai Choi singing in Khanh Hoa is slightly different from the art form in other provinces as it has a little affection by the Southern reformed theater (or Cải Lương) and also classical drama (or Hát bội) in the Middle Central Region. Also the dialect here makes it so special.
A tourist from Ho Chi Minh city said that she was in awe of the performance as she hasn’t known of Bai Choi before.
In the coming time, Khanh Hoa’s Department of Culture and Sports is going to work with its city, districts, and towns to carry out programmes and activities to preserve Bai Choi singing. Among those, supporting Bai Choi singing clubs and performers are among priorities.-VNA
