An Giang organizes a traditional folk music and singing competition.

(CLO) An Giang is not the "cradle" of traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music, but the space for preserving this art form here has its own unique character, linked to the imprint of the border region and waterways.

On the evening of December 16th, the 2025 An Giang Provincial Traditional Music and Singing Competition opened at the An Giang Provincial Cultural and Arts Center, bringing together 24 units from communes and wards throughout the province.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Mao, Deputy Director of the An Giang Department of Culture and Sports , this year's competition has a special significance as it links the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage with the new rural development program.

The performance by Rach Gia ward at the competition. Photo: T. Hieu

The competition entries not only focused on musical and vocal techniques but also conveyed content praising the achievements of building new rural areas, reflecting the cultural landscape of the grassroots and the increasingly prosperous lives of rural people in An Giang during this new development phase.

Each participating team in the competition will create a program of traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music consisting of 3 pieces belonging to the 20 traditional melodies (no repetition of melodies) and a Vọng Cổ song in 8 or 16-beat rhythm.

Each contestant can only register to perform one solo act and may participate in acts in other genres.

An Giang may not be the "cradle" of Southern Vietnamese folk music, but the space for preserving this art form here has its own unique character, bearing the imprint of the border region and waterways, reflecting the free-spirited, simple, and gentle nature of the local inhabitants.

Traditional Southern Vietnamese folk music (Đờn ca tài tử) is not only preserved in clubs within cultural institutions, but is also present in the daily lives of the people, in performances during festivals, holidays, and ancestral commemorations; in religious and spiritual activities; in gatherings at communal houses, temples, and pagodas; and in activities serving river and garden tourism …

For many families, the sounds of musical instruments and songs have become part of their folk cultural memory, a way for people to express their emotions, share their thoughts, and express their love for their homeland through each rhythm and each traditional melody.

Source: https://congluan.vn/an-giang-to-chuc-hoi-thi-don-ca-tai-tu-10322849.html