Persistently preserving the heritage of Bài Chòi in the old town

VHO - Last night, December 7, Hoi An organized the art exchange program "Bai Choi - Thousand-year-old rhythm still echoes", marking 8 years since this unique art form was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (December 7, 2017 - December 7, 2025).

Bai Choi singing in the ancient town has become an attractive tourist product of Hoi An.

Since its recognition, Bài Chòi has become an integral part of the cultural and tourist life of the ancient town, where artisans, tourists and local communities immerse themselves in traditional melodies. Hội An has persistently preserved and promoted the heritage through teaching in schools and classes for the younger generation, helping Bài Chòi continue to live forever.

Nurturing love of Bài Chòi from the roots

Bài chòi is a folk game imbued with community spirit, and is also a living heritage preserved and cultivated by many generations in Hoi An over time. This heritage has become an indispensable part of the cultural life of the ancient town, closely associated with the traditions and spiritual life of the people here.

Hoi An has persistently implemented many solutions to preserve and promote Bài Chòi sustainably, helping the heritage deeply integrate into contemporary life, becoming a unique, vibrant and community-connecting cultural feature.

Since 2004, the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Center has coordinated with the Education sector to bring Bài Chòi into schools, organizing free folk singing classes at the “Night Street” activity. Teaching Bài Chòi in schools not only helps to nurture the love of heritage from the roots but also creates a solid foundation for the future.

The artists went directly to schools to instruct students in traditional singing skills, from how to beat the clappers, keep the rhythm to how to pronounce the words in the correct Bài Chòi style. Through this, the students acquired heritage knowledge and were inspired to love and be proud of their homeland's folk art.

At the same time, Hoi An also organizes classes to teach Bài Chòi and traditional musical instruments for young people who are passionate about this subject, helping them practice performance techniques and improve their musical knowledge, becoming an important human resource in maintaining Bài Chòi as a “living heritage”. Many young people have grown up from these classes and become artisans, participating in performances and teaching the next generation.

The art of Bài Chòi in Hội An is not only a cultural heritage but also a unique cultural tourism product. Every evening at the An Hội roundabout, artisans from the Hội An Heritage Conservation Centre organize Bài Chòi performances for tourists, creating a cozy and intimate space, easily connecting people to the folk rhythm. The program is truly an indispensable part of tourism activities in the ancient town.

Hoi An, with the title of “creative city”, constantly introduces Bài Chòi at events, festivals and international exchanges. Since then, the heritage has kept its traditional spirit, spread and connected with contemporary life, becoming a unique cultural feature, full of vitality and cohesion in the community.

Developing the heritage of Bài Chòi in contemporary life

The plan to preserve and promote the heritage value of Bài Chòi associated with sustainable development in the period 2024-2030 has been approved by Hoi An to be implemented in 13 communes, wards and schools before the city merges and operates a two-level government model.

The year 2025 marks an important milestone as Hoi An celebrates two years since being recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts. This title is both an honor and opens a journey of cultural connection and regeneration, building a colorful space for the community to nurture its identity through creative energy.

Also in 2025, after merging with Da Nang city, Hoi An will enter a new phase, opening up opportunities for regional connectivity and building creative spaces, forming a central creative corridor with unique cultural identity and human resources.

This is an opportunity for Hoi An to strengthen its brand and promote its image, especially in the field of folk arts, to promote the development of the cultural industry. The spirit of heritage has always been the core value of Hoi An, where tradition and modernity blend together, connecting through the language of creativity and inspiration.

An important initiative that Hoi An has committed to implementing after joining the UNESCO Global Creative Cities Network is the project “Nurturing Young Creative Talents”. This is the core content of the “Hoi An - Creative City” Project for the period 2024-2027, oriented to 2030, especially in the field of folk arts and crafts.

According to the project, the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Center will continue to open folk singing and Bài Chòi singing classes at four secondary schools in the area and maintain nightly folk singing classes in the old town for children and tourists to experience.

These activities aim to promote and popularize the art of Bài Chòi to the community, enhance creativity in lyrics, performance styles and new practices, and affirm the position and potential of Hoi An in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts.

In the future, Hoi An will continue to consider the heritage of Bài Chòi as the focus of its strategy of preservation and development. The Bài Chòi heritage will continue to be nurtured, taught and spread, taking root deeply in cultural life. Hoi An will also have the opportunity to build a separate project on the art of Bài Chòi, in order to take advantage of resources for research, investment and development of this art form in the creative urban space.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/ben-bi-giu-nhip-di-san-bai-choi-noi-pho-co-186624.html