Traditional art imprints of the land of martial arts in the capital

The Binh Dinh Bai Choi Opera Troupe and the Dao Tan Tuong Troupe (under the Provincial Traditional Arts Theater) continue to affirm the "brand" of the land known as the "cradle" of Bai Choi and Hat Boi art.

The Provincial Traditional Arts Theatre has successfully completed its performance at the Festival. Opening with the Bai Choi opera The River Tells the Story (scriptwriter: Nguyen Hoai; adaptation author: Meritorious Artist Nguyen Tan Hao; director: People's Artist Nguyen Hoai Hue).

The work is set in the An Nhon region (formerly Binh Dinh province) during the anti-American war, recalling the true story of a revolutionary family in the ancient capital during the time of "fire and smoke", thereby depicting humanity, love for the homeland and the patriotic tradition of the nation.

A scene from the Bai Choi opera The River Tells the Story. **Photo: Ngoc Nhuan**

Together in the play and both winning silver medals, Meritorious Artist Thuy Dung (as Kieu Mai) and Meritorious Artist Phuong Phu (as Binh) won the hearts of the audience in the above play. Meritorious Artist Thuy Dung shared: “Playing the role of Kieu Mai (a female special forces soldier) who is the lover of Binh (also a special forces soldier) working in the enemy’s heartland, I tried to tell the complete story of the ordinary yet heroic women of An Nhon in the war.”

In the creative field, choreographer Kim Tien (choreographer of the play The River Tells the Story ) was awarded the Outstanding Choreographer Award by the Vietnam Stage Artists Association. She confided: “In the play, I combined contemporary folk dance with traditional choreography to create softness and depth. The dance layers are considered to contribute to the emotional content of the play.”

Dao Tan Tuong Troupe brought the play Looking Back at a Dynasty (scriptwriter: Van Trong Hung; adaptation author: Doan Thanh Tam; director: People's Artist Nguyen Hoai Hue) and won the Silver Medal.

The work explores the context of the feudal state of Dai Viet in the early 15th century, the period when the Tran dynasty was in decline, giving way to the Ho dynasty established by Ho Quy Ly with the national name Dai Ngu. Under the artistic language of hát bội, the story is told through typical performances, dances, and makeup, with an epic atmosphere.

The play Looking Back at a Dynasty won a silver medal at the 2025 National Tuong and Folk Opera Festival. **Photo: Ngoc Nhuan**

Artist Thai Phien, the actor who won a gold medal for his role as Ho Quy Ly, shared: “The role requires depth. I want the character to appear not only as someone who created historical changes, but also as a lonely person amidst reform. The gold medal is the motivation for me and my young colleagues to continue to keep the fire burning for the opera stage.”

This year’s festival shows that, despite facing many challenges from new forms of entertainment, the art of hát bội and bài chòi still has a strong vitality when invested in the right direction. The success of the Provincial Traditional Arts Theatre shows that the young generation of artists is maturing, continuing the previous generation.

Meritorious Artist Huynh Thi Kim Chau - Deputy Director of the Provincial Traditional Arts Theater, expressed her feelings: "Participating in the Festival, the most precious thing is not only the award but also the professional atmosphere. Looking at my colleagues giving their all on stage, I clearly saw their enthusiasm in the professional festival. The most touching thing is that the time of the competition was also when my hometown was flooded, many families of the artists were affected but still suppressed their worries, fulfilled their roles so that the Theater could have a complete performance. That is the most precious thing."

Closing the Festival, the Theater's journey continues with projects to train young actors, find new stories for the repertoire, and innovate promotions to spread the art of hát bội and bài chòi to a wider audience.

And on the path of preserving that heritage, the artisans still persistently "keep the fire", bringing traditional artistic values into contemporary life, contributing to preserving and promoting the identity of the land of Vo.

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