Revitalizing traditional culture

And the music video "Bac Bling" (Bac Ninh) by singer Hoa Minzy was mentioned as this special musical product "creates motivation, inspires and renews the rich national culture" - as noted by the Prime Minister!

A "storm" of views for traditional Vietnamese music.

The music video "Bac Bling" by singer Hoa Minzy, featuring Meritorious Artist Xuan Hinh and approximately 300 local people, created an artistic space deeply rooted in Bac Ninh's culture. Combining folk melodies with modern elements, "Bac Bling" celebrates the Quan Ho folk music heritage and spreads pride in national cultural identity. Whether it will reach 100 million views remains to be seen, but this music video has already achieved so much: topping the trending charts on YouTube Vietnam for many days, even reaching number 2 globally , and creating a sensation in countries like Australia, Singapore, and South Korea. This musical product has contributed to bringing Vietnamese culture closer to the international community, affirming the position and potential of Vietnamese music on the global music map!

"Trống cơm" (Rice Drum) was also a phenomenon on the show "Brothers Overcoming Thousands of Obstacles," receiving a "view storm" upon its release (mid-2024) and reaching the top 1 among trending music videos on YouTube at that time.

Quite some time ago, singer Hoài Lâm gave a sublime performance when he transformed into the artist Hà Thị Cầu and played the two-stringed fiddle while singing "Xẩm thập ân" in the "Gương mặt thân quen" (Familiar Faces) program in 2014, receiving praise from the judges and enthusiastic applause from the audience...

The unique cultural beauty of Bac Ninh, the folk songs of Northern Vietnam, the sounds of the "drum," the "bau" lute, the "nhi" lute, the "xam" singing... when modernized on the stage and showcased in television music programs, always attract a huge audience. This is encouraging in two aspects: firstly, those who create the music videos and stage these artistic programs have breathed new life into traditional art in general, thus enabling music to fulfill the task of preserving, promoting, and widely disseminating the cultural values and identity of the nation; secondly, Vietnamese audiences, especially young people, have never turned their backs on their country's traditional culture!

Traditional art forms need to be modernized to suit the new era. (In the photo: A performance by the Cao Van Lau Theatre during the Vietnamese Theatre Ancestor Commemoration Ceremony. Photo: CT)

"Internationalizing" traditional culture

Besides "Bac Bling," Vietnamese music has also boasted a series of hit songs that created a sensation and exploded in many major markets. These include "See Tinh" (Hoang Thuy Linh), "Vu Tru Co Anh" (Phuong My Chi), "2 Phut Hon" (Phao)... With such impactful musical products, Vietnamese music is asserting its steady development on the global music map!

Music lovers were amazed and impressed by the fusion of folk music with modern genres like pop and rap. Examples include "Come Home and Listen to My Mother's Lullaby" by People's Artist Bach Tuyet and singer Hoang Dung; "Powdered Flower in Red" by Meritorious Artist Thoai My and singer H-Kray; "Hanoi Xam" performed by Ha Myo, combining Xam singing with rap and electronic music; and the charming performance by actress Bien Thuy from Bac Lieu, who combined traditional Vietnamese folk singing with her hit song "Crossing the Bridge to Pick You Up," during her journey to win the 2024 Cai Luong Academy competition...

Returning to the aforementioned dialogue with young people, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared his feelings: "I am very pleased that today's young people are revitalizing the national culture, creating captivating products not only domestically but also internationally." The head of the government affirmed and hoped that young people should be the leading force in digitizing data on cultural heritage sites and "red addresses," creating an online platform to widely introduce traditional arts such as Cheo, Tuong, and Cai Luong, not only domestically but also internationally.

Music videos and reality TV shows, revitalized by young artists who combine and integrate folk music with contemporary music, have attracted record viewership numbers. This is vivid evidence that the responsibility of preserving and promoting national cultural values, as undertaken by young people, is proving effective and on the right track. Traditional culture both preserves immutable values and adapts to the times, still captivating younger generations!

In Bac Lieu province alone, the song "Da Co Hoai Lang" by the late composer Cao Van Lau was internationalized by the late composer Vu Duc Sao Bien into three popular languages: English, French, and Chinese. "Da Co Hoai Lang," performed on the stage of "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Thorns," also received rave reviews for conveying a message of preserving traditional music and the beautiful values of national culture through this musical masterpiece. It is believed that in the future, there will be many more stories continuing the legacy of this timeless melody, on an even wider scale.

Experience has proven that internationalization, spreading the essence of traditional culture in general and folk music in particular to the world, is not difficult if there are closely linked elements: intelligence, passion, dedication, and the recognition and praise of the head of government in a dialogue with young people – practical support that creates more motivation for young people to revitalize traditional culture.

Cam Thuy

Source: https://www.baobaclieu.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/lam-moi-van-hoa-truyen-thong-99910.html