Silently preserving the play.

While professional traditional Vietnamese opera (tuong) is facing many challenges, the enduring existence of amateur opera through clubs organized and operated by the people themselves has created inspiring "playgrounds" and extended the vitality of this art form.

A performance by the Phu Man Traditional Opera Club, Bac Ninh province. (Photo: Phu Man Traditional Opera Club)

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, we visited Phu Man village, Yen Phong commune - a special area in Bac Ninh province, where the people are more passionate about traditional opera than Quan Ho folk singing.

At the Traditional Room of the Phu Man Tuong Club, artisan Nguyen Duc Ty (74 years old) - the club's leader - recounted that Tuong has been present in Phu Man since around 1871, brought from central Vietnam and popularized by Mr. Dang Ba Cai, also known as "Cai the Boss".

During its heyday, the local opera troupe performed throughout the villages and even in neighboring provinces and cities, entertaining tourists from all over. The people of Phu Man were so "addicted" to opera that almost every family and clan had someone who knew how to sing opera; if an actor on stage sang incorrectly, the audience would immediately correct them. Whether at home or in the fields, the melodies would resound. Thus, the love for opera gradually permeated the souls and hearts of the people of Phu Man.

Throughout its turbulent history, Phu Man's traditional theater has inevitably experienced ups and downs. During the 1980s and 1990s, economic hardship plagued the theater, forcing families to focus on basic necessities, leading to a decline in the theater scene and sporadic activities. Deeply saddened by this situation, artist Nguyen Duc Ty decided to find a way to revive his hometown's theater troupe.

Born into a family with four generations involved in traditional Vietnamese opera (tuong), and with nearly 30 years of experience working in professional opera troupes—from being a musician in the Central Vietnam Liberation Opera Troupe, to managing the orchestra of the Quang Nam- Da Nang Opera Troupe, and then conducting the orchestra of the Ha Bac Opera Troupe—he felt a responsibility to protect his ancestors' heritage.

With the support of local leaders, he and several key members re-established the Phu Man Traditional Opera Club in August 2009, with a tightly organized system indistinguishable from a professional opera troupe.

Artisan Nguyen Duc Ty recalled that he had to spend nearly a year going to each house in the village, rekindling the love for traditional Vietnamese opera that had always been present in the people. With a core group of elderly, skilled artisans, professional actors, and musicians from the Phu Man opera cradle, training and passing on the craft was implemented. To date, the club has a repertoire of up to a dozen works, such as: Moc Que Anh Offering the Tree, Female General Dao Tam Xuan, The Flame of Hong Son, Ly Thuong Kiet, Princess An Tu, Son Hau…

Having been active for over 15 years, the club currently maintains 25 members, the oldest being over 70 and the youngest over 50. The club's excerpts and performances have become a "specialty" in traditional local events, creating a ripple effect and contributing to the development of neighboring traditional theater clubs such as Trung Ban, Nghiem Xa, and Ngo Noi…

Artist Nguyen Duc Ty proudly boasts that Phu Man is also a breeding ground for many talented traditional opera performers for the country. There are families where four or five generations have been involved in traditional opera, with many pursuing professional careers and being awarded the titles of Meritorious Artist and People's Artist.

Along with Phu Man, the Giai Lac commune traditional opera club in Nghe An province is also a shining example in the village's traditional opera scene. As a traditional opera troupe with a long history, the club also experienced periods of interruption until it was restarted in 2005.

The club's chairperson, artisan Le Thi Hue (63 years old), said that there are currently about 30 regular members, ranging in age from 13 to 75. Most of them are farmers who are busy with their work in the fields during the day, but in the evenings they gather together, transforming into "village artists," quietly preserving the rhythm of traditional Vietnamese opera. From just a few performances a year, the club's number of shows has steadily increased. Following the success of the opera "Pham Cong-Cuc Hoa" staged in mid-2025, the reputation of Giai Lac commune's traditional opera has spread even further. Just for the beginning of Spring 2026, the club's performance schedule is already fully booked for several days. Notably, each performance attracts a large number of local people.

The play Pham Cong-Cuc Hoa was performed by the Giai Lac Commune Traditional Opera Club, Nghe An Province. (Photo: Giai Lac Commune Traditional Opera Club).

Many experts believe that developing amateur traditional Vietnamese opera (tuong) is crucial for preserving the traditional art form of our ancestors. That's why amateur tuong festivals are occasionally organized in various localities to strengthen grassroots tuong organizations, especially in the former Binh Dinh province, now Gia Lai, where there are dozens of active amateur tuong troupes.

For the past three consecutive seasons, the Dao Tan Award has dedicated a separate category to honoring outstanding amateur traditional opera (tuong) troupes. Besides Phu Man and Giai Lac, the award also recognized the Nhon Hung Tuong Troupe (formerly Binh Dinh), the Ke Gam Village Tuong Team (Nghe An), and the Thach Loi Tuong Club (formerly Hai Duong, now Hai Phong).

However, maintaining amateur traditional opera troupes is no simple matter. Artist Nguyen Duc Ty confided: "The Phu Man opera club is fortunate that local leaders strongly support opera, providing us with a traditional house for communal activities and offering some financial support to encourage the club. But there is still a 'gap' in the next generation. Finding young people who are both talented and passionate enough to persevere in practicing opera is extremely difficult." This is also a constant concern for artist Le Thi Hue, the head of the Giai Lac opera club.

Therefore, despite facing many financial difficulties, she and some club members still try to manage their finances and time, contacting schools in the commune themselves and going directly to each school to spread knowledge of traditional Vietnamese opera to students, hoping that the children will be instilled with a love for opera from an early age…

According to People's Artist Le Tien Tho, former Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Stage Artists and Director of the Institute for Research, Preservation and Promotion of National Culture, the State has a policy of bestowing the title of artisan upon those who have made significant contributions to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values. However, there is a lack of mechanisms to encourage and support young people and the next generation, while cultural preservation requires both trainers, practitioners, and participants. Therefore, more appropriate policies are needed to nurture and encourage cultural values, because only when the cultural heritage is cultivated by the community and the younger generation can traditional values ​​truly be preserved and sustainably disseminated.

TRANG ANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/lang-le-giu-tuong-post940242.html