Remembering General Le Van Duyet, remembering the play San Hau.

To commemorate the 193rd anniversary of the death of General Le Van Duyet, the book "General Le" is published alongside the play "San Hau," filling the air with beautiful memories of Saigon - Gia Dinh.

Scene from the excerpt of Ta On Dinh beheading Ta (San Hau play) performed by the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Opera Theatre - Photo: LINH DOAN

On this occasion, the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Opera Theatre also performed excerpts from the play San Hau at the tomb of General Le Van Duyet in Gia Dinh ward, Ho Chi Minh City.

General Le Van Duyet loved the play San Hau.

The book "General Le and the San Hau Play" is one of a series of works by scholar Vuong Hong Sen for which Tre Publishing House signed a contract to purchase the copyright from his family in August 2024.

This book, which combines memoir and historical research by Mr. Vuong Hong Sen, was written in 1994 when he was 93 years old, focusing on stories about Lord Le Van Duyet, the Le Van Khoi rebellion, and the origins of the San Hau play.

Many documents confirm that Le Van Duyet was the one who introduced traditional Vietnamese opera (hat boi) to the South, because he was extremely fond of it, and one of the plays he loved most was San Hau .

The records left by Vương Hồng Sển emphasize that Lê Văn Duyệt, in his free time, would gamble on cockfights or watch traditional Vietnamese opera. They describe how he established an opera theater, supporting and appointing struggling scholars as opera directors. He even assembled a full troupe, selecting only skilled artists, but no women; therefore, in the operas, the female lead roles were played by male actors.

Throughout his research career, scholar Vuong Hong Sen collected a wealth of valuable source materials, so audiences will likely find his approach to the subject and discussion of "General Le and the San Hau play " interesting.

Artist Kim Tu Long plays Dong Kim Lan in the play San Hau, a newly written adaptation of a script by playwright Dao Tan, directed by young artist Quynh Anh - Photo: LINH DOAN

The origins of the San Hau opera are also a subject of much debate among experts. Mr. Sen mentioned three versions of San Hau in Binh Dinh, Hue , and Saigon, and from there he analyzed them to clarify the characteristics of each region in relation to opera art.

In the Saigon version, he speculated that this play was written by Deputy Guard Commander Le Van Khoi, the adopted son of Le Van Duyet, with many hidden meanings. Among them was the image of Phan Dinh Cong defending San Hau citadel , which evoked associations with Le Van Duyet defending Gia Dinh citadel.

However, the author also noted: "We may have misheard, and the origin of the play could also be correct. We would appreciate further input from our readers..." He also mentioned those considered to be the authors of San Hau , such as the writer Tan Kinh, the author Dao Tan..., but admitted that he dared not say whether it was right or wrong due to insufficient documentation.

San Hau, I never get tired of watching it.

Fans of traditional Vietnamese opera and reformed opera are probably familiar with the play San Hau . This play is believed to have originated in the latter half of the 18th century. Yet, to this day, no traditional opera and reformed opera troupe fails to perform San Hau during the Ky Yen festival.

The book "General Le" and the play "San Hau" - Photo: Tre Publishing House

Artist Huu Danh of the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Opera Theatre shared with Tuoi Tre newspaper that opera troupes from the three regions of North, Central, and South Vietnam, when performing San Hau, often introduce the original version as being by Dao Tan.

From that original version, later authors could revise it to suit the nature of the group or according to their own perspective and viewpoint.

His theater still uses the script of Dao Tan, which was revised by artist Dinh Bang Phi. San Hau has three acts; in the old days, when traditional opera was flourishing, one act was performed each night, so performing the entire San Hau play would take three nights.

However, later on, the troupes shortened it; Act 1 was quite lengthy and was often omitted, leaving only Acts 2 and 3. Currently, Acts 2 and 3 are combined into a single performance lasting nearly 3 hours.

Mr. Danh said: "The most frequently performed excerpt is 'Ta On Dinh beheads Ta' . This is the scene that encapsulates the essence of Vietnamese traditional opera, and it's loved not only by Vietnamese audiences but also by Western tourists."

When Khương Linh Tá was beheaded, a red scarf was thrown over the actor's head to depict the scene of decapitation and blood gushing out. To perform this scene, the artist had to use many difficult and stylized dance moves to create suspense and evoke strong emotions in the audience, revealing the integrity of a loyal subject."

It's safe to say that theatergoers are almost completely familiar with San Hau , yet they still watch it repeatedly without getting tired of it. Not only in traditional opera, but recently many reformed opera troupes have also staged San Hau in a revised or newly written style, such as the play " The Road to San Hau" and the new version of San Hau by young director Quynh Anh.

Scene from the play "General Le Van Duyet - The Man Who Received Nine Death Sentences" by Idecaf Theatre - Photo: LINH DOAN

Renowned artists such as Kim Tu Long, Tu Suong, Trinh Trinh, Vo Minh Lam, etc., often perform excerpts from the San Hau play when they perform at traditional festivals.

This play is not only excellent in terms of literature and meaning, highlighting the good qualities of human beings when facing dark forces, but it is also a platform for artists to showcase their talent because it has many difficult scenes that require great inner strength from the artist in harmoniously coordinating singing, acting, and dancing to captivate the audience.

It can be said that for the people of Gia Dinh, General Le Van Duyet was regarded as a god, revered and loved by the people. Therefore, even today, many plays about him are still performed seriously and meticulously, and are warmly received by audiences.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the traditional opera "Le Cong Ky An" (written by Huu Danh, directed by Nguyen Hoang) won a gold medal at the national festival and was also honored as a typical literary and artistic work commemorating the 50th anniversary of national reunification.

Vietnamese traditional opera has plays like "Loyal Minister , " "The Man with 9 Death Sentences ," etc. The Idecaf Theatre currently has the historical play "Duke Le Van Duyet - The Man with 9 Death Sentences," which sells out every time it's performed.

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nho-ta-quan-le-van-duyet-nho-tuong-san-hau-20250923095407323.htm