Talented artists of Hat Boi and Bai Choi receive support from Vu Ngoc Lien Fund

On January 3rd, at the Binh Dinh Provincial Traditional Arts Theater (Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province), the Executive Board of the Vu Ngoc Lien Fund - Supporting Young Talents in Binh Dinh's Cai Luong and Bai Choi Singing - awarded the first round of financial support to young talents.

Accordingly, the organizing committee awarded support to 7 young talents, including 1 actor who received support category A (3 million VND/person) and 6 actors and writers who received support category B (2 million VND/person).

The group includes 5 professional stage artists and 2 amateur artists; 4 of whom are from the traditional Vietnamese opera genre, 2 from the folk singing genre, and 1 playwright. These are young artists and playwrights from disadvantaged backgrounds who achieved good results in traditional Vietnamese opera and folk singing in 2023 and 2024.

Artist Nguyen Thai Phien, Dao Tan Traditional Opera Troupe, Binh Dinh Provincial Traditional Arts Theatre (left) receives support A.

Aspiration for the enduring existence of traditional Vietnamese opera and folk singing.

Speaking at the ceremony, the young artists could not hide their emotions when mentioning researcher Vu Ngoc Lien and his contributions to the art of Hat Boi and Bai Choi.

Artist Nguyen Thi Diem Thy (Nhon Hung Traditional Opera Troupe, An Nhon Town, Binh Dinh Province) believes that being recognized at the Vu Ngoc Lien Foundation's support award ceremony is the result of a continuous process of striving and training by young artists. Along with the guidance and encouragement from senior artists, the support from the Vu Ngoc Lien Foundation has motivated young artists to surpass themselves, overcome difficulties, and achieve better results in their theatrical activities.

Artist Nguyen Thi Diem Thy (second from the right) and artist Nguyen Thi Quy Thuong (third from the right) are two amateur artists who received support from program B.

Scriptwriter Le Cong Phuong (Binh Dinh Traditional Arts Theatre) believes that researcher Vu Ngoc Lien dedicated his entire life to researching, preserving, and developing traditional Vietnamese opera (hat boi) and folk theater (bai choi). His legacy includes many valuable research and collection works such as: Dao Tan's Hat Boi plays, Dao Tan's poetry and lyrics, Dao Tan through historical records, and "Gatherings Along the Way "...

Not only did researcher Vu Ngoc Lien leave behind valuable documents, but he also left us a heart and a yearning for the enduring existence of the art forms of Hat Boi and Bai Choi... Proof of this is his initiative, along with Mr. Vu Hoang Ha, former Secretary of the Binh Dinh Provincial Party Committee; poet and playwright Van Trong Hung; and folk culture researcher Nguyen An Pha... to establish the Vu Ngoc Lien Fund with the aim of promoting the talents of Hat Boi and Bai Choi in Binh Dinh.

Scriptwriter Le Cong Phuong (third from the right) and artists from the Binh Dinh Provincial Traditional Arts Theatre were awarded support level B.

"Over the years, the fund has awarded many prizes to artists of the traditional Vietnamese opera and folk theater genres. This is a valuable source of encouragement for young artists in following their ancestral profession and preserving the craft," Mr. Le Cong Phuong emphasized.

Nurturing artistic vitality

In 2012, upon receiving the State Prize for Literature and Arts, researcher Vu Ngoc Lien allocated a portion of the prize money to establish the Vu Ngoc Lien Fund - Promoting the Talents of Binh Dinh's traditional opera and folk theater, later renamed the Vu Ngoc Lien Prize, with contributions from many people.

After 10 years of operation (2012 - 2022), the Vu Ngoc Lien Award was transformed into the Vu Ngoc Lien Fund - Supporting Young Talents in Traditional Vietnamese Opera and Folk Songs in Binh Dinh Province, effective June 20, 2023. The fund balance before the first grant was over 271 million VND.

Researcher Vu Ngoc Lien (far left) receives the State Prize in 2012.

FAMILY ARCHIVE PHOTO

According to Dr. Vo Ngoc Vinh, representing the family of researcher Vu Ngoc Lien, both the previous award and the current Vu Ngoc Lien Fund share the same purpose: to encourage and support young artists in Binh Dinh province in the fields of traditional opera and folk singing, regardless of whether they are professional or amateur; to stimulate talent development, nurture artistic vitality for the future, and contribute to preserving, cultivating, and promoting the traditional art inherited from our ancestors.

Over the course of seven award ceremonies and the first round of support from the Vu Ngoc Lien Foundation, 73 young artists (including 34 artists) have received awards and support. Among them, five artists have been honored with the title of Meritorious Artist: Nguyen Duc Thanh, Thu Tham (traditional opera), Duong Nu Thuy Dung, Nguyen Phuong Phu, and Hoai Tam (traditional folk singing).

Researcher Vu Ngoc Lien (1924 – 2013) was born in Quy Nhon City and joined a theater troupe and researched traditional Vietnamese opera (hat boi) from a young age. In 1954, he relocated to North Vietnam and later studied and researched at the Academy of Traditional Opera (Beijing, China). Upon returning to Vietnam, he worked in the Arts Department of the Performing Arts Bureau and later headed the Research Department of the Dao Tan Traditional Opera Theater. In 1986, he retired and continued to research, collect, and translate Sino-Vietnamese documents related to the traditional opera culture of Binh Dinh.

Representative works of researcher Vu Ngoc Lien: Dao Tan Document Bibliography, Scholar of Thang Moc Land, Gathering Along the Way (1, 2), Quynh Phu Nguyen Dieu - the artist and scholar … In particular, the three books about Dao Tan: Dao Tan - poetry and prose, Dao Tan - opera, Dao Tan - through historical records were awarded the A prize of the Xuan Dieu - Dao Tan (Binh Dinh) prize and the State Prize in 2012.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-tai-nang-hat-boi-bai-choi-nhan-ho-tro-tu-quy-vu-ngoc-lien-185250103162257378.htm