New vitality of rowing in Quan Ho region

Converging the quintessence, spreading the national soul

For over 10 days, Bac Ninh has been bustling with a festival atmosphere. Every day, the Provincial Cultural - Exhibition Center is lit up with stage lights, the sound of Cheo drums resounds, and the auditorium is packed with audiences. Nearly 1,000 artists, actors, and musicians from 12 art troupes take turns performing Cheo plays that are elaborately staged, bringing a colorful picture of artistic life. Many plays have left a deep impression on the audience. A typical work is "The burden of mountains and rivers" ( Hanoi Cheo Theater) that takes viewers back to a turbulent period more than a thousand years ago, exploiting a new perspective on Queen Mother Duong Van Nga.

A scene from the Cheo play "Between Two Muddy Streams" performed by the Hung Yen Provincial Cheo Theatre.

With “Memories of the Thuong River”, Bac Ninh Cheo Theatre recreates the setting of the Ha Bac region during the years of the resistance war against the US to save the country, where the Thuong River witnessed many touching stories of love, motherly love, comradely love and belief in victory. Interspersed with the atmosphere of battle are smooth Cheo melodies and sweet folk songs, creating an artistic space imbued with the soul of Kinh Bac countryside.

"The festival aims to honor, preserve and promote the value of Cheo art and is also an opportunity to review the creative activities, performances, preservation and dissemination of traditional artistic values in the current period. This is an opportunity for art units to meet, exchange experiences, learn, thereby improving professional quality, contributing to bringing Cheo art closer to the contemporary public" - Mr. Ta Quang Dong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In each Cheo play, there are scenes that leave a strong impression. That is the image of the Grand Tutor Tran Thu Do and his wife confiding in each other amidst the hustle and bustle of national affairs, the smooth Quan Ho melody skillfully blending with the traditional Cheo style in the play "Thien Menh" of Bac Ninh Cheo Theatre. The smooth combination of epic and lyrical, classical and modern makes the play rich in expression, touching the audience's emotions. The audience was also moved by the image of the steadfast soldiers in their twenties fighting, ready to sacrifice their youth for the Fatherland in the play "Red Rain" performed by Hai Phong Traditional Theatre and Lac Hong Phu Tho Theatre respectively. On stage, the Cheo language has been strongly innovated: The performance is concise, the tempo is fast, the rhythm is intense but still full of poetry.

Along with that, art troupes from Ninh Binh, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, the National Traditional Theatre, the Army Cheo Theatre... also participated with outstanding plays, creating a rich and vivid picture of Cheo art. The works at the Festival are imbued with the spirit of humanity, reflecting the breath of life, and are proof of the units' constant efforts in "renewing" Cheo without losing the national soul. Many audiences expressed that through Cheo plays, they understand and love the nation's history more, and appreciate the traditional artistic values more.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa (70 years old, Tien Phong ward) shared: “Since the festival took place, I have not missed a single performance. It has been a long time since I have seen so many good cheo plays. Many plays are really impressive because of their content and performance, which are familiar yet still new.”

Professional imprint and spreading journey

Ms. Bui Thi Thu Thuy, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province, co-head of the Festival Organizing Committee, said: The Festival was organized smoothly thanks to the attention and direction of the authorities at all levels, functional agencies and the support of the people. The greatest success of the Festival is that every night the auditorium is full, many audiences come hours early and sit and watch each play in its entirety. That shows that the love of the contemporary public for traditional art is still burning and enduring.

A large audience enjoyed the Cheo plays at the Festival.

This year's festival also welcomed a large number of young people to enjoy, contributing to the strong spread of this art form. The audience sometimes burst into laughter at humorous scenes and lines, then fell silent in tragic and emotional moments, and continuously resounded with applause after sweet melodies. According to experts, many plays at the 2025 National Cheo Festival achieved high artistic quality, clearly demonstrating efforts to explore and innovate in creation while still maintaining national identity. The artists affirmed their creative energy and good acting techniques. This year, the Organizing Committee applied a flexible scoring mechanism, with evaluation criteria that emphasized creativity and influence on the public. The Art Council, consisting of 7 members, all of whom are big names in the Vietnamese Cheo village, such as People's Artists: Khac Tu, Quoc Chiem, Quoc Anh, Quoc Truong, Ngoc Cai, and Doan Bang, ensured fairness, objectivity, and professionalism in the evaluation. The Arts Council is currently reviewing to have the most accurate results for the award ceremony on the night of November 2.

People's Artist Hoai Thu (Hanoi Cheo Theatre) shared: "At the Festival, artists and actors were encouraged by the warm welcome of the audience. It is a great joy that the audience always accompanies traditional arts in today's life."

From the land of culture, where Quan Ho folk songs blend with the sound of Cheo drums continue to spread everywhere. During the event, thousands of artists, tourists and art lovers from all over came here, creating a vibrant cultural space. The auditoriums were always full, the sound of Cheo drums resounding in the heart of the city became a beautiful image, expressing the intense love of the audience, especially Kinh Bac people, for their homeland's heritage.

Article and photos: Vi Le Thanh

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/suc-song-moi-cua-cheo-tren-mien-quan-ho-postid430049.bbg