Artists Ngoc Doi (playing Oanh Kieu) and Minh Truong (playing Tran Dinh) in the play "Ganh Co Song Han" 2025 - Photo: LINH DOAN
This is the launch project of the WE Cai Luong Stage, aiming to be a place that empowers talented young people who lack opportunities to hone their skills through challenging roles.
The 2025 production of "Gánh cỏ sông Hàn" (Carrying Grass on the Han River) was directed by artist Hoa Hạ.
In the latest production of the play "Gánh cỏ sông Hàn" (The Grass Carrier of the Han River), director Hoa Hạ used an actress to portray the character Bạch Long Phi. The clip shows Oanh Kiều reminiscing about Bạch Long Phi as her beloved steed is pursued by enemies. - Video : LINH DOAN
Love for the country in " The Grass Carrier of the Han River"
"The Grass Carrier of the Han River" is a theatrical performance with a historical and folk-inspired theme.
The epic tales of patriotism from countless anonymous citizens seem to always have a profound impact, so it's not difficult to understand why historical dramas like " The Grass Carrier of the Han River" have such enduring appeal to lovers of Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera).
Many renowned artists such as Minh Phụng, Hoài Thanh, Ngọc Hương, Phương Thanh… left a strong mark on the first production of "Gánh cỏ sông Hàn" (The Grass Cart of the Han River) on the stage of the Hương Mùa Thu Troupe. Now, with the play being revived, it will inevitably generate high expectations from the audience.
This expectation is further heightened by the fact that the cast is largely composed of young actors, some of whom come from provincial cải lương (traditional Vietnamese opera) troupes. None of them are considered box office stars in cải lương.
Golden Bell Award winner Ngoc Doi (left, playing Oanh Kieu) and Golden Rice Award winner Bien Thuy (playing Oanh Thuy)
Patience is needed to train young people in vocational skills.
The premiere of "Gánh cỏ sông Hàn" on the evening of June 21st did not fill the theater, reaching only about 70% attendance. This was not unexpected by those familiar with cải lương (Vietnamese traditional opera), and even the manager of WE had previously stated that he was not worried because the goal was to create opportunities for young people to learn and practice the craft, so he accepted any losses.
It was for this noble purpose that playwright Hoang Song Viet and director Hoa Ha collaborated with producer Tuan Dat on this project. "Ganh Co Song Han" (The Grass Cart of the Han River) maintained a serious and meticulous approach to its staging. However, it's regrettable that the play lacked appeal.
This script isn't too difficult, yet it... stumped the young people. It could be said that "Gánh cỏ sông Hàn" (The Grass Carrier of the Han River) is suitable for audiences who enjoy singing because there's a lot of singing involved.
However, with today's audience tastes, singing isn't everything; it requires artists to delve deep into the characters' psychology and portray them subtly. And quite a few actors in the play revealed their awkwardness.
Even the two Golden Bell Award winners, Minh Trường and Ngọc Đợi, in the two main roles, left viewers wondering.
Scene from the play "The Grass Carrier of the Han River"
Tran Dinh is a rather unusual type of unique character, and with his abilities, Minh Truong could have made his role even more distinctive, but on the night of June 21st, he only managed to play the role adequately, not outstandingly.
Perhaps due to health reasons, Truong hasn't been able to showcase his vocal prowess to the fullest extent, preventing viewers from fully enjoying the experience.
Ngọc Đợi has a beautiful singing voice, but it seems she still needs to put in more effort. The most difficult part of her role as Oanh Kiều is the scene where she alternates between being sane and insane to deceive the enemy, but Đợi's performance is still unconvincing. Đợi needs to conserve her energy because she will likely run out of steam towards the end.
Because the young actors lacked sufficient skill, the play sometimes became noisy and lacked rhythm.
Golden Bell Award winner Minh Trường plays Trần Dinh in the role of Trần Dinh - Photo: LINH DOAN
Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) is a difficult art form; progress cannot be achieved overnight, or through just one performance. Those involved in the profession can share their experiences with the production team, but for the audience, the final product is still the most important thing. We cannot expect them to be understanding for various reasons.
Therefore, perhaps each theatrical project should create opportunities for about 3 or 4 young people to hone their skills, and alongside that, the play should also include talented people to support and ensure its appeal.
Throwing a large number of young people into plays like "The Grass Carrier of the Han River," but having them lack the capacity to carry the show, is quite dangerous.
Along the Han River lived Tran Ba, who secretly bred and trained warhorses day and night to contribute to the cavalry of the Lam Son rebels, fighting against the Ming army that was trampling on Vietnam.
The two orphaned sisters, Oanh Kieu and Oanh Thuy, were taken in and cared for by Tran Ba. Oanh Kieu was skilled in training and taming the leading horse, Bach Long Phi, a warhorse that even a Ming general coveted.
Meanwhile, Tran Ba's only son, Tran Dinh, was greedy for wealth and luxury, despising the humble life of the horse breeders. For personal gain, he was willing to turn his back on his family, his love, and the interests of the nation.
One day, the magnificent horse Bach Long Phi was captured, while Le Loi's Lam Son rebel army urgently needed warhorses to prepare for the uprising.
Amidst those tumultuous events, the people, the silent patriots, endured countless hardships, even risking their lives to protect the horses for a greater cause.
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , director Hoa Ha said that everything takes time. For Vo Minh Lam to rise to where he is today, he had to go through training in over a dozen Cai Luong plays, and he has only truly shone in the last 4 or 5 years, despite having been in the profession for nearly 20 years.
Therefore, she said that showing love for the children means patiently training them gradually, and accepting that their first attempts will be clumsy and not as good as expected.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tiec-cho-ganh-co-song-han-20250622082153628.htm
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