Go to Thuy Nguyen to watch folk singing.

"Đúm" is a style of courtship singing, a call-and-response between groups of men and women in the community, and it has a long history in the Tổng Phục area, now the Tam Hưng, Lập Lễ, and Nam Triệu Giang wards of Thủy Nguyên City.

Hát đúm lacks clear melodies and rhythms, but it requires rich content, improvisation, and ensures a call-and-response style of lyrics, closely resembling lục bát poetry.

Once associated with the custom of "unveiling the face" (the male side removes the veil covering the female side, a custom of women in this region), folk singing has now become a performance activity during the spring season and other special cultural events.

Although still popular in this region, folk singing now only takes place on stage, with the "performers" mostly being elderly people.

What was particularly remarkable was that while chess tournaments and youth football tournaments were also taking place around the People's Committee of Nam Trieu Giang Ward, nearly 1,000 spectators and supporters, mostly middle-aged and elderly people, with some even arriving in wheelchairs, still gathered in front of the folk singing stage.

Compared to eight years ago (2017), the enthusiastic atmosphere of a traditional folk singing competition in Thuy Nguyen remains undiminished. I met Mrs. Dinh Thi Nga, 50 years old, a devoted folk singer from Nam Trieu Giang. Mrs. Nga said, "I'm still as passionate about folk singing as ever, even more so than karaoke." Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Van Nam, 65 years old, from Lap Le Ward, was laughing heartily while filming , saying, "I want to show this to my friends in Canada. Every year there's a competition, I have to film it, otherwise my friends over there will miss it a lot."

Of the 9 participating clubs, 3 featured performances by children, as a way of preserving traditional customs.

Hát Đúm doesn't have traditional costumes, so most performers wear Quan Họ costumes when they go on stage.

Mr. Dinh Chinh Chanh, 70 years old, from the Lap Le Ward folk singing club, wears a military uniform because his "singing style" (roughly translated as a performance) is called "Soldier's Song".

The two actors from P. Ngũ Lão, Lâm Văn Đức, 77, and Trần Văn Quyết, 74, are perhaps the oldest participants in the competition.

Despite being "city dwellers" since Thuy Nguyen City was newly established, the actors were still quite nervous when they went on stage.

Members of the P.Lập Lễ club remind each other before going on stage to perform.

Mr. Nam is livestreaming for his friends in Canada to watch traditional folk singing from his hometown. Thuy Nguyen has many people who have settled abroad.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ve-thuy-nguyen-xem-hat-dum-185250204185313889.htm