Hanoi takes folk performance to the open air
The open-air program offered residents and tourists a free glimpse into Vietnam’s living cultural heritage.
THE HANOI TIMES — On the spring evening of February 22, in the capital, traditional melodies drifted across Ly Thai To Flower Garden as cai luong artists transformed a public square into an impromptu stage.
The “Community Music” program, organized by the Cai Luong Theatre, offered passersby an un-ticketed immersion into Vietnam’s operatic heritage- part civic ritual, part cultural showcase.
The vibrant folk performance unfolded on the evening of February 22. Photo courtesy of the event's organizer
The night opened with “Waves of Thang Long,” a sweeping dance-and-song perfẻomance.
Against the backdrop of legendary Hoan Kiem Lake, the piece evoked the grandeur of Thang Long - the ancient name of Hanoi - blending pageantry with intimacy.
The choreography moved from stately procession to fluid, almost conversational gestures, mirroring the capital’s thousand-year evolution.
“Welcoming Spring” followed, bright and percussive, its buoyant ensemble harmonies underscoring themes of renewal and continuity.
The program then turned to the emotional core of cai luong, the southern-born operatic form that fuses spoken drama with vong co (nostalgia of the past) melodies.
Excerpts such as Vong Co Tinh Xuan (A Melody of Vong Co in Spring), Nhanh Lan Rung (Wild Orchid) and Thang Long Diem Hen (Thang Long - A Rendezvour) were rendered with restrained elegance, allowing the narrative weight of the lyrics to surface without excess flourish.
The performance draws audiences into a celebration of traditional music and dance in Hanoi’s spring.
A standout moment came with the song entitled Thang Long, Land of Spiritual and Talented People.
Drawing on the ritualistic textures of hat van - ceremonial singing rooted in Vietnam’s spiritual traditions - the performance conjured a capital at once sacred and resilient. The arrangement balanced reverence with theatricality, its layered instrumentation echoing across the garden’s colonnades.
Elsewhere, a folk medley titled Que Huong Mien Nho (the Missing Homeland) and a zither solo, Hello Vietnam - Doan Xuan Ca (Hello Vietnam - The Song of Spring) hinted at a broader ambition: to position traditional idioms within a contemporary frame.
The interplay between dan tranh strings and modern phrasing suggested a cultural vocabulary that is evolving rather than static.
The evening closed with Beloved Vietnam, a choral affirmation that doubled as a civic embrace. In a city racing toward modernization, the performance served as a reminder that heritage here is not confined to museums or formal theaters.
The art performance was less a spectacle than a statement: that amid Hanoi’s rapid urban ascent, the music of Thang Long still carries.
The Community Music Program is a Hanoi-led initiative designed to bring traditional folk arts into everyday public life.
Artists perform with full energy and passion on the open-air stage.
A zither solo performance adds a delicate, resonant note to the evening’s folk showcase.
The enchanting sounds captivated the attention of little audiences.
