TRADITIONAL MUSIC: Tài tử music, a traditional art genre originating in the southern region, will be presented at the HCM City Folk Culture Festival from April 29 to May 1. VNA/VNS Photo Nhựt An

HCM CITY A wide range of Vietnamese folk performing arts will be featured at the HCM City Folk Culture Festival held from April 29 to May 1.

The event aims to bring folk arts closer to the public in order to preserve and promote national cultural values, as well as help foreign visitors to learn more about Vietnamese culture.

The festival will attract hundreds of master singers and performers from across the country.

They will perform different types of performing arts such as quan họ (alternate singing) singing, ca trù (ceremonial singing), hầu đồng (spirit mediums), chèo (traditional opera), bài chòi (a traditional Vietnamese game combining folk singing and picking from a deck of cards), bóng rỗi (a dance and singing art form performed at Mother Goddess worship rituals in southern Việt Nam), and tài tử music.

Celebrated artist Vương Duy Biên, the festival’s general director, said all the performances would be presented on different stages highlighting traditional cultural features of the three regions - north, central and south.

The festival will have a showcase of traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, and classes to instruct local and foreign visitors how to play these instruments.

The event will also offer popular Vietnamese folk games such as kéo co (tug of war), nhảy dây (rope jumping), and ô ăn quan (mandarin square capturing).

Many information booths with staff speaking in Vietnamese and English will be set up at the festival to help visitors understand more about the folk arts and games.

The festival will take place at Nguyễn Huệ Pedestrian Street in District 1. VNS