BELOVED MUSIC:Tây Ninh Province strives to preserve and promote tài tử music, a traditional art genre of the south and an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. VNA/VNS Photo Đức Hạnh

TÂY NINH Tây Ninh Province is seeking ways to preserve and promote tài tử music and cải lương (reformed opera), which began in the south more than 100 years ago, after its merger with the Mekong Delta province of Long An.

Former Long An Province was known for being one of the cradles of tài tử music and cải lương in the region. It was home to the Cả Cương Troupe, founded in the late 19th century by musician Ba Đợi.

Đợi was a mandarin who performed in the Nguyễn dynasty’s royal music troupe in the 19th century. He arranged nhã nhạc (royal music) and composed tài tử music with a view to popularise nhã nhạc. Cải lương then developed from tài tử music.

The province was also the birthplace of outstanding tài tử musicians and cải lương artists such as People's Artist Bảy Vân, People’s Artist Huỳnh Nga and Meritorious Artist Huỳnh Nga.

Lê Thị Cẩm Châu, deputy director of the Tây Ninh Culture Centre, said Long An previously issued a project to preserve and develop tài tử music by 2026, focusing on offering free training about the art, organising exchanges among art troupes and tài tử music clubs, and supporting the clubs to boost their operations and quality.

Châu said the project cost VNĐ10 billion (US$381,100) mobilised from the state budget and social capital.

Đỗ Quốc Dũng, deputy head of the Science and Technology Department of the Long An University of Economics and Industry, said one of the measures to develop tài tử music was turning it into tourism products, including performances and workshops of the music at tourism sites or homestays to raise interest in the art among local and international tourists.

Dũng said that it was necessary to have a methodical curriculum for training tài tử music. This meant that its theory should be taught by music lecturers and its skills by experienced artists.

He added that tài tử music played an important role in the spiritual life of the community and was performed during festivals and special occasions in Mekong Delta provinces.

Tài tử music is the prototype for vọng cổ (nostalgic tunes) and cải lương (reformed opera) of southern Việt Nam.

Musicians play traditional instruments, including kìm (two-stringed guitar), cò (vertical violin with two strings), tranh (16-chord zither) and bầu (monochord zither), which accompany singers.

Tài tử music was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2013.

Vàm Cỏ Cải Lương Troupe

TOP PLAY: The cải lương (reformed opera) play Người Con Của Rừng Tràm (Son of the Melaleuca Forest), staged by the Long An Cải Lương Troupe (now Vàm Cỏ Troupe), won best play at the biennial National Cải Lương National Festival held in Cần Thơ City last November. VNA/VNS Photo Đức Hạnh

Along with tài tử music, Tây Ninh is striving to protect and promote the cultural values of cải lương among the community, especially people living in remote areas and the border region.

The Long An Cải Lương Troupe was renamed the Vàm Cỏ Troupe after the merger to strengthen the connection between the two provinces of Tây Ninh and Long An, where the Vàm Cỏ Đông River flows through.

Nguyễn Tấn Quốc, deputy director of the Tây Ninh Province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: "The Vàm Cỏ Cải Lương Troupe is not simply named after the river but is also a connection between two lands of Tây Ninh and Long An in history, poetry and art."

Quốc said the Vàm Cỏ Troupe now takes a great responsibility in popularising cải lương in the province, which covers an area of 8,500 square kilometres and a population of over 3.2 million people.

He added that the troupe should continue to improve the quality of plays and offer training to young artists to affirm its status at national cải lương festivals.

The Long An Cải Lương Troupe has achieved top prizes at national festivals in recent years.

Its latest play, Người Con Của Rừng Tràm (The Son of the Melaleuca Forest), won the best play award at the biennial National Cải Lương Festival held in Cần Thơ City last November.

The play, directed by People’s Artists Triệu Trung Kiên and Hồ Ngọc Trinh, highlights the life and career of revolutionary Trương Văn Bang and the victory of the Láng Le Bàu Cò battle led by Bang in 1948.

The play also won two prizes for best actor by Meritorious Artist Ngọc Đợi and Ngân Cường.

The troupe also received awards for best play for Cuộc Đời Của Mẹ (The Mother’s Life) at the festival in 2018, and Bên Dòng Long Khốt (Along the Long Khốt River) in 2022. VNS