Child singers perform the folk song Lý Bập Bòong Boong (Hymn of Drums) at Cần Thơ City’s Southern Folk Music and Songs Festival, which runs until May 19. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Hằng

CẦN THƠ — More than 300 musicians from the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Cần Thơ have participated in the city’s Southern Folk Music and Songs Festival.

The event is organised by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to introduce the region's folk songs and traditional musical instruments and to create a platform for local artisans and amateur musicians to meet and share their experiences.

It also contributes to preserving and promoting folk arts, the cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities, and national intangible cultural heritages, including Vietnamese hát ru (lullaby) in Cần Thơ; hò Cần Thơ, a chanting to express feelings and emotions of farmers in the city began over 100 years ago; and Aday, a kind of duet singing between Khmer men and women often staged at community festivals and family ceremonies in the Southern region.

Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, the department’s deputy director, said Southern folk music and songs have become one of the unique cultural art forms, associated with the working and spiritual life of people in the region.

Tuấn said that through various folk tunes, listeners can learn about traditions, customs, habits, lifestyle, personalities, and emotions of Southern people.

An instrumental performance of Lý Cây Bông (Hymn to Flowers). — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Hằng

The festival has presented 64 solo, duet and group performances, featuring hò, lý (hymn), hát ru, vè (rhythmic folk verse), đồng dao (children’s folk songs), and nói thơ (spoken word poetry).

The performances reflect themes of praising the Party and President Hồ Chí Minh, love for the homeland, and achievements in building and developing the country.

The festival is being held at the Ninh Kiều Wharf Park in Ninh Kiều Ward until May 19. — VNS