HÀ NỘI — Twenty Vietnamese artists have enthralled spectators in Bistrita, Romania, with their folk art performances, which is part of a world folklore festival.

Artists from the Việt Nam Singing-Dancing-Music Theatre, led by director Meritorious Artist Thanh Sơn, have presented songs and dances inspired by traditional ethnic groups such as Kinh, Thái,  Mông, Xê Đăng and K Ho.

The extravagant show on Saturday also featured performances with traditional instruments such as t’rưng; đàn tranh (zither) and đàn bầu (monochord), which made a strong impression on spectators, including Mayor of Bistrita City Ovidiu Cretu. After the show, Cretu said traditional Vietnamese art has lit up the Bistrita sky.

T’rưng is made of bamboo tubes of different sizes, with a notch at one end and a beveled edge at the other. The long, large tubes give off low-pitched tones, while the short, small ones produce high-pitched tones. The tubes are arranged horizontally by length and attached by two strings. Đàn bầu, made using dried gourd, metal string, wooden rod and sound board, has been part of Vietnamese culture for hundreds of years.

The local television network interviewed the Vietnamese artists, both dancers and musicians.

The festival is being held by the World Folklore Union from July 5 to August 15 and has also taken place in France, Italy, Greece and Serbia.

This is the first time that artists from Việt Nam are performing at the festival, at the invitation of the World Folklore Union through the Cultural Centre of Việt Nam (CCV) in France.

The festival was held in Romania from July 27 to 31, which saw artists participating from many countries in Asia and Europe, including India, Singapore, Indonesia, Turkey and Ukraine. — VNS