HÀ NỘI — Singer Hoa Trần has launched a music video for the song Chiều Phủ Tây Hồ (Afternoon in Tây Hồ Temple) to honour Đạo Mẫu (Mother Goddess religion) – a world intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO.

Chiều Phủ Tây Hồ is a song by renowned composer Phú Quang based on a poem of the same name by Thái Thăng Long. The poem was written in 1993 when the poet and the composer visited Tây Hồ Temple in Quảng An Ward, Tây Hồ District one afternoon.

"I made the music video, featuring Việt Nam’s Mother Goddess religion, with a desire to help people learn more about Đạo Mẫu," said singer Hoa Trần at a press conference held in Hà Nội on Tuesday.

"The video is my message that I want to convey. I’m a medium who loves my homeland, loves Đạo Mẫu and loves the value of traditional spiritual culture. I think that the spirit world exists and is always with humanity. The root of spirituality is love. Spirituality and religion help people be good, optimistic and more truthful," the singer said.

The video was made in collaboration with young director Lam Hạ and music arranger Vũ Trọng Phương. The two artists helped Hoa Trần tell a story of a medium through music. Director Lam Hạ wrote the script, which moved singer Hoa Trần the first time she read it.

In the video, a young girl is stressed and commits suicide. She is then enlightened by Đạo Mẫu and comes back to life. The script was based on a folktale about a princess in heaven who breaks a jade cup and is exiled to help the human world. The director tried to make the religious story easy for all viewers to understand.

Director Lam Hạ used 3D technology to shoot scenes featuring the beauty in heaven and huge landscapes. The video also includes scenes featuring Hoa Trần performing hầu đồng rituals, dedicated to the worship of different spirits.

Hoa Trần was an MC before becoming a singer and is the wife of popular singer Việt Hoàn. She studied singing with People’s Artist Thanh Hoa and has made music videos, including Bỉ Ngạn Đỏ (Red Bỉ Ngạn Flower). This video is a cover of a Chinese movie entitled Once Upon A Time with Vietnamese lyrics by herself.

She became interested in Đạo Mẫu after being stressed for a long time and was unable to explain why. Đạo Mẫu worships three Mother Goddesses, representing the three realms of the universe: Heaven, Water, and Mountains and Forests. Mother Goddesses have evolved from mythical or historical figures who rendered great services to the nation.

The seven-minute video can be viewed on YouTube. — VNS