HÀ NỘI — An increasing number of fans of Xẩm singing has stirred a wave among folk musicians looking to recover and preserve the traditional form of music.

Over the past two years, a lot of folk music featuring Xẩm (blind busker’s singing) has been performed in celebratory events and cultural festivals across the country, including pagodas and temples and even family parties.

Locally known as a chiếu Xẩm, or a band of traditional musicians including one Xẩm singer, is often performed in public places, including parks and cafes.

Đào Bạch Linh, 37, is one of the younger singers and head of the Hải Thành Xẩm Club in the northern port city of Hải Phòng.

Linh told Việt Nam News on Wednesday that increasing support and passion of people in Hải Phòng City motivated him to perform the music in a way that made it more popular among people and encouraged singers to preserve it.

“Whether they are held indoors or outdoors, in public places or cafes, all chiếu Xẩm performances attract a large crowd,” he said.

Last weekend, in the capital city of Hà Nội, the Hà Thành Xẩm group organised a special performance at the traditional musical centre on Hà Nội’s walking street near Hoàn Kiếm (Returned Sword) Lake to commemorate Xẩm’s ancestors.

The show attracted a large audience comprising both locals and visitors.

Mai Tuyết Hoa, a Xẩm singer and member of the group, said the traditional singing helped her to connect with people.

"Love of the audience, particularly the youth, including children and students, encourages me to sing with passion," according to Hoa.

Hoa said she was planning to start a project to train the youth to become Xẩm singers in an effort to restore and preserve the traditional folk songs of the country.

Xẩm songs was traditionally sung by blind artistes, who wandered from town to town to earn their livelihood. Gradually, this form of singing became popular in the northern region of Việt Nam since 14th century.

The singing was at risk of fading into oblivion until the Government and cultural authorities started a campaign in 2005 to promote and preserve it. — VNS