Bai Choi is not only found in Hoi An.

Recently, Hoi An brought Hoi An bai choi, which is actually the central region's bai choi, to Sakai city (Osaka province, Japan) from April 24 to 28 to introduce this 'folk specialty' art to Japanese friends and was warmly welcomed by Japanese audiences.

For thousands of years, the art of Bài Chòi has been a folk performing art that has been very familiar to the people of many Central provinces such as Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam , Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan...

Bai Choi performance in Hoi An

Nam Thinh

Usually, every time the New Year comes, people in the above provinces gather to "play" bai choi. It is called bai choi because this type of game involves building a hut, singing, acting, performing, and even giving prizes to lucky viewers. Because bai choi is an art that expresses the soul of the Central region, in 2014 UNESCO selected and honored the art of bai choi in the Central region as the 12th intangible cultural heritage of Vietnam. It is also an honor to the people of Central Vietnam, who are full of wit, creativity and love of poetry, because bai choi is a comprehensive art form with high creativity and entertainment.

Strangely, when I had the opportunity to listen to Quang Ngai monks recite sutras, which can be called "singing sutras", I could hear in their voices a tone of the Bai Choi song.

Thus, the art of Bài Chòi was perhaps most prosperous during the time of Trần Quốc Công Bùi Tá Hán (first half of the 16th century) who led the Vietnamese and the indigenous people to explore and modernize the Central region. Bài Chòi may have followed the Vietnamese soldiers and immigrants to settle in this region, but its audience included both the Vietnamese and the Cham people. This can be considered a form of performing art that is deeply Vietnamese, but was tested and survived in the very land where the Cham people's art initially held an important position.

The reason why the art of Bài Chòi has a firm foothold in the Vietnamese-Cham community lies in its innocence and democracy. Its pervasiveness and persuasiveness lies in its non-discrimination, its equality for all players and listeners. Tuong hát bội was initially performed only in the royal court or in the houses of high-ranking officials, for selected audiences. Later, it was directed to serve the people. As for Bài Chòi, from the beginning its audience was soldiers, civilians, and anyone who enjoyed this game, without distinction. For Vietnamese agricultural residents, spring is the season of festivals, the season of sublimation and democratic spirit. It is also the season of Bài Chòi.

Hoi An, for many years now, has been a place where card games are played to serve tourists every night.

Nam Thinh

Therefore, Bai Choi is not only found in Hoi An (Quang Nam), but also exists and develops in many provinces in the Central region. However, it must be said that for many years, Hoi An has been a place where Bai Choi is played to serve tourists continuously every night, every week, and has recently brought Bai Choi to foreign countries, specifically to Japan, which has been successful. While many other provinces in the Central region also have Bai Choi specialties, they have not yet fully promoted this unique folk art to serve cultural tourism.

Serving articles for tourists in Hoi An during Tet

Nguyen Tu

Through the practice of Bai Choi serving tourists to Hoi An, we see that this type of performing art is very popular with foreigners. Therefore, if provinces near Hoi An such as Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh promote the art of Bai Choi to serve tourists and domestic visitors, it will certainly attract visitors and be loved. Just like visitors to Hoi An love Bai Choi.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bai-choi-khong-chi-co-o-hoi-an-185240502161015181.htm