National Cheo Festival 2025: Lighting the flame of passion for Cheo art in the hearts of the public

On the evening of October 20, in Bac Ninh province, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province and related units to organize the opening ceremony of the 2025 National Cheo Festival. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong attended the ceremony.

The National Cheo Festival is a regular professional art activity organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, aiming to evaluate artistic creation, performance, preservation and promotion of the value of Cheo art in the current period. This is also an opportunity for art units to meet, exchange experiences, learn from each other, thereby improving professional quality and bringing Cheo art closer to the public.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong and delegates attending the ceremony

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong said: Cheo is a traditional folk theatrical art form with a history of thousands of years, deeply attached to the spiritual life of the people in the Northern Delta. Through many historical ups and downs, Cheo art still retains its unique features, deeply reflecting the soul, character and aspiration for truth - goodness - beauty of the Vietnamese people.

The National Cheo Festival - 2025 is the first professional cultural and performing arts event held after the country implemented the 2-level local government model, marking a turning point in the organization, management and development of cultural and artistic activities in the new context. This further enhances the significance of the Festival, demonstrating the determination to innovate, adapt and integrate the culture, sports and tourism sector in the country's development process.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong speaks at the ceremony

According to Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong, the policy of rearranging and reorganizing the system of public performing arts units is one of the major orientations of our Party and State in recent times. The goal is to build a more professional, streamlined, efficient and sustainable art sector. This is an inevitable step in the process of reforming and improving the quality of cultural and artistic activities in the country.

However, this process also poses many difficulties, concerns and thoughts, especially for traditional art forms such as Cheo. How to streamline without losing identity? How to make artists feel secure in their profession? How to make traditional art not only live in memory, but continue to be nurtured in the souls of today's young generation? These are big questions, requiring synchronous participation, enthusiasm and responsibility from all levels, sectors, from those working in management to each artist, researcher and the whole social community.

Performing arts

The Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism emphasized that our Party and State have always been consistent in their viewpoint of preserving and promoting the value of traditional cultural heritage - including Cheo stage art - as both a responsibility and a sacred mission in the process of building an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity. The Party's Resolutions on cultural development, specifically Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW of the Politburo on the development of literature and art in the new period, have clearly affirmed this.

In particular, in the current period, the Politburo and the Government are assigning the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to preside over and advise on the development of a specialized Resolution on the revival and development of Vietnamese culture in the new period. This is a milestone of strategic significance, demonstrating the deep and consistent interest of the Party and State in the cause of cultural development - considering culture as the spiritual foundation of society, an important endogenous driving force for the sustainable development of the country.

The development of this thematic Resolution not only aims to reposition the role of culture in overall national development, but also opens up specific mechanisms and policies to support, preserve and promote traditional cultural values, including Cheo art and other forms of national theatrical art, so that culture truly becomes a soft power, spreading in social life and the souls of Vietnamese people.

Performing arts

"I believe that, with the spirit of solidarity, responsibility and love for art, the 2025 National Cheo Festival will be a great success, contributing to further igniting the flame of passion for Cheo art in the hearts of the public and generations of artists today and tomorrow" - Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong affirmed.

The 2025 National Cheo Festival will take place from October 20 to November 2, gathering 11 professional Cheo art troupes from many provinces and cities across the country, including: Vietnam National Traditional Theater, Hanoi Cheo Theater, Military Cheo Theater, Ninh Binh Provincial Art Theater, Hai Phong Traditional Theater, Hung Yen Cheo Theater, Lam Son Thanh Hoa Art Theater, Phu Tho Province Lac Hong Theater, Bac Ninh Cheo Theater, Quang Ninh Provincial Art Troupe, Thai Nguyen Province Ethnic Group Art Troupe.

The audience will enjoy 21 elaborately staged plays, deeply reflecting social life, praising the homeland, country and people of Vietnam, honoring moral and humanistic values ​​and aspirations for goodness.

Performing arts

Nearly 900 artists, actors and musicians participated in the performance, promising to bring to the audience who love Cheo unique works, carefully invested in both ideological content and staging art, demonstrating the dedication, talent and serious working spirit of art units across the country.

The 2025 National Cheo Festival will be held in Bac Ninh province - a land rich in traditional culture and art, hoping to continue promoting cultural and tourism exchanges, promoting the image of Bac Ninh to domestic and international friends.

From Kinh Bac land, the resounding Cheo melodies will continue to extend the source of Vietnamese culture, contributing to preserving and spreading traditional values, nurturing the soul, personality and identity of Vietnamese people in the new era./.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/lien-hoan-cheo-toan-quoc-nam-2025-thap-sang-ngon-lua-dam-me-nghe-thuat-cheo-trong-long-cong-chung-20251021073010708.htm