New vitality for ca tru heritage

The pounding sound of drums, the deep and deep sounds of the stone zither, and the resounding voices in the space of the Hanoi Museum are attracting the attention of a large audience at the 4th Hanoi Ca Tru Festival taking place from September 27-28.

This is not just a playground, but a proof that, after 16 years of being recognized by UNESCO, Ca Tru has not faded away, is strongly reviving and is nurtured by the passion of many generations of Ca Tru lovers.

Efforts to "keep the fire"

The 4th Hanoi Ca Tru Festival 2025 opened on September 27 at the Hanoi Museum.

Since being recognized by UNESCO, Ca Tru has received special attention not only from cultural managers and the Ca Tru art-loving community, but also from the majority of the people of the capital. Through Hanoi’s preservation efforts, Ca Tru is gradually affirming the vitality of this unique art form after a long period of being at risk of being lost.

According to Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports , a series of meaningful policies have been issued to protect Ca Tru, typically Resolution 23/2022/NQ-HDND regulating the treatment and support regime for people's artists, meritorious artists, artisans and typical clubs in the field of intangible cultural heritage of Hanoi city, which has created great motivation for those who preserve the capital's cultural heritage, including Ca Tru. Next, the Project to protect and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO in Hanoi until 2025, with a vision to 2030, approved by the city in 2024, has officially put Ca Tru on the list of urgent protection, affirming the strong participation of the city.

After 16 years of being recognized by UNESCO, Ca Tru has not faded away, but is strongly reviving and being nurtured by the passion of many generations of Ca Tru lovers.

Hanoi is proud to be the locality with the largest number of ca tru artists who have been awarded the title of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist in the country. Of which, the number of ca tru artists after three times of awarding (in 2015, 2019, 2022) is 32 artists, including 8 People's Artists and 24 Meritorious Artists. In the fourth round of awarding documents in 2025, the Hanoi City Council approved the list and proposal of the Council of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism , reviewing the list of proposals to award 8 People's Artists and 23 Meritorious Artists of the art of ca tru singing.

But more than policies, the vitality of ca tru lies in the community itself. Ms. Pham Thi Lan Anh, Head of Heritage Management Department of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, emphasized that the festival is not a competition to determine high and low scores, but a day for clubs to exchange, learn, and most importantly, to pay tribute to the artisans who have persistently "kept the fire" for the heritage.

The festival is where the tireless efforts of the “fire keepers” converge, and is also a place for the whole community to look back on the achievements and have more confidence in the path ahead. At the same time, it continues to contribute to preserving and promoting the value of the unique art form of Ca Tru, promoting the teaching and practice of Ca Tru at the grassroots level.

Transmit and preserve

Hanoi is proud to be the locality with the largest number of ca tru artists awarded the title of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist in the country.

The most vigorous vitality of Ca Tru today is perhaps most clearly demonstrated through the transmission and preservation from the previous generation to the younger generation. The festival stage not only has elderly artists, but also gathers many young faces, with the youngest contestant only 8 years old and the oldest 86 years old.

Mr. Le Hong Quang (UNESCO Ca Tru Center) shared that Ca Tru is a genre that is selective about its audience. In the past, only old people sang, but now more and more young people come to Ca Tru and stick with it. Ca Tru is both easy and difficult. It is easy because the form is simple, only needing a flower mat, a singer, a musician, and a drum to form a troupe. But it is also difficult because "the profession is also very elaborate", requiring the listener to devote all their heart to absorb the beauty and elegance of each sound of the instrument and the beat.

Mr. Quang also proudly compared: "I hope that in the future, Vietnam can show the world famous singers of Ca Tru to sing for the world to hear. I think that there is a similarity when the peak of the West is Opera, and the peak of Vietnam is Ca Tru, the two genres are on par with each other, that is a solemn treatment and also a glorification of Ca Tru".

That passion was ignited through the story of Mrs. Nghiem Thi Hoa, a retired teacher of the Nghe Tinh Vi Giam Folk Song Club. Originally not knowing how to sing Ca Tru, but because of her love for the emotional and profound singing of the elders, she became attached and now becomes the mentor for 8 young singers of the club. She is happy to see that the children are very passionate and always receive enthusiastic support from their families.

And perhaps, nothing is more convincing than the affirmation from the future generation. Ngo Bao Chau, a 12-year-old singer, after performing, confided innocently and with determination: "When performing Ca Tru songs, I feel happy. I will definitely pursue this art for a long time...".

Her words are the answer to the tireless efforts of those who love Ca Tru. Ca Tru is not only preserved, but is truly living a new, brilliant life in the hearts of the young generation and spreading strongly in the community and getting closer to international friends.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-hoa/suc-song-moi-cho-di-san-ca-tru-20250927151843946.htm