The northern province of Bac Ninh is home to many culturalheritage, particularly UNESCO-recognised love duet singing (Quan ho) andceremonial singing (Ca tru), along with Dau and But Thap pagodas thathave recently won special national heritage recognition.
Love duet singing, an art form that combines various elements,including music, lyrics, costume and a unique style of singingreflecting the affinity between the singers, and featuring thedistinctive culture of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac,was recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanityin 2009.
The same year, Ca tru, an ancient type ofmusic also known as “hat a dao” or “hat noi”, was also listed by theorganisation as an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgentprotection.
The most widely known type of ca tru involves only three performers: a female vocalist, a lute player and a spectator.
Located in Thanh Khuong commune, Thuan Thanh district, Dau pagoda wasbuilt in the 2 nd century AD and is claimed to be the “Cradle” ofBuddhism in Vietnam .
The annual Dau pagodafestival, which falls on the 8 th of the fourth month, is a brilliantopportunity for visitors to study the pagoda’s history, myths, legendsand outstanding architectural features.
Meanwhile,But Thap temple in Dinh To commune, Thuan Thanh district is one of only afew ancient pagodas in Vietnam with the unique architecture of theLe-Nguyen dynasties that still exist.
The templehouses unique statues, including the remarkable Avalokitesvara with onethousand eyes and one thousand arms, which was recognised as a nationaltreasure in 2012.
As a cradle for various nationalhistorical and cultural vestiges, Bac Ninh province is making greatefforts in conserving its intangible cultural heritage, looking towardsthe development of cultural tourism.
It hasspent 13.5 billion VND (more than 600,000 USD) implementing a project topreserve Quan ho. So far, apart from in 44 original Quan ho villages,the folk art is practised at 329 more villages and is taught in variousschools in the province.
At the same time, many Catru clubs have been established in Thuan Thanh, Gia Binh and Yen Phongdistricts with almost 100 regular members.
Between2003 and 2006, the province spent over 15 billion VND (705,000 USD)restoring a number of items at Dau pagoda, and more than four billionVND (188,000 USD) in 2012 upgrading But Thap pagoda.
Local authorities have asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism to consider and submit to the Government a number of localvestiges to be recognised as national heritage such as Phat Tich pagoda,Ba Chua Kho (Lady of the Storehouse) temple and Kinh Duong Vuongshrine.
With 547 festivals held annually, Bac Ninhis considered the locality with the most festivals in Vietnam . Manyhave become national events, such as Ba Chua Kho Festival, Lim Festival,Dau Pagoda Festival, Kinh Duong Vuong Festival and Phat Tich PagodaFestival, attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
Over the past time, the province has undertaken numerous measures,aiming to preserve and develop these traditional festivals, and preventsuperstition and the commercialisation of such events.-VNA
Love duet singing, an art form that combines various elements,including music, lyrics, costume and a unique style of singingreflecting the affinity between the singers, and featuring thedistinctive culture of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac,was recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanityin 2009.
The same year, Ca tru, an ancient type ofmusic also known as “hat a dao” or “hat noi”, was also listed by theorganisation as an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgentprotection.
The most widely known type of ca tru involves only three performers: a female vocalist, a lute player and a spectator.
Located in Thanh Khuong commune, Thuan Thanh district, Dau pagoda wasbuilt in the 2 nd century AD and is claimed to be the “Cradle” ofBuddhism in Vietnam .
The annual Dau pagodafestival, which falls on the 8 th of the fourth month, is a brilliantopportunity for visitors to study the pagoda’s history, myths, legendsand outstanding architectural features.
Meanwhile,But Thap temple in Dinh To commune, Thuan Thanh district is one of only afew ancient pagodas in Vietnam with the unique architecture of theLe-Nguyen dynasties that still exist.
The templehouses unique statues, including the remarkable Avalokitesvara with onethousand eyes and one thousand arms, which was recognised as a nationaltreasure in 2012.
As a cradle for various nationalhistorical and cultural vestiges, Bac Ninh province is making greatefforts in conserving its intangible cultural heritage, looking towardsthe development of cultural tourism.
It hasspent 13.5 billion VND (more than 600,000 USD) implementing a project topreserve Quan ho. So far, apart from in 44 original Quan ho villages,the folk art is practised at 329 more villages and is taught in variousschools in the province.
At the same time, many Catru clubs have been established in Thuan Thanh, Gia Binh and Yen Phongdistricts with almost 100 regular members.
Between2003 and 2006, the province spent over 15 billion VND (705,000 USD)restoring a number of items at Dau pagoda, and more than four billionVND (188,000 USD) in 2012 upgrading But Thap pagoda.
Local authorities have asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism to consider and submit to the Government a number of localvestiges to be recognised as national heritage such as Phat Tich pagoda,Ba Chua Kho (Lady of the Storehouse) temple and Kinh Duong Vuongshrine.
With 547 festivals held annually, Bac Ninhis considered the locality with the most festivals in Vietnam . Manyhave become national events, such as Ba Chua Kho Festival, Lim Festival,Dau Pagoda Festival, Kinh Duong Vuong Festival and Phat Tich PagodaFestival, attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
Over the past time, the province has undertaken numerous measures,aiming to preserve and develop these traditional festivals, and preventsuperstition and the commercialisation of such events.-VNA
