Quan ho singing is being maintained and promoted in Bac Ninh (Source: VNA) Bac Giang (VNA) - Whenever describing the Kinh Bac area (an old name for a large areain northern Vietnam, covering the provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang), we alwaysmentionthe two world heritage sites and hundreds of relic sites, beauty spots,and traditional craft villages.
With its unique strengths, Kinh Bac has become an attraction for tourists.
With lyrical melodies demonstratinglocal labour, love duet singing enchants big audiences. It has gradually gainedpopularity across the country. The associations of Kinh Bac fellow-countrypeople has contributed to bringing love duet songs to many cities andprovinces. The traditional singing has become intangible cultural heritage ofhumanity, and something manyforeign visitors want to experience in Vietnam.
Dr. Bui QuangThanh from the VietnamInstitute of Culture and Art Studies, who visited all 49 “quan ho” villagesrecognised by UNESCO, told me that he had met a lot of foreign visitors withgreat passion for the love duet lyrics who not only enjoyed the songs attemples, pagodas and festivals, but also entered the artists’ houses, recordingand making videos. Many overseas youngsters even stayed in Vietnam andasked to learn love duet songs.
The dyke of the Duong andCau rivers boasts the biggest number of love duet villages in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang.I feel the joy wherever I set foot in these places, meeting companions whosharemy passion for love duets. Many people come here to complete their thesis,listen to love duet songs and seek old artisans who preserve the folk melodiesand explore the traditional culture and lifestyle of a love duet family inKinhBac region.
People born and raised inKinhBacwant the singing to shine forever in the heart of the visitors and haveit promoted among young generations to preserve the melodies.
On an autumn day nine yearsago, when I and my colleagues went toVinhNghiem pagoda (Duc La) in Tri Yencommune (Yen Dung), we were taken by a nun to see woodblocks. We had no ideathat woodblocks would be recognised as world heritage by UNESCO.
Much is known aboutKing-Monk Tran Nhan Tong and Truc Lam Zen Buddhist sect. However, it wasn’tuntil May 2012 when the woodblocks atVinhNghiem pagoda wererecognised as the world’s documentary heritage inAsia-Pacific, that the quintessence of Truc Lam Zen Buddhist sect was widelyknown. The woodblocks, which were engraved in wood and remain intact today, arespecial heritage of Vietnam.
At Tho Ha pottery village, VanHa commune (Viet Yen), on the walls and fences of houses are a multitude of oblongearthenware containers used for reburial – which are piled upon one another,creating a strange shape and containing a thousand-year old pottery village.Pottery in Tho Ha is ingrained in the minds of locals with unique architectureof humans from ancient times. People who like tranquility could go to Bo DaPagoda in Viet Yen district to visit a large tower garden – the resting placeof over 1,200 monks and nuns of Lam Te Buddhism.
Associated with culturaland historical heritage, KinhBac is also home to spectacular natural scenery.
TayYen Tu, located in Son Dong and Luc Nam districts, is an attractivedestination for anyone who wants to explore waterfalls and primary forests. TayYen Tu is considered the place with the largest eco-tourism potential inBacGiang province.
In addition to sightseeing, visitors can enjoy avariety of food in KinhBac. Lychee gardens in Luc Ngan in summer welcomevisitors to enjoy fruit. Tourists can also buy dry pancakes as gifts for familyand friends. A folk song titled “Veque” (Going to the countryside) by musicianPho Duc Phuong goes “Our country has dry pancakes and plain riceflan – the poor market and thatched huts”. The specialty is renowned because ofits special crispy taste, which goes well with wine.-VNA
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