The Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long will host the ‘Dan ca tai tu’ (amateur music) festival from November 15-22.

The event marks the 90th anniversary of late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet’s birthday on November 23.

It is an opportunity for artists and musicians to honour individuals and organisations who have contributed greatly to preserving and developing amateur music around the region.

Many researchers say that the art was formed when land in the south of the country was reclaimed at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

This kind of folk art is performed by local people after their daily work is over.

The instruments, namely the Dan co (also known as dan nhi), the Vietnamese two-stringed fiddle, dan tranh (also known as dan thap luc) or 16-stringed zither and the doc huyen cam (monochord), are used in this genre but nowadays the monochord has been replaced by a guitar.

Vietnam has submitted a dossier to the UNESCO for recognition of the music as an intangible culture.-VNA