Going with the flow of traditional culture

We passed 6 kilometres from An Chau town on the mountainside path to reach Thanh Tra village.

Members of Cheo club in Thanh Tra village teach Cheo singing to young generations.

“Le Vien commune is home to 13 ethnic groups including 70 percent of San Chi ethnic minorities. The Kinh people from Hai Duong province who immigrated and settled down in Thanh Tra village brought with them the art of Cheo singing”, said Nguyen Van Thuc, Head of the Culture and Informatics Division of Son Dong district.

We had an opportunity to attend a meeting of Cheo singing club in Thanh Tra village when we enjoyed sweet and beautiful Cheo melodies and learned about the history and development of the club in a high mountainous area.

Hoang Thi Hieu, the 60-year old club leader said Cheo singing has been popular since early 20th century in her grandparents’ period. There is not any research affirming the history of Cheo singing movement here, but there is such a persuasive evidence that Vu family brought Cheo singing with them when they emigrated from Hai Duong province to settle down here.

Many generations of Vu family have settled down in Thanh Tra village. Vu Van Phuc (born in 1924, passed away now) was one of the first people immigrating here from Hai Duong. Currently, his descendants still fascinate singing Cheo.

Besides, many key members of Cheo club in Thanh Tra village carry Vu family name such as Vu Su, Vu Thac, Vu Hong and Vu Thi Hoan. Particularly, Vu Van Phuc’s daughter Vu Thi Hoan, daughter-in-law Ngo Thi Ty and great grandchild Vu Phuong Vy can sing Cheo very well.

For resounding Cheo melodies

Talking to us, the senior members of Cheo club in Thanh Tra village remembered the time when they witnessed how their ancestors showed their passion for the art of Cheo.

It is an unforgettable memory of a hard period when they suffered from hunger and shortage but the love for Cheo art was still fueled and passed down for the descendants.

In order to preserve and promote the values of this traditional folk art, Cheo club of Thanh Tra village was born in 2013. To date, the club has been maintained with 20 actors, actresses and musicians, most of whom are hardworking farmers.

A practice of Cheo club in Thanh Tra village.

The members of Cheo club in Thanh Tra village not only well perform their roles for ancient Cheo plays and songs but they can also remake Cheo scripts and songs based on the ancient ones.

Through the Cheo songs and melodies, members of the club disseminate the guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State and advise local people to eliminate depraved customs and superstition and work hard.

“Cheo club in Thanh Tra village helps to enrich the cultural and spiritual life of local people, which becomes a bond to tighten the neighbourhood and serves political tasks with performances at the festivals and conferences of the commune and district while exchanging with neighbouring communes”, said Nguyen Van Hoe, Chairman of the people’s committee of Le Vien commune.

Leaving the Cheo club in Thanh Tra mountainous village, but we seemed to hear the resounding Cheo melodies in the mountainsides.

Cheo singing – a traditional Vietnamese cultural art

In the treasure trove of the nation's folk culture and art, Cheo singing (Vietnamese traditional opera) is a type of theater rich in national identity. It combines various elements such as singing, dancing, music, and drama into a uniquely integrated form.

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