The Hanoi Ca tru club at 87 Ma May street.

Many may think that young people today are only interested in modern pop music and turn away from traditional Vietnamese music, however, when watching and listening to students who are passionate about learning Ca Tru (traditional ceremonial singing) at the Hanoi Ca tru club, one can feel the vitality of this world intangible cultural heritage.

Every evening in the ancient house at 87 Ma May street in Hoan Kiem district, the sounds of instruments and voices performing Ca Tru can be heard, not from older artists, but from very young pupils and students. With her clear voice full of emotion, 10th grader Doan Linh Huong surprises a lot of people, especially when they find out she has been a ‘senior’ member of the Thang Long ceremonial singing troupe for four years.

The Ca Tru club consists of 20 official members and hundreds of other participants; the youngest is only 12 years old. They all share one thing in common: the love for this traditional art form. Thanks to the guidance of artist, teacher Pham Thi Hue, all 20 official members of the troupe are able to sing and play the traditional musical instruments fluently. After hours of hard work and study, if there is no performance scheduled, the club members will dress up in traditional costume and perform for each other to practice.

It is not easy to learn Ca Tru because it is impossible to write down the notes, so the learners must listen carefully and memorise the melodies in relation to their own feelings. During each lesson, the young learners have the chance to listen to the velvety voice of artist Pham Thi Hue and get to know the traditional musical instruments; they also learn how to understand the meanings and sing each sentence in the lyrics.

“I love to sing Ca Tru because through its melodies and words, I have learned more about the country’s history and literature”, said young singer Linh Huong. Third-year student Bui Viet Trung from the Faculty of Culture and Arts Management under the Hanoi University of Culture, said he had strong feelings for the rhythms and lyrics of Ca Tru after he saw a show about it on television. He then came to the Thang Long ceremonial singing troupe and the young Ca Tru club to find out more about this type of music and collect further cultural information to support his studies at university.

In addition to the group at 87 Ma May street, FPT University has recently put a Ca Tru course into their curriculum. The course lasts in 12 days and students are taught about three typical Ca Tru songs. Pham Thi Hue said she hopes that such activities will attract more and more young people, promote interest in Ca Tru singing, and provide them with knowledge about its history and poetry, thereby raising awareness of preserving traditional cultural values.