The art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam is a diverse performing art form that combines music, poetry, acting, painting, and literature.
The Art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam Recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
At 5:10 p.m. local time (3:10 p.m. Vietnam time) on December 7, 2017, during the 12th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, the Art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam was officially inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam (practiced in the provinces of Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên Huế, Quảng Nam [former], Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, and in Đà Nẵng) is a diverse art form that combines music, poetry, acting, painting, and literature. Bài Chòi has two main forms: “Chơi Bài Chòi” (Bài Chòi games) and “Trình diễn Bài Chòi” (Bài Chòi performances). Chơi Bài Chòi is associated with a card game played in bamboo huts during the Lunar New Year. In Bài Chòi performances, the Anh Hiệu and Chị Hiệu (lead performers) sing and act on sedge mats, move from place to place, or perform at private family gatherings.
The custodians and practitioners of Bài Chòi are the Anh Hiệu and Chị Hiệu, individual performers, and artisans who craft the cards. The performers and their families play a crucial role in safeguarding the practice by teaching the repertoires, singing skills, performance techniques, and methods of making the cards to younger generations. Together with the community, they have established nearly 90 teams, groups, and clubs dedicated to practicing and transmitting the Art of Bài Chòi, thereby encouraging broad community participation.
Most artisans acquire the skills and techniques of chanting and singing Bài Chòi within their families, primarily through oral transmission. However, some Bài Chòi practitioners today also pass on their knowledge and skills in associations, clubs, and schools.
The Art of Bài Chòi is a form of cultural and recreational activity within village communities. Its artistic and cultural elements—poetry, music, painting, language, and customs—are conveyed in a simple and natural manner, creating strong appeal for the public and making it an essential cultural practice widespread throughout Central Vietnam. As such, Bài Chòi gatherings have become both a space for artistic practice and creativity, and a venue for preserving folk traditions, performance styles, and regional cultural values.
With its ability to transmit folk cultural knowledge through games and performances, Bài Chòi has become a highly educational form of community activity, particularly for younger generations. However, the transmission of Bài Chòi today faces challenges due to requirements of talent, skill, and passion; the narrowing of performance opportunities, spaces, and audiences; the advanced age and difficult living conditions of many artisans; and limited funding to support the teaching and practice of the heritage.
Efforts to safeguard and promote the value of the Bài Chòi heritage have been carried out at various levels by the provinces and cities where it is practiced. The provinces of Bình Định, Khánh Hòa, Quảng Nam, and Phú Yên prepared the heritage dossiers for the Art of Bài Chòi, which were subsequently inscribed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism into the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage during 2013–2014.
In 2012, the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies conducted an inventory of the Bài Chòi heritage across eight provinces in Central Vietnam and entered the data into the Institute’s database. By 2014, the Departments of Culture and Sports, and the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of nine provinces collaborated with the Vietnam Institute of Musicology to carry out another inventory of the Bài Chòi heritage. The results were archived in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Management Information System of the Department of Cultural Heritage.
In addition, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism assigned the Vietnam Institute of Musicology, in cooperation with the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of nine provinces, to conduct annual training and inventories of the heritage; to identify and document it; to restore lost elements and related folk knowledge; and to regularly organize Bài Chòi festivals. As a result, based on their understanding of the Art of Bài Chòi and the Law on Cultural Heritage, representatives of 86 teams, groups, and clubs practicing Bài Chòi across all nine provinces and cities where the heritage exists unanimously committed to the preparation of the dossier submitted to UNESCO for the inscription of the Art of Bài Chòi on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
According to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the nomination dossier for the Art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam met the following criteria for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:
- R.1: The Art of Bài Chòi is an important cultural activity within village communities, meeting the community’s needs for entertainment and artistic enjoyment. The stories in Bài Chòi convey moral lessons, express love for the homeland, foster community cohesion, and reflect the life experiences of the people. The nomination dossier highlighted the crucial role of the custodians of the heritage. As a community heritage, the transmission of Bài Chòi takes place mainly within families, villages, associations, clubs, and schools. The practice of the Art of Bài Chòi promotes gender equality as well as mutual respect among communities.
- R.2: The inscription of the Art of Bài Chòi encourages dialogue among communities, groups, and individuals, creating opportunities for exchange and the sharing of experiences among practitioners, thereby enriching the knowledge and skills related to the practice of art forms. The inscription can also strengthen bonds between individuals, groups, and clubs engaged in the heritage as well as those practicing other cultural traditions through related performances and festivals. Furthermore, the inscription will raise awareness of the diversity of intangible cultural heritage, as the Art of Bài Chòi represents a synthesis of multiple cultural and artistic domains.
- R.3: The nomination dossier clearly and thoroughly describes past and present efforts to safeguard the heritage and ensure the continued existence of communities, groups, and clubs, with the support of the Government. These efforts include organizing Bài Chòi festivals, performances, and the teaching of repertoires, singing skills, performance techniques, card-making methods, and the skills of playing Bài Chòi. Through the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and local authorities, the State Party provides financial, legal, and human resources to support the implementation of these measures, in cooperation with communities and artisans. Enterprises and banks have contributed to scientific workshops on Bài Chòi and related cultural activities, such as practicing and transmitting the heritage, as well as collecting documents, documenting, and supporting measures for its revitalization, since the heritage remains at risk of decline, mainly due to difficulties in transmission. Preferential policies for artisans have been promulgated, and formal education programs have been designed to engage younger generations. Local and national media outlets are committed to raising awareness of the heritage’s value, with many volunteers participating in its dissemination and promotion.
- R.4: The community actively contributed ideas for the collection and documentation of the heritage, filled out inventory forms, and participated in all stages of preparing the nomination dossier. Individuals and representatives of Bài Chòi groups and clubs signed Voluntary Commitment Letters expressing their consensus with the nomination. Their understanding of the nomination process was also demonstrated through recorded audio and video interviews conducted in the localities where Bài Chòi is practiced. The Department of Cultural Heritage and the Vietnam Institute of Musicology were entrusted with the consultation process through national and international meetings and workshops held in 2014 and 2015. Ordinary practical impacts did not interfere with or restrict access to the heritage.
- R.5: This heritage was inscribed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage during the period 2014–2016. The inventory is stored in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Management Information System software of the Department of Cultural Heritage of Vietnam. The Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Departments of Culture and Sports of the nine provinces where Bài Chòi is practiced are responsible for coordinating with communities to submit annual reports to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the inventory of Bài Chòi heritage. The Vietnam Institute of Musicology manages and updates the database on the Art of Bài Chòi annually.
The inscription of the Art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity affirms the rich cultural identity of the Vietnamese people, the spirit of community cohesion, the respect for cultural diversity, and the encouragement of dialogue among individuals, communities, and different peoples in the spirit of tolerance, love, and compassion—fully in line with the principles and objectives of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
DISCOVERING THE ART OF BÀI CHÒI AT AN HỘI SCULPTURE GARDEN – HỘI AN
If you are passionate about Vietnamese folk culture, don’t miss the opportunity to discover Bài Chòi—a unique heritage of Da Nang. At An Hội Sculpture Garden, Hội An Ward, Bài Chòi performances take place daily at 7:00 p.m., offering a musical space rich in national identity. Visitors can not only enjoy the traditional melodies but also try their hand at the Bài Chòi game, where intellect and luck intertwine.
DA NANG CENTER FOR TOURISM PROMOTION
