Bringing duet singing and love singing into unique products

Considered a miniature Vietnam with 43 ethnic groups living together, Quang Ninh possesses a variety of intangible cultural heritages. Among them, folk performances, especially love duet singing, are a type with great potential and feasibility, and are being developed into unique tourism products to attract visitors.

Love singing on Ha Long Bay is a cultural tourism product loved by tourists.

Quang Ninh has over 360 intangible cultural heritages. These heritages bear the characteristics of each region and each ethnic group. Folk performing arts such as Soong Co singing of the San Chi people, Soong Co singing of the San Diu people, and antiphonal singing in the coastal areas of Quang Ninh province have been recognized as national intangible cultural heritages. Two out of three types of love duet singing and antiphonal singing are being developed into tourism products to serve tourists and provide livelihoods for the people.

Typical is Hat giao duyen on Ha Long Bay. This is a type of folk performance singing in the coastal area; a unique folk art form, created by fishermen from their working and living life by the sea. Characterized by folk songs and melodies containing folk knowledge and summarizing life experiences. Hat giao duyen is popular with melodies such as ho bien, hat dum, hat cheo duong and wedding singing on boats.

In order to preserve and promote the value of this unique intangible cultural heritage, the Ha Long Bay Management Board has collected, standardized, opened classes to teach children of fishing villages and put love duet singing into performance for tourists at the Cua Van Floating Cultural Center since 2006. This is not only an effort to preserve the heritage from the risk of being lost but also an effective direction in developing unique cultural tourism products on Ha Long Bay.

Ms. Sophia, a Danish tourist, shared: “From the rustic melody, the emotional vibrato, the eyes and smiles when the fishermen sing… Everything seems to be telling a unique cultural story with a long history. Their lyrics and voices blend with the beautiful scenery of Ha Long Bay, making this world natural heritage even more beautiful and touching. I can feel the culture, emotions and connection between people and nature here. It is a rare, wonderful experience that I will never forget."

Also a form of call-and-response singing, Soong co reflects the customs and souls of the community living in the mountainous areas in the east of the province. In San Chi language, "Soong co" means "singing, singing, and exchanging". This type of rich folk cultural activity is popular and is the way San Chi people express their feelings and thoughts. San Chi people sing Soong co when working and resting. They sing at festivals, weddings, and housewarmings. Through the "o...a" singing, a style of singing without accompaniment, men and women express their feelings, make friends and become husband and wife.

Men and women sing Soong co to keep friends and confide.

Many localities in the province are implementing programs and activities to develop and preserve Soong Co, turning Soong Co into a unique cultural and community tourism product. For example, Binh Lieu commune, where the majority of San Chi people live. Since 2005, the Soong Co Festival has been restored and organized systematically and on a large scale, focusing on exchange activities, antiphonal singing, along with unique folk games, introducing regional cuisine and attractive San Chi women's football matches. The ingenuity and excitement, the fusion of modernity and tradition of the Soong Co Festival has become a magnet attracting tourists not only in the province but also international visitors. They come to listen, witness and feel a unique, lively and humane cultural space, where each song contains the cultural depth and spiritual beauty of the San Chi community.

Homestay model serving tourists in some eastern localities of the province.

In particular, in communes such as Tien Yen or Dong Ngu, the San Chi people have developed a model of culinary services and homestays, creating conditions for tourists to explore cultural heritage in a complete and profound way. Not only stopping at stage performances, Soong co is recreated in daily life - where it was born and is closely associated with the community. In that space, visitors can clearly feel the vitality, richness and inheritance spirit of this unique folk tune. At that time, Soong co is no longer simply an art form but becomes a cultural symbol, a part of the soul of the San Chi people.

The initial successes from the efforts to create and turn duet singing and love duet singing into tourism products in Quang Ninh are very promising. However, it is also necessary to recognize that in the process of developing these products, many problems are being revealed that need to be addressed, such as ensuring the regularity, periodicity, and stability of the products; performance spaces associated with these folk art forms also need to be invested in and built separately; the requirements for exploration, innovation, creativity and professionalization so that a product can both bear the local mark and approach international quality and standards, suitable for the receptive psychology of the general public, also need to be met to turn love duet singing into a cultural and community tourism product typical of Quang Ninh.

Dao Linh

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/dua-hat-doi-hat-giao-duyen-tro-thanh-san-pham-dac-sac-3365002.html