48-Hour Traditional Opera Gala - Bringing National Culture to Humanities Students

Some photos from the gala night.

Attending the program were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities; Dr. Tran Bach Hieu, Secretary of the Youth Union of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities; and Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Ky, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Cheo Theatre.

48-Hour Rowing (this year's theme is "I Row Back to My Homeland") is a non-profit project founded in 2014 by young people, aiming to inspire young people with traditional folk art and connect the ancient cultural values ​​of our ancestors with the modern community.

Associate Professor Pham Quang Minh, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, delivered the opening remarks for the program.

In his opening remarks, Associate Professor Pham Quang Minh, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, highly appreciated the values ​​the program brings: "The era of globalization has impacted and influenced the traditional cultural values ​​of the nation. Only by organizing folk cultural activities like this can we bring traditional values ​​to young people, so that they can recognize, preserve, and be proud of Vietnamese traditions and identity. Therefore, the 'I Row Back to My Homeland' program is truly meaningful and necessary, allowing students to have interesting experiences that are closer to everyday life."

Associate Professor Pham Quang Minh also extended his most sincere thanks to the 48-hour rowing project, the partnering and sponsoring organizations for bringing the program to the university's students, and hoped that in the future, these organizations would continue to regularly organize many meaningful programs like this.

The traditional Vietnamese opera performance opened the gala night.

The gala night featured six performances across three art forms: Cheo, Xam singing, and Chau Van, with outstanding excerpts such as: Xam singing "The Happiest Northerner in Hanoi", "The Floating Goldfish", "Don't Be Arrogant While Still in Love", Cheo singing "Wedding", "Boat Ride" and two Hau Dong rituals "Chua Thac Bo" and "The Girl from the Upper Mountains".

Most of the performances were by non-professional students. These young people, who love and are passionate about traditional art forms, after 15 lessons under the guidance of artists from the Vietnam Cheo Theatre, presented a captivating gala performance. The program received enthusiastic applause from the large number of students in the auditorium.

The students were invited to audition and interact with members of the project.

The program also included interactive sessions and hands-on learning experiences about various forms of Vietnamese folk culture on stage. Artists from the Vietnam Cheo Theatre guided students in the auditorium to try their hand at some Cheo verses and performance movements. This interactive session sparked much passion among young people for this traditional cultural form.

Compared to 2014 and 2015, the 48-hour traditional Vietnamese opera project - "I Opera Home to My Homeland" - has undergone changes, bringing folk theater from village courtyards to university lecture halls. This creates opportunities for national culture to reach younger Vietnamese people more easily.