“Don ca tai tu” receives UNESCO certificate at tonight’s ceremony

February 11, 2014 | 10:46

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A ceremony to receive UNESCO’s certificate recognizing Vietnam’s “Don ca tai tu” (southern folk music) as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity will take place at 7:30pm on February 11 at Thong Nhat Hall in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1.

The genre of Vietnamese traditional music was announced as one of the 11 new inscriptions on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 8th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, held in Azerbaijan on December 5 of last year.

The list includes the “Traditional craftsmanship of the Mongol Ger and its associated customs” in Mongolia, the “Music of Terchová” in Slovakia, and the “Turkish coffee culture and tradition” in Turkey.

Originated from Hue court music and folk music of the southern region, “don ca tai tu” has been developing since the 19th century, changing according to local taste. It thrived in the early 20th century and remains crucial to the country’s traditional culture. The music is typically performed at festivals, death anniversary rituals, and celebrations by farmer-artists.

Earlier, other genres of traditional Vietnamese music, including “nha nhac Hue” (Vietnamese Royal court music in Central Thua Thien-Hue province), “quan ho” (Bac Ninh Folk Songs in northern Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces) and “ca tru” (northern ceremonial singing), have also been recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural world heritages.

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