Elegant melodies with full of love

In 2016, the provincial Quan Ho Cultural Association was established with the purpose of gathering people with good morality who love and are able to collect, research and perform quan ho folk songs to exchange, study and practice performance skills, practically serving the people.

Members of the Thanh Gia Folk Song Club (Luc Nam) perform quan ho at Thanh Gia pagoda.

When it was established, the association had 14 grassroots clubs with 125 members from districts and city. Every year, it organizes training courses on quan ho for artisans, helping members improve their understanding of the traditional art, which has been recognised as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

On a monthly basis, the association’s chapters at all levels organize training sessions and provide instructions on how to perform quan ho for members and exchanges between clubs in the province; perform to serve the people at local and national festivals and celebrations, thereby contributing to the preservation, promotion and spreading of this art. After 5 years, the association has had 26 grassroots clubs with 439 members. Many clubs have operated actively and effectively.

The provincial Quan Ho Cultural Association has become a common house, creating a healthy and useful playground for those who love quan ho. Every year, the association’s chapters at all levels participate in nearly 1,500 competitions, festivals and performances. Many individuals and collectives have won high prizes at provincial-level competitions and singing festivals...

Preserving and passing down the art to future generations

In order to preserve and preserve quan ho folk songs, the association pay attention to discovering young talents to train the next generations. During the tenure, it has taught 141 teenagers and children. Besides arousing the passion and love of the young generation for quan ho folk songs as well as traditional art, its officials and members have helped them memorize and sing many unique songs.

The Da Huong Quan Ho Folk Song Club awards children with excellent achievements in learning quan ho singing.

With the active teaching of the association’s chapters, many young people have improved their quan ho performance skills and bravely participated in competitions and festivals or performed at local art shows. In 2019 alone, 61 children joined the provincial Quan Ho Voice Kids, winning many awards, including 13 A prizes.

One of the cradles of teaching quan ho to the younger generation is the Da Huong Quan Ho Folk Song Club (Lang Giang district). The club has 22 members and has taught 58 young people during their tenure, helping them to sing fluently at least three songs. Not only organizing groups of 5-7 children, the club's management board also cooperated with the primary school to open a quan ho singing class for 30 students and raised funds to build a quan ho cultural village in Bung village, Tan Thanh commune.

Over the past time, the association has coordinated with authorities at all levels to organize quan ho singing activities as well as guide the transmission and exchange of experience among localities in the province, contributing to the development of many quan ho villages. 

The association is coordinating to build 10 quan ho villages in Hiep Hoa, Lang Giang and Yen Dung districts and Bac Giang city. These places will continue to receive the association’s support in teaching and organizing activities, thus preserving and spreading quan ho folk songs - the cultural heritage of the homeland.

Duong Thi Hoai Thu with special passion for Quan ho folk song

(BGO) – I met Duong Thi Hoai Thu (born in 1970), an officer at the Center of Culture, Informaiton and Sport in Viet Yen district (Bac Giang province) in a severe hot day of July. Though she is in charge of directing 3 major programmes and contests, she took time to share about her career of long dedication.

The charm of Tam Tang ‘quan ho’ singing

(BGO) - People living along the two banks of the Cau River have long been aware that when playing ‘quan ho’ (love duet singing), they must understand thoroughly, play according to rules, and sing with their hearts to preserve the traditional identity. Tam Tang ‘quan ho’ village, Quang Chau commune, Viet Yen district (Bac Giang province) is one of the ‘quan ho’ villages that still retains the "fire" in maintaining that cultural activity in Kinh Bac (Northern) region.

Arousing passion for quan ho singing

(BGO) - Being home to the quan ho (love duet) folk songs of the northern bank of the Cau River, Viet Yen district in Bac Giang province has established many quan ho clubs in villages and communes to teach and preserve the heritage.

Bac Ninh preserves and develops Quan Ho folk songs

Quan Ho love duet singing has been recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. Bac Ninh province has made efforts to preserve the art to implement commitments to UNESCO on conservation and development of Quan Ho.

Falling in love with ‘quan ho’ songs

(BGO) - Previously, I often heard ‘quan ho (love duet singing) Bac Ninh’ and now I know ‘quan ho Bac Giang’. A question was raised in my mind: “Whether we should call it ‘quan ho Kinh Bac’ and it will be more accurate. The ‘quan ho Kinh Bac’ is full of love and romance. It seems to be a game lasting from generation to generation and never stopping.