Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northern province of QuangNinh has completed its preparation of six Then songs to join the 6th national Then singing festival, slated for May 12 – 14 in Ha Giang andfeaturing art troupes from 16 provinces and cities.

The songs will be performed by 35 amateur artists of the Tayethnic minority.

To Dinh Hieu, deputy head of the local Binh Lieu district’scentral culture and head of the Quang Ninh delegation to the national festival,said apart from traditional songs, new songs promoting the beauty of thecountry and people will also be presented.

Most of the new songs are made by writing new lyrics for theold Then music, he added.

Hieu unveiled that the Quang Ninh delegation will also bringto the festival Tap singing, which is very similar to Then but uses bells andchum xoc nhac (a musical instrument in form of a round chain of metal rings)instead of the conventional Dan Tinh.

As part of its participation in the festival, Quang Ninhwill run a space displaying local products and a photo exhibition on Thensinging practiced by Tay people in Binh Lieu.

Then singing is a form of art combining literature, musicand dancing that has long been a religious and cultural practice of Tay, Nung,Thai ethnic groups in the northern mountainous area of Vietnam. As a uniquecombination of music and song, the singing is traditionally accompanied by ahandmade gourd lute, called Dan Tinh or Tinh Tau.

Then singing is practised in many northern provinces,including Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, Lang Son, Ha Giang, Quang Ninh, SonLa, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Bac Giang and Yen Bai, and the Central Highlandsprovince of Dak Lak.

Last year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourismsigned a dossier on then singing practice of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnicgroups of Vietnam for submission to UNESCO asking for the singing form’srecognition as part of the world intangible cultural heritage.-VNA