VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen A is bewitched by the hau dong ritual, where a medium goes into a trance and incarnates as various deities.

Hau dong is a popular ritual in Vietnamese spiritual culture. It is one of the main rituals of dao Mau, the worship of mother goddesses recently identified by UNESCO as an intangible world cultural heritage. 

Ca Tru, Chau Van, Xam, Luc Cung Hoa Dang and many other folk melodies from Vietnam’s Northern Delta Region have been restored, performed and introduced to audiences through a program called “Ha Thanh, 36 Old Quarters”.

 While researchers and followers are anxiously waiting for UNESCO recognition of the Vietnamese worship of Mother Goddesses as a cultural heritage, the len dong ritual is becoming more favoured by the community and promoted in various ways.

 More than 20 ambassadors and representatives of international organisations in Vietnam enjoyed a performance of Chau Van singing and Hau Dong (trance ritual) in the northern province of Nam Dinh on February 26.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Chau Van is a Vietnamese form of ritual singing. Chau means supplication, van means literature.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities in the capital city seem to have hit on a win-win plan to promote the nation's folk traditions - encouraging artists to perform at street corners.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Thien Nhan, a 12-year-old girl from the south-central province of Binh Dinh, was crowned champion of The VoiceKids Vietnam 2014 here on Saturday night.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Asia-Europe New Music Festival 2014 is scheduled to take place from Oct. 8-12 in Hanoi and Ha Long City for the first time with the participation of 200 local and international composers and artists

 VietNamNet Bridge – A special “tuong” or classical drama programme has been designed recently to serve foreign tourists as part of efforts by the Vietnam Theatre of Classical Drama to promote the traditional art form.

 Hue Festival wraps up with colourful shows; Lang Co Bay marks World-Bay status; Chau Van singing festival preserves traditional ritual; Special events pay tribute to Dien Bien heroes; Old stone stele in Ha Nam added to national treasure

To preserve and promote the art of Chau van singing, the French Cultural Centre in Hanoi and Vietnam’s Chau van Singing Preservation Club recently organized a two-night Chau van singing performance, drawing much attention from the public.

On the occasion of the preparation of a dossier to submit to UNESCO for its recognition of Chau van as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, VNP had an interview with Prof. Ngo Duc Thinh, a leading expert in the Mother Goddess religion.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has assigned the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies to host and cooperate with relevant agencies to compile a dossier on Chau van singing

 VietNamNet Bridge - The best chau van items of len dong rituals were performed at Hanoi’s Cong Nhan Theatre on October 4-5.

VietNamNet Bridge – Pham Thi Hoa, 71, has been honoured by UNESCO associations for her dedication to restoring and preserving folk culture in Ca Temple, located in Pho Chau Town in the central province of Ha Tinh.

VietNamNet Bridge – Foreigners have an opportunity to enjoy Vietnamese traditional art performances at a programme entitled ‘The Soul of Vietnam’, which is a weekly event at the Hanoi Opera House every Monday starting from July 1.

  Chau Van singing festival opens in Vinh Phuc Province; Quang Binh publishes cave photos; Wartime Prison recognized as National Heritage; HTV adopts Dutch singing contest

Ngo Thanh Van hosts Project Runway show; New art gallery in Hoi An; Cultural diplomacy brings VN closer to the world; French clarinet artist in capital; Antique kimonos to go on display in Hoi An