Xoan singing is a unique type of cultural folk treasure from the ancestral land of Phu Tho. Xoan singing is usually performed in front of the communal house in the springtime and on festive days.

There are many different legends related to the origin of the art form.

Legend has it that, a Hung King’s pregnant wife faced great pain during her delivery. A beautiful lady named Que Hoa was famous for her singing and dancing, so the king commanded her to perform for his wife. Que Hoa’s beautiful songs and lithe dances eased the queen’s pains and helped her to give birth to three handsome sons. The Hung King complimented Que Hoa on her virtuosity and asked the princesses to learn to perform like her. This form of dancing and singing became known as ‘Hat Xuan’ (Spring Singing) because it was first performed in the springtime.

The elders in Phu Duc village, Kim Duc commune, tell another version of the origin of Xoan singing. It is said that during the Hung King’s journey to find the land to set up a capital, he stopped for a short while in Phu Duc village where a group of herders were playing and singing joyfully. Therefore, the king asked his entourage to teach the children some more folk songs. The songs by the Hung King and herders were considered as the first Xoan songs and Phu Duc is believed to be the cradle of the art form.

Although there are many unconfirmed theories among experts on the time of Xoan singing’s birth, most of the stories and research into the legends, history, archeology and sociology, as well as the vestiges of beliefs in the lyrics confirm that the art form dates back to the Hung Kings era.

“Xoan singing itself features a wider variety of traditional cultural rituals than other cultural custom in the northern midland and delta region, such as the rituals for worshipping ancestors or national heroes in the country’s struggle against foreign invaders. The mixture of different kinds of rituals in Xoan singing performances indicates that the genre has had a long history of development,” said Associate Professor and artist Tu Ngoc.

With a different viewpoint, researcher Nguyen Khac Xuong says, “Xoan singing did not come from the Hung Kings Festival; it sprang from other festivals at that time.”

Xoan singing was associated with the religious life of the ancient Vietnamese people. Its development began with primitive lyrics and rituals which were later developed during the feudal period.

Xoan performances were folk songs and dances performed by farmers, aiming to praise the villages’ gods, the Kings and the country, as well as praying for good health, favourable weather and a bumper crop. In addition, the performances reflected the daily lives of the people, such as fetching firewood, fishing and rowing.

There are two forms of Xoan singing, ceremonial singing and festive singing, which have different content and are performed in different ways.

Ceremonial singing features 14 ‘Qua Cach’ (tunes) telling different stories praying for peace, prosperity and favourable weather conditions. Each tune comprises of three parts: ‘Giao Cach’, also known as ‘Giang Dau’ and ‘Bi Dau’ (the introduction) is sung by a soloist; ‘Dua Cach’ (the body of the piece) is performed by a male vocalist and a group of female artists and also contains dances; and ‘Ket Cach’ (the conclusion), in which a female singer ends the story. The music used in the ceremonial singing has a simple rhythm and melody that creates a solemn and respectful atmosphere.

Meanwhile, festive Xoan singing is more exciting and is performed by artists from the Xoan troupe, as well as young people in the village.

Thirty-five songs have been recorded in Xoan singing, each one including speaking, reciting and singing. The tune is often connected, diversified and creative to distinguish it from the others. Syncopes and contre-temps, which are rarely used in other folk art forms, are favoured in Xoan singing. The musical instruments used in the performances include drums and ‘Phach’ (small wooden sticks used to beat a small bamboo box for percussion).

21 out of the 24 sections of a Xoan singing performance have dances, and each section is accompanied by several kinds of dances.

Phu Tho province has four original Xoan singing art troupes: Phu Duc, Kim Doi, Thet and An Thai. Each troupe is made up of 12-18 actors and actresses aged from 12-18, and is headed by a middle-aged man who understands the rules, songs and ancient Nom script, as well as how to properly organise the troupe and train the artists.

According to artisan Nguyen Thi Sung from Kim Duc commune, in the past, there were three large-scale Xoan singing programmes on the third day of the first lunar month (to begin the spring tour), on the tenth day of the third lunar month (death anniversary of the Hung Kings) and on the tenth day of the ninth lunar month (great party in worship of the Hung Kings). On these days, an exciting atmosphere spread throughout the four art troupes and the local villages invited them to perform.

Xoan singing is not only singing and dancing, it is also the art of performance. Xoan artists must master the skills of singing, dancing and acting.

However, the complexity of the elements, as well as the richness and flexibility in the order of the performance, created difficulties in studying and popularising the special art form.

During the fight against foreign invaders, all domestic resources were reserved for resistance wars; therefore, traditional national art forms were not developed. Many of the relic sites that were used for Xoan performances have been destroyed or have deteriorated.

In addition, the poverty caused by the wars made local people, particularly youngsters, flock to other localities in order to earn a living and they didn’t pay any attention to Xoan singing. Artisan Le Xuan Ngu, head of Phu Duc art troupe, worriedly shared, “Although Kim Duc is believed to be the cradle of Xoan singing only elderly people such as me understand the art form and remember some ancient songs. At the village’s festivals, Xoan songs have been replaced by new songs.”

Notably, Xoan singing was at the risk of being lost over recent years because there were ideas saying that the art form was the product of feudalism with out-dated and redundant meaning. Moreover, documents served for studying Xoan singing are very limited, causing difficulties for preserving and promoting the unique heritage.

Xoan singing, a folk music genre in Vietnam’s northern midland province of Phu Tho, has been removed from UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The UNESCO Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage made the decision during its 12th session in Jeju, the Republic of Korea, on December 8.

24 states on the Intergovernmental Committee said that they appreciated the province’s efforts in preserving the heritage and upgraded the art form. They also praised Phu Tho’s efforts to preserve Xoan singing and made the decision to move the genre to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Xoan singing is the eleventh heritage item to be listed in Vietnam. The others include the art of bài chòi in central Vietnam; the practices related to the Vietnamese worship of Mother Goddesses, notably the len dong medium-ship ritual; tug-of-war rituals and games; ví and giặm folk sings of Nghe Tinh; the art of đờn ca tài tử music and song in southern Vietnam; the worship of Hung Kings in northern Phu Tho province; the Gióng festival of Phu Dong and Soc Temples; quan họ Bac Ninh folk songs; nhã nhạc, Vietnamese court music; and the space of gong culture. Vietnam also has ca trù singing inscribed on the list of intangible cultural heritages in need of urgent safeguarding.

In 2011, Xoan singing had been listed as a cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. UNESCO’s recognition of Vietnam’s Xoan singing and the art of bài chòi have important meanings in promoting the nation’s diversified cultures. Like other previous recognised heritages, the new inclusions created more favourable conditions for the socio-economic and cultural development of the heritage regions.

Xoan singing was recognised by UNESCO as in need of urgent protection in 2011. At that time, there were only 13 Xoan singing clubs with nearly 300 members. To date, that number has risen to 34 clubs across the entire province.

After six years of strictly ensuring its commitments to UNESCO, the community and authorities in Phu Tho Province compiled files to submit to UNESCO. In 2013, Phu Tho province prepared a VND165 billion (US$7.85 million) project, entitled “Maintaining and Developing Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - Xoan Singing in Phu Tho”, funded by the Government.

 Xoan singing is preserved and followed through generations.

According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and also Vice-President of UNESCO Vietnam Dang Thi Bich Lien, representatives of the provinces with recognised heritages agreed on specific plans to preserve heritage, integrating them into the community’s daily life and promoting Vietnam’s unique culture among international friends.

After being listed as a world intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection, Phu Tho made great efforts to preserve and revive the fold genre of singing. Vietnam submitted a report to UNESCO stating that Xoan singing had experienced a revival thanks to the great efforts made by the Government and local people.

According to Deputy Chairman of Phu Tho province Ha Ke San, the popularity of Xoan singing has gone up and down, and was at risk of dying out for a while, but it never faded away completely. In 2009, among the 31 elderly artisans (from 80 to 104 years old) of the province, only seven artisans had the ability to practice and teach Xoan. To date, the figure is now more than 60 artisans. In 2010, there were 13 Xoan singing clubs with nearly 300 members in Phu Tho. To date, the spread of Xoan singing has been confirmed with 34 clubs across the province and over 1,500 regular members, and hundreds of others interested in joining.

Director of the Phu Tho provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc An said that a number of promotional activities were carried out by elder Xoan singers aimed at popularising Xoan songs to the younger generations. Between 2012 and 2015, 51 individuals were honoured as Distinguished Xoan Artists.

In addition, Xoan singing has been taught in extra classes at 90 primary and elementary schools in Phu Tho. All of the teachers at the schools in Viet Tri city can perform and teach Xoan singing.

Artisan Nguyen Thi Lich, Head of Xoan An Thai arts troupe said that in the past, Xoan was only sung on special occasions. Very few people can sing Xoan and most of them are very old. But in the last few years, Xoan has been revived. Xoan is performed at communal houses in order to serve tourists. Xoan clubs organise various activities every weekend at Van Lang Park. Xoan An Thai troupe currently has more than 100 members of five generations, the youngest is 6 years old and the oldest is 94 years old. “We have Xoan classes every Saturday or Sunday. The children are supported with equipment and costumes. Thanks to the special attention from administration at all levels, artisans like me are trying our best to preserve and promote Xoan.”

Xuan Mai, a 15-year-old from Xoan Phu Duc troupe said she has been studying Xoan for five years. “Every day I listen to my grandmother and mother while they sing at home. I also attend a Xoan singing class organised by the communal People's committee three times a week, and learn it at school as well. Xoan has become an inseparable part of me.”

A Xoan singing conservation and promotion project for the 2013-2020 has been prepared by the province and approved by the government. Together with repairing the related relic sites, the province has recognised and supported artisans and recovered the ancient singing activities. As many as 20 out of 30 Xoan sites in Phu Tho, especially the Lai Len Temple, and the Thet, Kim Doi and An Thai communal houses have been restored and upgraded. The province has prepared detailed funding plans for Xoan singing teaching and promotion until 2020.

According to Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, Director of the Centre for Cultural Heritage Research and Promotion under the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, Xoan singing is the first heritage in the world that was suggested to be removed from the list. Thanks to the positive Xoan singing conservation and promotion efforts by the whole community, Xoan singing has been revived and gradually developed. The direction and practice of Phu Tho province in preserving and promoting the values of the Xoan singing heritage is a bright example and should be duplicated in other localities that have cultural heritages.

Based on UNESCO criteria, Xoan singing must have community values and have been taught continuously from generation to generation. Leaders of Phu Tho province said that the province has been working to confirm the vitality of Xoan singing, both in the cultural space and in contemporary life, to help preserve this intangible cultural heritage in a sustainable way.

Hoang Dan Mac, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee cum Chairman of the province’s People's Council, stressed that UNESCO’s recognition of Xoan singing in the representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity is an objective assessment of the protection measures that the Xoan community has jointly created and implemented in the past six years, making Xoan singing more closely associated with the worship rituals of the Hung Kings - another intangible cultural heritage of humanity recognised in 2012 and other heritages in Vietnam.

Phu Tho promises to work with all of its appropriate means to promote the role of the community as the heritage owner and continue to implement measures to protect the heritage in accordance with UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, ensuring that Xoan singing is safeguarded and promoted in a sustainable way, worthy of its value as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Phu Tho leaders have affirmed that in the near future, the province will continue to promote and introduce Xoan singing to locals and international friends, while promoting the teaching and practicing of Xoan singing for the core artisans of the Xoan and Folklore clubs in the province and restoring the practices related to Xoan.

According to Nguyen Dac Thuy, Deputy Director of Phu Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the training and fostering of artisans, along with teaching Xoan singing, restoring cultural space for Xoan singing and practicing Xoan singing in the community are the most important tasks and are given top priority that decides the sustainability of the long-term preservation of the heritage.

Phu Tho has promulgated mechanisms and policies to support Xoan artists, thereby promoting the role of senior artisans to quickly train younger ones to succeed the elderly artisans to become heritage inheritors. Meanwhile, cultural activities and music performances associated with restored Xoan singing cultural space and Hung Kings worship space have been strengthened. The practice of singing Xoan in the local community, especially bringing Xoan singing into schools, has been accelerated.

Together with preserving and promoting the values of Xoan singing in the community, the communication and propagation is also important to help domestic people and communities, as well as friends around the world, to better understand the value of Xoan. In the near future, Phu Tho province will continue promoting local tourism development, in which Xoan singing is a specific cultural tourism product. The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is upgrading its Xoan singing website in various languages, while cooperating with the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines to publish information about the heritage in Vietnam Heritage Magazine to be offered to passengers on the airline's flights.

In addition, the province is connecting with international travel agencies to bring international visitors the experience of Xoan singing in its original cultural space. Phu Tho has teamed up with four travel agencies to host American, Australian and Canadian delegations to experience Xoan regularly, at least two trips by waterway every month, combining the experience of Xoan singing with traditional village tourism and traditional local crafts. Many Xoan performances, with enthusiastic participation and responsibility from local artisans and members of the original Xoan art troupes, have impressed both domestic and foreign visitors who come to experience the typical values of the heritage.

Xoan will be further promoted to the world via cooperation between Phu Tho authorities and press agencies. Domestically, Phu Tho has stepped up the finalisation of books and CD-ROMs for teaching Xoan singing in schools, while organising the teaching and practicing of Xoan singing for the key subjects of local Xoan art troupes.

Besides, the education and broadcasting of Xoan in association with Hung King’s worship is paid great attention and continuous investment with the strong participation of the entire political system and the media and cultural agencies with positive activities to bring the heritage closer to community life.

The UNESCO’s decision to remove Xoan from the list of heritages in need of urgent safeguarding and add it to the representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity once again demonstrates that, with efforts from those who hold the heritage, the legacy of Xoan singing in Phu Tho for thousands of generations is still alive and energetic in contemporary life and has made important contributions to the multiform and distinctive characteristics of the peoples in the treasure of intangible cultural heritages of mankind.

Hopefully, with the above concrete and efficient measures, along with the participation and joint hands of the community, this kind of folk music will be kept alive as it is today.