Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo receives UNESCO Award

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(Photo:SGGP)

The southern traditional music style has been honored because it is a legacy passed through generations to recreate cultural exchanges of ethnic groups, according to experts in UNESCO.

Composer Vien Chau is a musician who goes by the stage name “Bay Ba” and is known as the king of yong co, songs performed in the cai luong opera style.

He wrote the immortal vong co piece titled Tinh anh ban chieu, Love of a sedge mat seller, which has been covered by many modern artists.

Veteran artists Ut Tra On, Ngoc Giau, Le Thuy and more honor him as a role model who helped further their career.

The 91-year-old musician still plays sweet melodies on his old guitar.  He composed thousands of vong co songs in his lifetime.

The recognition by UNESCO will encourage people to maintain and preserve Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo, said Chau.

The first Don Ca Tai Tu, Southern Amateur Music Festival 2014, will be held in Bac Lieu Province in the Mekong Delta on April 20-25. The festival celebrates the tradition of Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo.
A ceremony to receive the UNESCO certificate in recognition of the Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity will occur during the event.