The Saigon Innovation Hub (SIHUB) in Ho Chi Minh City and the Echoing Drum Company have partnered to launch the Echoing Drum Show – The Art of Hat Boi.
This is one among many tourism startup projects sponsored and incubated by SIHUB, aiming to promote innovation in tourism products and popularise Vietnamese culture to visitors in a creative manner.
Huynh Kim Tuoc, SIHUB Executive Director, said that Cheo and Boi (Tuong) singing are the two oldest performing arts of Vietnamese theatre. In particular, the Southern region has made many imprints in the development of Boi singing art.
In addition to introducing Vietnamese folklore to international friends, the project also aims to use AI in tourism to help visitors enjoy and understand Boi singing, Tuoc added.
While enjoying Boi singing shows made of materials from the Southern culture on the basis of modern theatre techniques and using presentation slides to introduce Vietnamese culture through English in a creative way, visitors can also experience an exhibition of historical development, costumes - performance samples and publications about the specific art form.
Boi singing is a combination of dialogue, dance, song and music that are highly stylised and imbued with symbolism.
With a history of around 800 years, Boi singing has steadily developed and evolved via in various ways ranging from make-up and costumes to music.
