Ca Tru singing in need of urgent safeguarding

Recognition helped pave the way for Ca tru to develop in recent years, but without a development plan, the unique performance art is still deemed in urgent need of safeguarding.Quan DeTemple on Hang Buom Street is a regular venue for the Thang Long Ca Tru Club to meet and perform every week. Each performance has an average audience of 10, mostly foreigners. Artisans at the club not only perform, they also deliver a presentation about ca tru while teaching the audience to play with the percussion tools. But since the venue doesn’t belong to the club, they can’t decorate the stage as they wish.

Despite this obstacle, the ongoing success of the Thang Long Ca Tru Club is still a cause of concern for the 60 other ca tru clubs nationwide. The number of clubs has tripled over the last 6 years; nevertheless, their activities are sporadic, and mostly take place at village festivals. Artisans can’t earn a living through the art form. According to Dang Hoanh Loan, who was involved in compiling the dossier for UNESCO recognition, the art form’s revival has been mainly thanks to community efforts.

The national plans to urgently safeguard Ca Tru singing remain a pipedream a long 6 years after UNESCO recognition. In the meantime, experienced artisans are aging while young talents continue to lack proper training to remain devoted to the art.