Vietnam National Tuong Theatre Great Efforts for Tuong Preservation

Tuong (Classical drama) was formed in the 12th century, and in the 17th century it was very much in vogue. A Tuong play consists of dances, songs and music which are highly stylized, conventional and imbued with symbolism. In chronological order and by their contents, the Tuong plays are divided into traditional plays, royal plays, social plays and modern plays. Tuong has been preserved from generation to generation and has become a unique performance art of the Vietnamese nation.

Founded in 1959, the Vietnam National Tuong Theatre's forerunner is the national northern Tuong troupe. When the theatre first opened it had only 19 artists and other employees. Now its staffing has increased to almost more than 120.

Having acknowledged that Tuong is something very important for many Vietnamese people, the theatre has been greatly contributing to preserving this kind of traditional art while constructing and performing numerous plays featuring different styles of Tuong, both traditional and modern. The theatre offers performances across Vietnam and in foreign countries like France, Germany, USA, the former Soviet Union, Spain, the Republic of Korea and Japan, with these performances attracting a large number of spectators.

With almost 50 years working in the field, the theatre has become a notable traditional art performance unit and a reliable address for audiences. In recognition of its achievements, the State presented the theatre second and third-grade Independence Decorations and first, second and third-grade Labor Orders while granting many awards to individuals including 11 People’s Artists and 34 Honored Artists of the theatre, and confering title ‘Young Talent’ on many of the theatre’s artists.

Theatre director Hoang Van Khiem said that Tuong is an outstanding art of performance of Vietnam, which features sustainable cultural, spiritual and art merits of the Vietnamese nation. This is why Tuong was, is and will still be important for Vietnamese people of different strata, he said. In the context of economic globalization, theatre artists have been working hard to preserve and develop this special kind of art, he added.

In late 2001 the Ministry of Culture and Information allowed the theatre to manage the Hong Ha playhouse that is located at 51 Duong Thanh, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. Hong Ha has since then become a venue for art performances the Vietnam National Tuong Theatre and other art perfomance units that offer shows in Hanoi.

At 17h on Wednesday and Thursday weekly, the theatre offers special performances, including notable Tuong plays, part of a Tuong play like Ong Gia Cong Vo Di Xem Hoi (Old man carries his wife on his back to a festival) and Ho Nguyet Co Hoa Cao (Ho Nguyet Co turning into a fox), and Hue royal concerts, among others.