Quan ho documents are about to be submitted to UNESCO for consideration of the folk singing style as a world intangible cultural heritage. Le Thi Minh Ly, Vice Head of the Cultural Heritage Agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, talks about the submission.
Could you tell us about the progress of Quan ho’s submission?The documents will be submitted to UNESCO by September 30. In the past few weeks, we have technically completed the documents, and if we can finish early, the documents could be sent in the next 1-2 days.
Have the documents been corrected technically or has the content also been changed?
Since late August, we have adjusted the content, especially after we received the National Heritage Council’s opinions. The adjustment is not simply the change from “Quan ho cultural space” to “Quan ho folk singing”. We made adjustments a long time ago when we learned about UNESCO’s new standards and new form of recognition.
In the past, UNESCO recognised intangible and unwritten cultural heritages of mankind. Accordingly, UNESCO could recognise sets of cultural elements in a space, but now they ask for submissions of specific heritages to avoid submissions for sets of cultural elements in an overly-large geographical region.
The National Heritage Council didn’t say much about the name of the documents, but focused on what we should call it, Quan ho Bac Ninh or only Quan ho. If we call the heritage Quan ho Bac Ninh it will be difficult for the agency that considers the documents because Quan ho is also in Bac Giang.
Different from Hue court music, Quan ho is spread over a vast area. Is it difficult for Vietnam to prepare Quan ho documents and to preserve it?
Certainly the preservation of Quan ho is different from Hue court music. Hue court music is in a specific community while Quan ho exists in two provinces with many villages. We are also working on the submission of documents for Ca Tru, which is in 17 provinces from the north to the central region. Each form of heritage requires a different approach and preservation strategy.
The change of name forces Vietnam to research more deeply the “folk” aspect of Quan ho. Will we be able to get it done in a timely fashion?
The new requirement is we have to prove Quan ho is the central component and surrounding components contribute to create an environment for Quan ho, and we have to highlight the artistic values of Quan ho.
The documents must be no more than 20 pages and the specific values of Quan ho must be described in 200 words. It is most difficult to find the right words.
The second difficulty is our preservation must match UNESCO’s requirements: having the participation of the people, the masters of heritage, in the existence of Quan ho. The preservation plan must have the people’s contribution and it is the same for submission.
Do you believe that Quan ho will be recognised by UNESCO?
I totally believe it will because Quan ho is lively and our protection measures are feasible and would bring into full play its values in a sustainable manner.
Quan họ singing is a Vietnamese folk music style characterized both by its antiphonal nature, with alternating groups of female and male singers issuing musical challenges and responses, and by the fact that most of the songs in the repertoire deal with topics of love and sentimentality as experienced by young adults.
The quan họ style originated in what is now Bac Ninh province around the 13th century, and has traditionally been associated with the spring festivals that follow the celebration of Tet (the Vietnamese New Year).
(Source: TP)
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