Viratour Co. has recently launched a program in which foreign tourists are treated to “don ca tai tu” (southern traditional music) performances right at their hotels though they are travelling in the north.

On Aug 6, back from their trip to Ha Long Bay in the northern Quang Ninh province, a group of more than 40 French tourists were totally taken by surprise by the performance of “Ngu doi ha”, one of the seven major “don ca tai tu” pieces, which awaited them at the dining hall.

Enchanted, many took out their cameras and phones to take photos and record the entire pieces including “Da co hoai lang” (Missing husband at nightfall) and “Cung dan moi” (The new melody).

To their further amazement, artist Van Tuyen performed two French folk songs on “dan bau” (Vietnamese monochord).

Language difference was a major barrier though the interpreter provided some brief introductions before each piece. However, the music partly helped bridge the gap.

“I was quite taken aback at first. Through the interpreter’s introductions, I just understood a little about what the pieces are about, but I could actually feel the enthralling music and the artists’ emotional performances. I particularly saw a pleasantly unique fuse between traditional Vietnamese musical instruments and the two French folk songs. The artists, with their performances, successfully urged us to find out more about your country’s intriguing “don ca tai tu”, said Marault Heloise, from northern France.

The artists, who come from the Vietnam’s Cai luong Theater, now offer mobile performances and successfully provide tourists with glimpses of the southern genre right in the north.

“Today’s artists must adapt to the market’s demands to both promote the country’s traditional music and earn some more incomes,” shared artist Trieu Trung Kien.

Their club had given earlier performances to two groups of more than 40 Japanese and French tourists each and is looking to offer more such performances to those from other countries.

“To enrich our tour activities and make them more appealing to tourists, apart from offering sightseeing activities and cuisine delights, we pay particular attention to traditional music performances and folk arts. We have offered several puppetry, quan ho (northern traditional music) and northern folk song performances, but “don ca tai tu”, which has been filed for UNESCO recognition, is quite new on our list,” said Nguyen Huu Son, Viratour director.