Viet Nam News
DONG NAI – Bong roi, a dance and singing art form performed at mother goddess worship rituals in southern Viet Nam, should be preserved, experts said at a conference on the arts held in Dong Nai Province on May 22-23.
“Bong roi plays an important role in traditional Vietnamese culture and should be honoured,” said Associate Professor Huynh Van Toi, head of the Dong Nai Traditional Literature and Arts Association, at the event.
The event was organised by the association and the province’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department. Nearly 100 cultural experts and researchers from universities and cultural organisations across the country took part in the conference
Associate Professor Phan Thi Yen Tuyet of the HCM City Social Sciences and Humanities said that bong roi singing and dance appeared in the southern region in the 19th century.
The art is always performed at rituals worshipping mother goddesses in southern provinces, such as Linh Son Thanh Mau (Mother Goddess of the Mountain) Festival on Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh Province, and Via Ba Ngu Hanh Festival worshipping Ngu Hanh Nuong Nuong (Mother Goddess of Five Elements) in Long An Province.
Bong roi singing is performed at the start of the rituals. The songs invite the goddesses and ancestors to attend the festival.
A dance follows in which performers in costumes and makeup hold trays with offerings on their heads.
Nguyen Cong Hoan, a lecturer at the HCM City-based University of Finance and Marketing, said that bong roi could be performed as part of a tourism activity.
“Performing bong roi in front of tourists would be the best way to promote the art,” he said.
Provincial tourism authorities, he said, should open tours of bong roi at mother goddess temples, such as Ba Thien Hau Temple in Binh Duong Province and Ba Chua Xu Temple in Chau Doc in An Giang Province.
Nguyen Thi Nguyet of the association said that it was necessary to offer teaching and training of bong roi to young generations.
She suggested organising more bong roi festivals and contests to offer artisans and performers more opportunities to perform on big stages.
As part of the arts promotion, the Dong Nai Province’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department hosted a bong roi festival on May 22.
The festival attracted 50 performers from eight arts troupes from HCM City and the provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ben Tre, Long An and Tien Giang. – VNS