HA NOI — A new daily tour from Ha Noi to the northern province of Phu Tho is being organised, showcasing folk songs performed by the locals.

The tour will bring tourists to the Hung Temple relic site, Hung Kings Museum, Hung Lo ancient village and Lai Len Temple.

Local artists will perform xoan (spring) singing between 2pm and 4pm at Hung Lo Communal House each day and at Lai Len Temple on weekends.

On the occasion of the Hung Kings Memorial Festival, which is scheduled to take place between April 20 and 25 this year, performances will be held between 8am and 4pm every day at these two venues.

The unique practice of worshiping the Hung Kings in Phu Tho was recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage in 2012.

The Hung Kings Memorial Festival is held annually from the eight to the eleventh days of the third lunar month in honour of the legendary founders of the nation. The main festival day has been a public holiday in Viet Nam since 2007.

Local xoan singing was added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity in December last year.

Xoan singing is practised in Phu Tho Province, often during the first two months of the lunar year. Traditionally, singers perform songs in sacred spaces such as temples, shrines and communal houses for the spring festivals.

There are three forms of xoan singing: worship singing for the Hung kings and village guardian spirits; ritual singing for good crops, health and luck, and festival singing where villagers alternate male and female voices in a form of courtship. — VNS