A performance by the Ca tru troupe of Ha Tinh province (Photo: Cong Tuong/ VNA)

The festival demonstrates Vietnam’s implementation of its commitment to UNESCO to protect and promote traditional Vietnamese music. Vietnam hopes to get Ca Tru moved from UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritages in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to its List of Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity.

Ca Tru is an ancient genre of Chamber music featuring female vocalists with origins in northern Vietnam. It is performed to serve different social purposes including worship singing, singing for entertainment and singing in royal palaces.