Residents and visitors in Hanoi now have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of stage performances, including circus, short plays, cai luong folk singing, and puppetry, organized by the city’s theaters, free of charge.
As part of the local authority’s effort to bring stage performances closer to the Hanoi audience, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports has recently approved a plan to hold cultural activities on weekends. The plan not only aims to provide entertainment for the local residents but also to promote Vietnam’s traditional arts to both local and international visitors.
Under the plan, the Hanoi Circus and Variety Arts Theater will perform circus shows and other entertainment activities at 8 pm on the first and second weekends of each month. An outdoor circus stage will be set up in front of the Monument ‘Determined to Brave Death for the Survival of the Fatherland’.
Additionally, the Hanoi Drama Theater will perform outdoor excerpts and short plays in front of Cong Nhan Theater, while the Thang Long Puppet Theater will showcase songs, dances, music, and puppet shows in front of their premises on Dinh Tien Hoang Street.
On the first and second Friday and Saturday of the month, the Hanoi Cheo Theater will hold various Vietnamese folk performances, including Xam, Cheo singing, and folk comedy, at the outdoor stage in front of Ba Kieu Temple. The artists from Hanoi Cai Luong Theatre will also perform thematic cai luong play extracts in front of Chuong Vang Theatre on Hang Bac Street.
Furthermore, on the third and fourth Saturday and Sunday of the month, the Thang Long Music and Dance Theater will entertain audiences with free musical repertoire at the stage in the area of Ba Kieu Temple’s flower garden. Other performances and cultural activities will also be organized in public areas such as the Octagonal House and the square at the junction of Hang Khay, Hang Bai, and Trang Tien Street.
All of these performances will be scheduled and organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports.
Before the pandemic, enjoying free art and music performances in Hanoi’s Old Quarter on weekends was a popular activity among Hanoians. The Hanoi Old Quarter Management Committee intends to resume this tradition by running shows of various genres of music and arts at night on weekends.
“Ceremonial, ritual, or blind musicians singing will take turns to become the center stage on weekend nights,” stated the committee.
