The genre Ru tends to perform within the familial environment, with a hypnotising nature that tends to be use to lull children.\n\nThe genre Hò originated from the working environment. The Southern part of Vietnam, where the waters are a vital element for the workers to sing on these flowing streams. Back then, the genre of hò đường thuỷ (singing on waterways) was rather popular. From traditional performing environment, hò eventually separated into different genres- hò trên cạn (hò on land) and hò dưới nước (hò on water). Based on the carrying content, reflected themes, hò continue to evolve into various genres to adapt with different forms and narratives (hò thơ, hò văn, hò tuồng, etc.) \n\nThe genre Lý is a common performance genre across all three regions of the country, although it could be the most popular in the Southern region. Pétrus Ky, a renowned Vietnamese scholar, once mentioned the saying “Southern region has lý, Huế region has hò, Northern region has thơ.” (Nam lý Huế hò Bắc thơ) as it points out how lý is a specialty of the Southern locals. In reality, lý not only has its mainstream popularity but also achieved a high level of craft and essence in traditional culture and professional life of the Southern region.\n\nThis project is sponsored by the British Council under the program Heritage of Future Past- A 2018 project which aims to conserve and cultivate the archive of Vietnamese music and film, especially focusing on the untapped values of these mediums that are under the threat of being forgotten. You can learn more about the Heritage of Future Past program via this link: https://www.britishcouncil.vn/cac-chuong-trinh/nghe-thuat/di-san-ket-noi.\n\nResearch by Mr. Le Hai Dang\nTranslated by Ms. Ha Hoang Minh Trang

The Spirit of Vietnam in Song\n(2013-2014 VIM-ICHCAP Restoration and Digitization Project)\n\nIn 2015, ICHCAP and the Vietnam Institute of Musicology (VIM) jointly produced Cultural Sounds: The Spirit of Vietnam, a nine-CD set to promote public awareness about the Vietnamese ICH.\n\nIn 2013, the VIM had conducted a year-long joint project with ICHCAP to restore and digitize its analogue audio documentation of ICH. The project resulted in the successful digitization of some three hundred magnetic tapes in the VIM’s collection. This CD collection was produced to distribute the outcomes of the project while raising the visibility of the audio resources. Local researchers thematically selected the eighty-seven tracks in the collection. Information on each track is presented in Vietnamese, English and Korean.\n\nThis project is significant as it resulted in restoring analogue recordings at risk of permanent damage and digitizing them to enhance their academic value and public visibility.