The northern province of Bac Ninh will spend nearly 65 billion VND onpreserving Quan ho (love duet singing) and Ca tru (ceremonial singing)as part of a 2013 - 2020 project.

It is one ofthe province’s important tasks to continue implementing its commitmentsto the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) to protect the Quan ho singing heritage.

Under the recently approved project, Bac Ninh will invest inprogrammes teaching Quan ho singing to young people, establish andimprove cultural institutions relating to the existing and developmentof Quan ho villages, as well as popularising and promoting thetraditional singing.

The project will also helpcollect and restore forms of Ca Tru singing in the province, teach folkmusic to the community, buy instruments and restore culturalinstitutions relating to the singing.

Quan ho,which was inscribed in UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanitylist in September 2009, is an art form combining various elements,including music, lyrics, costume and a unique style of singing thatreflects the close relationship between the singers.

The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray thezest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the regionformerly called Kinh Bac.

Apart from 45 originQuan ho villages, Bac Ninh now has 329 practice ones. The folk musiciansare honoured and benefit from support policies.

Ca tru (also known as ‘hat a dao’ and ‘hat noi’) dates back to the 15thcentury and is listed among 12 intangible global cultural heritagetraditions in danger of disappearing.

Ca Tru, like many old andhighly developed arts, has many forms. However, the most widely knownand performed type of ca tru involves only three performers: a femalevocalist, a lute player and a spectator (who also takes part in theperformance).

There are now four ca tru clubs in Bac Ninh province.-VNA