Hat boi (classical drama), a genre of traditional theatre in central and south regions, in the Mekong Delta Vinh Long province, has been preserved as a product to attract tourists to the locality. Hat boi or tuong is part of Vietnam’s traditional spiritual heritage. It was originated in the 12th century but was strongly developed in the 17th century. Stories in hat boi feature historical events and social problems. The actors are skilled in both singing and dancing. Especially, they do their own make-up, which takes time in order to create the characters they play.

Last year, for the first time, in Vietnam, Vinh Long province introduced a hat boi show as the province’s tourism product to attract more visitors, especially foreign ones to the locality.

In modern life, the performance of Hat boi is neglected, even in traditional stage.

Vinh Long’s initiative to introduce Hat boi as a tourism product is the province’s efforts to revive the traditional genre of music of the south westerners.-VNA