Cheo charm conquers audiences
Ms. Mai Lan in Cau Giay ward (Hanoi) and her daughter last weekend went to Dai Nam Theater together. She said: "I am very passionate about Cheo but recently it has somewhat faded, so when I learned about the program "Character of Cheo Hanoi", I was very excited, and partly wanted to let my children feel the traditional beauty of Cheo tunes.
Although the program is not long, only 1 hour, a series of unique ancient cheo excerpts such as "Thi Mau goes to the pagoda", "Súy Vân pretends to be foolish", "Lưu Bình - Dương Lễ", "Wizard afraid of ghosts"... were performed very distinctively by the artists.
The excerpts are not performed individually but are connected into a continuous stage flow, creating a harmonious, emotional and accessible whole for today's audience. The highlight of the program is to enhance interaction between artists and viewers, helping the audience not only enjoy but also have the opportunity to discover the unique features of Cheo art, contributing to narrowing the gap between the stage and the public, especially suitable for young audiences, students, and tourists who first approach traditional art. Building a program with appropriate duration will help the audience feel the typical values of Cheo art, thereby arousing a love and need to learn more deeply about the unique traditional stage form of the nation" - Ms. Mai Lan said.
Under the directing of People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, artistic director - People's Artist Thu Huyen, the program both maintains the spirit of ancient Cheo and creates a modern stage rhythm through flexible handling between performances, harmoniously combining bi - hài, ly tình - sôi động elements, helping audiences fully feel the beauty of Cheo art in a condensed but still rich artistic value form.
Participating in the program is a group of artists from the Hanoi Cheo Theater with the participation of Meritorious Artist Hong Nam, Meritorious Artist Phuong May and many young artists. The combination of experienced artists and the next generation of actors creates a lively performance space, contributing to spreading the vitality of Cheo art to many audiences.
Ms. Mai Lan's daughter excitedly said: "This is the first time I have gone to watch traditional Cheo live, it's very good. If there are more programs like this, I will still continue to watch.
Towards the cultural industry
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Le Anh Mai - Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports - said: "The art program "Hanoian Cheo Charm" is the first high-quality art program in a series of works and art programs bearing the Hanoi brand directed by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, aiming to form a system of typical cultural products of the Capital, serving the People, promoting the image of Hanoi and contributing to the development of the cultural industry".
According to Ms. Le Anh Mai, in the context of increasingly diverse types of entertainment and the constantly changing public's need to enjoy art, bringing traditional art closer to the audience requires new approaches, while innovating expression methods to suit contemporary audiences, especially tourists and young people.
Leaders of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports also informed that, following "Ha Thanh Cheo Charm" will be the program "Hanoi Stories - A Very Hanoi Day" of Thang Long Music and Dance Theater and on August 10, 2026, the Hanoi Cai Luong Theater will introduce the play "Ha Thanh Girl". In September 2026, the Hanoi Drama Theater will regularly perform the work "Hanoi Children"; at the same time, Thang Long Puppet Theater will launch a new high-quality art program.
“The programs will be organized for periodic performances, gradually forming a system of art products bearing the Hanoi brand, contributing to building the Capital into an attractive cultural destination for domestic and international tourists. Through investing in building high-quality art programs, Hanoi not only aims to preserve and promote traditional artistic values but also creates cultural products with long-term exploitation potential, serving the cultural life of the People, developing tourism and promoting the image of the thousand-year-old Capital, civilized and modern” - Ms. Le Anh Mai said.
Hanoi expects to awaken tourism potential from the night economy. Hanoi's typical art programs will make an important contribution to building a unique experience ecosystem, increasing the attractiveness of destinations and creating new growth momentum for tourism.
