‘Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai’: Folk cultural identity radiates brilliantly

The fusion of traditional arts and contemporary music is creating a vibrant cultural current. In "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai 2026," artists not only revitalize ancestral heritage but also reaffirm that traditional culture, when dressed in modern garments, becomes more vivid, compelling, and relatable than ever to young audiences.

A vision for cultural development in a new era

Culture is no longer just "soft power" or a resource for tourism development as outlined in Resolution 80-NQ/TW and Resolution 26-NQ/TW; it is emerging as a potent driver of the creative economy.

Against the backdrop of the draft law on cultural industry development opening new legal avenues to elevate Vietnamese heritage internationally, a well-invested artistic work can generate ripple effects across music, tourism, and commerce. Anticipating that mission, "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai 2026" dedicates a special cultural segment as a bridge between traditional heritage and modern entertainment, demonstrating both the commercial vitality and stature of Vietnamese culture.

Hoang Dung, Hoang Rob, Tho (Da LAB), Tung Mint, and Will brought the musical colors of the Northwestern region through the Then singing melodies of the Tay ethnic group. (Photo: Producer)

The cultural chapter themed "Dau doi troi, chan dap dat" (Heads touching the sky, feet treading the earth) in Performance 4 (the evening of September 12) shaped a unique identity in the general landscape of music reality shows. The performance delivered a starkly distinct breakthrough: achieving artistic perfection while erupting with emotion, thereby defining a leading role in weaving national identity into the mainstream entertainment wave.

Infusing folk elements into modern music is not a new story. What stood out in this cultural chapter was how the younger generation of artists approached heritage: rather than simply lifting old values onto the stage as they were, they decoded, deconstructed, and repositioned them within a contemporary musical vocabulary.

The contrast between age-old traditions and modern musical arrangements created an intriguing audio-visual experience: a familiar melody or story emerging in an entirely new sonic space. For the generation raised alongside folk culture, it sparked a sense of rediscovering a piece of memory. For younger audiences, it offered an opportunity to engage with heritage through a modern musical idiom.

With "Tich tich tinh tang" (inspired by the story of Thach Sanh), Hoang Dung, Hoang Rob, Will, Tho Da LAB, and Tung Mint brought the Tay ethnic cultural space onto the stage. The performance recreated the festive spirit, incorporated traditional attire, and blended the "tang boc" Then melody, cat-lion dance, and bowl dance. Through their performance, the audience had the chance to explore the beauty of Then singing - an art form inscribed by UNESCO in 2019 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

"Tieng ru coi nguon" is inspired by the legend of Lac Long Quan and Au Co. (Photo: Producer)

"Tren dat minh" (inspired by the legend of Thanh Giong) selected Southern folk music (Ly Dat Giong) and cai luong, fusing them with hip-hop. The cai luong segment performed by Jun Pham, Huynh Lap, Mew Amazing, and BB Tran created an emotional highlight, evoking a heroic spirit of defending the nation.

"Tieng ru coi nguon" (inspired by the legend of Lac Long Quan and Au Co) opened with a sweet, tender lullaby before transitioning into modern hip-hop beats. Ha An Huy and his teammates refined their phrasing and folk cadences to deliver a meaningful message about love for one's roots.

Artisans keep the soul alive as the youth carry the torch

The most moving aspect of bringing folk culture to the "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai" stage lay not merely in the arrangements or visuals, but in the presence of traditional heritage keepers.

It was the image of Hoang Dung's mother (an active Then singing practitioner) directly supporting her son to bring the "Suoi Ngan" Then ensemble onto the "Tich tich tinh tang" stage, or the guidance and professional advice from singer Ha An Huy's mother (cheo artist Minh Phuong) for the vocal line infused with cheo melodies in "Tieng ru coi nguon."

Hoang Dung and his mother on the stage of "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai"

It was three days of relentless persistence to convince a highland artisan to allow the group to transport two cat-lion heads from the North to the South, bringing the cultural identity in its purest form to the stage; it was the advisory support of artist Tieu Minh Phung and a don ca tai tu ensemble alongside the young performers in "Tren dat minh."

That collaboration served as the clearest intergenerational bridge. The forebears brought knowledge, life experience, and a love of heritage accumulated over the years to pass down to the younger generation. In return, the young artists embraced this traditional legacy with reverence, refining and "translating" it through contemporary mindsets of R&B, hip-hop, or electronic music.

The rise of the "folk-inflected" trend in modern youth music opens a promising path, yet it also presents major challenges for artists. Incorporating folk materials into music is far more than simply "cramming" in as many traditional elements as possible.

A don ca tai tu ensemble performs on stage. (Photo: Producer)

Without thorough research, such combinations can easily degenerate into patchwork creations where folk elements serve merely as superficial decoration to attract attention. When that happens, the core values of traditional culture risk being reduced to a few naive, tokenistic sounds.

In an era of global integration, with foreign cultural waves flooding in at a breakneck pace, the proactive return to cultural roots by the young artists in "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai 2026" stands as the strongest testament to the enduring vitality of Vietnamese culture.

Modernization does not dilute identity, on the contrary, it makes that identity vibrant, relatable, and continuously flowing in the breath of a new era. (Photo: Producer)

Read the full article: Here