dong xuan night market
tonight i went with a new friend diu huong to hear some traditional singing at the dong xuan market in the old quarter. never mind that it was lip-sync and uncomfortably warm despite the day's rain - it was a very nice performance. this particular type of singing, called "hat xam," was traditionally a street performance by the blind. it was deemed decadent or "foreign" after 1945 and the performers banned, but that decision was reversed 20-30 years ago. now, the ha noi conservatory is training new performers and offering street shows in the hopes of sparking a larger interest in the art. contemporary performers are not blind, but some of them do wear dark shades - for effect.
a crowd gathers for the show
the highlight of the evening, however, was when the VTV1 gal tapped me on the shoulder for an interview!! i haven't been here for two weeks and i'm already on vina-TV! her question was simple enough, "how do you feel when you hear vietnamese music?" (it seems they like to talk an awful lot about "how do they feel" here), and she convinced me to give my answer in vietnamese. i choked, naturally. i'm not good at this kind of thing - period - but in vietnamese... well, it was hardly a brilliant performance. in front of a live audience of about two dozen and, of course, all the viewers at home, i managed a very moving (read: very awkward), "in my opinion, vietnamese music is very beautiful." jees, i just hope my teachers weren't watching!
i'll include a video link here, to give you a little taste of "hat xam." i can only record 20 seconds on my camera, and unfortunately, i got distracted by the black-toothed, white-haired lady who'd sat down in front of me mid-way through. so just close your eyes and listen:
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