QUẢNG NINH — Under the towering limestone karst cliffs of Hạ Long Bay, two wooden fishing boats gently glide toward each other. A young woman in a traditional purple tunic stands at the bow, her voice rising in a clear, lyrical melody that echoes across the emerald waters. Moments later, a man from the opposite boat responds with a witty, melodic verse.

This is hát giao duyên (romantic call-and-response singing), a unique folk art deeply intertwined with the daily lives, labour and spiritual identity of the fishermen in Quảng Ninh Province.

A heritage born from the waves

Unlike many traditional art forms that evolved in royal courts or communal village halls, hát giao duyên was born entirely at sea. For generations, the seafaring communities of Hạ Long used these songs as a poetic shorthand to communicate between boats, break the monotony of long hours cast at sea and express love, resilience and hope for safe voyages.

The structure of a singing session follows a timeless courtship ritual. It begins with humble greetings and playful inquiries into each other's lives, often lasting until dawn. The singers then engage in a battle of wits, testing each other’s knowledge on everything from astronomy and geography to local folklore, before exchanging tokens of affection – such as conical hats or scarves – and singing bittersweet parting songs.

Recognising its immense cultural value, authorities first introduced hát giao duyên performance programmes at the Cửa Vạn Floating Cultural Centre in 2017 to enrich the destination's tourist experience.

Following a temporary pause for review and structural upgrades, the traditional performances officially resumed at Cửa Vạn floating village in March. The revival marks a significant milestone in Quảng Ninh’s broader strategy to safeguard its intangible cultural assets while creating sustainable lifestyle products for modern tourism.

Living heritage in a changing world

The resurgence of these maritime melodies aligns seamlessly with the national cultural blueprint. The Politburo’s Resolution 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture places a profound emphasis on preserving 'living heritage' – traditions that are practised and maintained by their originating communities rather than being frozen in time.

Resolution 80 highlights the necessity of transforming cultural resources into sustainable economic drivers, specifically targeting the creative integration of folklore into high-value tourism and lifestyle ecosystems.

What makes hát giao duyên so distinct is its raw, unadorned nature. It requires no musical instruments or complex stage sets – the open sea is the theatre. By bringing this back to Cửa Vạn, the province is fulfilling a key mandate of Resolution 80: keeping heritage alive within its authentic geographic and social environment, allowing it to capture the hearts of domestic and international travellers.

A sustainable lifestyle

By weaving local geographical names, ancient village titles and distinct coastal idioms into the lyrics, the artisans ensure that the art form remains completely unique to the Quảng Ninh coastline, free from modern distortion.

For the modern traveller looking for immersive, slow-travel life experiences, the return of hát giao duyên offers a poetic alternative to standard sightseeing. It transforms Hạ Long Bay from a purely visual natural wonder into a profound sensory journey.

As sunset paints the sky over the floating homes, the lingering notes of the farewell songs remind visitors that in Việt Nam’s modern cultural landscape, the past is not just remembered – it is actively sung, lived and shared with the world. VNS