Gánh tương tư (An Unrequited Love)

Ca trù is a refined Vietnamese art music of sung poetry that flourished among the literati and urban guilds of northern Vietnam. It is typically performed by a female vocalist (ca nương) accompanied by a đàn đáy (a long‑necked, three‑string lute), a set of bamboo clappers (phách) struck on a small wooden soundboard, and a ceremonial praise drum (trống chầu) played by a male adjudicator. Its musical language features flexible, breath‑driven phrasing, extensive melismatic ornamentation (nhấn, rung, luyến, láy), and modal intonation with subtle microtonal inflections. Rhythmic organization is articulated through phách cycles and responsive drumming cues rather than strict Western meter, producing an elastic sense of time that follows the prosody of classical Vietnamese poetry. Repertoire spans song types such as hát nói, mưỡu, thét nhạc, and ceremonial items for communal houses (hát cửa đình). In 2009, UNESCO recognized the “Practices related to the Vietnamese ca trù singing” as Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.