Xẩm: Xam Singing

Xẩm (hát xẩm) is a traditional Vietnamese street-singing genre associated with itinerant, often visually impaired musicians in northern Vietnam, especially the Red River Delta and Hanoi. It features a narrative, speech-like vocal delivery over pentatonic melodic formulas, accompanied by compact, portable instruments such as đàn nhị (two‑string fiddle), đàn bầu (monochord), đàn nguyệt (moon lute), phách or song loan (wooden clappers), and small frame or tube drums. Repertoires include moral tales, satire, news recitations, market-life vignettes, love songs, and improvised texts tailored to audiences in public spaces (markets, ferries, trams). The style blends free-rhythm recitative with lilting duple or triple meters, rich vocal ornaments (luyến láy), and heterophonic textures typical of northern Vietnamese folk performance.