Ca Tru Chamber Singing

Ca tru is sung by one woman who beats time on a phach, a slip of bamboo struck with two sticks, while a man plays the dan day, a long-necked lute with three silk strings and a hollow back. The third part belongs to the listener, who holds a small drum and strikes it to mark approval of a line. The words are classical poetry, and the voice moves in tight ornaments rather than melody in the usual sense. It was guild and ceremonial music for centuries, declined through the twentieth century until very few singers were left, and was placed on the UNESCO urgent safeguarding list in 2009. A handful of families now teach it.

The main sights

• The phach - a bamboo slat beaten with two sticks, setting the rhythm of the whole piece.
• The dan day - a three-stringed lute built for this music and played for almost nothing else.
• The praise drum - struck by the listener, not the performer, to mark a good line.
• The poetry - classical verse forms sung with heavy ornament and long-held syllables.

When to go

Performances run once or twice a week in the Old Quarter, usually in the early evening, in rooms holding thirty people or fewer, so book ahead. Sessions last about an hour. Around lunar new year some communal houses in the villages outside Hanoi hold their own singing, which is harder to find and worth the effort of asking.

Good to know

This is difficult music. The ornamented, nasal delivery sounds strained to ears expecting melody, and an hour of it defeats plenty of listeners. Rooms are small, hot and plainly furnished, seating is on low stools, and there is little explanation in English beyond a printed sheet. Photography is tolerated, but flash ruins it for everyone.

Nearby

Most sessions are held within walking distance of Hoan Kiem Lake.