TL;DR: Chèo is a form of Vietnamese folk musical theatre, flourishing in the Red River Delta and tied to folk festivals, according to the 2024 UNESCO nomination dossier. Chèo grew out of folk music and dance, especially the trò nhại (mimicry plays) of the 10th century, and later developed into complete staged plays. The chiếu chèo sân đình is its typical performance space, where roles such as Thị Màu and Phù Thủy and the old tích trò are performed.
What Is Chèo and Where Did It Come From?
Chèo is a folk musical theatre form of the Vietnamese people, developed strongly and widely in the Red River Delta, with two further areas of spread: the northern midland and mountainous region and the North Central region[1]. It is a theatre form tied to folk festivals, usually performed to thank the deities for blessing a good harvest and a prosperous village, and also as an occasion for farmers to meet and voice their feelings[1].
As for origins, according to VietnamPlus, chèo grew out of folk music and dance, especially the trò nhại (mimetic skits) from the 10th century. Over time, the Vietnamese developed the short chèo stories based on these trò nhại into longer, complete plays[2]. Through a long historical process from the 10th century to the present, chèo has entered cultural and social life, describing the simple life of farmers and praising noble human qualities[1].
Historically, Phạm Đình Hổ's Vũ trung tùy bút records that under the Trần dynasty, when there was a national mourning, crowds gathered so densely that the procession of the coffin met with difficulty. The person dispersing the crowd followed ancient vãn ca melodies, composed the Long ngâm song, and then ordered soldiers to sing while walking around the roads, so that people would follow out of curiosity and gradually disperse. Later, people imitated that vãn singing, and on each rằm tháng bảy (full moon of the seventh month), households in mourning would invite a singing troupe to sing as an addition to the tế ngu rite, which folk custom called phường chèo bội[3]. Around the Cảnh Hưng period, the chèo bội singing troupe combined further with the tuồng style, with performers taking roles, painting their faces, and dancing, singing and jesting[3]. This is Phạm Đình Hổ's account of the chèo bội troupes that sang at funerals; he does not write about chèo at village festivals.
What Is the Chiếu Chèo Sân Đình and What Role Does It Play?
The chiếu chèo sân đình is the traditional performance space of chèo, tied to the village đình courtyard, where community cultural activities take place during festivals. According to VietnamPlus, chèo sân đình is the old form of chèo of the former chèo troupes, usually performed in the courtyards of đình and pagodas and of wealthy households[2].
What Are the Roles and Classic Tích Trò in Chèo?
According to press information, typical classic chèo plays include Quan Âm Thị Kính, with the famous excerpt Thị Màu lên chùa[2]. Nghệ sĩ ưu tú Thu Huyền played the role of Thị Màu in this excerpt[2]. There are also excerpts such as Phù Thủy sợ ma, with the roles Phù Thủy and Hỷ Đồng performed by actors Lê Văn Thơm and Thanh Mai of the Vietnam Chèo Theatre[2].
VietnamPlus also mentions the Trương Viên excerpt of the chiếu chèo of hamlet 7, Nghĩa Lâm commune, Nam Định province (2021 boundaries; Nam Định is now part of Ninh Bình province), along with the plays Súy Vân and Nhị Độ Mai, and writes that the tích trò are drawn mainly from folk tales and Nôm verse stories[2]. Historical chèo plays are also part of the chèo repertoire, such as Nhân Huệ vương Trần Khánh Dư by the Quảng Ninh provincial art troupe[2].
As for artistic features, chèo is always tied to lyricism, expressing personal emotions and feelings, reflecting common human concerns such as love, friendship, and compassion[2]. Chèo melodies often use polyphonic, polysemous language, combined with figurative, narrative and lyrical speech[1]. Besides, there are also humorous chèo plays that criticize bad habits and vices, oppose injustice, and express love, tolerance, and forgiveness[1].
What Are the Instruments and Musical Features of Chèo?
According to press information, the main instrument used in traditional chèo is the đàn nhị (two-stringed fiddle), along with the trống con (small drum) and mõ (wooden fish)[2]. The đàn nhị plays a leading role in creating the distinctive timbre of chèo.
How Is Chèo Tied to Festivals and Village Life?
Phan Kế Bính, in Việt Nam phong tục (1915), in the section Nhập tịch, describes the days of a village festival. After the night of offerings and the opening songs, the book records: "From that day on, in the daytime there is chèo singing, or wrestling, or cờ bỏi chess, and at night xướng ca singing, until the day of xuất tịch (the close of the festival)"[4]. Chèo singing is thus one of the daytime entertainments of the festival that he records.
The book also records the custom of "giao hiếu": during the days of nhập tịch, neighbouring villages that worship the same deity carry processions to one another, called rước đánh giải, first to worship the deity, then to sit drinking and listening to singing as a sign of friendship[4]. Phan Kế Bính writes only "listening to singing" and does not say it was chèo.
How Is Chèo in Thái Bình and Other Localities?
According to Nhân Dân newspaper, at a conference in November 2023 the Chairman of the Thái Bình Provincial People's Committee (Thái Bình province is now part of Hưng Yên province) said Thái Bình is known as the "cradle of Chèo singing". At that time the province had 234 Chèo clubs, and 100% of schools included traditional Chèo singing in their teaching programs[5]. Also in 2023, Chèo art in Thái Bình province was inscribed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List[5].
Khuốc village (Phong Châu commune, Đông Hưng district, Thái Bình province by the boundaries before July 2025; now in Hưng Yên province) is called by VietnamPlus the birthplace of chèo and a well-known chèo centre of Thái Bình[2]. Chèo performance has become a way of life, a lifeblood, an indispensable spiritual food for every person in Khuốc village[2].
Regarding preservation and promotion, according to VietnamPlus in 2024, the Government agreed to submit to UNESCO for consideration the inclusion of Chèo Art in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The dossier was prepared with the participation of 14 provinces and cities, according to the administrative boundaries before July 2025: Thái Bình, Ninh Bình, Hà Nam, Nam Định, Hải Dương, Hưng Yên, Bắc Ninh, Vĩnh Phúc, Phú Thọ, Quảng Ninh, Bắc Giang, Thái Nguyên, Hà Nội and Hải Phòng[1].
What Challenges and Development Paths Does Chèo Face Today?
According to Nghệ sĩ ưu tú Lê Cường (Vietnam Chèo Theatre) at a 2023 seminar, in today's cultural integration, developing folk Chèo into reformed Chèo with plays breathing the spirit of the times is an inevitable trend. However, for Chèo performance art to keep its identity and not become hybridized is a whole process of movement, awareness, and reception[5].
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Filip Kraus, Palacký University (Czech Republic) highly appreciated the distinctiveness of Vietnamese Chèo singing and water puppetry, calling them "two images of the Vietnamese soul". He also said the State needs to separate the differences between the two art forms, systematize them, and preserve them for future generations[5].
On bringing contemporary themes into chèo, according to VietnamPlus, artists have tried to bring contemporary themes into chèo to draw audiences to this art. Chèo art with modern themes is always a concern not only of the "chèo village" but also of the theatre world and state management agencies[2].
On the method of transmitting the craft, according to VietnamPlus, later generations of artists follow earlier ones, keeping the craft by direct transmission, "bắt tay chỉ ngón" (hand-over-hand teaching), teaching each way of performing and singing[2]. This is the traditional method, ensuring the preservation of skills and professional secrets across generations.
On preservation orientation, according to VietnamPlus, chèo is one of the distinctive forms of Vietnamese traditional theatre, needing to be honored not only as a static exhibit but also preserved and developed alongside social development. Chèo needs a certain adaptation to the times to avoid falling into the situation of an intangible heritage kept only for preservation, and to avoid losing one of the nation's most typical forms of theatrical storytelling[2].
