A free ca tru class held at Bich Cau Dao Quan, a historic and cultural site on Cat Linh Street in Hanoi, is helping introduce the traditional art form to younger generations and international visitors.
Every Saturday afternoon, Bich Cau Dao Quan fills with the sounds of the dan day, wooden clappers and traditional ca tru. After 18 years, the free class has become a regular gathering place for lovers of the traditional art form.
The class was launched in 2008 by Meritorious Artisans Nguyen Thi Van Mai and Tran Van Truc, a year before ca tru was inscribed by UNESCO on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
Initially attended by only a few relatives and acquaintances, it now attracts students, office workers and international visitors, partly through promotion on digital platforms.
Thuy Ngan, a 26-year-old freelancer, said she had never encountered ca tru before attending the class and did not expect to enjoy it.
However, after hearing the ca nuong singer accompanied by the dan day and clappers, she came to appreciate the distinctive appeal of the traditional art form.
Van Mai said the class was established to make ca tru more accessible. In the past, finding teachers was difficult because the craft was often passed down only within families.
Once recognised as an artisan and qualified to teach, she regarded passing the heritage to younger generations as her responsibility.
The class also attracts foreign visitors. Artisan Tran Koong, co-founder of the Bich Cau Ca Tru Theatre, said international guests, including opera singers, had joined cultural exchanges and shared traditional music from their own countries.
They are particularly drawn to ca tru's unamplified singing, the rhythms of the clappers and dan day, and the ca nuong's distinctive vocal techniques.
Koong said ca tru once flourished, with works composed by prominent cultural figures including Nguyen Cong Tru, Cao Ba Quat, Tan Da and Duong Khue.
However, the art form later almost disappeared from public life. Despite its UNESCO recognition in 2009, it remains in need of urgent safeguarding because of limited performance spaces, low enrolment and difficulties providing stable livelihoods for artisans.
Community-based teaching is therefore considered crucial to its preservation.
The class at the Bich Cau Ca Tru Guild currently has around 10-20 regular learners, guided by artisans Van Mai, Van Truc and Tran Koong.
Hundreds of people have attended over the years, with around 30 now able to sing, play instruments or perform the ceremonial drum accompaniment.
The artisans said even those who did not continue long-term gained a better understanding and appreciation of the heritage.
In 2017, the guild established the Bich Cau Ca Tru Theatre to give students opportunities to practise and expand access to the art form. It offers free performances every Saturday evening.
After disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, performances have gradually resumed, including shows for international groups seeking to learn more about Vietnamese culture.
Since the beginning of 2026, the guild has received an average of about 10 international groups a month.
The artisans said the revival of ca tru would require more free classes, additional performance venues and stronger promotional and cultural-experience programmes.