Bai Choi in Hoi An - A cultural beauty you shouldn't miss when visiting the ancient town

Enjoying Bai Choi in Hoi An is an incredibly new and fascinating experience on your journey to discover and explore Hoi An. If the North has quan họ folk singing and the South has đờn ca tài tử, then the Central region has bài chòi singing. Visiting the ancient town and listening to the lingering melody of bai choi songs will surely leave you with unforgettable memories.

1. An introduction to Bài Chòi in Hoi An

Bài chòi" can be simply understood as a card game played in a small hut. Bài chòi in the old town of Hội An is held on a spacious open piece of land along the poetic Hoài River. In the past, bài chòi was only held on festivals, early spring rituals, or major celebrations, but now it takes place every night in the old town of Hoi An.

Bài chòi is a folk game that carries the breath of everyday life and preserves the cultural identity of the people in the central provinces, from Quảng Bình to Bình Thuận. Bài chòi has been officially recognized by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

2. How is the Bai Choi festival organized in Hoi An? 2.1. How to play Bai Choi in the Quang region The Bai Choi callers of Hoi An:

The lead singer in Bài Chòi is called anh Hiệu or chị Hiệu. Players should pay special attention to the cues given by anh Hiệu or chị Hiệu. They are the ones who sing out the verse that names the card.

The subject/audience of the Bai Choi card game in Hoi An ancient town:

Foreign guests: there will be a team of guides fluent in foreign languages to explain the content, meaning, and how to play.

Domestic tourists and local residents.

How to play Bài Chòi in Hội An:

To play Bai Choi, people set up one hut in the center, also called the "mother hut," surrounded by 10 smaller huts. Players sit in the smaller huts. Mr. Hieu and Ms. Hieu are standing at the small hut. However, in the old town of Hoi An, only about 4 - 5 huts will be allowed to be set up.

In some other localities in the Central region, people simply spread out mats, set up a nêu pole, hang the game-tile tube, and arrange chairs to play bài chòi, instead of building the raised huts (chòi).

Rules of playing Bài Chòi:

The bài chòi game begins with the joyous, bustling sound of the festival drums. The male and female callers (Anh Hiệu, Chị Hiệu) will raise their voices in chants inviting people to start the game, drawing everyone's attention.

After the opening song, Mr. Hiệu and Mrs. Hiệu will sing to introduce the names of the cards. Players will choose 3 different cards and hold them ready in hand.

After that, Mr. Hiệu and Mrs. Hiệu step out in front of the hut, shake the tube of cards, then pull out each card one by one and call out the song verse bearing the name of that card. Whichever hut has that card, the player will knock on the wooden gong 3 times or shout "Here it is!" Each time this happens, the player will be awarded a small triangular flag.

The game continues until a team's hut has collected all 3 pennant flags. The player will shout "done!" and beat a long roll on the wooden gong. Right at that moment, the leader's drum and the tum drum at the head hut were beaten loudly and continuously to signal that there was a winner. The winner would receive a Hoi An lantern.

Characteristics of the deck of cards used to play Bai Choi:

The deck used to play Bài Chòi is considered an improved version of the Tam Cúc card set. The deck consists of 33 cards, such as Nhứt Nọc, Nhì Nghèo, Thằng Bí, Lá Liễu, and others, which are drawn on paper and then pasted onto bamboo slats. Each bamboo slat carries 3 different cards.

A Bài Chòi playing card deck has 3 suits (Sách, Vạn, Văn), each suit with 10 cards, plus 3 single cards (the black Cửu Điều, the black Ông Ầm, and the black Tử Cẳng). The cards are made fairly large so that players can clearly see the patterns and the name printed on each card.

2.2. Singing Bai Choi in Hoi AnCharacteristics of the Bai Choi singing calls

Bai choi consists of two forms: the bai choi card game and bai choi singing. The lyrics of Hoi An bai choi singing feature four basic melodies: xang xe, ho quang, xuan nu, and co ban. The lyrics of Bài Chòi singing are a blend of Southern Vietnamese folk melodies with the speaking and singing style of tuồng (traditional theater). Bai choi singers have created many other folk tunes such as boat-rowing chanties (hò Chèo thuyền), rowing work songs (hò Khoan), lullabies (hát Ru con), and Quảng narrative ballads (vè Quảng).

Who is the one who sings/calls the Bài Chòi songs?

The Bài Chòi folk singing of Hội An is performed by male and female callers known as "anh Hiệu" and "chị Hiệu. The most important person calling out Bài Chòi has to be extremely focused, so as to know exactly which card has been drawn, what name it bears, what verse to sing, and to come up with ideas for the lyrics. They also had to be people with excellent singing and chanting skills, witty and charming acting, and a flair for flexible improvisation. The male and female "Hiệu" performers are truly the ones who "keep the soul alive" in Hội An's Bài Chòi.

3. Bai Choi performance schedule in Hoi An

Location: An Hội Statue Garden

Time: 7 PM on weekdays

Card price: 20,000 VND per card