The Lim Festival officially opened in the northern province of Bac Ninh on Feb. 14 – the 12 th day of the first lunar month – drawing around 30,000 visitors. The festival aims to preserve and revive the valuable, ancient art of love duet singing, or “Quan Ho”, recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

The festival is held on Lim Hill where the Lim Pagoda is located. The pagoda is dedicated to Hieu Trung Hau, who invented Quan Ho. Its programme will include the love duet singings at artist families, pagodas, on boats and on the Lim Hill.

The love duets are an art form combining various elements, including music, lyrics, costume and a unique style of singing that reflects the close relationship between the singers. The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray the zest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac.

An array of folk games and cultural activities such as wrestling, blind man’s bluff, earthenware pot breaking, cock fighting, human chess, badminton, calligraphy and bonsai showcasing will be held during the two-day festival.

After Quan Ho was recognised by UNESCO in September 2009, a strategy was adopted detailing a series of measures to be taken from 2009 through 2015 to preserve this art form.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Music Academy, and the departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces have joined hands in assisting the local communities to systematically compile lists of love duet songs, ancient and contemporary, as well as love duet singers, musicians and composers.

Lim Hill, where Quan Ho is performed during the festival, will be developed into a Quan Ho Cultural Centre with an area reserved for performances.

State agencies have also set out to help local Quan Ho singers establish their association and restore the worship songs which were once used at the Viem Xa village festival.

Apart from the State’s efforts, local people are encouraged to get involved in preserving Quan Ho.