Ladies and gentlemen. Glad to meet you again this noon. We are standing near a Bai Choi society. After taking part in this game, I will introduce some about Bai Choi.

Bai choi - singing while playing cards has existed for a long time and is considered an intergral cultural feature of the Quang Nam region. In the past, Bai choi was an activity to star the Tet holiday and we are alway eager to join.

Bai choi is an out door theater. The game now is just developing in the central region and it is different in each area such as in Hue where players sit together friendly while in Phan Thiet players sit in chairs.

Bai choi was developed to be professional art, but was still held by labor people in the countryside. Bai choi was a form of folk song and special folk game of the central region of VN and then it was developed to be a form of opera performance in 1930.

Bai choi is one of cultural and art forms exactly folk culture with full feature of small stage of sudden inspiration accepted by the majority of the audience. Bai choi has relatively great impact on cultural activities of the community of common people before being attacked by reformed theatre dramatic arts, music and songs, movies.

They play bai choi to test their luck on new year's day, not for competion. Popular languages in Bai Choi exclamations may express the affection of a happy pair, flieting, criticizing the bad habits, defective peactive, talking about the weather, crops, state affairs, additional affairs.

On occasion of Lunar New Year, people organize playing cards in the huds of villages. Somtime a village has from 2, 3 playing point, on a wide space in front of the village hall or in the market. 9 bamboo huds covered by bamboo were set up ; the huds are 2 meters above the ground, lined with bamboo striked for about 4-5 people sitting. The playing cards includes 27 or 30 pairs, divided to 3 sets : Van, Van, Sach. Each set has 9 to 10 pairs with their own names.

Bai choi literature is popular literature but still ensure the poeticality. When the card is taken out, the signaling person begin to say continuously humours, funny words making both adults and children laugh and be bewithed. The player are fully happy with the feelings of anxiety and fluttering.

Now bai choi society's night became a familiar playground of HA people. In the Saturday noon, they gather together to Hoi street and Hoai river on order to get relax time for weekend. This playground bring about ebullient air, it make the old street more vivid but don't lost peaceful that is specific of Hoi An. Bai choi society's night not only bring hot respiration of present life but also contain graceful and charming of traditional culture.

Nobody know exactly bai choi appear but afterwards because of many reasons so bai choi don't popular as had in the past. Till the old street wass listed as a word cultural vestige by UNESCO bai choi became well know.

In Hoi An ancient town, there is a small area to host bai choi on full -moon night at the corner at Nguyen Thai Hoc and Bach Dang streets. The authorities opened it some years ago with an aim to restore the ancient game and to introduce foreign tourist to an old indigenous culture. At the time people thought the game was not enough to compete with modern entertainment. However, it has developed strongly for over three years.

One cottage is called the centre house for a music troupe with a drum and some kinds of musical instruments. The pack of cards with 27 pairs is divived into parts, one for player and one put in the center house. Cards are printed on paper and glued onto bamboo sticks

The game singer will deliver on singal flad to each house and shout singings and withdraw a card from the bamboo pipe in the center house. Whose card is similar with the card drawn out from the central house is winner. The game manager will give him a flag and present. The game will continue until withdrawing the final card.

Every weekend, locals call each other to play bai choi at a place which used to be a firewood park near Bach Dang river. Under the moonlight, the river bank becomes a cultural get - together. Most people in Quang Nam know the singing of the game by heart.

Today, Luong Dang is famous managing and singing in bai choi with his funny and warm voice.

Ladies and gentlemen I have just introduce about bai choi and I hope you understand some about it, now you can take part in and you will know exactly about it. I hope that all of us have a nice night in HA. You can free research and take photograph.