{"id":124,"date":"2017-10-02T16:23:22","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T13:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/?p=124"},"modified":"2021-10-19T14:19:43","modified_gmt":"2021-10-19T11:19:43","slug":"the-twentieth-century-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/the-twentieth-century-vietnam\/","title":{"rendered":"The Twentieth Century"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unlike other countries in Southeast Asia, Vietnam developed a form of spoken theatre, the kich,<\/i> which was inspired by French models. A Western-influenced type of marionette theatre was also introduced in South Vietnam during French rule. A new form of musical theatre was also created. It is cai luong,<\/i> which combines elements of Chinese and Western theatre with Vietnamese music and stories.<\/p>\n

Cai Luong<\/i>, Eclectic Folk Opera<\/h2>\n

Court opera had a great effect on the creation of cai luong, <\/i> Vietnam\u2019s main form of popular theatre. In 1918 cai luong<\/i> evolved from a type of musical interlude into a specific form of drama. The strict stylistic conventions of hat boi<\/i> were relaxed, and the musical accompaniment of cai luong<\/i> consists mainly of beautiful South Vietnamese melodies.<\/p>\n

One of the most popular stock melodies is a heart-rending love lament called vong co, <\/i> written in the 1920s by Cao Van Lau, which can still be heard several times in every cai luong<\/i> performance. Plots can still be based on tales adapted from hat boi<\/i> repertoire, but cai luong<\/i> performances often depict Vietnamese history or themes derived from everyday life.<\/p>\n

The hat boi <\/i>court opera was usually performed in front of a single backdrop with only a table and a couple of chairs as props, as in Chinese classical opera. Cai luong, <\/i>on the other hand, attempts to create an illusionistic stage setting with changing backdrops, as in Western theatre, while the basic costumes follow the customs of South Chinese opera.<\/p>\n

Along with the semi-historical fantasy costumes, modern dress can be used according to the theme of the performance. Melodramatic elements and sensational stage effects are typical of these kinds of popular theatre forms around Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

End of the Twentieth Century<\/h2>\n

Efforts to resist the French eventually led to their expulsion from the country in the mid-20th<\/sup> century, leaving a nation divided politically into two countries. Fighting between the two sides continued during the Vietnam War, ending with the North Vietnamese victory in 1975. Emerging from this prolonged military engagement, the war-ravaged nation was politically isolated. The government\u2019s centrally planned economic decisions hindered post-war reconstruction and its treatment of the losing side engendered more resentment than reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\t\t