Two sides of life

Born in the 13th century as a pastime for the royal aristocracy, hát bội gradually crept into people's lives, becoming a spiritual and cultural value deeply ingrained in the lifestyle of the people of the South in general and in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City in particular.

Hat boi, also known as hat tuong, is a popular folk theater art form in all three regions of the country. The period from 1848 to 1883, under the reign of King Tu Duc, is considered the golden age of this art form. According to research documents by People's Artist Dinh Bang Phi, the development of hat boi is clearly reflected in rural life and in the lifestyle of kings and lords in the royal court. In particular, the play Hai Mat Cuoc Doi (Two Faces of Life) by the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House is still performing at Lang Duc Ta Quan Le Van Duyet (Binh Thanh District) and the Zoo (District 1)... every weekend. Before the performance, the unit often organizes exchanges on how to dress up characters, perform traditional musical instruments... so that the audience can learn more about and love this unique traditional art form. Vietnam.vn invites you to enjoy the image of the characters incarnated in the opera "Hai Mat Cuoc Doi" by author Thi Tho Doan. The photo series was sent by the author to participate in the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam", organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications. The art of mask makeup in opera inherently depicts the characters' appearances in a symbolic form. Actors must spend a lot of effort learning how to apply makeup and paint masks for themselves according to each role and type of character. Each color depicted on the face or shown on the performance costumes contains its own meaning, expressing the character's personality as "gentle" or "poisonous". A little “secret” to understanding and recognizing the characters on the opera stage: the red skin color represents a loyal and chaste hero; the white color represents a treacherous and flattering person; the black color represents a simple, straightforward, hot-tempered but honest and truthful person; the pale gray color represents an old person; the blue color represents a scheming and cunning person, a demon… There are many types of eye circles with different meanings: diagonal circles are for young warriors (children of generals), vertical circles are for generals. A face with many stripes is for a cruel person, a bandit, or a demon. A curly black beard is a fierce, hot-tempered person. A cropped beard (black, red) is a humorous person. A rat beard indicates a talkative, impulsive person. A curly beard has 3 colors: black - a sly person, silver - a heroic old general, red - a traitor, a demon, a witch.

Thus, with the faces of the opera costumes with clear light and dark shades, the colors tend to be strongly contrasting, opposing each other in tone, often drawn for the faces of generals, characters with personality, martial arts, determination or special characters. Faces drawn with neutral, gentle tones, soft color harmony are often used for the faces of old writers, old woodcutters, women and children... In 2024, the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam" continues to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website   https://happy.vietnam.vn is open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and over. The contest aims to honor individuals and groups with positive information products, making practical contributions to the propaganda and promotion of a beautiful image of Vietnam to the world. Thereby helping people in the country, compatriots abroad and international friends access authentic images of the country, Vietnamese people, Vietnam's achievements in ensuring human rights, towards a happy Vietnam. Each contest category (photo and video) has the following prizes and prize values: - 01 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND - 02 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND - 03 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND - 10 Encouragement Prizes: 5,000,000 VND - 01 most voted work: 5,000,000 VND The winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the Announcement Ceremony and Award Ceremony and Certificate on live television of Vietnam Television.

Vietnam.vn