The provincial cultural center is expected to be named Pham Thi Tran Theater.

The Ninh Binh Provincial Central Cultural House is the largest cultural institution invested in and started construction by the province on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the name Ninh Binh and the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of the province. To affirm the value, position and role of the project in the cultural and spiritual life of the people of the province, the Provincial People's Committee plans to name the Ninh Binh Provincial Central Cultural House "Pham Thi Tran Theater" - named after the founder of Cheo singing art, and also the first founder of the Vietnamese Theater industry. Thereby, contributing to the propaganda and education on the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values of the nation for the younger generation.

Highlights of urban architecture

The Ninh Binh Provincial Central Cultural House is one of the province's key projects, which started construction in July 2021 on a 6,453m2 plot of land. The project was completed and inaugurated in April 2024. The project is designed in a modern, unique, cultural architectural style, creating an urban highlight.

Comrade Hoang Hoa Thang, Vice Chairman of Ninh Binh City People's Committee, said that the Ninh Binh Provincial Cultural Center was built in a special location, the main facade of the project is on Le Dai Hanh Street, Thanh Binh Ward, Ninh Binh City. The South and East borders Van Thi Temple, a relic ranked as a provincial historical and cultural relic by the Provincial People's Committee in 2012. This is a place to worship and commemorate the founder of Cheo singing art, Pham Thi Tran - a famous person of the Dinh Dynasty; and to worship characters in folk beliefs.

The Ninh Binh Provincial Central Cultural House is designed in a modern, unique, cultural architectural style, creating an urban highlight. It is the only civil work in the province with a 100-year design, located in an area with high population density; harmoniously combining the function of performing arts with the headquarters of a number of units under the Cultural sector. Built on an area of 6,453 m2 on Le Dai Hanh Street, Ninh Binh City, with a total investment of 245 billion VND from the provincial budget, including 3 main blocks: Performance service block, office block, technical basement block. In addition, the sound and lighting equipment of the Central Cultural House is also invested in modern, high-quality, synchronous, meeting the requirements of performing arts, exhibitions and related cultural activities.

Thus, the Ninh Binh Provincial Central Cultural House is a newly constructed project, a highlight of urban landscape architecture. The project is a place for tourists to visit, enjoy art and cultural activities when coming to Ninh Binh. Therefore, naming the Provincial Central Cultural House is an extremely necessary and important task, contributing to realizing the policy and goal of building and developing Ninh Binh province by 2035 to become a centrally-governed city with the characteristics of a Millennium Heritage City and a creative city.

Show gratitude to ancestors

Ninh Binh is considered one of the "cradles" of Cheo singing art associated with the legend of the origin of Cheo singing and the founder of Cheo singing art - Mrs. Pham Thi Tran. According to ancient documents and books such as: "Da co luc" (meaning "Drum beating method") and "Du dia chi Hai Duong - phan nhan vat chi", it is recorded that: Huyen nu Pham Thi Tran was born in 926, died in 976, from Hong Chau (today's Hai Duong province), was a famous singer, dancer and performer in the opera troupe.

She was famous for her beauty, talent, singing and dancing skills and was summoned by King Dinh Tien Hoang to the capital Hoa Lu, teaching the palace maids to dance, play drums, and play the zither (at that time called hat loi or hat cheo) to serve in the royal court. Later, King Dinh assigned her to teach singing, dancing and organize singing groups (the predecessors of later opera troupes) to serve in the army and among the people. She was not only good at singing and dancing but also composed (orally) folk songs and dances, created plays (in the form of drama - performed while making up lyrics, making up stories, without a written script), used a variety of traditional musical instruments skillfully, and then organized and taught many people how to dance, sing and perform, the early stage, the predecessor of later stage art.

From teaching the palace maids and soldiers to use musical instruments, sing, dance to encourage martial spirit and patriotism, performing the early stage arts of Tuong and Cheo. With her great contributions to the cause of bringing singing, dancing, and performing folk stage, serving not only the Hoa Lu royal court, encouraging the army, but also serving widely among the people, she was given the title of "U Ba" by King Dinh Tien Hoang.

Researchers of the history of Cheo and Tuong art and those working in the two theater industries of Tuong and Cheo honor her as the Ancestor of Cheo and the Ancestor of Vietnamese Theater. August 12th of every year is the anniversary of her death, which is taken as the anniversary of Cheo, and later honored as Vietnam Theater Arts Day.

The ancient capital of Hoa Lu and present-day Ninh Binh are considered the "cradle" of the art of singing and performing Cheo, and the late Mrs. Pham Thi Tran is the founder of the Cheo profession in Vietnam. With the desire to honor the historical figure who has made great contributions to the nation's history, recognized by history books and the people through the naming of the public work of the Provincial Central Cultural House, while contributing to the propaganda and education of generations in preserving, maintaining and promoting the traditional cultural values of the province, the Provincial People's Committee plans to name the Ninh Binh Provincial Central Cultural House "Pham Thi Tran Theater".

The naming of the public work of Ninh Binh Provincial Central Cultural House as Pham Thi Tran Theater firstly affirms the value, position and role of the work in the cultural and spiritual life of the people in the province. At the same time, it is a practical action, expressing gratitude and honoring Ms. Pham Thi Tran, who created the art form of Cheo and Vietnamese theater art, and at the same time propagating and educating generations to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the nation.

Along with the Pham Thi Tran Theater project, Ninh Binh province has been promoting synchronous investment in key projects and works, completing technical infrastructure to ensure the criteria of a civilized, cultured, modern, integrated and developed urban area; continuing to deploy the construction of large cultural institutions, symbolic and typical of the province such as the Theater, Museum, Library... to meet the requirements and goals in many subsequent stages of the province to become a fairly developed province, a growth pole of the southern provinces of the Red River Delta; basically achieving the criteria of a centrally-run city with the characteristics of a Millennium Heritage Urban Area, a creative city; a large center, with high brand value in tourism, cultural industry, and heritage economy domestically and internationally.

Nguyen Thom

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