The Ví and Giặm Folk Song Preservation Center Project needs to be restarted soon and its effectiveness ensured.
After nearly 10 years of unfinished construction, the Nghe Tinh Folk Song and Ví-Giặm Heritage Conservation and Promotion Center Project is being restarted with several important adjustments. However, in the context of rapidly changing performing arts, simply completing the project is not enough. What the public is concerned about is how to ensure the project is truly effective, avoids wasting public investment, and lives up to the value of a cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.
Project adjustments: Untangling a nearly decade-long bottleneck.
The project for the Center for Conservation and Promotion of Ví and Giặm Folk Songs of Nghe Tinh Province was approved by the People's Committee of Nghe An Province in Decision No. 4909/QD-UBND dated October 28, 2015; and on January 20, 2016, the design drawings and construction cost estimates for the main items were further approved according to Decision No. 4551/QD-UBND. The project, invested by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghe An Province, is being implemented on an area of 6,393 m², located on Nguyen Du Street, Truong Vinh Ward, Nghe An Province, with an initial total investment of nearly 70 billion VND.
According to the design, the project is a five-story building complex with a construction area of 2,154 m², consisting of two main blocks: an administrative block and a performance block. The administrative block includes a 500-seat auditorium, technical control room, cultural service room, canteen, costume and prop storage, and rooms for collecting, researching, and preserving folk music heritage. The performance block and stage include a stage system, a stage, and electrical and lighting systems for performances.
In addition, the project also includes outdoor spaces with a lake, a performance hall, a triple-arched gate, and supporting facilities such as a guardhouse, a transformer station, a paved area, a lighting system, water supply and drainage, and a surrounding fence.
According to the original plan, the project was to be implemented within a period of no more than 5 years starting from 2016, with the expectation of becoming a center for performing arts, preserving and promoting cultural values.Ví and Giặm folk songs of Nghe Tinh- This art form was recognized by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014. However, due to various reasons, after nearly 10 years of implementation, the project is still not ready for acceptance and commissioning.
To avoid the risk of abandonment and wasteful public investment, on August 22, 2025, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 2700/QD-UBND approving the adjustment of the investment policy for the project. Based on that, on November 25, 2025, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghe An province submitted Proposal No. 748/TTr-SVHTTDL to the Department of Finance and the Department of Construction requesting appraisal of the adjusted feasibility study report for the project.
According to the revised plan, the entire existing five-story building's architecture and structure will remain unchanged. However, many functional spaces will be adjusted, renovated, and rearranged to better suit operational needs, usage requirements, and fire safety regulations. Some partition walls between rooms will be removed; the orchestra pit in front of the stage will be repaired; a steel frame, columns, and beams will be added to support the stage curtain lift; and the reception area will be renovated. The functional rooms of the administrative block from the first to the fifth floor will also be reviewed and adjusted.
Notably, the outdoor landscape space has been redesigned to be more modern, featuring a plaza, landscaped walkways, a ticket service area, and an outdoor performance stage. The total investment for the project, under the revised plan, has increased to over 137 billion VND; the expected completion date is December 31, 2026.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tra, Head of the Planning and Finance Department of the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that after the relevant departments and agencies complete the appraisal and the Provincial People's Committee issues a decision approving the adjustments, the project will proceed to the next steps, selecting a contractor to implement it according to the proposed design and consulting plan.
Completing the task is not enough; it must be done effectively.
The relaunch of the project is seen as a crucial step in resolving the bottlenecks that have lasted for nearly a decade. However, the issue is not just about completing a construction project, but about how to ensure that the Center for the Preservation and Promotion of Nghe Tinh's Ví and Giặm Folk Songs truly becomes effective once it is operational.
According to Mr. Tran Quoc Chung - Director of the Nghe An Traditional Arts Center (an organization established in 2020 based on the merger of the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Nghe An Folk Song Heritage and the Provincial Ethnic Dance and Music Troupe), the artists are eagerly awaiting a professional, stable performance space commensurate with the status of the Vi and Giam folk songs.
Mr. Chung argued that, after nearly 10 years without completion, and with performing arts undergoing significant changes, adjusting the structure to be modern and flexible is essential. Failure to keep up with trends could lead to the building becoming outdated as soon as it's put into use.
In reality, performing arts—including traditional arts—are constantly changing to adapt to public tastes. Therefore, the comprehensive improvement of everything from the exterior architectural landscape to the interior stage space, sound and lighting systems, and performance techniques, ensuring that it can accommodate various art forms, is crucial. Only then can the Ví and Giặm folk songs be placed in an attractive performance space that both preserves its traditional identity and possesses contemporary vitality.
Alongside the completion of the construction, preparing the content of the activities is also considered a decisive factor. According to Mr. Chung, the Nghe An Traditional Arts Center has proactively developed proposals and submitted reports to the governing body to implement programs and shows, and is preparing to stage theatrical performances starting now. The goal is to ensure that the completed project can be put into operation immediately, avoiding the situation of "building and then leaving it idle," lacking activities, and being used inefficiently.
From the reality of a project spanning nearly a decade, it's clear that the challenge lies not only in terms of progress or funding, but also in a holistic approach to investment and operation. For the Center for the Preservation and Promotion of Nghe Tinh Folk Songs (Vi and Giam) to truly become a cultural highlight of the province, it's necessary to closely link construction investment with a long-term exploitation strategy; diversify performance types; combine artistic performances with cultural tourism and heritage education; and create mechanisms for art units to proactively create and organize programs that meet public needs.