Bai choi

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, many wild animals in the forest often came to destroy crops and disturb the lives of innocent people. To fight against wild animals, the villagers built very high huts on the edge of the forest. A young man was assigned to each hut to guard it. If he saw wild animals coming to destroy crops, he would beat drums and shout loudly to chase them away. During that process, to relieve boredom, people came up with ways to interact together through songs and chants.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

To suit the circumstances of the time, people sitting inside the huts would sing and respond to each other from one hut to another. Not only that, people also created a way to play Tứ Sắc (similar to playing Tam cúc in the North). This form of playing cards and chanting (singing) between huts together for entertainment was popularly called "hô bài chòi," the origin of the later art of bài chòi.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Over time, so that more people could know how to play this song and chant, the entertainment events were gradually upgraded to a card game festival.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

File:Đông Hà, Tết 2018 (bài chòi) (1).jpg during Tết 2018]]

The range of Bài Chòi includes 11 provinces and cities in the Central region from Quảng Bình to Bình Thuận (not including the Central Highlands provinces)[http://www.thanhnien.com.vn/pages/20140528/de-trinh-bai-choi-la-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-nhan-loai.aspx Đệ trình Bài chòi là di sản văn hóa phi vật thể nhân loại] The provinces in order from North to South are: Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, Ninh Thuận, and Bình Thuận.{{Cite web |date=29 June 2018 |title=The Art of Bai Choi in Central Vietnam |url=https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/en/post/13565 |access-date=13 February 2025 |website=Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism}}

Hát chòi is often organized as a festival.

This festival is often held in villages during Tết.{{Cite web |last= |date=7 December 2017 |title=Bai Choi singing wins UNESCO recognition |url=https://en.vietnamplus.vn/bai-choi-singing-wins-unesco-recognition-post122994.vnp |access-date=13 February 2025 |website=Vietnam+ |language=}} People build 9, 11 or 13 huts,{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=10 February 2011 |title=Art & Entertainment in Brief 10/2 |url=https://vietnamnet.vn/en/art-entertainment-in-brief-102-E4422.html |access-date=13 February 2025 |website=VietNamNet News |language=}} divided into 2 sides, each side having approximately 5 huts, each hut is 2-3m high, wide enough for a few people to sit and a central hut (chòi mẹ) in the middle for local dignitaries.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

The deck of cards for bài chòi is an improved Chinese money-suited deck, consisting of 33 cards, with names converted into simple names such as: nhứt nọc, nhì nghèo, ông ầm, thằng bí, lá liễu, etc. The art is drawn on paper and stuck to bamboo cards. Each bamboo card has three cards, without duplicates.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

The deck includes 3 suits, which are:

• Cash (文, Văn): ông Ầm, bánh hai, ba bụng, tứ tượng, ngũ ruột, sáu ghe, bảy liễu, tám miểng, chín cu, and chín gối.
• Myriads of Strings (萬, Vạn): bạch huê, nhứt trò, nhì bí, tam quăng, tứ móc, ngũ trợt, lục chạng, thất vung, bát bồng, and cửu điều.
• Strings of Cash (索, Sách): Thái Tử, nhứt nọc, nhì nghèo, ba gà, tứ sách, năm dụm, sáu bưởng, bảy thưa, tám dừng, and cửu chùa.

Each suit has 10 cards, and because there must be 33 cards (3 each for the maximum 11 huts), 3 more cards are added: ông ầm đen, tử cẳng đen, and cửu điều đen (the 3 cards of the same name are distinguished by being marked red) to have enough cards to play.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

During the game, the chanter (i.e. the singer) shakes the card tube, draws one card and calls out the name of the card. To create more suspense and force players to speculate, the chanter shouts out a verse or a ca dao with the name of the card. Whoever wins the name of the card must knock on the bell so the waiter can bring the card. If you win three cards, that hut will "tới" and draw a long lottery. At that time, the shopkeeper holds up a small flag and a tray of wine is given as a prize to the winner. A paper bunting flag is also placed on the hut to mark a win.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

To help entertain the game, there is also a traditional band consisting of harp, horn, drum, and drums{{clarification needed|actual instrument is lost in translation|date=June 2024}} that play when the hut "tới".{{cn|date=June 2024}}

File:Hát bài chòi.JPG]]

::Đi đâu mang sách đi hoài

:Cử nhơn không đậu, tú tài cũng không. (Nhứt Trò)

::Ai làm thượng hạ bất thông

:Bàng quang bể thủng sớm trông tối ngày. (Nhì Bí)

::Nửa đêm gà gáy le te

:Muốn đi rón rén đụng nghe cái ầm.(Ông Ầm)

::Lưng choàng áo đỏ

::Đầu đội khăn đen

::Chân đi lèng quèng

::Là ông chân gãy.(Tứ Cẳng)

::Lội suối trèo non

::Tìm con chim nhỏ

::Về treo trước ngõ

::Nó gáy cúc cu. (Chín Cu)

::Chầu rày đã có trăng non

:Để anh lên xuống có con em bồng. (Bát Bồng)

::Đi đàng phải bịt khăn đen

:Ở nhà vợ sắn vóc sen nhuộm điều. (Cửu Điều)

• {{ill|Lô Tô|vi|Lô tô|vertical-align=sup}} - Vietnamese Bingo
• Xẩm - a type of Vietnamese folk music
• Bài Bất / Bài Tổ Tôm - a traditional Vietnamese money-suited card game
• Bài Tứ Sắc - a traditional Vietnamese four-color chess card game
• Bài Tam Cúc - a traditional Vietnamese two-color chess card game
• Mahjong - used to play traditional Vietnamese card games
• Lotería - a Bingo game from Mexico that also use cards and a singer
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

{{Reflist}}

{{Vietnam-stub}}

Category:Culture of Vietnam

Category:Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity