THE ART OF HÁT BỘI IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL COASTAL REGION: DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES AND VALUE CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

The art of Hát Bội in Vietnam’s South Central Coastal region is undergoing profound transformations in both performative regimes and value configurations. Conceptualizing artistic practice as a cultural system, and drawing on ethnographic fieldwork—including participant observation and in-deep interviews conducted in selected localities in 2025—this study identifies and analyzes the core values of Hát Bội and examines its role in the production of cultural meaning and audience experience. The findings indicate that Hát Bội mobilizes three interrelated value clusters: (i) values of cultural identity formation; (ii) aesthetic values embedded in the genre’s distinctive performative grammar; and (iii) moral–pedagogical values. The article further demonstrates that these value clusters are being reconfigured through shifting aesthetic norms, the increasing commodification of performance under market conditions, and the institutional reframing of moral values within formal education. It argues that sustainable safeguarding and valorization of Hát Bội must be grounded in a holistic recognition of its culturally embedded value system, rather than an exclusive emphasis on performative technique or formal representation