About 50 artists from professional troupes and theatres will show off their skills at the event, run by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Department of Performing Arts and the Vietnam Theatre Artists Association.

The competition is a chance for young artists to share their experiences, said Nguyen Dang Chuong, head of department.
 

It is also an opportunity to discover artists interested in the traditional arts.

The performers range from teenagers to young adults about 30 years old. Each artist selects one 20-minute extract to illustrate the characteristics of cai luong (reformed theatre), bai choi (central region folk singing), and dam (folk singing of Nghe An and Ha Tinh central provinces).

These traditional arts have developed in the central and the southern areas of country.

Managers from art troupes and theatres are reviewing the traditional arts to develop a strategy to keep them alive, said Chuong.