Name that tune

      Tourists and locals in Hoi An love bai choi, a performance-slash-game in which participants bet on the missing words of poems or folksongs.
Whenever I arrive in Hoi An one of my first missions is have a bowl of cao lau, a centuries-old local noodle dish that is unique to Hoi An. On the second floor of a restaurant on Bach Dang street I munch on the noodles and gaze out at the port, imagining how Asian traders would have sat at this very spot eating noodles while keeping an eye on their ship.
This is said to be the origin of the name cao lau, which means literally “high upstairs”. The thick yellow noodles are topped with thinly sliced pieces of marinated pork, beansprouts and local herbs (mint, chives and cilantro) and crunchy banh da as well as a splash of fish sauce, soy sauce, some garlic, sugar, salt and pepper, et voila – one of the most perfect meals you’ll ever find in Vietnam.
Afterwards, I take a stroll down Tran Phu and Nguyen Thai Hoc streets. It’s nine in the evening and the streets are quiet (compared to Hanoi they’re deserted). The thick scent of joss-stick wafts out onto the streets as shopkeepers give thanks before shutting up shop for the day. Then as I wander aimlessly, I hear the faint melodies of traditional instruments in the distance. Intrigued, I try to locate the source.
I arrive at the An Hoi Bridge where a crowd has gathered. On a small stage built with bamboo musicians patiently wait for the crowd to settle. The band is made up with a drummer, a flautist, a two-chord fiddler, and a singer, who is dressed in a charming loose-fitting blouse. She explains that we are going to play bai choi, a folk game that originated in Binh Dinh and Quang Nam provinces in Central Vietnam.
It is a kind of traditional opera but involves the crowd. I sit on a small bamboo stool under a small stall and try to figure out how to play. There are people of all ages – from toddlers to pensioners – and as many locals as there are tourists. “It’s great fun and easy to play but only by being getting involved can you understand what it is like,” says Thanh Hai, a 34-year old Vietnamese tourist. “I never miss a chance to play when I come to town.
In fact I always plan my trips here when I know there’s a performance!” Hai explains for VND5,000 you receive a bamboo card in the shape of ping pong racquet. On the card will be a traditional ideograph, which will have a specific name. To start the game, the MC will lift up her bamboo vase of sticks and pull one out. She will then recite a poem or sing a folk song.
The last words will be the name of one of the cards the audience has picked. Players with the right card will receive a small silk flag from a man dressed as a soldier. After nine songs, if you have a card with three right names, you will be the winner (for each game there will be three winners). The prizes are relatively modest – you might win a box of candied fruit, watermelon seeds, a silk lantern or a DVD of bai choi songs – but of course it’s the taking part that makes it fun and both winners and losers seem delighted with themselves.
“To be a winner means that you will have luck all year,” says Truong Thi Luong, a 65-year old restaurant owner from Hoang Van Thu street. “I love the game because the songs and the rules express the cultural identity and lifestyle of our people in Quang Nam. You can use bai choi to understand the main characteristics of Hoi An and Quang Nam people – we are cheery, enthusiastic and liberal.”
Foreign tourists don’t have to learn Vietnamese to get involved, just remember the names of each bamboo card. In fact, while I’m there one German man was amongst the winners. “The game will be the reason I return to Hoi An! This game is very funny and the folk melodies are wonderful even though I can’t understand the meaning of songs!” says Felix, the lucky winner of a Hoi An silk lantern from Germany.