In this presentation, Alexander Cannon, lecturer in music at the University of Birmingham, examines how “tradition” lives a vibrant life in contemporary Vietnam and suggest that we retire the trite adage that tradition is dying. Tradition is tested, certainly, and frequently is reframed and revised; indeed, one genre of southern Vietnamese opera, cải lương, includes renovation (cải) in the genre name. Television shows, films, and popular music present many examples of how tradition does not simply inspire but is actively practiced and carried forward.
