{"id":445,"date":"2025-11-12T16:18:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/32\/?p=445"},"modified":"2026-05-20T19:28:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:28:55","slug":"what-a-blue-daisy-can-bring-to-contemporary-vietnamese-theatre-translated-performances-of-vietnamese-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/32\/what-a-blue-daisy-can-bring-to-contemporary-vietnamese-theatre-translated-performances-of-vietnamese-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"What a Blue Daisy Can Bring to Contemporary Vietnamese Theatre: Translated Performances of Vietnamese Drama"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yuko Nobe<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

From around the 13th century, Vietnam\u2019s principal form of opera was a musical theatre that relied heavily on melody and rhythm as its primary means of expression. In the late 19th century, during the French colonial period, a form of spoken drama influenced by Western theatre was introduced. Modern Vietnamese theatre (K\u1ecbch n\u00f3i, or \u201cspoken drama\u201d) thus has a history of about one hundred years and has always been closely tied to ideology due to its historical context. In the late 1980s, the emergence of playwright L\u01b0u Quang V\u0169 marked a period of remarkable creativity and renewal. Since the 2000s, however, rapid social changes in Vietnam have transformed the theatrical landscape, presenting new challenges\u2014particularly in maintaining audience engagement. One potential response to these challenges lies in the internationalization of Vietnamese theatre. This paper examines how internationalization can contribute to the revitalization of contemporary Vietnamese K\u1ecbch n\u00f3i by analyzing L\u01b0u Quang V\u0169\u2019s 1987 play Hoa c\u00fac xanh tr\u00ean \u0111\u1ea7m l\u1ea7y (Blue Daisy in the Swamp)<\/font> and its 2018 revival by the Youth Theatre in Hanoi. It also discusses broader issues surrounding internationalization through a case study of the author\u2019s own project translating and staging Blue Daisy in the Swamp in Japan.

Keywords:<\/strong> Vietnamese spoken drama, L\u01b0u Quang V\u0169, Blue Daisy in the Swamp<\/font>, Japan-Vietnam intercultural theatre, researcher as practitioner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction and Historical Foundations<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The history of modern Vietnamese theatre provides a revealing lens through which to examine the intersections of cultural transformation, political ideology, and artistic innovation in twentieth- and twenty-first-century Vietnam. Among the various theatrical forms that developed over this period, k\u1ecbch n\u00f3i (spoken drama) occupies a particularly significant position. Emerging during the colonial era as an adaptation of Western dramatic conventions, k\u1ecbch n\u00f3i evolved into a primary medium for articulating national concerns, critiquing social realities, and negotiating tensions between tradition and modernity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article focuses on the work of L\u01b0u Quang V\u0169 (1948\u20131988), whose plays in the 1980s captured the anxieties and aspirations of a society in transition. His dramaturgy was marked by allegory, symbolism, and a deep concern with human dignity under conditions of political stagnation and social change. Among his many works, Hoa C\u00fac Xanh Tr\u00ean \u0110\u1ea7m L\u1ea7y<\/em> (Blue Daisy in the Swamp<\/em> 1987) stands out for its innovative use of science fiction tropes, allegorical figures, and moral dilemmas.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through a case study of Blue Daisy in the Swamp<\/em>, this article explores three main questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. How does the play reflect and critique the sociopolitical conditions of 1980s Vietnam?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. In what ways can it be read through the lens of posthumanist theory, particularly in relation to autonomy, authenticity, and hybridity?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. What are the implications of translating and adapting the play into Japanese for comparative theatre studies?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    By addressing these questions, the article seeks to contribute to the growing but still limited body of scholarship on Vietnamese theatre, while also demonstrating how a Vietnamese play can speak to global theoretical debates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Modern spoken drama in Vietnam originated in the 1920s with works such as V\u0169 \u0110\u00ecnh Long\u2019s Ch\u00e9n Thu\u1ed1c \u0110\u1ed9c<\/em> (A Cup of Poison<\/em>, 1921). Early k\u1ecbch n\u00f3i<\/em> drew upon French theatrical models, particularly naturalist and realist dramaturgies, but they were quickly localized to reflect Vietnamese social realities. During the colonial period, plays addressed themes of family conflict, social morality, and the encounter between traditional values and modern aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After 1945, with the August Revolution and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, k\u1ecbch n\u00f3i<\/em> was reoriented toward socialist realism in the North. Plays were expected to promote collectivist values, depict heroic workers and soldiers, and contribute to nation-building. In the South, by contrast, theatre during the Republic of Vietnam (1955\u20131975) was more eclectic, drawing on both Western and indigenous forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After the war, and particularly following the reunification in 1975, theatre in northern Vietnam experienced a surge in popularity. The 1980s saw what is often called the “L\u01b0u Quang V\u0169 phenomenon,” marking the golden age of Vietnamese theatre that continues to this day. L\u01b0u Quang V\u0169, who grew up in the north and was based in Hanoi, broke away from rigid Socialist Realism by reintroducing allegory, moral ambiguity, and critical reflection. Thus, k\u1ecbch n\u00f3i<\/em> began to function as a significant medium for addressing the dilemmas of modern Vietnamese life.[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    L\u01b0u Quang V\u0169 was born in 1948 in Ph\u00fa Th\u1ecd Province and grew up in a family of intellectuals. He first gained recognition as a poet before turning to playwriting in the late 1970s. Between 1978 and his tragic death in 1988, he produced over fifty plays, many of which became cultural landmarks. His career coincided with a critical juncture in Vietnamese history: the aftermath of war, the stagnation of socialist collectivism, and the onset of \u0110\u1ed5i M\u1edbi (Renovation) reforms in 1986.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    V\u0169\u2019s plays articulate the frustrations of a society weary of dogma yet yearning for renewal. His characters often grapple with ethical dilemmas, torn between loyalty to collective ideals and the pursuit of personal integrity. While his works were celebrated by audiences for their honesty and artistry, they were sometimes regarded with suspicion by authorities for their implicit critiques of bureaucracy and corruption. As Nguy\u1ec5n Th\u1ecb Minh Th\u00e1i argues, \u201cV\u0169\u2019s melodramas challenged the state not by rejecting socialism but by dramatizing the contradictions between its ideals and the bureaucratic failures of its implementation\u201d (87\u20139).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The sudden death of V\u0169\u2014together with his wife, the celebrated poet Xu\u00e2n Qu\u1ef3nh, and their son\u2014in a car accident in 1988 marked the end of an extraordinary creative partnership. While officially recorded as an accident, the circumstances surrounding their deaths have continued to provoke public speculation, with some voices questioning whether it was a politically motivated setup. Regardless of the cause, the loss solidified V\u0169\u2019s reputation as the most important playwright of modern Vietnam. His legacy continues to shape Vietnamese theatre, with frequent revivals of his plays and growing scholarly engagement both within and outside Vietnam.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This study is informed not only by textual and historical analysis but also by extensive fieldwork conducted in Hanoi between 2014 and 2024. The integration of archival research, interviews, and participant observation enables a multi-layered approach that situates Blue Daisy in the Swamp<\/em> within both its original historical milieu and its contemporary performance ecology. Moreover, the author\u2019s own role as translator and adaptor of the play from Vietnamese to Japanese introduces a reflexive dimension that underscores the entanglement of scholarship and practice in theatre studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Textual and Performance Analysis of Blue Daisy in the Swamp<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Among the many plays written by L\u01b0u Quang V\u0169 in the 1980s, Hoa C\u00fac Xanh Tr\u00ean \u0110\u1ea7m L\u1ea7y<\/em> (Blue Daisy in the Swamp<\/em> 1987) stands out for its fusion of allegory, fantasy, and social critique. Inspired partly by the poetry of Xu\u00e2n Qu\u1ef3nh,[4]<\/sup><\/a> the play demonstrates both the originality of Vietnamese spoken drama (k\u1ecbch n\u00f3i<\/em>) and its capacity for philosophical exploration. While many of V\u0169\u2019s works engaged with political and ethical dilemmas of his time, Blue Daisy<\/em> went further by incorporating elements of science fiction, thereby creating a dramaturgy that resonates beyond the specific context of socialist Vietnam. The following discussion analyzes its plot, characters, symbols, and theoretical implications, situating the play within both Vietnamese cultural history and posthumanist thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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