Ball 17. Drums! Ama and Tam were in a field ringed by little bamboo huts on stilts, a family in each. In 2017 this art was listed by UNESCO as part of the cultural heritage of humanity, and here it was, loud and laughing, at the new year.
In the middle stood a singer, Anh Hiệu, with a tube of cards. Before he showed a card, he sang about it — a few lines of a folk-style verse that hinted at the name. The families in the huts leaned out, guessing, and when the card came up the right hut banged its drum.
“The song comes first,” Hiệu said, “so everyone has a moment to think. The card only proves who was listening.”