The artists will compete in four categories: hat cua dinh (singing at communal houses), hat cua quyen (singing at royal palaces), hat choi (singing in homes) and hat thi (head-to-head competition). 

The festival's director, Dang Hoanh Loan, expressed hope that the festival will help artists develop a deeper understanding of this cultural tradition. 

Pham Minh Huong, deputy director of Vietnam Institute of Musicology, said the festival aims to encourage the artists to develop the art form in the future. 

Many of the artists performing at the festival are candidates for the honour of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, noted Nguyen Kim Dung from the Department of Cultural Heritage. 

The performances will take place at the Vietnam Institute of Musicology in My Dinh area, 12km to the west of downtown Hanoi. A seminar on preserving and promoting ca tru will be held on Oct. 13. 

The festival and seminar are part of the National Action Programme for protecting and developing ca tru heritage, which was recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind in 2009.