When Did UNESCO Recognize Bai Choi?

What bai choi is and where it is played

Bai choi is a folk art from central Vietnam that combines singing with something that looks a lot like a card game. Performers use playing cards and small village huts, and the whole thing plays out like a game, with the audience following along. It is most often seen at local spring festivals, which is when you are most likely to come across it if you are traveling through the region¹.

The tradition is usually credited to Mandarin Dao Duy Tu, who lived from 1572 to 1634. According to the story behind it, he developed both the game and the songs to help locals protect their crops. That origin gives bai choi a practical, community feel rather than a purely entertainment one, and it explains why the songs and the game are so closely tied together¹.

If you want to see it, the heartland is Quang Nam province and the old town of Hoi An. Spring is the season to plan around, since that is when the festivals happen. You do not need to buy a ticket to a casino or anything like that. This is a public cultural performance, and you watch it the way you would watch any local festival act.

It helps to know what you are looking at before you go. Bai choi is not a gambling session you can join and bet on. It is a performance that borrows the shape of a game. The cards and huts are props in a sung narrative, and the audience is there to enjoy the show, not to place wagers. If you go expecting a casino table, you will be confused. If you go expecting folk theater with a game-like structure, you will enjoy it.

Bai choi performances in Japan: Sakai and Osaka

That matters for a few reasons. First, it shows the tradition is alive and being actively promoted abroad, not just preserved in a museum. Second, it gives expats and visitors in the Kansai region a realistic chance to see it. Sakai and Osaka both host Vietnamese community and cultural events, and bai choi has been part of that programming.

If you are in Japan and interested, the practical move is to watch for Vietnam festivals and Hoi An cultural nights in the Osaka area. These are usually free or low cost to attend, family friendly, and held in public spaces. You will see the singing, the cards and the huts, and you will get context from the performers. It is a good introduction if you have never encountered the tradition before.

For readers who want the wider picture of games like this being recognized as heritage, there is more on that in gambling games recognized as cultural heritage. And if you are comparing bai choi with another Vietnamese card tradition, bai choi vs tam cuc walks through the differences.

Gambling laws in Vietnam: what is legal and for whom

Vietnam has legalized brick-and-mortar casinos, and for more than a decade locals were banned from land-based casinos before being allowed in under specific conditions². That is the background you need before you walk into any venue. The rules are not the same for everyone, and the differences matter.

For foreigners and overseas Vietnamese, the picture is more straightforward. Prize electronic games are permitted for foreigners and for Vietnamese people who reside abroad and legally enter Vietnam using passports or international travel documents granted by foreign authorities, with valid visas, who have full civil capacity under Vietnamese law and voluntarily comply with the games' rules⁴. A separate decree covers electronic gaming with prizes for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese with foreign passports, valid travel documents and lawful entry into Vietnam⁵.

So if you are a visitor or a foreign resident, you can play at licensed venues. If you are a Vietnamese citizen, the rules are tighter and depend on which project you are visiting. That is the single most important thing to understand before you go.

What is not allowed is worth one plain sentence. Online gambling is not regulated for locals, and locals are not allowed to gamble online in the country². Football betting and any other form of illegal gambling are illegal, and the public has been urged not to participate and to report suspected violations⁶. All gambling and football betting, including online, is prohibited and strictly punished⁷. Playing on offshore casino websites is illegal in Vietnam, and players have been prosecuted.

Casinos open to foreigners

If you are a foreigner or an overseas Vietnamese with a foreign passport, you can play at licensed casinos in Vietnam. The minimum age for legal casino gambling is 18². That is lower than the age that applies to Vietnamese citizens under the pilot scheme, so if you are a foreign visitor in your late teens, you are legally fine to enter.

You will need to prove who you are. Players must carry documents proving they are allowed to play under Articles 11 and 12 of Decree 03/2017/ND-CP⁸. In practice, that means your passport or an equivalent foreign travel document. Bring the original, not a photocopy, and expect it to be checked at the door.

Winnings are handled with foreigners in mind. Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese with foreign passports may receive winnings and transfer or carry winnings abroad in foreign currency under Vietnamese foreign exchange rules⁸. So you are not stuck trying to convert a large sum locally if you would rather move it out in foreign currency.

There is also a change coming to how players are identified. Under a draft decree on casino business, all players, both Vietnamese and foreigners, will be issued electronic ID cards containing personal details, access permissions and expiry dates⁹. That is a proposal, not something in force today, but it tells you the direction of travel: expect more formal registration over time.

A quick summary of who can do what:

Pilot scheme for Vietnamese citizens

Vietnamese citizens are not shut out of casinos entirely, but their access runs through a pilot scheme rather than a general right. The government has issued a resolution allowing eligible Vietnamese citizens to enter casinos at several casino business projects³. The projects named are Phu Quoc, Ho Tram and Van Don.

The history here is worth knowing in one line. In 2016, the Politburo approved a three-year pilot program permitting Vietnamese citizens to gamble at casinos in Phu Quoc and Van Don¹⁰. Under Decree No. 03/2017/ND-CP, that pilot ran until January 2022¹¹. It has since been extended and expanded, which is why Ho Tram now appears alongside the original two.

The current terms differ by project. At the Van Don project in Quang Ninh province, the pilot allows eligible Vietnamese citizens to enter the casino for five years from the date a certificate of eligibility for casino business operations is issued³. The same five-year-from-certificate structure applies at Van Don under the implementing guidance⁸. At the Ho Tram casino project in Ho Chi Minh City, the pilot allows eligible Vietnamese citizens to enter for five years from November 26, 2025³.

For Vietnamese citizens, the age bar is higher than for foreigners. You must be 21 years or older with full civil act capacity under Vietnamese law⁸. The same 21-and-full-capacity rule appears in the implementing legislation for Vietnamese nationals at casino business points¹², and in the draft decree, which states that Vietnamese nationals must be at least 21 years old, possess full legal capacity and comply with other casino regulations⁹.

There is also a financial eligibility angle. Authorities have sought higher fees for locals' entry into a casino to simplify verifying financial eligibility to gamble². If you are a Vietnamese citizen planning to use the pilot, budget for an entry fee and be ready to show that you meet the conditions. The draft decree also sets out two groups of people who would be allowed to enter casino business points, which is the framework to watch as this evolves¹³.

Other legal gambling in Vietnam

Casinos are not the only legal option, and for many readers the lottery is the most accessible one. Vietlott runs Keno, and the game is open to people over 18 years old¹⁴. That is a straightforward, low-stakes way to take part in legal gambling in Vietnam, and it does not require a passport check at a casino door.

The minimum age rules across legal products are not uniform, so check before you assume. Keno is 18 and over¹⁴. Casino gambling for foreigners is 18². Casino entry for Vietnamese citizens under the pilot is 21⁸. If you are a Vietnamese citizen aged 18 to 20, you can buy a lottery ticket but you cannot yet walk into a pilot casino.

One more practical note on the pilot. The rules for Vietnamese players are set out in the legislation covering the pilot program allowing Vietnamese people to play at permitted casino premises, with the duration set by the competent authority¹⁵. That means the window is not open-ended. If you are planning a trip around one of these projects, check that the pilot is still running for that venue before you build your plans around it.

What to expect on the day

If you are a foreigner heading to a licensed casino, the process is simple:

1. Bring your passport.
2. Expect it to be checked.
3. Confirm the venue is licensed for foreign play.

The minimum age is 18². If you win, you can receive your winnings and move them abroad in foreign currency under Vietnamese foreign exchange rules⁸.

If you are a Vietnamese citizen using the pilot, the process is heavier. You need to be 21 or older with full civil act capacity⁸. You need to be at a project covered by the pilot, which currently means Phu Quoc, Ho Tram or Van Don³. An entry fee applies, and authorities have pushed for higher fees to verify financial eligibility². Documents proving you are in a permitted category are required, as they are for all players under the casino rules⁸.

For everyone, the same warning applies once. Online gambling is not regulated for locals, and locals are not allowed to gamble online in the country². Football betting and other illegal gambling are prohibited, and the public has been urged to report suspected violations⁶. All gambling and football betting, including online, is prohibited and strictly punished⁷.

If you are interested in how Vietnam's gambling culture fits into the wider region, the gambling culture and history in Asia hub is a good starting point. For the country-level practical picture, see can I gamble in Vietnam.