 Cải lương can be compared to a sort of play with the added aspect of Vọng cổ.This term literally means "nostalgia for the past", it is a special type of singing with the background music often being the "đàn tranh" zither or the "đàn ghi-ta" (Vietnamized guitar).In a typical "cải lương" play, the actresses and actors would use a combination of regular spoken dialogue and "vọng cổ" to express their thoughts and emotions.