An Overview of Vietnamese Traditional Music

Vietnamese traditional music was born very early. Ever since ancient times, Vietnamese people
have been very passionate about music and considered music an integral part of their life.
Therefore, in the process of historical development, the residents have constantly created many
musical instruments and musical genres to express their feelings and emotions, gain more
motivation for daily work, and get out of the stress in life.

Vietnamese music has been influenced by the United Kingdom, United States, China, Korea
and many other countries. With almost 54 minor ethnicities Vietnam's music on itself has a
large number of variations and diversity.

Traditional music instruments

Vietnam has about 50 national music instruments. Our country is located in the tropical monsoon
region, which is favorable for the growth of plant and animal, with 50% of the area is forest, so
there are many kinds of hard-shelled fruits, bamboo, etc. It’s an important raw materials for the
production of musical instruments, from wind instruments such as (flute, Khèn Bầu...).
percussion instruments such as (Tơ Rưng...). String instruments such as (Đàn Gông, Bro...). In
addition, there are musical instruments made from stone, horns, animal skins...

Types of Traditional Music in Vietnam

 South
1. Đờn Ca Tài Tử (Southern Amateur Music)
This form of traditional Vietnamese music is a world cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.
Established in the 19th century, it has been over a hundred years since this form of music
combining lyrics and musical instruments was born. This type of traditional music is preferred
by southern rural populations. This form was very famous as the band performance, combining
five traditional music instruments of Vietnam: dan nguyet (moon lute), dan tranh (zither), dan
bau (monochord), dan ty ba (pipa), and dan tam; sometimes accompanied by the flute. The “đờn
ca tài tử” singers are usually the friends or neighbors in a village; they gather and happily sing
with each other.

2. Cải lương
This is a kind of opera music that was born on the soils of Southern Vietnam and is inspired by
the Đờn Ca Tài Tử and folk music from the Mekong Delta. These songs contain verses relating
to old stories from Vietnam, France, India, Egypt and Japan. This variety of content makes it
very special. These operas have an orchestra accompanying them that give the depth needed in
portraying the characters in various dramatic situations. Nowadays, Cải lương is also an
extremely popular type of Vietnamese traditional music in the South, strengthening the spiritual
life of the local people.
  Central
1. Hò and Lý (Chanty)
This form of music in Vietnam is very popular among the common folk for its depiction of
lifestyle, habits and mood of the labourers of ancient Vietnam. These two types of music are
closely woven together and the only difference being Hò being related to the working
movement. Hò and Lý have extremely been developing in Central and South Vietnam.

2. Nhã Nhạc (Hue Royal Court Music)

Born under Nguyen dynasty of Vietnam, Hue royal court music is recognized as a masterpiece of
oral and intangible world cultural heritage by UNESCO. This is a collection of 126 original
songs all very different from each other and these were often performed at festivals and
ceremonies during the monarchical times of the Nguyen. This music is known to have influenced
a lot of present-day Vietnamese music trends. It is also known to contribute to creating the
complete structure of orchestral music.

 North
1. Ca Trù (Hát Ả Đào)

Ca Trù, also known as hát ả đào was famous in the 15th century among bureaucrats of the time.
UNESCO recognized it as a heritage form of music that requires urgent protection. There are
three main components of a Ca Trù performance: a female singer (called “đào” or “ca nương”)
who uses the tongs, a male instrumentalist (called “kép”) who plays dan day to support the
vocalist, a spectator (called “Quan viên” plays the drum.

2. Tuồng
This is a derivation of Vietnamese folk songs and traditional Chinese operas. This form of music
has just one message. The victory of good over bad and how it acts as a pathway for everyone to
follow. These performances are generally made to deliver life lessons, love for family and
country and the respect for the national heroes.

Vietnamese Traditional Music nowaday

In the context of integration and opening with many influences of culture and music from
outside, we need to make the right decisions to preserve and promote national music. This is one
of our important tasks.

We need the transmission of artisans to young artists, in parallel with the collection, preservation
and study of traditional musical works. Further, we need to gradually find ways to create a sense
of responsibility for traditional music for the community.