On the evening of December 7, at Van Xuan Flower Garden (Ba Dinh Ward, Hanoi), the art program “The Sounds of Vietnamese Land” took place as part of the project “Introducing the Vietnamese Dan Bau – A Traditional National Musical Instrument through Vietnamese Folk Melodies 2025.”
The program was directed by the Hanoi People’s Committee, with content led by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports and performed by the Thang Long Music, Song, and Dance Theater. It aimed to honor the unique value of the dan bau and to share the beauty of this heritage with the capital’s audiences as well as international friends.
Lasting 90 minutes, The Sounds of Vietnamese Land retraced the development journey of the dan bau – a single-string instrument with a distinctive timbre that embodies the depth of Vietnamese culture. The carefully curated program featured solo and ensemble performances, folk songs from the three regions of Vietnam, modern arrangements, and interactive segments, allowing audiences to fully experience the spectrum of traditional music from classical to contemporary. Beyond performance, the evening also carried academic value, incorporating documentary materials that added aesthetic depth and evoked a strong sense of national cultural pride.
The program brought together many prominent figures in traditional Vietnamese arts. People’s Artist Hoang Anh Tu, one of Vietnam’s leading dan bau performers, presented multiple solo and ensemble pieces, alongside the participation of People’s Artist Thu Huyen; Meritorious Artists Thanh Nam, Ngoc Anh, Le Minh, and Khanh Hoa; singers Le Anh Dung and Khanh Linh; and numerous young artists from the Thang Long Music, Song, and Dance Theater. The collaboration between veteran artists and younger generations created a continuous flow, passing down tradition through fresh and dynamic forms. In each performance, audiences could clearly sense the meticulous attention to staging, orchestration, stage coordination, and artist-audience interaction.
A highlight of The Sounds of Vietnamese Land was the seamless integration of visual imagery and cultural narratives into each performance. Scenes of rural landscapes, images of devoted mothers, Vietnam’s rivers and mountains, and historical moments were projected on screen, enriching the emotional resonance of the music. The repertoire was carefully selected, ranging from folk songs and revolutionary music to homeland ballads and localized adaptations of international works, conveying a clear message: the dan bau is not only a traditional instrument but also a cultural bridge connecting Vietnam with friends around the world.
With professional investment, compelling content, and the participation of accomplished artists, the program is expected to continue being broadcast and shared across multiple media platforms, becoming a cultural highlight of Hanoi in 2025. The Sounds of Vietnamese Land left a lasting impression on audiences – calm, proud, and filled with confidence that Vietnam’s musical heritage will continue to be preserved, creatively renewed, and passed down through generations.
Bao Tram