Traditional Vietnamese music and instruments

Traditional Vietnamese music is built around a set of distinctive instruments, especially plucked and bowed strings, bamboo flutes and percussion, and it lives in folk songs, court music and theater. The best-known instrument is the đàn bầu, a one-string zither that can bend a single note like a human voice.

Here is a tour of the main instruments and the kinds of music they are played in.

What makes traditional Vietnamese music sound distinctive?

A few features stand out:

• Bending and ornamenting notes. Players slide, wobble and decorate notes rather than holding them flat. This echoes Vietnamese speech, which uses tones.
• Pentatonic-based scales. Much of the music uses five-note scales, with regional modes that give it different moods.
• Small ensembles. Many styles use a singer and a few instruments rather than a large orchestra.
• Close ties to words. Song lyrics, poetry and theater are central, so the instruments often support a voice.

Đàn bầu: the one-string zither

The đàn bầu ("dahn bow," rhymes with "cow") has a single string stretched along a long wooden body. A flexible rod, traditionally made of horn or bamboo, sticks up at one end. The player touches the string lightly to produce harmonics and bends the rod to raise or lower the pitch.

The result is a soft, sliding, almost vocal sound. Modern instruments often have a pickup and an amplifier, because the natural sound is quiet. If you hear one piece of traditional Vietnamese music in a film or documentary, there is a good chance it features the đàn bầu.

Đàn tranh: the zither

The đàn tranh ("dahn chang" in the South, "dahn trang" closer to the Northern sound) is a long zither with many strings, commonly 16 though versions with more exist. Movable bridges set the pitch of each string. The right hand plucks, often with finger picks, while the left hand presses the strings to bend and vibrate notes.

It is related to other East Asian zithers, such as the Chinese guzheng, but has its own repertoire and playing style. It sounds bright and rippling.

Đàn nguyệt: the moon lute

The đàn nguyệt ("dahn nwee-et") is a lute with a round body, which gives it the name "moon lute." It has two strings and a long neck with high frets, so players can press between the frets to bend notes. It shows up in Southern chamber music and in the ritual singing known as chầu văn.

Đàn nhị: the two-string fiddle

The đàn nhị ("dahn nyee") is a small bowed instrument with two strings, held upright on the lap. The bow hair passes between the strings. It has a reedy, singing tone and is common in folk ensembles and theater music. You may also hear it called đàn cò in the South.

Sáo trúc: the bamboo flute

The sáo trúc ("sow chook") is a side-blown bamboo flute. It is simple, cheap and very common, and it is associated with the countryside and with images of children herding buffalo. Its sound is breathy and clear.

Percussion, gongs and bamboo

• Song lang: a small wooden clapper played with the foot, used to keep time in Southern music and cải lương.
• Trống: drums of many sizes, from small hand drums to large festival drums.
• Cồng chiêng: bronze gongs played by ethnic minority communities in the Central Highlands. The Space of Gong Culture of the Central Highlands is recognized by UNESCO.
• Đàn t'rưng: a bamboo xylophone from the Central Highlands with a clattering, watery sound.
• Đàn đá: a lithophone made of stone slabs, one of the oldest instrument types found in Vietnam.

Where is this music played?

Traditional instruments appear in several settings:

• Folk singing such as quan họ in the North and đờn ca tài tử in the South. See Vietnamese folk music: quan họ, ca trù and more.
• Nhã nhạc, the court music of the Nguyễn dynasty in Huế, which is also on UNESCO's list.
• Theater forms like chèo, tuồng and cải lương, plus water puppetry, which uses a live traditional ensemble.
• Ritual and religious music, including chầu văn singing for the Mother Goddess tradition.

Today you will also hear these instruments in modern pop. Some V-pop artists add a đàn bầu or sáo trúc to give a track a folk color. That blend is a good bridge if you are coming from Vietnamese music in general.

How to start listening

Search YouTube for "đàn bầu" or "đàn tranh" plus "độc tấu" (solo performance) to find instrumental pieces. Performances by conservatory musicians are usually well recorded and labeled. Watching a player's hands is the fastest way to understand how each instrument bends its notes.

Start with a solo đàn bầu performance and listen for how one string makes a whole melody; once that sound clicks, the rest of the tradition gets much easier to follow.