Culture: Traditional Music In Vietnam

Traditional music in Vietnam, often known as folk music, is a significant subset of traditional Vietnamese music that has, throughout the country's history, accurately reflected the people, culture, customs, geography, and other aspects of everyday life in Vietnam. Traditional music in Vietnam has been influenced by foreign musical genres like those from China, Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom since the 20th century, but it has managed to retain its distinctive beauty, as evidenced by the existence of traditional Vietnamese music and its significance to Vietnamese culture.

AN OVERVIEW OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN VIETNAM

Vietnamese folk music was created quite early on. Vietnamese people have a deep love for music and have seen it as a vital aspect of their culture from the beginning of time. As a result, throughout history, people have continually invented a wide variety of musical instruments and musical genres to express their sentiments and emotions, increase their drive for everyday labor, and relieve tension. You can participate in singing competitions, epics, the sweet songs of the jongleurs, "Don Ca Tai Tu" - the traditional vietnamese music of the Southern people, and traditional opera, among other entertaining activities - while listening to the melody of lullabies, children's songs, types of music in worshiping rituals, funerals, or conversations among community members, etc.

Traditional Vietnamese music is rich due to the synthesis of diverse genres from various ethnic and age groups. Despite sharing the same musical genre, each ethnic group has its own unique rhythm, style of expression, and performance. The lullabies of the Kinh, for instance, are distinct from those of the Thai, Muong, the Dao, etc. Additionally, although certain ethnic groups perform a variety of traditional musical instruments like the flute and Vietnamese monochord, others croon their children to sleep with lullabies.

There are 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, which implies there are 54 distinct traditional musical traditions. As a result, we would like to include in this article the traditional music of the Kinh people, who make up the majority ethnic group in Vietnam with 85.7% of the population.

Traditional music in Vietnam (in this case, Kinh's music) can be categorized in a number of ways. They have a variety of music styles, including Ca Tru, Cheo, Tuong, and Xam singing, Don Ca Tai Tu, and music from the Royal Family. The South's traditional music, the Central, the Central Highlands, the North, and so on or smaller by regional culture. There are three categories of performers: solo, duet, and group.

Traditional Vietnamese music frequently features a wide range of traditional musical instruments, including the dan bau (monochord), dan co (erhu), dan day, dan nguyet (moon lute), etc. Each of these musical instruments adds to the distinctive qualities of traditional music in Vietnam.

HOW IS TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN VIETNAM USED?

Most religious events, daily living, and traditional festivals have always included traditional Vietnamese music. Vietnam's music culture is diversified due to the country's ethnic variety. Every ethnic group in Vietnam has access to a wide variety of unusual musical instruments.

WHY IS TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE MUSIC IMPORTANT?

According to Bradley, "music offered troops a chance to start making sense of things that didn't make much sense to them”. Songs about the war served as both a safe means to communicate the ambivalence that many soldiers in the field felt and evidence that people were talking about this horrific event.

Contrarily, traditional music in Vietnam conveys a nation's culture, tradition, and history and provides tales about people and their lives in a way that will always be relevant. Therefore, there is no question that traditional music is more significant for us as individuals in a community and a nation.

WHAT KIND OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN VIETNAM IS MOST POPULAR?

Pop songs and evocative ballads rule the Vietnamese music scene. There are several varieties of "tan co" (Vietnamese pop). They include "nhac ngoai" (western songs), "nhac tru tinh," and others (sickenly sweet sentimental ballads and pop sung in Vietnamese).

TYPES OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN VIETNAM

Types of traditional Vietnamese music in Northern Vietnam

Ca Trù (Hát Ả Đào)

Since the 15th century, ca trù, also known as hát A Dao, has been a very well-liked form of chamber music in North and North Central Vietnam. In the past, intellectuals and aristocracy both enjoyed court music. Additionally, Ca trù might be described as the ideal fusion of music and poetry.

In a Ca trù performance, there are three main actors: a female singer (called "A Dao” or "Ca Nuong") who uses tongs, a male instrumentalist (called "kep") who supports the vocalist by playing the dan day, and a spectator (called "Quan vien”, who is typically the song's author) who plays the drum to punctuate the song and convey happiness through the sound of the drum. UNESCO designated Ca trù in 2009 as an intangible property that needs immediate conservation.

Chau Van

One of the forms of traditional Vietnamese music that has its roots in the North Delta is Hat Van or Chu Van. It has ties to Mother Goddess worship, a well-known folk doctrine in Vietnam. Chu Van is regarded as a singing style of goddess worship because it combines spiritual melody with serious and intricate phrases.

Chau Van is crucial in a Mother Goddesses Worshiping performance because she summons the gods to the rite. The vocalists can sing and play instruments at the same time for 4 to 8 hours throughout the performance, giving the wedding a lively atmosphere. The common musical instruments include the dan nguyet (moon lute), as well as other instruments including the flute, Vietnamese monochord, tongs, and cymbals. Hat  Van is well-known in both Hanoi and Nam Dinh, but Nam Dinh's performance style is more agrarian.

Cheo

In North Vietnam, particularly in the Red River delta and two sparsely inhabited mountainous regions in the North and North Central, cheo, a type of traditional stage art, is actively growing. This style of folk music is remarkably preferred for summer festivals because it combines ethnicity and popularity with narrative and love lyrics in a seamless manner.

From the 10th century to the present, Cheo stage art has a lengthy history and has had a significant impact on Vietnamese social life. Cheo's message encompasses every facet of the Vietnamese people's national identity: optimism, love, simplicity, pride in one's homeland, and tenacity in defending it against invaders. Cheo is rich in literary genres including romance, epic, poetry, and others because of these profound connotations, which gives this ancient music a special allure.

Quan Ho Folk Songs

One of the traditional songs from the Red River delta in the north of Vietnam is called Quan ho. It originated and flourished in the old cultural region of Kinh Bac, particularly in the region that currently serves as the border between the provinces of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh, where the Cau River, also known as "the river of Quan ho”, flows softly.

Folk songs from the Quan ho region are always performed by groups of five to six people. They use the family members' more personal names throughout the performance, such as "Anh ca" for the first brother, "Chi ca” for the first sister, "anh hai" for the second brother, and "chi hai” for the second sister, etc. The singers for this particular style of traditional Vietnamese music are each dressed in a unique performance outfit: the brothers wear turbans, umbrellas, and tunics, while the sisters wear "mo ba mo bay” shirts, which are a traditional garment for Vietnamese women, as well as big round hats and scarves. Folk music from Quan ho impresses listeners with an intriguingly distinctive vocal style. They typically separate into "brother” and "sister” groups to exchange back-and-forth singing of the traditional and rustic love ballads with or without musical accompaniment.

Tuong

Tuong is thought to have originated from Vietnamese song and dance, but as it evolved, it included many performance styles and elements of classical Chinese opera. This genre of music typically conveys a grand mood to celebrate the nation's heroes or to impart moral teachings on how to behave in relationships with one's family, one's country, and one's community. Amid a play, the just forces must struggle to uphold justice in oppressive circumstances while serving as an example for everyone else to imitate.

Xam Music 

In North Vietnam, particularly in the Red River delta and Northern midland, Xam is a well-liked kind of folk music. The majority of Xam performers used to play in marketplaces, streets, or other busy locations, but very few did so on large stages, which is why so few people now are familiar with this ancient music. In the past, Xam was seen to be a source of income for the poor and the deceased. Simple musical instruments like the Erhu and Senh Tien are used to accompany Xam singing.

Types of  traditional Vietnamese music in Central Vietnam

Ho, Ly (Chanty)

Ho and Ly, a famous musical genre that originated from the way of life in the valley and expresses the feelings and mood of the laborers, has been a part of traditional music in Vietnam since ancient times. Although these two styles of traditional Vietnamese music are quite similar, Ho is typically associated with a working activity and Ly is not. Ho and Ly have also been growing in South and Central Vietnam. When visiting these areas, it will be simple to run into locals who will be humming the country music of Ho and Ly.

Nha Nhac (Hue Royal Court Music)

The Nguyen dynasty of Vietnam's Nha Nhac of Hue royal court music was played at festivals or ceremonies (coronations, funerals, and other religious festivals) during the feudal era. In 2003, UNESCO designated Hue royal court music as a masterpiece of oral and intangible global cultural treasures.

A diverse collection of 126 songs by Nha Nhac including both original lyrics and translations. Additionally, the Hue Royal court music performances are supported by hundreds of musical instruments. As a result, it is clear to state that Nha Nhac is a style of traditional music in Vietnam with a rigid structural framework that helped to create the orchestra's complete structure, the system of orchestral music without lyrics, the music accompaniments for singing and dancing, the songs in various types of dance, and the songs used in ceremonies.

Types of  traditional Vietnamese music in Southern Vietnam

Don Ca Tai Tu (Southern Amateur Music)

Traditional Vietnamese music known as Don Ca Tai Tu has been designated a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. It was founded in the late 19th century and had a significant impact on the development of 21 Northern provinces of Vietnam. 

Five traditional Vietnamese music instruments—dan tranh (zither), dan ty ba (pipa), dan nguyet (moon lute), dan bau (monochord), and dan tam—along with the flute occasionally—make up the over-a century-old Don Ca Tai Tu, often known as the band performance. The "Don Ca Tai Tu" singers are often friends or neighbors in a hamlet; they come together and joyfully sing with one another to forget about the traditional attire.

Cai Luong

One type of opera, called Cai Luong, has its roots in South Vietnam and was created based on Don Ca Tai Tu and Mekong Delta folk melodies. Each Cai Luong performance may incorporate elements from old Vietnamese tales, Nom poetry, and literature about Vietnamese culture, followed by elements from ancient Indian, Egyptian, Roman, and Japanese tales. This particular kind of  traditional music in Vietnam bears the unique characteristics of the amalgamation of numerous civilizations.

Aside from supporting the singing, the orchestra's music also highlights the characters' psychological complexity, adding drama to the narrative and ensuring the success of the play. Without it, Cai Luong's performance would fall short of perfection. Cai Luong is currently a very well-liked style of traditional Vietnamese music in the South, enhancing the locals' spiritual lives.

The information above provides a summary of Vietnamese traditional music. As part of your Vietnam Local Tour, listening to some traditional Vietnamese music and participating in the audience will be a wonderful experience that will help you appreciate Vietnamese culture better.

If you fall in love with a particular type of traditional music in Vietnam, the concert may be included in your Vietnam trip packages, or you may click here to request a tour that is specifically designed to include the show you like.