Traditional and folk music
As declined with the infinity, each area knowing its own variants, the Vietnamese traditional and folk musics are impossible to list in their totality. That said, some are found more frequently than others. Recognized by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage, the ca trù is a very seductive tradition. This "song of the courtesans" originating from the North, very popular in the 15th century, was played during royal or religious rites. Strictly codified, it is always performed with a female singer at the center of the stage striking a wooden board, accompanied by lute or drum players at her side. The melodies are always graceful and charming. A visit to this temple in Hanoi's Old Quarter soberly named Ca trù gives an excellent overview. More rhythmic and impressive, chầu văn is spiritual music intended to invoke spirits during possession ceremonies. This trance music is performed on the dan nhi fiddle or dan nguyet lute. Banned until 1986 by the government - like other forms of religious expression - it has enjoyed a renaissance in the hands of musicians like Phạm Văn Tỵ. Another song listed by UNESCO as Intangible Heritage is quan họ. Like the worksongs of black slaves in the American cotton fields, quan họ were sung a cappella, often improvised, during hard labor. These motivational songs are popular throughout the country and are still regularly heard at village festivals. At the opposite end of the social scale, ca huê is originally aristocratic chamber music related to entertainment. Generally, it consists of a female singer accompanied by an ensemble of three or five string instruments. Remaining aristocratic until the Second World War, the ca huê is nowadays taught in conservatories and music schools. On the same register, but more grandiose, the nhã nhạc ("elegant music") gathers the various styles of royal music and dances performed at the Vietnamese court from the 15th to the first half of the 20th century. Generally played by 9 to 14 instruments, it was performed during birthdays, religious festivals, coronations, funerals or official receptions.
After a period of censorship - accused by the current political regime of symbolizing royal power - traditional music is making a remarkable comeback. California-based Vietnamese artist Van-Anh Vanessa Vo is an excellent name to remember. While her compositions are modern, her use of Vietnamese instruments and sounds remains traditional. Otherwise, the National Academy of Music has a Traditional Orchestra. If it performs little (rather in one of the country's opera houses), it is, with the Orchestra of the National Theater of Vietnam, one of the best interpreters of the traditional and folk repertoire.
Popular music
From the 1930s - the French colonial period - to the end of the Vietnam War, a major popular music movement developed in the country, inspired by Western genres. Outlawed during the Vietnam War (and censored right up until the fall of the Wall) in favor of "red music" ( nhạc đỏ - the bearer of socialist values), because it was considered "counter-revolutionary", Vietnamese popular music was nonetheless highly prolific. To fully embrace it, three great figures are worth knowing: Trinh Cong Son, Van Cao, and Pham Duy. The first is undoubtedly the best-known of them all. The "Vietnamese Bob Dylan" composed over 700 colorful, deeply pacifist songs during his career. His music was banned during the war, and he was considered a dissident. Another great pioneer of Vietnamese popular music is Van Cao. Author of the national anthem, he laid the foundations of Vietnamese popular music in the pre-war period (until 54). Exploring love songs and epic themes (military marches), almost all his music was banned until 1987. To complete this trio of eminences, we must turn to Phạm Duy. A legend of Vietnamese music, he brought it into the modern era as one of the instigators of tân nhạc (the "new music"). In a career spanning 70 years, he is the author of some 1,000 compositions, providing invaluable testimony to twentieth-century Vietnam.
At the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Communist regime banned popular music on the grounds that it was "sentimental" (i.e. not "patriotic" enough). Only "red music" promoting "state values" was encouraged. It was not until the mid-1990s and the lifting of the American embargo that "V-pop"(Vietnamese pop) really emerged. Qualified rather than styled (it's very heterogeneous), V-pop is generally aimed at a young audience and draws inspiration from Western genres. One of its first flagship artists was Lam Trường, with his rosewater hit Tình Thôi Xót Xa. Aligning themselves with the global market, V-pop artists today produce the same mainstream music as anywhere else - EDM, pop, R&B and Korean K-pop - adapted to Vietnamese culture. Its current stars are powerful-voiced divas such as Mỹ Linh and Thanh Lam, Mai Khôi (the "Vietnamese Lady Gaga"), My Tam, whose ballads have become classics, and Son Tung M-TP, the "local Justin Bieber" whose success is breaking all records.
Classical music
The history of classical music in Vietnam is intimately linked to the French colonial presence in Indochina. The architecture of some buildings is the best witness: the Grand Opera of Hanoi is a little brother of the Opera Garnier, the Opera of Haiphong is full of elements also copied from Garnier and the Opera of Ho Chi Minh City is greatly inspired by the Petit Palais. Built in 1895, the latter is the oldest theater in the country. The HoChi Minh City Symphony Orchestra performs the great Western and Vietnamese classics as well as local contemporary creations. More prestigious, the Hanoi Opera House is also the largest in the country (almost 900 seats) as well as the residence of the National Symphony Orchestra of Vietnam. Directed by the Japanese Tetsuji Honna, it is under his demanding baton that the OSVN has conquered an international aura. Very dynamic, it offers a wide variety of performances with a repertoire oscillating between the usual staples and contemporary and Vietnamese creations (or from the diaspora).
One of the great names of the Hanoi Opera was Le Dung. A great soprano trained at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, she brought with her the operatic reputation of Vietnam. Although they are not widely known, some of the great names of Vietnamese classical music are still familiar here. This is the case of the composer Nguyen Van Quy, the "Vietnamese Beethoven", of French training (he was a student of Adolphe Borchard) and author of nine sonatas for violin and piano. This is also the case of Nguyễn Thiên Đạo (1940-2015), a student of Olivier Messiaen who thought of his music as a synthesis of East and West. Behind these two figures, a lively scene continues to amaze the classical music world. This is the case of Dang Thai Son, a virtuoso pianist whose reputation exploded in 1980 when he won first prize in the International Chopin Piano Competition. Admired for the refinement and purity of his playing, he plays and has played with all the major ensembles (Moscow Philharmonic, the Paris National Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic...). Bui Cong Duy, the country's greatest violinist, won a gold medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition and collaborates with the most prestigious ensembles and venues.
Jazz and contemporary music
Still timid, slowed down by a government with easy censorship, Vietnamese contemporary music is slowly waking up. Spearhead of this new scene: Huong Thanh. For more than twenty years, the singer has been proposing modern and innovative readings of traditional songs where jazz marries the tân nhac (the famous "popular music"). Graceful and refined, her aesthetic is increasingly appreciated in France. His collaborative album with Nguyen Lê, Fragile Beauty, is undoubtedly a major contribution. A Parisian jazzman of Vietnamese origin, Nguyen Le has devoted a large part of his career to popularizing traditional Vietnamese sounds in France and Europe. This has resulted in jazz-rock albums that are often disconcerting, such as Ha Noi Duo, his recent collaboration with Ngô Hông Quang, a young visionary and innovative artist of traditional music. But it is not only the diaspora that provides interesting jazzmen. The biggest stars of the jazz scene are within Vietnamese borders with superb saxophonists like Quyền Văn Minh or Trần Mạnh Tuấn, both legends in the country.
With the "indie" music scene still in its infancy, new creations are often divided between hard rock (or even metal) and experimental music (popular with Conservatory-trained musicians). The hip-hop scene is still a bit lukewarm, but is thickening at a rapid pace, with a few stars even beginning to emerge. Artists such as Wowy, Suboi or Kimmese are transforming a niche into a cultural phenomenon in its own right. A nice album to recommend comes from the diaspora with ONRA and Chinoiseries, an object where Vietnamese pop from the 1960s and 1970s meets hip-hop. Since the obligation to close at midnight has been lifted, nightlife is taking off in Vietnam. In Hanoi, one can now enjoy ambitious electro music at Savage, a club that hosts both local talent and international names. Ho Chi Minh City is more generous with very good places like The Lighthouse club in rooftop, with a very sharp program or The Observatory, more trendy and design, but well provided with renowned artists. As for jazz, the Saxn'art Club in Ho Chi Minh is one of the best clubs in the country. It is the occasion to see Tran Manh Tuan and his band on stage, because... he is the owner!
Theater and dance
As in the whole region, in Vietnam, Chinese opera has had an important influence on the theater. A phenomenon that is particularly felt in the tuong. This classical court theater imported from China in the 14th century is very close to its opera from which it borrows the gestures and the ceremonial aspect. The plots are usually historical and the roles are marked by a strong make-up. One of the oldest forms of Vietnamese opera is undoubtedly the chèo ("comic song"). This popular theater appeared in the 10th century and tells legends around good and evil accompanied by melodies of peasant origins. Compared to tuồng and chèo, cải lương has remained popular as it incorporated many innovations and modern elements from the early 20th century onwards (sometimes even electric guitars are included). The múa rối nước or "water puppets" is the country's most popular theatrical form. This beautiful show presents peasant life with waterproof puppets in a theater... of water (as the name suggests), set to folk music. One of the best places to see it is the Kim Dông Theater in Hanoi. On the dance side, an excellent troupe to watch is Lune Production. Their shows, subtle mixes of contemporary dance, theatrical visual art and traditional music, invent a unique language that tells the essence of Vietnam's fascinating culture.
