Traditional Instruments

TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTS

Experience the sounds of Traditional Vietnamese musical instruments.

Traditional Vietnamese musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical music of Vietnam. They comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments, used by both the Viet (Kinh) majority as well as the nation’s ethnic minorities.

Plucked

Đàn bầu – monochord zither
Đàn đáy – long-necked three-stringed lute with trapezoidal body
Đàn nguyệt (also called nguyệt cầm or đàn kìm) – moon-shaped two-string lute
Đàn sến – two-string lute
Đàn tam – fretless lute with snakeskin-covered body and three strings
Đàn tranh – long zither
Đàn tỳ bà – pear-shaped lute with four strings

Đàn đoản (also called đàn tứ) – moon-shaped lute with short neck; little used
Guitar phím lõm (also called lục huyền cầm or ghi-ta phím lõm) – “Vietnamized” acoustic or electric guitar with scalloped fretboard; used primarily in cải lương
Đàn tứ dây – bass guitar in the shape of a đàn đáy
Cầm – 7-stringed zither equivalent to the Chinese guqin; no longer used
Sắt – zither with 25 strings equivalent to the Chinese se; no longer used
Đàn tính – long-necked lute with a gourd body and two or three silk strings; used by the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups
Bro – fretted zither with a body made of bamboo and a gourd resonator; used by minority ethnic groups in the Central Highlands
Goong – tube zither with a bamboo body; used by minority ethnic groups in the Central Highlands

Bowed

Đàn gáo – two-stringed vertical violin with coconut resonator
Đàn hồ – two-stringed vertical violin with wooden resonator; hồ derives from Chinese hu, as in huqin)
Đàn nhị – two-stringed vertical violin
K’ni (also spelled k’ny or k’ný) – one-string vertical violin; played by the Jarai people of the Central Highland

Struck

Đàn tam thập lục – hammered dulcimer with 36 metal strings

Wind

Flutes

Sáo (also called sáo trúc) – transverse flute made of bamboo or hardwood

Oboes

Kèn – lass of double reed instruments similar to the oboe and shehnai
Kèn bầu – conical oboe with gourd-shaped wooden bell
Kèn đám ma – conical oboe with metal bell; used for funeral music in northern Vietnam

Free reed mouth organs

Đing nǎm – free-reed mouth organ with gourd body and bamboo pipes; played by upland minorities
M’buot – free-reed mouth organ with gourd body and bamboo pipes; played by upland minorities

Horns

Púa – valveless brass trumpet[citation needed]
Ốc “snail” – conch trumpet[citation needed]

Drums

Trống – drum played with sticks
Trống cái – bass drum
Trống chầu or trống đế – the largest of the set of drums used in Hát tuồng.
Trống cơm – rice drum
Trống đồng (also called trống đồng Đông Sơn) – bronze drum played by the Dong Son culture in ancient times
Nruas tuag (also called Ư chua – drum used by the Hmông ethnic group for funeral music

Tuned percussion

Cồng chiêng – tuned gong (comes in both flat and knobbed varieties)
Tam âm la – set of three small, high-pitched flat gongs in a frame; used primarily in nhã nhạc music
T’rưng – bamboo xylophone
Đàn đá – lithophone, commonly having 9+ stone bars, 65cm-102cm in length. It is believed the instrument dates back to 1000 BC. Also called Goong Lú (M’nong people), Kologolo (M’nong people), Gôông Luk (Mạ people).

Untuned percussion

Sênh tiền – coin clapper
Song loan – woodblock

TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTS

Experience the sounds of Traditional Vietnamese musical instruments.

Traditional Vietnamese musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical music of Vietnam. They comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments, used by both the Viet (Kinh) majority as well as the nation’s ethnic minorities.

Plucked

​​​

Đàn bầu – monochord zither

Đàn đáy – long-necked three-stringed lute with trapezoidal body

Đàn nguyệt (also called nguyệt cầm or đàn kìm) – moon-shaped two-string lute

Đàn sến – two-string lute

Đàn tam – fretless lute with snakeskin-covered body and three strings

Đàn tranh – long zither

Đàn tỳ bà – pear-shaped lute with four strings

Đàn đoản (also called đàn tứ) – moon-shaped lute with short neck; little used

Guitar phím lõm (also called lục huyền cầm or ghi-ta phím lõm) – “Vietnamized” acoustic or electric guitar with scalloped fretboard; used primarily in cải lương

Đàn tứ dây – bass guitar in the shape of a đàn đáy

Cầm – 7-stringed zither equivalent to the Chinese guqin; no longer used

Sắt – zither with 25 strings equivalent to the Chinese se; no longer used

Đàn tính – long-necked lute with a gourd body and two or three silk strings; used by the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups

Bro – fretted zither with a body made of bamboo and a gourd resonator; used by minority ethnic groups in the Central Highlands

Goong – tube zither with a bamboo body; used by minority ethnic groups in the Central Highlands

Bowed

​​​​

Đàn gáo – two-stringed vertical violin with coconut resonator

Đàn hồ – two-stringed vertical violin with wooden resonator; hồ derives from Chinese hu, as in huqin)

Đàn nhị – two-stringed vertical violin

K’ni (also spelled k’ny or k’ný) – one-string vertical violin; played by the Jarai people of the Central Highland

Struck

Đàn tam thập lục – hammered dulcimer with 36 metal strings

Wind

​​​

Flutes

Sáo (also called sáo trúc) – transverse flute made of bamboo or hardwood

Oboes

Kèn – lass of double reed instruments similar to the oboe and shehnai

Kèn bầu – conical oboe with gourd-shaped wooden bell

Kèn đám ma – conical oboe with metal bell; used for funeral music in northern Vietnam

Free reed mouth organs

Đing nǎm – free-reed mouth organ with gourd body and bamboo pipes; played by upland minorities

M’buot – free-reed mouth organ with gourd body and bamboo pipes; played by upland minorities

Horns

Púa – valveless brass trumpet[citation needed]

Ốc “snail” – conch trumpet[citation needed]

Drums

​​​

Trống – drum played with sticks

Trống cái – bass drum

Trống chầu or trống đế – the largest of the set of drums used in Hát tuồng.

Trống cơm – rice drum

Trống đồng (also called trống đồng Đông Sơn) – bronze drum played by the Dong Son culture in ancient times

Nruas tuag (also called Ư chua – drum used by the Hmông ethnic group for funeral music

​

Tuned percussion

Cồng chiêng – tuned gong (comes in both flat and knobbed varieties)

Tam âm la – set of three small, high-pitched flat gongs in a frame; used primarily in nhã nhạc music

T’rưng – bamboo xylophone

Đàn đá – lithophone, commonly having 9+ stone bars, 65cm-102cm in length. It is believed the instrument dates back to 1000 BC. Also called Goong Lú (M’nong people), Kologolo (M’nong people), Gôông Luk (Mạ people).

​

Untuned percussion

Sênh tiền – coin clapper

Song loan – woodblock