Art and Music


Vietnam’s art can be attributed to China’s influences early on in its history while under Chinese domination. Today Vietnam’s art is distinct and unique, although it has retained many of Chinese influences and absorbed certain characteristics from the French and other cultures.

Vietnamese music is diverse, evident of its numerous instruments and genres. Despite influences from China throughout Vietnam’s growth and independence as a nation, Vietnam’s music has grown into its own style, developing instruments such as đàn bầu and đàn đáy. Music in the folk genre includes quan họ (alternate singing), ca trù and hò (similar to quan họ). Modern music, heavily influenced by the West, is a genre that is embraced by new generations of Vietnamese.