Musical Instruments

Ðàn Nguyệt: Dating back to 8th century in northern Vietnam, the instrument's popularity quickly spread thoughout the country. Known as the moon lute because of its round resonator as a full moon, it has two strings and 8 to 12 frets.

Ðàn Tranh: A vietnamese adaptation of the Chinese Zheng, this 16 stringed Zither is made with ngo dong, a flexible soft wood. Its strings rest on movable bridges made from wood or ivory.

Ðàn Bầu: This monocord instrument is uniquely Vietnamese. The musician holds a bamboo pick in
the right hand and plucks the steel string to obtain harmonics while the left hand moves a flexble handle carved out of buffalo horn to create the melody. Duc Thanh has obtained many national prized with this instrument.

Ðàn Ðáy: Dan Day has three strings with the longest handle among the vietnamese instruments. One specific feature of this instrument is that the musician may lower the tones using the same string. This instrument is used particularly in "hat a Dao" and in accompanying the classic poems. Very few vietnamese musicians are capable to manage this instrument.

Ðàn Nhị: Originally from the Guandong region of China, this two-string fiddle is similar to the Chinese gao hu. It is frequently used to
accompany female singers.