Secondary students at American International School Vietnam (AISVN) attended a workshop about Vietnamese traditional music. The event was introduced by talented artists Hoang Minh, Van Anh, and Hoang Nam. Through a journey along the three regions of Vietnam, the artists gave AISVN students a glimpse of the traditional rhythms from renowned folk songs like Trống Cơm (The Barrel-shaped Drum), Lý Ngựa Ô (Song of the Black Horse), to Hue court music.

The workshop provided students with plenty of information about Vietnamese musical instruments including iconic ones e.g. Vietnamese monochord, bamboo xylophone, bamboo flutes and even less known ones such as coin clapper or wooden toad percussion. Student attendees showed a great interest in learning about diverse musical instruments, many of which had very simple designs but brought about an impressive sound when played. Jenny from Grade 10 shared that it was incredible to learn about Vietnamese culture through traditional music.

"The musicians were fantastic and they played really well, teaching the students all about how the different instruments are played." - said Ms. Maria Morris, AISVN Secondary Music teacher. Ms. Morris also expressed her excitement for an opportunity where students can directly experience these instruments when schools are allowed to resume.