Vietnamese music is highly diverse and derives from both native and foreign influences. The music in Vietnam spans imperial, ceremonial, folk, hip hop, and rock music.

Vietnamese musical instruments can be divided into 4 groups: plucked strings, bowed strings, winds and percussion.

The most notable feature of Vietnamese classical music is that it is based on a pentatonic or 5 note scale. Here, a musician plays the monochord, a traditional Vietnamese instrument using a string and a stick which is bent to change the pitch of the note played.

Musicians at the Labor Cultural Palace perform music on the zither in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). The zither is used as a solo instrument, as part of an ensemble or as an accompaniment to vocal performances.

Ca Tru is a complex form of sung poetry found in the northern part of Vietnam that uses lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poetic forms. Typically it involves three artists: a female singer and two instrumentalists.

Operas, plays and water puppet shows, whether at court or popular theaters, are accompanied by an orchestra. Here, a Cheo orchestra accompanies the performance of water puppets.

An audience, mostly on scooters, attends a concert on the steps of the Opera House in Hanoi.

Traditional folk dance is interconnected strongly through its many forms to its music.

Alongside the genres of folk and musical theatre, there is a thriving contemporary scene that encompasses both rock and pop respectively in Vietnam.

Vietnam's youth (almost two-thirds of the population is under 30) are transforming its country's ballad-based music with hip-hop. Influenced by U.S. hip-hop's music techniques and fashion, it has sustained a growing audience in the country.

A celebratory impromptu music performance takes place at a local street café.

The Voyage to Vietnam exhibition features many opportunities to interact with Vietnamese music. You can play the gong along with a Lion Dance, listen to Tet music in the street café marketplace, or make your own music using traditional Vietnamese instruments.