There is something easily identifiably special about music from another culture in a different part of the world. Vietnam is one of the most underrated and underexplored countries in Southeast Asia, with a rich historical culture. Even though the Vietnam War was a long and bloody conflict, they are now one of the fastest-growing countries in the world by GDP. Technicalities of the country aside, Vietnamese culture, food and history are worth it, along with some of their traditional music. This is a great example of this element of their special presence in the history of the world. Let’s take a listen to this compilation and hear what it sounds like, and hopefully, it will point out how great Vietnam is as a country. All compositions here are performed by Phong Nguyen, Chi Tam, Le-Thi Huong-Lan and Ngan Doai.

Luu-Thuy, Binh-Ban and Kim-Tien begins with plucked stringed instrumentation and melodies that sound really stunningly beautiful. This is instantly loveable and sounds very top-notch and excellent. If anything, this is one of the greatest representations of traditional Vietnamese music out there. The plucked melodies and playing are very soothing and interesting to listen to. A really great representation of World Music is here. This melodic playing continues for some time, and it sounds really fresh, energetic and interesting musically. It isn’t, in typical Vietnamese fashion, a million miles away from traditional Chinese music. Both China and Vietnam have rich and shared traditions musically, which should be celebrated rather than judged. Regardless, this is perfectly fine to listen to, and whilst this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, by goodness it works. Period. The second half continues the playing with sweep picking and colourful musical flourishes throughout. All in all, this does sound really great. Undeniably an awesome listening experience. Towards the end, the multitracked melodies gradually speed up and this piece of music ends in a joyous and upbeat way. A really cool and interesting listen, and a must-hear before you visit Vietnam, if you choose to do so. It ends with a bell, sweet.

Hanh-Van begins with a fluttering single-note melody, before quickly launching into a strange-sounding piece of music that is unorthodox, eastern and odd sounding. Still, it does sound incredibly listenable and enjoyable, just a bit strange as well, to be fair. In any case, the music here is really weirdly enjoyable. Near the midsection are clacking percussion hits, signalling the changes in melody. Even so, this does sound marvellously wonderful and awesomely brilliant. More Western music lovers should embrace the East and its ways of musicianship and musicality here. A really cool and awesome listening experience, this sounds super cool, but strange simultaneously. It’s worth hearing, having said that. An enjoyable listening experience that demands to be heard by more people out there than expected, this simply works. It ends after just over three minutes in length.

Phu-Luc-Chan begins with more unorthodox and eerie melodies, launching into a rather twangy and interesting instrumental for this compilation. Again, this is different. Soon enough, some soloing in the left channel sounds really awesome, and this is rivalled by more plucked soloing in the right channel. This sounds very interesting and creative musically and just works as a real musical treat for the listener. A beautiful, sweet and well-played piece of music that should last the test of time, this does sound incredibly magical and musically accomplished. A really pretty and awesome listen, this is timeless instrumental music that quite simply works well. A really great listen, this sounds incredibly sweet. A nice tune from start to finish. Worth it.

Thon Vi-Da begins with a singular plucked note that sustains greatly and quickly launches into a great set of melodic soloing. This, again, sounds super strange, but it is meant to do so. There are some Vietnamese vocals here, which honestly do not entirely fit the music at hand. Still, this is a mystical adventure throughout Southeast Asia in terms of music and musicianship. It still sounds really different and fresh today. A really awesome and cool tune to hear, this is different and soothing for what it is. The vocal section is okay, but not really necessary here. In any case, this is somewhat skippable, but it is like Eastern Opera, just different. Worth hearing, if you have the patience for it. It ends fairly quickly after three and a half minutes long.

Nam Ai begins with some more weird and singular plucked melodies, which sound unorthodox and strange in an Eastern way. This continues on for some time and sounds really oddly pretty. The music here is beyond description in terms of difference to Western music and emotional appeal. Some clacking percussion sticks enter, indicating a change of pace and structure of this piece of music. A really beautiful and different tune to listen to, this sounds extraordinarily awesome. Time is obviously not wasted listening to this compilation, quite simply, it works musically. A really cool and different instrumental that sounds great. It is under three minutes in length as well, never dull or boring. Brilliant.

Dem Buon begins with some super weird string instrumentation and sounds totally out there. This is in the right channel, quickly followed by more matching melodies in the left channel. Again, this is completely different from Western Music, yet sounds incredible. Vietnamese vocals enter, once again, and this is a better tune than you’d expect. A really different, lovely and fresh listen, this is hugely inspirational and inspired for Vietnamese culture and history. In other words, it is super cool in an unusual musical context. A relevant piece of music and album from a historical perspective. Really worth your ears, if you have the time and patience for this music. A really different listening experience that sounds super cool. This is traditional Vietnam with some of its finest musicality and creative spirit at hand. Definitely worth repeat listens, if this is your thing. It ends with a crescendo vocal and a sudden conclusion. Excellent.

Qua Cau Gio Bay begins with some differently octaved melodic plucked string patterns, sounding strange yet moving. This is a very short piece of music that is merely over a minute long. Still, it has a purpose and sounds great today. A different and decent listening experience, this is a short and good snippet from this album. It’s worth your time, even for this length.

Ba-Nha Tu-Ky begins with some lonely-sounding melodic string playing, before quickly entering into a colourful rush of melodicism and playing. This is a much longer piece of music at nearly six minutes in length. It also incorporates stick percussion and male Vietnamese vocals, once again. A really cool and unusual tune to listen to, without a doubt or question about it. It does work nicely, however. The centrepiece here of this album nonetheless does sound really pretty and excellent. It reaches into a rich, diverse and interesting culture that is ultimately very rewarding. Sure, this is super weird listening, but it is not a huge deal here to listen to, as it sounds quite beautiful for what it is. A refreshing and interesting listen throughout the East, this is very mellow, melodic and inspiring as a piece of music. Very, very cool for instrumental Vietnamese music. This obviously is not going to appeal to Western audiences, but does that really matter? It is still great on its own. An adventurous and spiritual listening experience from start to finish. The music here will last a very long time. Towards the end, this continues on with the stringed plucking and male Vietnamese vocals to full effect. Very much worth it, a good listen throughout. Worth it for what it is.

Tri-Am Tuong-Ngo begins with some spoken Vietnamese, followed quickly by another tune with male vocals singing and plucked Vietnamese melodies on the stringed instruments. Again, this sounds really great. It is a lovely, lively and adventurous tune that sounds very excellent. Although to be fair, this is very much an acquired taste musically, it tastes as good as top-notch wine, in a musical sense. The varied instrumentation matches the vocals really nicely here and is a really superb listening experience musically, emotionally and spiritually. The sounds here are very rich and diverse musically. All in all, this does sound really moving and great. Worth your time and ears throughout. This slice of traditional Asian music and the album are winners musically. A genuinely cool listening experience, this has a false ending in the second half, before quickly resuming again. A very gorgeous tune, provided that you dig East Asian music. 100% worth it. Very good to hear throughout. A good and enjoyable piece of music from start to finish.

Nan-Thidn-Tuong-Ngo Lop Dung begins with some weird plucked phrasing that sounds highly unusual. This playing continues on for some time and is matched by more stringed plucking in the left channel to rival it. This isn’t a million miles away from Indian sitar work. Nonetheless, it sounds great, but different overall. A really odd and unusual tune to listen to, but this still sounds extraordinary and beautiful for what it is. There is a lot of deep Vietnamese soul in this. It goes quiet for a moment before a stick clacking indicates the progression and continuation of this piece of music. Something very different, and a little bizarre for Western audiences. Still, it works nicely and sounds really great. Another wacky instrumental that works very nicely. Good to hear, and it sounds fantastically beautiful and pretty. Another killer Vietnamese instrumental that is worth your time. An excellent listen regardless. This is completely different to anything else out there and kicks the proverbial. Worth it. It ends after over four minutes in length.

Ngu Doi Ha begins with a percussion clack and has some weird and interesting melodies to hear. This is certainly weird, but very much listenable throughout. It sounds really strange and different as a result. A good piece of music that explores Vietnamese melodies and structure throughout. This piece is less than three minutes in length as well. A really far-out and creative listening experience, this is a short snippet of a relatively unknown world of Vietnam that only a few Westerners dare venture into. Nonetheless, it is still great. The music here is really top-notch and awesome to listen to, all the same. It cuts out some of the instrumentation towards the end, before finishing up nicely. Good job.

Ngam-Ngui has more Eastern melodies, to begin with, that are really deep and soulful. This is highly unusual for those who are not accustomed to such music. Nonetheless, this does sound superb and really majestically amazing. Male vocals return for this tune, and one can hear the Vietnamese spirits infiltrate this tune. A really deep and different tune to listen to, this is 100% worth it if you are up for it. Nonetheless, this is a really great musical experience and listen throughout. This is barely over three minutes in length and sounds very different to anything else in the world of music. An incredible tune for what it is, although the vocals really are not necessary here. It is a solid listening experience regardless. Towards the end, some subtlety of the music is here, before this reaches a good and logical conclusion. Another good piece of music.

Ly Chim Quyen is the last piece on this album, and it sounds a lot brighter and different to anything else before it. It begins with some warped melodies and they are played in pretty unison with each other. This short sub-two-minute long piece sounds fresh, inspired and amazing to this day. Different, all right. It ends the album on a high note with a grand collection of melodies, finishing fairly quickly.

This is not your typical album in any musical sense. It is a good collection of traditional Vietnamese music that still fares well today. The music and melodies here are really fantastic, however, and although this is definitely music for an acquired taste, it is worth it if you are interested. Should you listen to this album? Yes, but only really if you are a World Music fan, otherwise you may not get this.

An excellent and musically diverse album.

8/10