While taking a boat tour along the Mekong Delta, in the southern region of Vietnam, we were treated to some wonderful traditional Vietnamese singing and Vietnamese folk music during a live performance after sampling various kinds of tropical fruits and drinking hot Vietnamese herbal tea. Having the opportunity to listen to Vietnamese folk music was an experience we both will never forget. The fascinating traditional instruments native to Vietnam reminded us both of the kinds of traditional instruments we saw / heard in South Korea. Listening to the performance under shady refuge was the perfect remedy for the heat and humidity that had plagued our boat tour while out in the open sun for hours. GEAR WE USE Olympus OM-D E-M5 II: http://amzn.to/1OchS7t Canon G7X: http://amzn.to/1YdjsYX Olympus 14-150mm II Lens: http://amzn.to/1Y79zeM Rode Video Mic GO: http://amzn.to/1WDKtVM Joby Gorilla Pod: http://amzn.to/1PgoY5F SanDisk 16GB Extreme Pro: http://amzn.to/25KEErs SOCIAL MEDIA & TRAVEL BLOGS AUDREY: blog: http://thatbackpacker.com/ instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatbackpac… facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thatbackpacker twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatBackpacker SAMUEL: blog: http://nomadicsamuel.com/ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nomadicsamuel twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadicSamuel instragram: https://www.instagram.com/nomadicsamuel/ For those taking a tour along the Mekong Delta, a stop to see one of these performances is a likely occurrence. Although the live music is free (along with the fruit and tea) it’s kind of unofficially expected that you’ll leave a small tip for the Vietnamese singers and Vietnamese musicians. Traditional Vietnamese music is highly diverse and syncretistic, combining native and foreign influences. Throughout its history, Vietnam has been heavily impacted by the Chinese musical tradition, as an integral part, along with Korea, Mongolia and Japan.[1] The ancient Indochinese kingdom of Champa also had a historical effect upon this music, because the Vietnamese court found it intriguing. However, even with these foreign influences, Vietnam has a unique musical tradition stemming from its native roots. The most notable feature of Traditional Vietnamese music is that it is based on the Five Notes Scale, which is called “Ngũ Cung”, meaning of Pentatonic. Instead of the scale of 7 notes: Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do, its 5 notes include: Hò Xự Xang Cống Liu. Vietnamese folk music is extremely diverse and includes dân ca, quan họ, hát chầu văn, ca trù, hò, and hát xẩm, among other forms. Chèo Chèo orchestra accompanies the performance of water puppetry Chèo is a form of generally satirical musical theatre, often encompassing dance, traditionally performed by peasants in northern Vietnam. It is usually performed outdoors by semi-amateur touring groups, stereotypically in a village square or the courtyard of a public building, although it is today increasingly also performed indoors and by professional performers. Xẩm Blind artists performing xẩm Xẩm or Hát xẩm (Xẩm singing) is a type of Vietnamese folk music which was popular in the Northern region of Vietnam but is considered nowadays an endangered form of traditional music in Vietnam. In the dynastic time, xẩm was generally performed by blind artists who wandered from town to town and earned their living by singing in common place. ]Quan họ Quan họ (alternate singing) is popular in Hà Bắc (divided into nowadays Bắc Ninh and Bắc Giang Provinces) and across Vietnam; numerous variations exist, especially in the Northern provinces. Sung a cappella, quan họ is improvised and is used in courtship rituals. Hát chầu văn Hát chầu văn or hát văn is a spiritual form of music used to invoke spirits during ceremonies. It is highly rhythmic and trance-oriented. Before 1986, the Vietnamese government repressed hát chầu văn and other forms of religious expression. It has since been revived by musicians like Phạm Văn Tỵ. ]Nhạc dân tộc cải biên Đàn nguyệt, the two-stringed fretted moon lute Nhạc dân tộc cải biên is a modern form of Vietnamese folk music which arose in the 1950s after the founding of the Hanoi Conservatory of Music in 1956. This development involved writing traditional music using Western musical notation, while Western elements of harmony and instrumentation were added. Nhạc dân tộc cải biên is often criticized by purists for its watered-down approach to traditional sounds. Ca trù (also hát ả đào) is a popular folk music which is said to have begun with Ả Đào, a female singer who charmed the enemy with her voice. This is part of our Travel in Vietnam series. We’re making a series of videos showcasing Vietnamese culture, Vietnamese arts, Vietnamese foods, Vietnamese religion and Vietnamese people. Proudly presented by: http://nomadicsamuel.com , http://smilingfacestravelphotos.com , http://thatbackpacker.com & http://backpacking-travel-blog.com