Although Vietnamese music is highly influenced by Chinese (Vietnam was ruled by China for almost 1000 years!), the are many distinctive instruments, especially stringed lutes with raised frets. Here’s a few old postcards depicting Vietnamese musicians and some unique instruments, ca. 1900-10.
On the left, the single string Dan Bau. On the right is the two string fiddle called Dan Nhi.
Another uniquely Vietnamese instrument with raised frets, the Dan Day.
L to R; another raised fret instrument is the Dan Nguyet (in the south called Dan Kim), a bowed Dan Nhi, the Vietnamese zither called Dan Tranh, I can't quite make out the next fiddle, but I think it's a Dan Gao, and finally the Dan Tam, related to the Chinese sanxian.
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Musicians playing the Suona, Jinghu, and Sanxian. The Suona is a reed instrument like the Zurna or medieval Shawm.
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L to R: Sanxian, Pipa, Jinghu, Erhu.
L to R: Flute, Pipa, Yanqin, Sanxian, Percussion.
Both pictures are from the book John L. Stoddard’s Lectures, volume 3, copyright 1897. They were also published as postcards around the turn of the century during the “exotica postcard” era.
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It was not uncommon to see men draped in the habiliments of female characters in many forms of Chinese Opera, especially in Peking Opera. This was partly a result of strict social codes that prevented women from stage performance, but also traditions going back hundred’s of years. This started changing at the beginning of the 1900’s and by the 1930’s actresses were commonplace. As in many forms of traditional music around the world at this time, Chinese Opera’s popularity was challenged by new “popular” music, causing the older music to try to adapt. Unlike some other traditional music, Chinese Opera managed to survive.
HAJI MAJI 
