Collection of unique traditional musical instruments at Khanh Hoa Museum

Khanh Hoa Museum (16 Tran Phu Street, Nha Trang City) is displaying the collection of unique musical instruments of some Vietnamese ethnic groups in the central-highland region and Khanh Hoa Province.

Typical musical instruments 
Among the displayed musical instruments are Dong Son bronze drums found by archaeologists in Khanh Hoa Province, including two excavated in Nha Trang City and two in Ninh Hoa Town. Through their shapes, patterns and casting techniques, scientists have determined that these bronze drums were made in Dong Son period. The existence of Dong Son bronze drums in Khanh Hoa and other provinces and cities in the south-central region proves the strong interactions and exchanges among cultures in the prehistory and protohistory in Vietnam.

Young people viewing Dong Son bronze drums displayed at Khanh Hoa Museum

The exhibition also features sets of Khanh Son lithophone. Although these are not the sets discovered in 1979, these lithophone sets, along with documentary images, partly help viewers know about their material and spiritual values to Raglai people in Khanh Hoa. Some other musical instruments of the Raglai are also exhibited this time, including chapi, ma la, “ken bau”, etc. 

In the section of E-de people’s musical instruments, the visitors can contemplate different types of gongs and other musical instruments such as “ken dinh nam”, “sao dinh buot”, T’rung, “chieng tre” (ching kram), goong, and horns.

The displayed musical instruments which are often used in festivals and cultural events by Cham people include saranai, paranung drum, ghinang drum, kanhi, and so on. For Cham people, musical instruments are not only a part of their spiritual life but also a connection between people and the world of gods and the deceased.

Bearing cultural values
Although the exhibition doesn’t cover all Vietnamese musical instruments, the displayed ones provide the public a basic introduction about their spiritual values in Vietnamese ethnic groups’ life. “Each musical instrument has its own story, from its origin to ways to use. The arrangement of the exhibits and images is quite reasonable, making it easy for viewers to access,” said Tran Quang Huy, Khanh Hoa University student.

Exhibition section of gongs of E-de people and ma la sets of Raglai people

The exhibition of the collection of traditional musical instruments of Vietnamese ethnic groups at Khanh Hoa Museum takes place from September 23 to November 23. This collection is a part of some valuable collections (costumes and jewelry; production and labor tools; artifacts relating to traditional festivals, etc.) housed at Khanh Hoa Museum. Through this exhibition, Khanh Hoa Museum hopes to popularize the values of Vietnamese ethnic groups’ musical instruments and raise public awareness of preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values left by the forefathers.

Giang Dinh
Translated by H.N