A performance at the GOm Show. VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY For the first time, HCM City locals has witnessed a special art performance where Vietnamese culture is narrated through the sounds of ceramics and bamboo. 

At the GOm Show on July 19 at the HCM City Opera House, audiences enjoyed a highly creative art event where music was performed not only with familiar traditional instruments like the đàn tranh (zither) and đàn bầu (monochord), but also with instruments crafted from earth, ceramics, and bamboo. 

Objects long embedded in daily Vietnamese life, such as chum (clay jars), niêu (cooking pots), and ceramic bells, were elevated into instruments producing enchanting sounds imbued with Vietnamese cultural essence.

The show was performed by Đàn Đó, a group of artists who have dedicated over 15 years to exploring traditional materials like bamboo, earth, and more recently, ceramics. 

By fusing music with folk instruments, they created a special soundscape that allowed listeners not only to hear the music but to deeply appreciate the cultural value woven into each note.

What sets the GOm Show apart is Đàn Đó’s creative approach to familiar folk instruments, presenting them in entirely new ways. 

Everyday objects like ceramic jars, clay pots, and the đàn thuyền (boat-shaped instrument) were reimagined into musical instruments with distinctive sounds, crafting an emotionally rich musical space.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a concert where the instruments are ceramic jars and clay pots. It was truly surprising,” shared audience member Vũ Thảo My. 

“The sounds from the earth felt both rustic and gentle, as if telling stories in a language of its own,” she said.

It was also her first time at the HCM City Opera House, which she described as “like stepping into a distant yet familiar memory, light as air, yet profound.”

These instruments did more than create special sounds; they transported listeners into an emotional realm that evoked vivid memories of Việt Nam’s traditional cultural values, reimagined through music.

Artist Đinh Anh Tuấn, a member of Đàn Đó, said: “A ceramic jar may seem lifeless, but it can produce incredible rhythms. For us, these instruments are not just tools for sound, they are a way to tell stories about Vietnamese culture: simple, yet deeply resonant. The combination of earth and bamboo has created a soundscape that is both raw and contemplative, allowing the audience to feel the nation’s heritage with every note.”

The uniqueness of the GOm Show does not lie in grandiose staging, but in the artistry of simplicity. 

The sounds of flutes echoing forest depths, birds calling at dawn in the highlands, M’nông gongs, Tày drums, and Lô Lô pipes blend harmoniously with the ceramic and bamboo tones, crafting what the artists call “a gentle rendezvous with Vietnamese culture in the heart of Sài Gòn.”

One of the instruments featured in the GOm Show performance. VNA/VNS Photo

Behind each short performance is a long journey of preparation.

“We’ve spent over 15 years working with traditional materials like bamboo, earth, and now ceramics,” Tuấn revealed.

For this HCM City performance alone, the team packed and transported 41 pieces of instruments, enough to fill nearly an entire train car from Hà Nội to Sài Gòn. 

“We’re not ceramic traders, so the whole team held our breath, worried that something might break. In the end, we only lost two jars,” he joked.

The preparation for the GOm Show took nine months, but its foundation was years of traveling across Việt Nam. 

Đàn Đó members visited artisans in Lào Cai, Đắk Lắk, Nghệ An, and other regions, inviting them to collaborate in Hà Nội.

“We once invited nearly 50 artisans from across the country to work with us in Hà Nội for a whole year. Through the sounds of ceramics, we hope to share a small piece of the cultural heritage of Việt Nam’s 54 ethnic groups with audiences both at home and abroad,” artist Đức Minh said.

The GOm Show is not merely a performance, it is a creative playground where artists from diverse musical backgrounds come together to experiment, collaborate, and find a common voice.

“At first, we were just improvising together. Then Minh, standing outside, gradually gathered the ideas into a vibrant, living composition,” young musician Thịnh shared.

According to the show’s producer, the group plans to record the performance and release it on digital platforms. 

They also intend to perform regularly, three times a week, at a small theatre in Hà Nội’s Old Quarter to make it easier for both local and international audiences to experience the show.

“This is high-level art, but it remains approachable. If promoted well, it could become a cultural attraction for tourists,” said a representative of an international travel agency in HCM City.

Singer Thảo Trang, a special guest at the show, also expressed her admiration: “I hope there will be more shows like this in HCM City and that it will be introduced to international friends. This is such a distinctive and profound cultural experience.”  VNS