The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a project to establish the Việt Nam National Traditional Orchestra. — Photo thuonghieucongluan.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recently approved a project to establish the Việt Nam National Traditional Orchestra, with the aim of preserving and promoting the values of traditional Vietnamese music amid increasingly deep international integration.

The project will implement the Politburo's Resolution 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture. 

Its objectives include collecting, preserving and developing the distinctive styles and sounds of traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, while selectively absorbing the best of international music to further enrich Việt Nam’s national musical identity. 

Through these efforts, the project seeks to create diverse artistic performances that meet public enjoyment needs and promote Vietnamese culture internationally.

Under the project roadmap, this and next year will be spent on building and refining the orchestra to an appropriate scale and standard capable of serving major national and international cultural and artistic programmes. 

By 2031, the goal is to establish a traditional Vietnamese music and art space to host major cultural events both domestically and internationally.

The orchestra is designed to ensure harmony in timbre and dynamics across instrument groups. Traditional instruments will be improved in functionality and flexibly combined with certain western instruments according to appropriate principles, creating rich expressive performance possibilities. 

Plucked string instruments are intended to play a leading role, helping to define the distinctive character of Vietnamese folk music.

In addition to performing, the orchestra will also conduct research, composition, experimentation and arrangement of domestic and international works; participate in State-level political and diplomatic events; and promote cooperation with domestic and international arts organisations. 

The project also emphasises the use of science and technology to enhance creativity and performance quality.

Starting this year, the initiative will be implemented nationwide and internationally, with a projected completion date in the fourth quarter of 2031. — VNS