The Vietnam National Academy of Music’s jazz department trains approximately 180 students annually and is pushing to define a uniquely Vietnamese jazz style by incorporating folk influences rather than relying on formulaic Western arrangements, Vietnam.vn reported.
The Jazz & Friends X series, celebrating the academy’s 70th anniversary, brings together nearly 100 artists from three generations alongside international experts. Dr. Nguyen Tien Manh, head of the jazz department, credited predecessors including Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Quang Minh, Meritorious Artist Hoang Tung, and Meritorious Artist Quyen Van Minh with building the department’s foundation.
Academy director Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huy Phuong noted growing student numbers and artist participation in major programs as evidence of jazz’s expanding influence. Graduates such as Nguyen Huu Vuong, Luong Viet Tu, and Nguyen Duc Hai Phong have brought jazz foundations into contemporary music.
Vuong, a former student from the first graduating class returning as music director, described the training environment as demanding seriousness and discipline. Meritorious Artist Quyen Thien Dac said Vietnamese jazz should find its own language based on national music material rather than following Western models.
The program includes a student concert, an international workshop on jazz and music technology, and a book launch. British critic Paul Zetter said Vietnam can compete regionally but needs local cultural foundations, not just international curricula.
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