UNESCO defines Nha Nhac as the “elegant music”, a broad range of musical and dance styles performed at the Vietnamese royal court from the fifteenth to the mid-twentieth century. This elegant music is often featured at the opening and closing of ceremonies associated with anniversaries, religious holidays, coronations, funerals and official receptions. At the present time, the music is performed in many countries in the world as a tribute to Vietnamese culture.

During the feudal period, the royal court music was played as it  symbolised the king’s longevity and the prosperity of the dynasty. Therefore, “Nha Nhac” was highly valued by Vietnamese monarchies. Under the Nguyen Dynasty, Nha Nhac was performed during important ceremonies of the Royal Family.

As a priceless treasure of Vietnam, Nha Nhac has its own court orchestra with the presentation of the most valuable musical instruments of Vietnam, such as wind instruments, string instruments, membranophones, among others, associated with rich rhythms and songs with profound content. Nha Nhac performances also featured numerous singers, dancers and musicians dressed in sumptuous costumes.

A court music will come in three forms: Dai Nhac, Tieu Nhac (including orchestras and pieces mainly preserved at folk festivities), and court dances.

Each performance is a unique and creative story that reflects life, hope and dreams of people back then. Any performance requires all performers to maintain a high level of concentration and follow each step of the ritual meticulously.

Fan dance is often performed for the Nguyen’s Queen, Concubine, and Princess in banquets, wedding parties. The dance praises love life, blessing for the harmony and happiness of the family.

Photo: Vinpearl

Other performances, such as “Huu bien vo hinh” – Ghost hunting, the play is about the time when the world is filled with monsters, destroying and harming human kind, disregarding morality; ‘Lantern Dance’ – or ‘Luc cung hoa dang’ is a dance used in Buddhist rituals, containing six times of worship, expressed through six dances, each time offering a sacrificial, such as incense, flowers, lantern, tea, fruit, food. Later on, Nha Nhac was used as the performance to celebrate the Emperor’s and royalties’ birthdays.

Duyet Thi Duong, located inside the Imperial Citadel, is a place to frequently perform Nha Nhac. This is the first theatre opened to perform Royal music that was built during the Nguyen Dynasty, nearly 200 years ago. This is also one of the oldest performance spaces in Vietnam and a place to perform many art genres such as opera, dance, and court music for the king’s inner palace.

Visitors to Hue can also enjoy this type of scholarly music on one of the Perfume River Boat Rides.