Rough Guide to the Music of Vietnam

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 5, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 30
• Label: World Music Network
• ASIN: B000PHW2JU
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,264 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. HUONG THANH - Crossing The Valley

2. THAN QUY - Ngoi Tua Song Dao (Sitting By The Peach Mullioned River)

3. CAM LY - Em Gai Que

4. BLUE ASIA - Blue Requiem

5. THU HIEN - Cau Doi Cau Cho

6. KIM SINH - Li Giao Duyen

7. KHAC CHI ENSEMBLE - On The Bamboo Bridge

8. TRANH SAO BAO - Ly Con Sao

9. HUY DU, TUYET TRING - Kim Trọng Tuong Tu Thuy Kieu

10. NGUYEN THANH THUY - Luyen Nam Cung

11. VAN KHANH - Dem Phuong Nam Nghe Cau Ho Hue

12. QUANG LINH - Toi Yeu

13. CHAU DINH & CA HUE ENSEMBLE - Ten Reasons Why We Love Hue Girls

14. DAN BAO VIETNAM - Rider In The Sky (Live)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vibrant Vocals and Versatile Vibes from Vietnam, July 14, 2007

By 

Crazy Fox (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rough Guide to the Music of Vietnam (Audio CD)

On the Rough Guide musical tour of the world, next stop is Vietnam! And as usual they've excelled in offering a CD full of great music that's evocatively representative, widely ranging, and eminently listenable. From contemporary pop songs to time-honored folk lyrics, from popularly traditional melodies to globally-influenced innovations, this CD will take you on a crash tour of one of the most exciting musical landscapes on the planet (and the stuff people in Vietnam are really listening to). If you've never heard Vietnamese music before, you can't find a better intro than this album. On the other hand, if you've been a big fan of Vietnam's incredible music for years, you'll appreciate this fine selection and find a few surprises--Vietnamese Blues? "Rider in the Sky" on the dan bao recorded poolside in Saigon? You'll only hear it here! But every track is golden in its own way, lovingly handpicked by the compiler as is standard practice with Rough Guide CDs.

Speaking of the compiler, Paul Fisher's liner notes are well-written and do the job nicely of introducing each performer and singer while contextualizing and placing the music within the overall musical culture of Vietnam--no stuffy musicological details, just the right amount of background so that the listener can pretty much know and appreciate what's playing. And the tracks are introduced in the order that they appear on the CD (a common sense arrangement that some Rough Guide CDs have gotten a bit too fancily experimental with), so it's easy to follow along with the music--at least the first time, and with this music, it'll be the first time of many!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exotic and Beautiful, May 18, 2008

By 

Weatherbird (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rough Guide to the Music of Vietnam (Audio CD)

If you're looking for something different, this CD fits the bill.

This music is quite varied, ranging from ancient, traditional songs to modern pop. If you are not used to Asian music, these rhythms and harmonies may seem pretty exotic. Even on the pop songs, the vocals will sound very different from Western pop. The quality of all the performances is very high. The dexterity of the instrumentalists and the range and control of some of the vocalists is stunning. The sound quality is generally quite good also. The sound on one outdoor performance may not be the best, but the performance is a classic and the recording makes me regret I wasn't there with the rest of the enthusiastic audience.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning more about Vietnam, December 24, 2007

By 

Harold H. Ames "music lover" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rough Guide to the Music of Vietnam (Audio CD)

The CD, A Rough Guide to the Music of Vietnam, is a good way for young Vietnamese Americans to become more acquainted with the heritage of the country they came from.