On July 31, the Board of Directors of the Tran Van Khe Foundation held an announcement and award ceremony at the Southern Women’s Museum in Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City to present the Tran Van Khe Award to outstanding collectives and individuals in the fields of research, teaching, performance, and promotion of traditional Vietnamese music.
The event was attended by high-ranking officials, including Vice Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Phuoc Loc; former Head of the Propaganda and Education Commission of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and President of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Literature and Arts Associations Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue; Deputy Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy; former Editor-in-Chief of Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper Duong Trong Dat; the Director of the Tran Van Khe Foundation, alongside representatives from various agencies, organizations, researchers, experts, and artists.
The Arts Council of the 2026 Tran Van Khe Award decided to honor two exemplary collectives and six individuals, including the Hue Royal Traditional Theater, the Xam 48h ensemble, People’s Artist Ngo Tuyet Mai, Meritorious Teacher Pham Thuy Hoan, Meritorious Artist Huynh Khai, Meritorious Artist Pham Van Mon, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Tan Khoa, and Dr. Mai My Duyen.
The 2026 Tran Van Khe Award Arts Council comprised Master Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue City Press, Radio and Television; Professor and Composer Tran The Bao; Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi My Liem; Ms. Nguyen The Thanh, Deputy Director of the Tran Van Khe Foundation; and Dr. Mai My Duyen, Chairwoman of the Arts Council of the Tran Van Khe Foundation.
Professor Tran Van Khe (1921-2015), the grand old master of Vietnamese traditional music, dedicated his entire life to studying, teaching, writing, promoting, and preserving Vietnam’s culture and traditional music.
The professor made significant contributions to securing UNESCO recognition for several Vietnam's traditional cultural and artistic heritage elements as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, including Hue Royal Court Music, the Cultural Space of the Gong Culture in the Central Highlands, Ca Tru ceremonial singing, Quan Ho folk songs of Bac Ninh, and Don ca tai tu Nam Bo (southern amateur traditional music), among others.
During his lifetime, Professor Tran Van Khe consistently expressed a desire to establish a scholarship fund or an award program to honor annual contributions to traditional music research. His last wishes were realized through the joint efforts of his close friends and colleagues, leading to the official establishment of the Tran Van Khe Scholarship Fund in July 2021.
The presentation of the Tran Van Khe Award and scholarships serves as a meaningful initiative aimed at broadly promoting the values of traditional music. It encourages and honors outstanding collectives, individuals, students, researchers, and artists with exceptional achievements in studying, researching, teaching, and performing, thereby contributing to the promotion and preservation of Vietnamese traditional music heritage.
