The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched the 2026 "Vietnam Sounds - Melodies of Life" program on October 12, creating an open music creation platform for the public to preserve and promote Vietnam's traditional music and modern musical expressions.
Launched under the Politburo's Resolution 80-NQ/TW on Vietnamese cultural development and the Cultural Industries Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, the initiative operates under the theme "Every person a melody - Millions together creating the sound of Vietnam." The program encourages citizens to record and share everyday sounds, local melodies, and personal stories across regions, ethnic groups, and generations.
According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Huy Dung, the initiative serves not only as a music contest but also as a civic effort to foster love for family and country. Success will be measured by broad public participation, ranging from recording traditional hometown sounds to composing original melodies.
Musician Nguyen Van Chung, serving as the program Ambassador, emphasized that participants do not need to be professional artists. Familiar elements such as grandmothers' lullabies, street vendors' calls, or rural market sounds carry distinct cultural value. Musician Nguyen Van Chung noted he selects traditional lullabies to introduce Vietnam internationally, highlight the beauty of the language, and preserve maternal heritage.
The program aims to build a digital sound map and comprehensive data repository to supply material for contemporary creative works, making traditional culture accessible to youth and global audiences.
Alongside the main program, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched the companion campaign "Youth Journey to Preserve and Spread Vietnam Sounds" across educational and training institutions under its management.
The program features three competitions hosted on the digital platform thanham.vn:
- "Sounds of Vietnam" Quiz: An online multiple-choice contest covering Vietnamese songs, traditional musical instruments, folk music, cultural heritage, and the nation’s musical life.
- "Reflections on the Sounds of Vietnam": Participants submit a video (up to 120 seconds) sharing stories, memories, or personal reflections on melodies, songs from their homeland, or their experiences with music.
- "Creative Sounds of Vietnam": This category encourages creative work inspired by music, voices, traditional instruments, folk songs, and everyday sounds. Entries may take the form of recordings, performances, original compositions, arrangements, remixes, audio storytelling, or digital art integrations. There is no limit to the number of entries per participant.
The program includes two separate ranking categories—one for works created with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and one for those created without it—along with seven distinct awards for seven different categories of audio-based content.
Submissions are open until November 30, with the results announcement and awards ceremony scheduled to take place in December 2026.
