A performance combining the Didgeridoo, the Australian traditional music and instrument and Vietnamese traditional musical instruments (Photo: Viet Nga)

Heavy rain and cold weather on a winter night in June did not prevent people from filling the Bryan Brown Theater in Sydney, Australia, to watch the Viet Soul 2 show organized by the non-profit Vietnam Australia Culture Exchange Organization (VACEO).

Nguyen Viet Ha, VACEO Director  (Photo: Viet Nga)

“Our aim was to encourage and provide opportunities for young Vietnamese in Australia to get to know Vietnam's culture and traditions so they will later accept the mission of preserving and passing them on to future generations,” said Ha.

The program took the Australian public to the Central and Central Highlands regions of Vietnam through 13 performances, including Chau Van singing (a Vietnamese form of ritual singing), the Paranung drumming, the 'Statue of Shiva' dance of the Cham ethnic people, and ethnic musical instrument ensembles.

Tran Hong Van, the Principal of the Viet School, said in her 17 years in Australia she has never seen a program as elaborately staged and of such high quality as today's show.

“It's a program that brings to Vietnamese audiences in Australia the cultural features of Vietnam's traditional musical instruments and maybe many people here have never seen it before,” said Van.

She noted, “The program gave children of the second and third generation in Australia  an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Vietnamese culture. I’d like to thank the artists from Vietnam and Australia. I truly admire their contributions to a wonderful program.”

The concert combined Vietnamese traditional music with Didgeridoo, the Australian traditional music and instrument. Jordan Sefton, who plays the didgeridoo, a musical instrument created by aboriginal Australians, told VOV that he likes the Vietnamese culture, adding, “The show was great. The sound was really good, combining the two cultures.”

Jordan Sefton, didgeridoo player, and his mother (Photo: Viet Nga)

The two-hour show made a strong impression on generations of Vietnamese people in Australia. 21-year-old Angie, a student at Wollongong University, has this to say, “Every time I get closer to my mother's side of the family and my culture, it makes me feel like I'm home. It makes me happy and I was very excited about tonight.” 

The program attracted some Australians unfamiliar with Vietnamese culture as well as Vietnamese, who said the program was really astonishing, especially the combination of the fusion of Australian didgeridoo and Vietnamese music.