For over 30 years, Phong Nguyen has been sharing his talents, passion, and wisdom for the musical traditions of Viet Nam with audiences, listeners, and students across the United States and around the world. He went to France in the early 1970s to study with the eminent Vietnamese musicologist Tran Van Khe at the Sorbonne, where he received the Ph.D. He came to the United States in 1984, first as a visiting artist and later as a full professor. The recordings here were made in France before then, and distributed by World Music Enterprises in Kent, Ohio. They are long since out of print.
Dr. Phong is still extremely active in promoting traditional Vietnamese music and culture as an art form that promotes peace as it entertains and educates.. He is author of many books and articles on Vietnam and Vietnamese music. In 1997 he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA at the White House. He has several CDs on the market, and maintains a charming web page.
The dan tranh is a 16-string instrument, nearly identical to the Chinese gu-zheng. The musical system is based on modes, in which each mode evokes a particular sentiment. The "translations" given in the titles are actually the sentiments of the mode, and not actual translations of the titles.
Phong is still actively recording traditional music with the Perfume River Ensemble. Their recent CD is also available at Phong's website.
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