Displaying more than 200 traditional musical instruments, a music hall of artist Vu Ba Pho has drawn attention since its debut in Phu Tho province. Vu Ba Pho is the first Vietnamese artist to bring traditional music overseas. He has collected Vietnam’s traditional instruments since 1959. His hard work has paid off, as he now boasts a collection of more than 200 musical instruments. Despite being a small space, Ba Pho Music Hall is convenient and cozy to visitors, who enjoy being surrounded by the musical instruments and Vietnamese cultural values. “There are many distinctive musical instruments across our country,” Pho said. “Thus, I find myself, as a musician, responsible for preserving traditional music for our next generations,” he added. What makes Ba Pho’s Music Hall so intriguing is the huge number of musical instruments, collected and produced by the musician’s bare hands. Different from other museums which only exhibit items, visitors to the Music Hall can also enjoy performances from Pho’s family members using the displayed musical instruments. Vo Hoang Giang, a visitor to the music hall, said: “ I was amazed when first entering the hall as Pho’s collection is huge. When the artists perform, I feel their love towards musical instruments and also traditional Vietnamese values”.

Pho is dubbed “the King of traditional musical instruments” for his dedication to the preservation and promotion of Vietnam’s traditional music.-VNA