Guitarist Dang Ngoc Long performs with the Tübingen Symphony Orchestra (Germany) at the “A Rhapsody of Two Worlds” concert at Ho Guom Theatre in Hanoi in December 2025. (Photo: VNA)
For 20 years, Professor and guitarist Dang Ngoc Long, director of Berlin-Gesundbrunnen Music School in Germany, has used the Berlin International Guitar Competition and Festival to showcase Vietnamese culture through music. He now hopes to bring the event to Hanoi.
The festival marks its 20th anniversary this year. Long, the first Vietnamese guitarist to win a Special Prize at an international guitar competition in 1987, has long served as jury president.
This year, 30 contestants from 15 countries entered the competition, with five finalists set to compete on October 10 at Ballhaus Prinzenallee in Berlin. The programme also includes a gala concert, masterclasses and a guitar exhibition. Long’s compositions have been selected as compulsory pieces, introducing international musicians to Vietnamese music.
Inspired by Vietnamese folk melodies and literature, particularly The Tale of Kieu, his works offer more than musical challenges. Through his Suite Kieu (To khuc Kieu), contestants explore the classic tale’s characters, human struggles, and cultural values.
For Long, the festival represents two decades of building bridges through music. Vietnamese artists abroad, he said, can promote their cultural heritage internationally while bringing new artistic experiences home.
His vision aligns with the Politburo’s Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on cultural development, which calls for stronger international cultural integration and the promotion of Vietnamese values.
Long also advocates greater support for international cultural exchanges, including funding, travel, visas and copyright arrangements. He hopes to devote more time to compositions inspired by Vietnam’s literature, history, nature and people, while creating more opportunities for young Vietnamese guitarists to work with international peers.
“Music knows no borders,” he said, noting that a performance succeeds when it inspires foreign audiences to learn more about Vietnam.
His next ambition is to bring the Berlin festival to Hanoi, allowing Vietnamese stories to resonate through guitar music on home soil.
VNA
