a legendary musicologist, writer and teacher, as well as talented performer of Vietnamese music. 

Late Professor Tran Van Khe, a legendary musicologist, writer and teacher, as well as talented performer of Vietnamese music, devoted his life to introduce Vietnamese music to the world. — Photo courtesy of the HCM City National Museum

The foundation will work to encourage and support young musicians and theatre artists in their careers. It will also honour individuals and groups for their contributions to Vietnamese music and theatre, according to journalist Nguyen The Thanh, former deputy director of the HCM City’s Department of Culture and Information. 

Thanh and Khe’s friends, such as People’s Artist Kim Cuong and musician Huynh Khai, have worked with the Van Lang University of HCM City to open the commemorative house of Khe, located in the university, to display several hundred books, documents, photos, and traditional instruments of Vietnamese music written, collected and stored by the professor. 

“Tran Van Khe Foundation is scheduled to open next year,” said Thanh. 

Professor Khe was born in 1921 to a traditional family in My Tho City in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta Province of Tien Giang.

He began his love for Vietnamese music when he was a child. He studied playing the đàn kìm (two-stringed guitar) and đàn tranh (Vietnamese zither) with his father while at school. 

In 1949, he was sent to study in France. He lived in Paris for more than 50 years and worked to expand Vietnamese music through his performances and talks. 

He received a doctoral degree in musicology at Sorbonne University in Paris in 1958. He later became a professor who taught traditional music at the university. 

He was an honorary member of the International Music Council (IMC), founded in 1949 by UNESCO, and a member of the European Academy of the Sciences, Letters and Arts. 

He was also involved in researching and writing about Vietnamese music to promote and honour his native country’s music to the world.  

Khe received many top prizes and medals from international organisations for his contributions to music. 

In 2005, he returned to live in HCM City. All the documents and books on traditional music that he collected were packed in 460 parcels and shipped from France to Vietnam. They are stored at libraries and museums in HCM City.  VNS

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