The beauty of the land and people of Da Nang always provides an endless source of inspiration to songwriters from the city and other localities nationwide.  However, there have been very few outstanding and impressive songs about the city.

For this reason, a contest to encourage more songs to be written about Da Nang was launched by the local authorities in August 2012.  The contest’s organising board has received a total of over 300 entries from both local and national songwriters.  The top 20 songs have now been chosen and will go through to the final round of the competition. 

The performance of “Da Nang Men Yeu” (Beloved Da Nang) at the 2012 Miss Da Nang contest

According to the Chairman of the Vietnam Musicians Association and head of the contest’s judging board, musican Do Hong Quan, the contest has had considerable success in attracting a high number of entries.  Many contestants used the central region’s folk music, including “Bai choi” (singing while acting as playing cards), and “Tuong” (classical drama), in their songs written about Da Nang.  However, some of the contest’s judging board members have said that there was a shortage of songs with outstanding tones, lyrics and performance.

As well as being performed in public on the upcoming National Day (2 September), the winning songs will be released on DVD to introduce them to a wide audience.  In addition, they will be shown on the Da Nang Radio and Television Station (DRT) and at local entertainment and public places, as well as at music festivals in the city and nationwide.