From a music award to the power of cultural diplomacy
WVR - Soprano singer Tran Nguyen Kim Ngan's victory in the First National Chamber Singing Competition in 2025 is not only a joy for Vietnam's academic music community but also a vivid testament to the power of cultural diplomacy – an increasingly important pillar in Vietnam's overall foreign affairs strategy today.
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As the nation enters the digital era, a period of national resurgence, cultural and artistic achievements of international standards are helping to affirm Vietnam's identity, intellect, and cultural depth to friends worldwide.
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| Soprano singer Tran Nguyen Kim Ngan wins the First National Chamber Singing Competition in 2025. |
A voice cultivated in an international environment
Born in 1994, Kim Ngan is currently a Vocal Music lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music. She graduated with honours in Vocal Music and holds a Master's degree from the Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg Conservatory (Russia) – one of the world's most prestigious academic music training centers.
Her education, performances, and growth in the Russian artistic environment – the cradle of opera and classical vocal music – have helped Kim Ngan build a solid technical foundation, a standard performance style, and an internationally-minded musical approach.
Her achievements in various international vocal competitions demonstrate the natural and enduring integration of Vietnamese artists into the global cultural space.
The First National Chamber Singing Competition 2025 award is a well-deserved recognition of her diligent artistic journey. It also marks a significant maturity of a young generation of Vietnamese artists who are well-trained and capable of engaging in equal dialogue with the world through the language of art.
Soft power in the new era
In Vietnam's Diplomacy Strategy to 2030, cultural diplomacy is identified as one of the three important pillars, alongside political and economic diplomacy.
In practice, amid strategic competition and global fragmentation, culture increasingly becomes the most effective bridge to build trust, understanding, and long-term goodwill.
Artists like Kim Ngan are "cultural ambassadors" who, though unofficial, are incredibly persuasive. Through academic music – a form of art with universal and high standards – Vietnam's image emerges not only as rich in national identity but also modern, intellectual, integrated, and trustworthy.
As UNESCO has emphasized: “Culture is the most sustainable soft power, as it touches the emotions and universal values of humanity.” The success of Vietnamese artists on both domestic and international stages embodies this assertion.
The digital era and opportunities to spread Vietnamese cultural values
A notable aspect of Kim Ngan's professional perspective is her principled openness to new media platforms.
The presence of chamber artists in the digital space, experimenting with appropriate cross-cultural forms while maintaining academic standards, reflects a modern mindset aligned with the trend of cultural diplomacy in the digital era.
Today, a concert, a performance, or an artistic story can transcend borders in just a few hours. This opens opportunities for Vietnamese culture to reach a global audience more directly, vividly, and with fewer barriers than ever before.
However, as Kim Ngan shares, quality and identity remain core. Cultural diplomacy is truly effective only when built on genuine values, serious effort, and professional integrity.
From individual artists to national aspirations
Kim Ngan's journey shows that when young Vietnamese engage in fields demanding the highest global standards, with determination and integrity, they not only affirm themselves but also contribute to elevating the nation's status.
In Ho Chi Minh's philosophy, culture is always linked to people and the sustainable development of the nation. He once emphasized: “Culture lights the path for the nation to follow.”
Today, in the context of deep integration, culture also paves the way for foreign relations, helping Vietnam tell its story to the world through a language of humanity, peace, and creativity.
The First National Chamber Singing Competition 2025 award of soprano Tran Nguyen Kim Ngan is not only the achievement of an individual artist but also a beautiful slice in the contemporary Vietnamese cultural diplomacy landscape.
From prestigious global music classrooms returning to contribute to the homeland, from artistic stages to the digital space, artists like Kim Ngan are quietly yet persistently helping to project an image of Vietnam that is confident, humane, and rich in cultural depth to the world.
