Musician Duong Cam and the “Laurel Wreath” of dedication: When Vietnamese musicals move beyond experimentation
WVR - On the evening of April 15, at the 20th Dedication Awards ceremony held in Hanoi, musician and producer Duong Cam was announced as the winner in the "Impressive Dedication" category for his tireless contributions to "Made in Vietnam" musicals and his role as a cultural storyteller through musical theater.
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| Musician and producer Duong Cam was announced as the winner in the "Impressive Dedication" category at the 20th Dedication Awards ceremony held in Hanoi, on the evening of April 15 , 2026. (Photo: Hanh Trang) |
Behind this award is a long journey: From personal musical experiments to shaping a new direction for Vietnamese musicals.
A "Cultural storyteller" through music
Born in 1986 in Dak Lak, Duong Cam – whose real name is Do Ngoc Cam – is not a stranger to the professional community. He was twice honored at the 2018 Dedication Awards in the categories of "Musician of the Year" and "Producer of the Year", affirming his position as a versatile artist: composing, producing, and shaping the overall structure of a musical product.
However, it was not until he ventured into the realm of musicals that Duong Cam truly revealed his "artistic ambition".
He did not choose the safe path of adapting international classics into Vietnamese; instead, he pursued a more challenging direction: creating purely Vietnamese musicals, from materials to spirit. In his approach, music is not just for listening or viewing, but becomes a storytelling medium – where Vietnamese culture, history, and psychology are recreated through contemporary language.
Therefore, many refer to him as a "cultural storyteller" through music – a title that reflects the true essence of his creativity rather than being merely ornamental.
The most significant milestone in this journey is Giac mo Chi Pheo – a musical considered a turning point in contemporary theater.
Inspired by Nam Cao's classic work, the play goes beyond mere adaptation to truly "rebirth" the story in a completely new form. Modern music blends with traditional elements, from melodic structure to stage design, creating a composition that is both familiar and novel.
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| "Giac mo Chi Pheo" impresses with modern music blended with traditional elements, from melodic structure to stage design, creating a composition that is both familiar and novel. (Source: Thang Long Music and Dance Theater) |
Notably, Giac mo Chi Pheo is not the product of a spontaneous moment. It is the result of a long accumulation process, starting from previous experiments like Tro ve (2015), Ha Noi Ngay, thang, nam (2018), and Toi doc bao sang nay (2021). Only when this play was born did the dream of a truly complete musical take shape.
The success of the work lies not only in its artistry. The continuous "sold-out" performances, especially at Ho Guom Theater, indicate an important signal that Vietnamese audiences are ready to embrace domestic musicals.
It is no coincidence that Giac mo Chi Pheo won the Outstanding Award at the National Professional Music and Dance Festival and continued to be honored in the "Stage Essence" category at the Tinh hoa Viet Awards 2025. More importantly, it has become a highlight of Hanoi's culture, contributing to the larger narrative of developing the capital's cultural industry.
With Giac mo Chi Pheo, musician Duong Cam and his team are working daily to make "Made in Vietnam" musicals with heart and vision, ready to step into the larger market – potentially turning a dream into reality.
"Impressive dedication": Recognition for a vision
This year's "Impressive Dedication" award holds special significance. It is not just for a specific work but for an entire set of values that Duong Cam pursues: pioneering spirit, discipline, and the aspiration to elevate Vietnamese art.
From a professional perspective, his dedication lies in the ability to combine seemingly disparate elements: academic music, large-scale stage production, live performance... All are placed within a tight structure, creating "comprehensive works" with a systematic nature, rather than just a standalone performance.
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| Duong Cam consistently affirms his position as a versatile artist: composing, producing, and shaping the overall structure of a musical product. (Photo NVCC) |
From a strategic perspective, more importantly, the male musician is contributing daily to laying the foundation for a purely Vietnamese musical ecosystem – something previously considered too distant in the context of the domestic entertainment market.
This award, therefore, can be seen as a well-deserved "laurel wreath" for that persistent journey.
At this year's 20th Dedication Awards ceremony, Duong Cam was not only honored but also took on the role of Music Director.
This is not the first time he has held this position; previously, he was the Music Director of the 2018 Dedication Awards ceremony. However, at the 20-year milestone, this role carries a different meaning: both as a creator of the artistic space for the event and as the central figure of the very night of recognition.
