The 2025 Dao Tan Awards honoured nine individuals and five collectives whose long-term dedication has helped preserve and promote Vietnam’s traditional cultural values, reaffirming the role of heritage arts in a rapidly changing contemporary society.
The Dao Tan Awards, named after renowned cultural figure Dao Tan (1845 - 1907), were initiated in 2000 by the Institute for Research and Development of Vietnamese Ethnic Culture (INREC) in cooperation with Van Hien Viet Nam Magazine, and have been held annually since 2005. Over the past 20 years, the awards have grown into a prestigious platform recognising outstanding contributions in theatre, literature, music, and the arts, while encouraging cultural renewal, exchange, and integration.
Winners of Dao Tan Awards 2025 honoured at the ceremony.
According to the organisers, the Dao Tan Awards are not based on competition or public voting. Instead, recipients are selected through careful evaluation and a strong sense of responsibility. Award categories are adjusted flexibly each year to reflect artistic practice and to timely honour individuals and collectives that positively influence the development of traditional national culture.
A key highlight of the 2025 edition was the introduction of the “Outstanding Art Manager” category for the first time. This category sheds light on the essential but often overlooked role of leaders of artistic institutions. Honourees included People’s Artist Le Ngoc, Chair of Le Ngoc Theatre, whose theatre has become a cultural highlight in northern Viet Nam with hundreds of performances and international tours; People’s Artist Trung Hieu, Director of Ha Noi Drama Theatre, recognised for revitalising the capital’s drama scene with contemporary staging approaches; and People’s Artist Ho Ngoc Trinh, Head of the Vam Co Cai Luong Troupe in Tay Ninh Province, who has maintained the troupe’s strong position in the southwest region.
The 2025 awards also debuted the “Outstanding Art Promoter” category. Director Nguyen Thanh Hiep was honoured for organising more than 1,200 “School Theatre” performances at schools across Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces, helping nurture young audiences’ appreciation of theatre. Playwright Mai Van Lang was recognised for creatively using digital platforms to build an online ecosystem promoting cheo and folk songs to audiences at home and abroad.
The Grand Award was presented posthumously to playwright Le Duy Hanh (1947 - 2023), one of the most influential figures in Vietnamese theatre over the past half-century, whose historical and contemporary works have left a lasting mark on the national stage. The awards also acknowledged achievements in visual arts and music, with painter Le Sa Long honoured for socially responsive art series and Meritorious Artist Tran Tua recognised for more than three decades of artistic service in remote and border areas.
In the context of fierce competition from modern entertainment, the Dao Tan Awards continue to serve as a source of inspiration, motivating artists and cultural institutions to persist in safeguarding and promoting Vietnam’s traditional cultural heritage while affirming national identity in the process of global integration.
Translated by MINH KIÊN
VNQD