Where the Wild Flower Blooms: Orff-Schulwerk in Việt Nam

Article by Joseph Duong.

Edited by Bethany Elsworth.

All photos are used with permission from the Carl Orff Việt Nam Facebook page.

Carl Orff Việt Nam is dedicated to transforming music education in Vietnam through the Orff-Schulwerk. Our mission is to inspire creativity, cultural integration, and joyful learning through music and movement.

Since our inception in 2023, we have hosted a series of workshops that have brought the Orff approach to life for Vietnamese teachers and students. These events have primarily taken place in Ho Chi Minh City, with several sessions live-streamed to Hanoi to expand our reach.

We have had the privilege of welcoming internationally renowned presenters like Doug Goodkin, Catherine West (from Carl Orff Canada and an Advisor on our Board of Directors), James Jackson, Joy Reeve, Jenna Kufeldt-Ferrell, Marcelline Moody, and Susan Wieler to name a few. Each brought their unique expertise and inspiration to Vietnam by offering hands-on learning experiences that blend local culture with the Orff approach.

A milestone moment for us came in July 2025, when we hosted the first-ever Orff-Schulwerk Level 1 Course in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This intensive course wove together Vietnamese folk songs and the Orff approach, demonstrating how local traditions can thrive within this creative framework. The course attracted teachers not only from across Vietnam but also from the wider region—including the Philippines, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and even Mongolia—a beautiful reminder of how music can connect people across cultures.

Our journey is still young, but the seeds planted are already growing much like the “Wild Flower” that blooms in Vietnam in the spring. Teachers leave our workshops energised and equipped to bring creativity and joy into their classrooms. Students experience music and movement in ways that honour both Vietnamese heritage and global artistry.

At Carl Orff Việt Nam, we believe this is only the beginning of a long journey toward a more joyful, imaginative, and culturally rooted music education for the children of Vietnam.