Vietnamese-Thai guitar duo brings classical music to Da Lat
In late July 2026, Sunny Guitar Duo, comprising one Vietnamese and one Thai artist, brought a distinctive classical guitar performance to Da Lat through the Pho Ben Doi Creative Studio.
A Da Lat debut
"This is our first time visiting and performing in Da Lat. It's a beautiful city," young Thai guitarist Nutthachai Chaivanich said during the concert. He performed alongside Vietnamese guitarist Tran Phan Thuan Nguyen, with the two forming the Sunny Guitar Duo.
At just 17, Chaivanich has emerged as a prominent young classical guitarist in Thailand and Southeast Asia. He began playing the guitar at the age of eight and is currently studying Multi-Arts (Music and Performance) at Assumption College Thonburi in Thailand on a full scholarship.
During his studies, the young Thai musician has had opportunities to work with and learn from prominent artists across Southeast Asia. He has regularly performed at concerts, festivals and international competitions in Thailand, Vietnam and other countries.
Chaivanich has won numerous awards at major classical guitar competitions in Thailand and abroad. Most notably, in 2024, he won second prize in the youth category at the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) competition, one of the world's prestigious classical guitar competitions.
Meanwhile, Tran Phan Thuan Nguyen is a final-year classical guitar student at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music. He has taken part in several international training programmes with renowned musicians from around the world.
In 2018, Nguyen received Japan's Toyota Young Talent scholarship. In 2025, he was awarded an Erasmus scholarship from the European Union to study at the Academy of Music in Krakow, Poland, under the guidance of leading professors.
Nguyen regularly participates in festivals, competitions and concerts in Vietnam and abroad and has won several major awards for classical guitar performance. Beyond performing, he is also involved in composing, arranging and community-focused music education projects.
The pair formed Sunny Guitar Duo in 2023 and quickly gained recognition at international guitar events in Vietnam and Thailand. In 2025, the duo won first prize in the Ensemble category at the Saigon International Guitar Festival and Competition.
This summer, Sunny Guitar Duo embarked on its first tour of Vietnam, with Da Lat among its stops.
"We really wanted to perform in Da Lat, a city I love, and we've finally had the opportunity to do so," Nguyen said.
The musical journey continues
During their Da Lat performance, Sunny Guitar Duo presented a distinctive programme for the city's classical music enthusiasts.
In his solo set, Tran Phan Thuan Nguyen performed works by two contemporary composers: Dusan Bogdanovic's The Castle of the White City and Yuri Smirnov's St. Petersburg Etching.
Nutthachai Chaivanich, meanwhile, performed Giulio Regondi's Introduction et Caprice, Op. 23, as well as the popular Vietnamese folk song Beo Dat May Troi, uniquely arranged by Thai composer Pongpat Pongpradit.
For their duet, the two guitarists performed works by renowned composers, including Enrique Granados' Selections from Valses Poéticos, Manuel de Falla's Danza Ritual del Fuego, Frédéric Chopin's Waltz, Op. 64 No. 2 and Astor Piazzolla's Zita, drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience.
According to Nguyen Trung Hien, Director of the Pho Ben Doi Creative Studio in Da Lat, the concert was part of the centre's efforts to bring high-quality artistic performances to local audiences.
"In the coming period, we will work with conservatories across Vietnam to bring more performances by leading artists to Da Lat," Hien said.