Description: The luc Huyen Cam is a type of scalloped-guitar found in Vietnam. Alternate names for this instrument include “dan ghita” or “Ghita”. Currently there are four stringed, five stringed and six stringed versions of this instrument available. In the 1920s an elementary school teacher named Giao Ten along with his college Rach Gia introduced the guitar in a remote province in Vietnam. In the development of this type of guitar two major alterations were made, firstly the spaces between each fret are scalloped with a file and then they are sanded down. The second part is the use of very thin gauge strings. The techniques used for this type of guitar playing involve a lot of note bending, vibrato and glissando they are influenced from traditional Vietnamese instruments such as the dan-bau, dan-nguyet (lute) and dan-tranh (zither). The luc huyen cam became a favourite musical instrument in the Tai Tu and Cai Luong genres. In 1927 the Ha ui cam or Hawaiian guitar was introduced to Vietnam from Hawaii it is played as a slide guitar having raised strings. When acheiving the usage of these tunings, one should avoid the use of thicker-gauge strings would be prone to snapping.

Luc Huyen Cam Tunings

	C-F-C-G-C
Day Rach-Gia	E-A-D-G-D-G
Day Lai (aculturated tuning)	D-A-D-G-D-G
Day Sai Gon (Saigon Tuning)	D-G-D-G-D-G
Hu ai Cam (Slide Guitar)	G-D-G-B-D

Citations: New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments by Stanley Sadie -article by Tran Quang Hai P. 542 & P. 543 > Garland Encyclopedia of World Music South East Asia P. 47