The award, named after the cultural luminary Dao Tan (1845–1907), was initiated in 2000 by the Institute for Research and Development of Vietnamese Ethnic Culture (INREC) in collaboration with Van Hien Viet Nam Magazine, and has been held annually since 2005.
Over the past 20 years, the award has become a prestigious forum to encourage and motivate units and individuals with notable achievements in theatre, literature, arts, and music, thereby making positive contributions to the nation's cultural renewal, exchange, and integration process.
Journalist Nguyen The Khoa, INREC Deputy Director and Editor-in-Chief of Van Hien Viet Nam Magazine, stressed that recipients of the Dao Tan Award are not selected as the result of a competition or public poll, but rather through meticulous consideration and high responsibility of the organisers.
Therefore, the award categories are flexibly adjusted each year, not fixed but aligned with the flow of artistic life, to promptly discover and exemplify factors positively influencing the development of traditional national culture.
Over the past 20 years, the award has become a prestigious forum to encourage and motivate units and individuals with notable achievements in theatre, literature, arts, and music, thereby making positive contributions to the nation's cultural renewal, exchange, and integration process.
That is why the 2025 Dao Tan Award introduces a new category for the first time honouring outstanding art managers. The category helps the public better understand the contributions of leaders of public and private theatre units.
One of the honourees in the category is People's Artist Le Ngoc, Chair of Le Ngoc Theatre, who has turned her namesake theatre into a bright spot in the Northern region. Le Ngoc Theatre has achieved record runs of 300–400 performances and left deep impressions on the audience through dozens of overseas tours.
Another winner is People's Artist Trung Hieu, Director of Ha Noi Drama Theatre, who has contributed to a clear transformation in the Capital's drama in recent years.
Hieu shows his new staging approaches with contemporary spirit while working as director of many impactful plays, such as ‘Lang Sinh Doi’ (Villages of Twins), ‘Vong Tron Boi Bac’ (Circle of Betrayal), and ‘Bi Vo’ (The Woman Thief).
Also being named as Outstanding Arts Manager is People's Artist Ho Ngoc Trinh, Head of Vam Co Cai Luong Troupe in Tay Ninh Province, who has earned numerous gold medals in acting and directing at professional festivals and ‘cai luong’ (reformed opera) performances, while notably contributing to the development and maintenance of the Vam Co Cai Luong Troupe's position as one of the strongest public artistic units in the Southwest region.
The 2025 Dao Tan Awards also featured the debut of the ‘Outstanding Art Promoter’ category, honouring director and MA Nguyen Thanh Hiep from Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper and playwright Mai Van Lang from the Voice of Viet Nam Radio).
As a journalist and Head of the Theory and Criticism Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Theatre Association since 2010, director Nguyen Thanh Hiep has staged over 1,200 performances of the "School Theatre" programme at 200 schools in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces, helping nurture and cultivate love for theatre among the youth.
Meanwhile, driven by great passion and enthusiasm for traditional arts, playwright Mai Van Lang unleashed digital platforms to build an entire "ecosystem" of fan pages, YouTube, blogs, and numerous exchange activities to powerfully popularise the values of Cheo (Vietnamese traditional opera) and folk songs to audiences at home and abroad.
The Grand Award went to playwright Le Duy Hanh (1947–2023) — a major name in Vietnamese theatre over the past 50 years, alongside Luu Quang Vu, Xuan Trinh, and Tao Mat.
According to People’s Artist Le Tien Tho, INREC Director and Chairman of the Dao Tan Award Council, author Le Duy Hanh received the State Award in 2001 for three theatre works, namely ‘Bui Thi Xuan Hoi Ket Cuoc’ (Bui Thi Xuan's Finale), ‘Mat Troi Dem The Ky’ (The Night Sun of the Century), and ‘Troi Nam’ (Southern Sky).
Yet his fame is appreciated in the arts circle through many other significant historical works such as ‘Tam Su Ngoc Han’ (Ngoc Han’s Confessions), ‘Vua Thanh Trieu Le’ (Kings of the Le Dynasty), and ‘Chiec Ao Thien Nga’ (The Swan's Dress).
Alongside profound imprints in theatre, the 2025 Dao Tan Award acknowledged contributions in music and arts.
Painter Le Sa Long gained the Outstanding Painter award for his topical series ‘Thuong Lam Dong Bao Toi’ (My Dear Compatriots) following historic floods.
Together with the ‘Sai Gon Trong Nhung Ngay Gian Cach’ (Sai Gon in the Days of Social Distancing) collection, Le Sa Long demonstrates an artist's deep bond with life's currents, using painting language to share and spread the beauty of nature, land, and people in both peace and hardship.
The Outstanding Singer award was presented to Meritorious Artist Tran Tua from the Army Music and Dance Theatre, who has devoted over 30 years to bringing songs to remote borders and islands. Beyond performing, he composes and participates in music films, leaving a strong impression as an artist-soldier.
In a context where traditional arts face fierce competition from modern entertainment forms, the milestones from the Dao Tan Award can be seen as "flame-passing" motivation, providing strength for individuals and units to persist in preserving and promoting ancestral artistic values.
People's Artist Le Ngoc shared that receiving the Dao Tan Award is an honour and precious recognition for her efforts steering Le Ngoc Theatre, with aspirations to elevate national arts to the world stage. The recognition serves as great inspiration for her and her colleagues to keep contributing and affirming Vietnamese identity in global integration.
