CC: View of Colorful Decorations at a Market in Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam, June 10, 2024. Photo by HONG SON from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/view-of-colorful-decorations-at-a-market-in-vietnam-25949477/

What is the Korean instrument gayageum?

Where is Korea? Who are Korean Americans?

How do melodies use sounds from nature?

Can I step to the big beats in 6/8?

Come Out and Look! Vietnamese Rhymes and Song

Lesson 3

HISTORY & CULTURE

20+ MIN

Come Out and Look!

MUSIC LISTENING

Bird Design on Gayageum, photo by Gianina Ferreyra.

Lion on Jar with Lid, 19th century from Southern Vietnam, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, S2005.105a-b.  https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_S2005.105a-b/ 

Vietnam: Geography and People

20+ minutes

Path 1

Vietnam Map, by TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

These children are celebrating Vietnamese holidays. What are they wearing? What are they doing?

These three Vietnamese boys live in France.

Gayageum

Vietnamese children live all over the world

These Vietnamese boys live in Australia.

This photo is of children in Australia on a typical day. What are they wearing? What are they eating? What else are they doing?

These are the countries with the most Vietnamese immigrants.

Let’s review the Vietnamese words you’ve heard so far.

1.

2. 

3.

4. 

5.

Now you’ll listen to a Vietnamese song called “Come Out and Look.” 

Come out and look!  

Something's sitting on the ground. 

It's showing its back, it's a toad. 

The toad sitting on the ground, 
It's showing its back, it's a baby toad. 

• Where do Vietnamese children live?
• What are some Vietnamese words?
• What is the name of a song Vietnamese children around the world sing?

Learning Checkpoint

End of Path 1: Where Will You Go Next?

Advance to the next History/Culture Path:

Filipina American Music

Listening, Moving, Responding

15+ minutes

Path 2

This song is about a toad! What sound does a toad make? Can you imitate that sound with your voice?

Vietnamese toad

Engaged listening

Instrumentation in the recording

https://www.si.edu/object/flute-used-alton-augustus-adams-sr:nmaahc_2014.263.1.1a-e

https://www.si.edu/object/electric-guitar-belonging-chuck-berry-nicknamed-maybellene:nmaahc_2011.137.2

https://www.si.edu/object/ella-fitzgerald-ray-brown-dizzy-gillespie-and-milt-jackson:npg_NPG.2016.6

https://www.si.edu/object/cymbals:chndm_1967-92-15-a_b

Little Bird

Engaged listening with Tina: Toad percussion

• Can I imitate the sound of a toad with my voice?
• Can I play a percussion instrument along with the recording of “Come Out and Look”/”Ra Mà Xem”?
• Can I play on beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time?

Learning Checkpoint

End of Path 2: Where Will You Go Next?

Playing and Moving to Music

15+ minutes

Path 3

https://www.si.edu/object/america-and-old-glory:nmah_2036865

Listening and identifying rhyming words

Song Title: Ra Mà Xem/ Come Out and Look 

A traditional Vietnamese children’s rhyme/song 

Verse 1 (Vietnamese):

Ra mà xem!  

Cái gì nó ngồi trong hang. 

Nó đưa cái lưng ra ngoài, đó là con cóc. 

Con cóc nó ngồi trong góc, 

Nó đưa cái lưng ra ngoài, đó là cóc con! 

Verse 1 (English):

Come out and look!  

Something's sitting on the ground. 

It's showing its back, it's a toad. 

The toad sitting on the ground, 
It's showing its back, it's a baby toad. 

Generating creative ideas

Come out and look!  

Something's sitting in/on/near the ______. 

It's showing its _____, it's a _____. 

The _____ sitting in/on/near the _____, 
It's showing its _____, it's a (baby) _____. 

(body part)

(body part)

(animal)

(animal)

(animal)

(location)

(location)

https://www.si.edu/object/tree-trunk-roots:chndm_1917-4-826

https://www.si.edu/object/jumping-over-boys-back-leapfrog:nmah_1855317

Inspiration from other animal songs

• Can I identify rhyming words in Vietnamese?
• Can I create my own rhyming verse in English?
• Can I recite and sing my own rhyming verse?

Learning Checkpoint

End of Path 3 and Lesson 3: Where Will You Go Next?

Discover Something New!

Music at the Vietnamese Court

Music of the Asian Royal Courts Pathway, Lesson 5

Lesson 1 Media Credits

Audio courtesy of​

Tina Huynh and Smithsonian Folkways???

Video courtesy of

Tina Huynh and ???

Images courtesy of

Tina Huynh and the Smithsonian Institution ???

© 2025 Smithsonian Institution. Personal, educational, and non-commercial uses allowed; commercial rights reserved. See Smithsonian terms of use for more information.

This project received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

For full bibliography and media credits, see Lesson 1 landing page.