During this period subtle changes took place in the design of many instruments, but few were quite so significant as those which attended the development of instruments of the 'silk' (ie silk-stringed) category which were to provide the backbone of Confucian courtly orchestras. These included a pear-shaped, four-stringed plucked lute known as the đàn tỳ bà (related to‘ the Chinese pi pa); a moon-shaped two-stringed plucked lute known as the đàn nguyệt (a very distant relative of the Chinese yue chin); the two-stringed bowed fiddle known as the đàn nhị (equivalent to the Chinese hu qin); and the 16-stringed plucked zither known as the đàn tranh (related to the Chinese zheng), together with its larger 36-stringed cousin (struck with a pair of drumsticks) known as the đàn tam thập lục. Nonetheless, each of the afore-mentioned instruments developed in its own distinctive way, producing sounds and nuances subtlely different from those of its nearest Chinese counterpart.

From an early stage too, the Việt people developed their own unique musical instruments. Best-known is the đàn bầu or monochord, which has become almost as much of a national instrument to the Vietnamese as the khène is to the people of Laos. With its single string stretched over a lacquered soundbox (originally a gourd, as indicated by the word bầu which means gourd), the đàn bầu is plucked with a wooden pick whilst a flexible hooked buffalo horn spike attached to one end of the string is manipulated to produce a variety of vibrato effects and long resonances of great subtlety. Traditionally used to accompany songs or declamation, the đàn bầu was integrated into the ceremonial orchestras of the Việt courts from an early date. Another instrument unique to the Việt people is the đàn đáy, a rectangular three-stringed long-necked lute played exclusively by men. Originally used to accompany solo singing such as hát ả đào or recitals of poetry, it also subsequently became part of the instrumentarium of the royal court.