Guitar phím lõm

The đàn lục huyền cầm (literally "lute with six strings"), or colloquially đàn ghi-ta phím lõm (literally ghi-ta "guitar", + phím "fret", + lõm "sunken"), is a scalloped Vietnamese adaptation of the French guitar.

The guitar, or ghi-ta, was adopted by Vietnamese musicians during the 19th Century. However, in order to adapt a western guitar to the deep pressing on the strings necessary for Vietnamese music the fingerboard - the wood of the neck between the frets - was scooped out to ease the pressing. This carving out of the fingerboard is what gives the distinctive scalloped appearance to the six-string đàn lục huyền cầm. This form of guitar is commonly used in cải lương or "Southern Reformed Theater."