Well-known Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son will perform with the Korean Symphony Orchestra at a concert in the Hanoi Opera House on January 14’s night.
This will be the first time Son performs with the orchestra from the Republic of Korea (RoK) under the leadership of conductor Chi-Yong Chung.
The concert entitled Korea – Vietnam New Year Concert will be a mix of master pieces and Korean folk music. The master will be Piano Concerto by Norwegian Edvard Grieg and Radetzky March by J. Strauss I and opera extracts Pace, pace mio Dio from La Forza Del Destino by Verdi; Overture from Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss II and Russian Dance from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky.
Korean folk pieces Seya Seya and Sin Arirang are arranged by musicians Chae Dong Sun and Kim Dong Jin for the symphony orchestra.
Conductor Chung is music director and principal conductor at Korean Symphony Orchestra. He used to be Chairman of the Korean Conductors’ Association and has performed as guest conductor with many orchestras in the world such as Radio Symphony of Leipzig, Russian Philharmonic and Michigan State Symphony. The conductor also receives Austrian Culture Ministry Award and Music Association of Korean.
Son is Vietnam’s world-renowned concert pianist who was the first Asian to win first prize and the gold medal at the X Warsaw International Chopin Piano Competition in 1980.
He was presented with the Golden Medal for Merit to Culture from Poland and is currently piano faculty member of Oberlin Conservatory of Music in the US and guest professor at the Universite de Montreal in Canada.
The Korean Symphony Orchestra has been working to elevate its standing since it started in 1985. For the past 30 years the orchestra has more than 90 performances each year both domestically and abroad.
The concert is the first event to be held in Vietnam by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Korean embassy. It kicks off a wide range of cultural and art exchange activities between the two countries during the year.
Technology is similarly enriching exhibitions at the Vietnam Women’s Museum in Hanoi. Wartime letters, a typewriter and other artefacts linked to former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh have been digitally integrated with collections held at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. Through projection mapping, 3D displays and a virtual reality recreation of the Paris Peace Agreement, visitors can engage more deeply with the life and achievements of one of Vietnam’s most prominent diplomats.
As international arrivals surge and global travel trends shift toward safer, culture-focused destinations, Vietnam is positioning itself to move beyond budget tourism and compete through high-value experiences and service quality.
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Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird said: “We are thrilled to support this musical collaboration between Australia’s Matthew Ifield and Vietnam’s Mỹ Anh. Creative connections and exchange between young people in Australia and Vietnam will help build cultural understanding between our nations”.
The Vietnam Film Institute in coordination with the Embassy of Sweden will jointly organise the Vietnam–Sweden Children’s Film Week in Hanoi in early June, featuring free screenings of Vietnamese animated films and Swedish children’s classics.
Vietnamese Buddhism has consistently upheld the spirit of “protecting the nation and serving the people” while accompanying the nation in promoting social ethics, strengthening great national unity, and advancing national development.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, has officially launched the “Korea Season 2026” program series in Vietnam.
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The growing presence of Vietnam in international music videos is therefore more than a story of beautiful imagery. It is also a test of how the country positions itself within the global cultural landscape.
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The representative of the Vietnam Cinema Association stated that in the context of today’s fourth Industrial Revolution, the requirement to respect and ensure historical authenticity through cinema has become more important than ever, as digital platforms and cyberspace have enabled the widespread dissemination of cross-border media products.
According to the digital travel platform Agoda, travel searches by Vietnamese users show a clear shift toward lesser-known destinations offering more personalised and immersive experiences, spanning coastal, mountainous and cultural tourism.
PSNews - "We have always affirmed that the greatest strength lies in the people, and the greatest creativity also comes from the people. When millions of positive stories are shared and spread simultaneously, we are not only promoting the image of our country, but also helping to strengthen social trust, enhance consensus, elevate national prestige, and proactively counter false and distorted information about Vietnam in the international arena", said Trinh Thi Thuy - Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Head of the Organizing Committee of the award.
An expert said that while Vietnam has yet to build globally influential cultural brands like the US' Hollywood or the Republic of Korea’s K-pop wave, folk culture offers a unique advantage thanks to the diversity of its ethnic cultures.