Hanoi | Concert: Vietnamese Ethnic Music Orchestra

8 p.m., Tuesday, December 12

Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street

Seaphony - a Vietnamese ethnic music orchestra - will assemble 50 artisans, musicians and composers from ethnic groups across Vietnam to perform traditional instruments and ethnic songs on its debut night at the Hanoi Opera House on December 12. 

Music director Nhat Ly and musician Manh Tien have traveled to seven northern provinces this year, as well as tribal villages in the Central Highlands and Cham villages in the coastal provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, to meet artists from various ethnic groups to ask them to join the orchestra. 

Experimental music events featuring some of the artists have already been held in Hanoi to much acclaim from critics and experts in ethnic music. 

At a press conference at the Opera House, music director Nhat Ly said this is a long-term program dedicated to "evoking the potential of Southeast Asian music" with a focus on traditional instruments. Seaphony is a one-of-a-kind ethnic music orchestra that aims to create a platform for ethnic musicians from across the region. 

"Musicians in other countries in Southeast Asia all face the same challenge in terms of reaching out to artists," said Vo Thanh Trung, director of Lune Production, the show's organizer. "We still don't have a specific project that can bring ethnic music from the region to a global level."

S.E.A Sound aims to expand by reaching out to musicians, composers and artists in other Southeast Asian countries over the next few years to build a community that shares a passion for ethnic music. 

The organizer has already staged several critically acclaimed performances including the famed My Village, A O Show, Teh Dar and the Mist. 

For tickets and more information please contact: seaphony@luneproduction.com / 091 105 30 30

Hanoi | Theater: Cinderella's Envy

L'Espace, 24-26 Trang Tien

8 p.m., Thursday, December 14 

Based on the original play of Molière, Vietnamese artist Tran Luc combines the French comedian's satire with contemporary social issues in Vietnam. Audience will meet a struggling Cinderella, a scholar obsessed with degrees or a waitress addicted to livestreaming. 

Tickets: from VND500,000 ($22)

Buy tickets here.

Hanoi | Ionah Show 

Star Galaxy, 87 Lang Ha, Ba Dinh

8 p.m., Thursday and Saturday, December 14, 16

^{A fairy tale journey of Ionah, a Hanoian girl through time and space.}

Hanoi | Circus Show: My Village

Vietnam Tuong Theater, 51 Duong Thanh & Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien

6 p.m., December 13,14 & 17

^{Vietnamese peaceful village life via breathtaking contemporary cirque.}

Hanoi | Cultural Show: The Quintessence of Tonkin

Da Phuc Village (near Thay Pagoda), Sai Son Commune, District Ba Dinh

7:30 p.m., December 13-16

^{In an hour of spectacular interactive outdoor stage, hundreds of dancers on water will tell the story of religion and monarchy in a way never been done before.}

Hanoi | Workshop: Improv Theater

Atelier Theatre de Hanoi, 21/5/2/12 Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho

8 p.m., every Friday, until Mar 2, 2018

^{Meet your undiscovered self on stage with Quentin Delorme, through 10 sessions of fun improvisational theater.}

HCMC | À Ố Show

Saigon Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, D1

6 p.m. & 8:30 p.m., Tuesday & Wednesday, December 12-13

^{A mix of bamboo cirque, acrobatic acts, contemporary dance and theatrical visual art.}

Hanoi | The Four Palaces show

Worker Theater, 42 Trang Tien street

6 p.m. & 7.30 p.m., December 14 & 16

^{Vietnamese director Viet Tu puts the incarnation ritual of Vietnam's Mother Goddess religion to a magnificent stage.} 

HCMC | Space Monkies x Noirfoto: Noir screening #1 - MAYA DEREN

Noirfoto, 19 Hanoi Highway

7 p.m., Saturday, December 16

Discuss Maya Deren, the high priestess of experimental cinema and her volumptuous works that depict the pleasures and pains of the adventure of life.

Screening list: 

#1 Meshes of the Afternoon, 1943, 14’
#2 At Land, 1944, 15’
#3 Ritual In Transfigured Time, 1946, 15’
#4 A Study in Choreography For Camera, 1946, 4’
#5 Meditation On Violence, 1948, 13’
#6 The Very Eye of Night, 1963, 15’

Donations are warmly welcomed.

HCMC | Armin van Buuren

Truong Van Bang Street, Thanh My Loi Ward, District 2

Thursday, December 14

Ready to rave at the biggest EDM music event of 2017, with the return of "The King of Trance" - Armin van Buuren, #3 DJMag and a famous name in the Top 15 of DJMag?

Buy tickets here.

Hanoi | Hard-core rock: Sentinels for the Past

DeN, 49 Lang Yen Phu, Tay Ho

7 p.m., Wednesday, December 13

^{A heavy night with Nine-Elevens, a hardcore French band and four local rock bands.}

Hanoi & HCMC| Stand-up Comedy: Ro Campbell and Grem Wood

8 p.m., Wednesday, December 13 at Game On, 115 Ho Tung Mau, Ben Nghe, HCMC

8 p.m., Thursday, December 14 at Standing Bar, 170 Tran Vu, Hanoi

^{Award-winning Aussie comedian Ro Campbell is returning to the standing stage in Vietnam for the third time, along with his Brit friend Grem Wood.}

Hanoi | Machinedrum (Ninja Tune), L A K E S, Quan & Ali

112 Savage, Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho

9 p.m., Tuesday, December 12

_{Travis Stewar (aka Machinedrum), a famous American electronic music producer, will be performing for his very first time in Vietnam.}

Hanoi | Beats bars n Breaks Open Mic Special

Sidewalk Hanoi - Bar & Kitchen, 231 Au Co, Tay Ho

7 p.m., December 16-17

^{Beats Bars N Breaks are back again with another bangin Hip Hop night to itch that scratch for all the Hanoi Hip Hop headz, this time with an open mic special!}

Hanoi | Roadtrip to 1900 #20: Ghastly

1900 Bar, 8 Ta Hien, Hoan Kiem

9 p.m., Friday, December 15

^{David Lee Crow, Ghastly, an American DJ and record producer based in Los Angeles, is coming to 1900 for a raving EDM set during 'Roadtrip to 1900', an electronic music series.}

Hanoi | Hanoi Rock City 7th Anniversary

Hanoi Rock City, 27/52 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho

Thursday-Sunday, December 14-17

^{The 7th birthday will be held in four amazing nights with many artists, bands, who’ve been the backbone of the live music in Hanoi.}

HCMC | Ngoc Nau - Open Studio

Space Monkies 121/61 Le Thi Rieng

6 p.m., December 15-30

^{Ngoc Nau, a Vietnamese artist interested in religious beliefs and freedom, is opening her own studio that displays multidisciplinary collaboration with various artists in Saigon.}

HCMC | Christmas Music Night: Joys To The World

Overture, 109 Tran Quoc Toan, D3

8:30 p.m., Sunday, December 17

^{Join Cantus Choir, Ly Hoang Kim, Minh Khoa and Minh Duc for a charity Christmas concert.}

HCMC | Christmas Gingle & Mingle

The Oxygen, 628C Xa Lo Ha Noi

11 a.m. - 10 p.m. , Saturday, December 15

Oxygen is bringing the best of Saigon vendors, from food, wine to craft beer, plus a few jazz bands and a pole dance performance. Get ready for some mulled wine this Saturday. 

Free entry