Hanoi & HCMC | European Music Festival 2017

Opening: 8:00 p.m., Friday, November 17

Youth Theatre, 11 Ngo Thi Nham, Hanoi

HCMC Conservatory of Music, 112 Nguyen Du, District 1, HCMC

A total of 17 concerts in both cities, European Music Festival takes Vietnamese audience through a journey of classical music, improvising jazz, soulful R&B to captivating blues melodies. 

Vietnamese pop singer Thanh Lam will join Michael Møller from Denmark on a jazz-pop opening night in Hanoi. Electronic R&B and classical duos and quintets follow with virtuoso artists from Austria to Sweden. Curtains close with a German classical and Hungarian jazz show.

See the detailed schedule here.

See where to collect free tickets

Hanoi | Cultural Show: The Quintessence of Tonkin

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

7:30 p.m., November 1 - 30

In Vietnam, interactive, outdoor stage is more trendy than ever. In June 2017, 'The Past Land of Doai', a mesmerizing show with hundreds of performers, all villagers from the Doai Village in the suburb of Hanoi, broke into the trend with applauses from nationwide critics. Shortly after, The Quintessence of Tonkin debuted, employing hundreds of professional dancers and determined to tell a compelling story.

It starts with venerable monk Tu Dao Hanh, the founder of nearby Thay Pagoda, weaves in with the ancient connection of religion and monarchy, then ends with stunning and spectacular settings.

A less than an hour drive from Hanoi, the show is one of unmissable new faces in Vietnam's contemporary theater scene. 

Photos from The Quintessence of Tonkin Show

HCMC | À Ố Show

Saigon Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, D1

6 p.m., Saturday, November 18

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

Hanoi | Circus Show: My Village

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

6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, November 18 - 19

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

Hanoi | Ionah Show 

Star Galaxy, 87 Lang Ha, Ba Dinh

8 p.m., Sunday, November 19

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

Hanoi |Tứ Phủ - Four Palaces Show 

Cong Nhan Theater, 42 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem

6 & 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 18

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

Hanoi | Vogue Dance Workshop with Teddy/Malaysia

Wonder Dance Studio, 4th floor, 30 Doan Thi Diem, Dong Da

6 p.m., Saturday, November 18

^{Unleash your wild feminine self with the sassy vogue dance.}

HCMC | Future Shorts Vietnam

Saigon Outcast, 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong, Thao Dien, D2

7 p.m., Friday, November 17

Future Shorts, a large short film network operating in 100 cities and 40 countries, is coming to Ho Chi Minh City. Each season, it handpicks award-winning international short films to screen a 90-minute program.

In Ho Chi Minh City, film enthusiasts will be treated with a diverse range of cinema, from experimental animation and trippy visuals for pumping basslines, to touching, intimate dramas.

Ticket: VND80,000 ($3.5) - available at door

Hanoi | Stand-up Comedy: Phil Kay (UK)

Standing Bar, 170 Tran Vu, Hanoi

8:30 p.m., Thursday, November 16

Phil Kay is a storyteller and a self-proclaimed master of mirth and mayhem. Constantly playing with words and bubbling with exuberance, when Phil Kay gets on the stage he dances around it like a giant child who has woken up with an adult’s body. “He is fertile, feral, otherworldly and exploding with energy", wrote Claire Smith from The Scotsman in a review of his recent show at the Edinburgh Fringe. "What an absolute joy to see Phil Kay bringing a sweaty cellar full of people to full-on, excited, rolling laughter.”

On the scene for almost three decades — in 1994 he won the award for Best Stand-Up at the British Comedy Awards.

Tickets available at Standing Bar, 170 Tran Vu, Truc Bach (4 p.m. - 12 a.m. daily except Mondays) 

HCMC | The Chillies & Sinco band

Yoko cafe, 22A Nguyen Thi Dieu, D3

9 p.m., Saturday, November 18

^{Entranced night with pop-rock vibes.} 

HCMC | Krewella x Trap Room

Envy Club, 76 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, D1 

9 p.m., Thursday, November 16

^{Sisters Jahan Yousaf and Yasmine Yousaf to fire up District 1 with their sick electronic dance beat.}

HCMC | Mash Up: Tddchll , Larria , Tizone , IVY

Piu Piu, 97 Hai Ba Trung, D1

9 p.m., Saturday, November 18

^{Meet Saigon's aspiring indie artists.}

HCMC | Music Trivia Blind Test

Rogue Saigon, 2nd floor, 13 Pasteur, Ho Chi Minh City

8:30 p.m., Thursday, November 16

^{Is your music knowledge lavish? Test it this Thursday.}

HCMC | Sunday Reggae Reunion

Indika Saigon, 43 Nguyen Van Giai, D1

2 p.m., Sunday, November 19

^{Join Saigon's reggae community and get wild all day with jungle beats.}

Hanoi | Cá Hồi Hoang Band - GAP Tour 2017

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

7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 18

^{Join Saigon's aspiring indie band Ca Hoi Hoang on their first national tour.} 

Hanoi | Ladies Night - DJ Lady River - Free Rum/Vodka

Vibes - Garden Bar, 16a Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho

9 p.m., Thursday, November 16

^{Join Lady River with blissful beats all the way from Cape Town.}

Hanoi | Post Quest Live

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

8 p.m., Friday, November 17

^{How to cure your Quest hangover? Party more.}

Hanoi | Nirvana Tribute Show

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

9 p.m., Sunday, November 19

^{And the rock-n-roll lives on.} 

HCMC | Saigon Craft Beer Festival 2017

Saigon Outcast, 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong, D2

12 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, November 18-19

Saigon's flourishing craft beer will be full on display with 14 local brewers: Saigon Home Brewers, Lazy Duck, Mad Dragon, Spike Beer, Lac Brewing, CBrewmaster, Three on a Bike, Fuzzy Logic Brewing,Rooster Beers,Tê Tê Craft Beer, Pasteur Street Brewing Company, Heart of Darkness Craft Brewery, Saigon Cider, Winking Seal Beer and East West Brewing. 

It's a family and kid friendly event with food, drink and jazz music all day.

Ticket: VND60,000 ($2.6) - one free beer included

Hanoi |  Italian Culture Fair: Piazza Italia

Ly Thai To Square

11 a.m., Saturday, November 18 & 9 a.m., Sunday, November 19

^{Celebrating Italy-Asean Week with Italian food & wine tasting, musical performances and an original show on the Renaissance at the busy walking center of Hanoi.}

Hanoi |  Kid-friendly: Handicraft Bazaar

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Nguyen Van Huyen, Cau Giay

9 a.m., Saturday, November 18, 2017

^{In an all-day event, ethnic minority artisans from all over Vietnam will come to sell accessories, home decors and unique gifts.}