Hanoi already Vietnam’s jazz center, artists say

The artists made the remarks at a press conference on Wednesday introducing the Hanoi International Jazz Festival 2026 (Hanoi Jazztival 2026).

Vibrant jazz scene in Hanoi

Asked whether Hanoi could become the country’s jazz center – a goal set by organizers of the Hanoi International Jazz Festival 2026 – Minh said the capital had already earned that distinction.

He noted that jazz is primarily concentrated in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with only limited activity elsewhere in Vietnam.

According to Minh, Hanoi has nurtured a vibrant jazz scene for decades through a network of clubs and musicians that have helped build a dedicated audience for the genre.

The city is also home to a dedicated jazz department at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, providing a steady pipeline of young talent. Ho Chi Minh City, by contrast, does not yet have a separate jazz faculty, he added.

“The jazz atmosphere in Hanoi is much stronger than in Ho Chi Minh City,” Minh said.

Composer Duong Cam shared the view, saying Hanoi currently leads the country in the number of jazz clubs, performance venues, and students pursuing jazz studies.

Le Thi Anh Mai, deputy director of Hanoi’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the city launched a dedicated jazz performance space at the Octagonal Pavilion near the Ly Thai To Statue in January.

The venue hosts weekly Sunday afternoon performances by jazz artists, including Quyen Van Minh and Quyen Thien Dac, and has gradually become a gathering place for jazz enthusiasts in the capital, she said.

Mai also pointed to growing academic interest in Hanoi’s jazz scene. Earlier this year, Hanoi Publishing House released a Vietnamese-language book based on research by Singaporean scholar Stan BH Tan-Tangbau on the formation and development of jazz in Hanoi.

Free jazz performances for public

The Hanoi International Jazz Festival 2026 (Hanoi Jazztival 2026), themed 'Hanoi Jazz – Melodies Without Borders,' will take place over three days from September 17 to 19 at multiple venues around Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake.

A wide range of activities, including performances, artist exchanges, exhibitions, and talks on jazz, will be held at the Hanoi Opera House Music Garden, the Octagonal Pavilion near the Ly Thai To Statue, Thang Long Song and Dance Theatre, the Center for Culture and Arts (22 Hang Buom Street), the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, Thang Long Opera Hotel, and various jazz clubs across the city.

“We want to bring jazz from small, enclosed stages into larger public spaces, allowing it to become part of every street corner and the daily rhythm of the capital,” Mai said.

Duong Cam, music director of the Hanoi International Jazz Festival 2026, said that 16 bands will perform during the three-day event, alongside a packed program of exhibitions, seminars, concerts, and cultural exchanges.

The festival will provide an opportunity for Vietnamese musicians to learn from their international counterparts, while also giving overseas artists a chance to see how jazz in Vietnam has developed its own identity and distinctive character, he said.

Mai said all festival activities would be open to the public free of charge.

Organizers hope to turn the event into an annual festival and establish it as one of Hanoi's signature cultural and artistic brands.