Vietnamese, Chinese music bring audiences together at Hanoi's Ho Guom Opera

The Vietnam-China Harmony concert was jointly hosted by Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, and staged by the Ho Guom Opera and the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China.

The event was attended by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang, Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung. 

From the Chinese side were Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Wang Qun of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Vietnam and Chairman of the World Theatre Alliance and Director of the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China Wang Ning.

The event marked the 77th anniversary of the founding of China (October 1, 1949 - October 1, 2026).

National anthems open Vietnam-China concert

The national anthems of Vietnam and China opened the concert, performed by the Hanoi Symphony Orchestra.

The two anthems, written in different historical contexts, have served as expressions of patriotism and national spirit in their respective countries.

Their performance together sent a message of friendship and cultural exchange, highlighting how music and art can bring people together while respecting each country's history, identity and development path.

The choice of the two national anthems as the opening pieces affirmed that friendship and cooperation stem from understanding and respecting each other's national identity.

It also served as a key opening an emotional space and preparing the audience to fully enjoy the works that followed in a Vietnamese-Chinese harmony.

Journey to the West soundtrack delights audience

The program continued with Festival Overture by Vietnamese composer Dang Huu Phuc, featuring a contemporary symphonic treatment of traditional Vietnamese rhythms, colors and musical materials.

This was followed by Homeland Emotion by Xuan Khai, performed on the moon lute by People's Artist Co Huy Hung.

Chinese trumpeter Wang Yubing then performed You and Me, the theme song of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

The song carries a message of peace and openness through its theme of sharing one world and one dream.

Fans of Journey to the West, a classic Chinese television series based on the Chinese literary classic of the same name, were also treated to Where Is the Way?, performed by Dao Mac.

The familiar melody, associated with the childhood memories of millions of Vietnamese viewers, created a strong sense of familiarity and emotional connection between the audience and the Chinese musical repertoire.

Another highlight was the Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto, one of China's best-known violin concertos and among the country's most widely performed, recorded and broadcast works since its debut in 1959.

The concerto was originally written as an independent work for solo violin and orchestra rather than as a film score.

However, because its melodies are so iconic and fully convey the emotions of the famous Chinese love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, film directors have used the work's main theme as an original soundtrack or rearranged it as a film theme song

The work combines Western symphonic techniques with Eastern musical materials and has become an iconic representation of modern Chinese music.

It is also frequently featured as a musical symbol of China in major cultural diplomacy programs.

In another highlight, Chinese soprano Zhou Xiaolin joined the two theater choirs to perform Hanoi, Faith and Hope, a classic Vietnamese revolutionary song.

The program also featured excerpts from classic operas and international works such as O Sole Mio, the aria Ô vin, dissipe la tristesse, and Nessun Dorma, performed in turn by artists from the two countries, showcasing international integration through a shared musical harmony.