HCM CITY — The French Institute in Việt Nam will host Digital November 2026, an interdisciplinary programme connecting art, science, and technology, running from October 23 to November 29 in HCM City.

The event, themed 'Entre les lignes' (Between the Lines), will also open new perspectives on contemporary digital creativity from France and Việt Nam.

The first Digital November in Việt Nam will bring together exhibitions, art installations and performances, concerts, masterclasses, screenings, virtual reality experiences, meet-the-artist sessions, and public art projects.

The programme will open with ORYMI, an interactive sound and visual art installation which transforms biological signals from plants into sound and images, created by French electronic music artists Baptiste Pierre (also known as Ctrl Alt Supp) and Leslie Morrier, in collaboration with Vietnam Media Lab.

The work will be presented from October 23-25 at Galerie Quỳnh, 118 Nguyễn Văn Thủ Street, Tân Định Ward.

The French duo will also offer a live electronic music concert, 'Encore & Encor', at 8pm on October 24 at the Bến Thành Theatre, 6 Mạc Đỉnh Chi Street, Sài Gòn Ward.

The Naagré, a musical and choreographic collective formed through a cross-cultural partnership between the French band Shplax and the Burkina Faso-based troupe Badema, will hold a masterclass as part of the technical and artistic preparation for their show, L'Avers et le Revers (The Other Side and the Reverse). The class will open from 11pm to 3pm at Dancenter in An Khánh Ward on October 29.

The performance of L'Avers et le Revers, exploring the dualities between masculine and feminine, tradition and modernity, composition and improvisation, will be scheduled at 8pm at Bến Thành Theatre.

The organiser will set up the “Escape” exhibition showcasing around 20 works combining digital art, video games and virtual reality (VR) to explore digital culture from November 9-22 at the University of Economics HCM City (UEH), 279 Nguyễn Tri Phương Street, Diên Hồng Ward.

There will be screenings of animated films and VR works, inviting the public to discover new forms of creation and immersive storytelling.

Digital artists Rosa Doan and Tom Le will host character design workshops at the exhibition.

Valentin Schmite, a specialist in digital culture and creation and co-founder of Ask Mona, will join discussions on the relationship between artificial intelligence, culture, and education, as well as the role of creators in a context of constant technological transformation at UEH on November 19.

The programme will close with a digital installation on natural water filtration processes developed by CARE (Centre of Asian Research on Water). It will take place at the Hàng Bàng Canal from November 27-29.

Digital November, the international celebration of digital culture, was initiated by the French Institute and the French cultural network abroad in 2017. It showcases the diversity of French digital creativity to international audiences

The programme was held in more than 70 countries and 160 cities in 2025. — VNS