HÀ NỘI — Nearly 100 jazz artists from Việt Nam and abroad will gather in Hà Nội for a series of concerts and international exchanges marking the 70th anniversary of the Việt Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM).

The programme, organised by VNAM’s Jazz Department, will feature concerts and an international seminar in October and November. For the first time, the event will bring together nearly 100 jazz artists from countries including the US, Sweden, Norway, the UK and Việt Nam, creating a major platform for international jazz exchange.

The Jazz and Friends X concert on November 6 will showcase new experiments in Vietnamese jazz, combining jazz with orchestral music, traditional musical elements and technology.

According to the organisers, the concert will bring together artists from different cultural backgrounds to meet, exchange ideas and perform on the same stage. Moving from jazz classics to contemporary expressions, it will feature international performers alongside a new generation of Vietnamese jazz artists.

“The concert marks an important milestone for Vietnamese jazz, celebrating the Academy’s role in nurturing the genre while highlighting how jazz has evolved and established a growing presence in Việt Nam’s contemporary music scene,” said VNAM director and Associate Professor Nguyễn Huy Phương.

“The Jazz Department is the academy’s youngest, yet it has grown rapidly in recent years.”

A key feature of the concert is the fusion of jazz, string orchestra and Vietnamese traditional music. Through live improvisation, jazz artists and the orchestra will create a musical dialogue between the three traditions.

“This shows how Vietnamese jazz is moving beyond simply learning from established traditions towards dialogue, adaptation and creative exploration,” said Dr Nguyễn Tiến Mạnh, head of the academy's Jazz Department.

“It reflects an effort to develop a distinct Vietnamese jazz language with greater artistic and academic depth.”

A student concert on October 9 will explore new approaches to jazz through Vietnamese cultural influences.

Alongside the concerts, the programme will feature an international seminar on jazz and music technology, covering technology in composition, performance, music production, live electronics and jazz education. Experts and artists will join Vietnamese musicians and lecturers to discuss how technology is reshaping music-making.

A book titled Vietnamese Jazz Authors and Works 2026 will also be introduced, documenting the development of Vietnamese jazz and providing resources for research, teaching and practice. — VNS