FPT University contributes to local arts by taking Vietnamese traditional music into schools and community spaces, organising music events that connect young audiences, and creating opportunities for students to develop as performers. In 2025, these activities brought cultural heritage and contemporary musical expression into a range of settings, from school courtyards and public waterfronts to festival stages and student competitions.

The traditional musical instruments and Vovinam outreach programme recorded 72 dated occasions during the year: 51 at schools and 21 at community venues or cultural events. Alongside this programme, FPTU Fest, FPTU Music Show, Hola Vibes 10 and Hò Xự Xang illustrate the university’s wider involvement in musical performance, audience engagement and the development of young artistic talent.

Overview of arts and cultural activities in 2025

Bringing traditional musical instruments to school communities

Launched in March 2022, the project introducing Vietnamese traditional musical instruments to high school students has established a continuing connection between FPT University and surrounding school communities. Its approach combines live performance with opportunities to discover the instruments themselves, helping young people encounter traditional music as a living practice rather than only as a subject of study.

The project’s established activities include demonstrations, cultural exchanges and introductory learning with instruments such as the bamboo flute, monochord, zither and pear-shaped lute. The university’s traditional music teaching team brings specialist knowledge into these encounters, linking the sound of each instrument with the skills involved in playing it.

Traditional music outreach brings a live performance to a school courtyard and its student audience

A traditional instrumental ensemble performs as part of FPT University’s cultural outreach programme

In 2025, 51 dated school-based occasions were recorded. Visits included Vo Truong Toan, Nguyen Huu Tho, Tran Dai Nghia, Bui Huu Nghia, Nguyen Viet Dung and Truong Dinh high schools. Activities also reached primary schools, extending opportunities to engage with Vietnamese cultural heritage to younger learners.

A participant explores a traditional string instrument with guidance during a school outreach activity

Extending cultural engagement across local communities

Beyond school visits, 21 dated occasions took place at community venues and cultural events. These included Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, Thu Duc Book Street and several cultural houses and public venues. In Can Tho, activities were held at the Ninh Kieu waterfront, Cho Co and Binh Thuy District Square. The programme also featured Vietnam–Malaysia and Vietnam–United States cultural exchanges.

Vovinam as a complementary expression of Vietnamese heritage

Vovinam demonstrations form a related strand of the outreach programme. Presented alongside traditional music, they introduce audiences to Vietnamese martial heritage through movement, coordination and group performance. The combined programme gives schools opportunities to host different forms of cultural expression within the same encounter.

A group Vovinam demonstration brings Vietnamese martial heritage into a school setting

Public music events and community participation

FPTU Fest

FPTU Fest connects musical performance with the university’s wider engagement with school students and families. The 2025 Hanoi programme combined an Open Day with music, culture and technology activities. Its announced programme featured guest artists alongside dance performances and student club contributions to music, martial arts and other performing arts. This format offers young audiences a shared cultural experience while giving student performers opportunities to take part in a larger event.

An ensemble stage performance at FPTU Fest, pictured in the university’s event materials

FPTU Music Show

FPTU Music Show 2025 in Da Nang brought together audiences from the Central and Central Highlands regions. The university’s event report records an audience of approximately 12,000. Under the theme FPTUVERSE, the programme combined guest artists with performances by FPT students, lecturers and staff, including the patriotic mashup “Tu hao Viet Nam toi”. Students also contributed to event production, communication and coordination. Their involvement demonstrates the university’s role both as a host for live music and as a setting in which young people learn to create and deliver cultural events.

The FPTU Music Show stage and audience during a live evening performance

Hola Vibes 10

Hola Vibes offers a more intimate setting for musical exchange. The tenth edition, “Begin Again Open Mic”, was scheduled on 28 May 2025 at the hill area opposite the Gamma building at FPT University, as shown on its event poster. Its open-mic format places live singing and instrumental accompaniment within a shared, informal space.

The event photographs show performers and listeners gathered around a compact outdoor stage. This close connection between the stage and its audience complements the scale of the university’s larger music festivals. It creates a setting in which musical participation can centre on individual expression, listening and interaction.

Poster for Hola Vibes 10, Begin Again Open Mic, advertising the event on 28 May 2025

Live vocals and instrumental accompaniment at Hola Vibes in an outdoor performance space

Within the broader Hola Vibes series, music has also been connected with community service and charitable initiatives. The 2025 edition continues the series’ role as a platform for bringing people together through performance. By placing performers close to their audience, it offers a setting for sharing musical interests and building connections through a common cultural experience.

Developing young performers through music competitions

Ho Xu Xang

Ho Xu Xang 2025, organised by FPT University’s Traditional Music Department, provided a dedicated platform for students to explore and perform Vietnamese traditional music. The university’s announcement scheduled the summer preliminary round for 17–18 June in Hanoi. Participants could choose instruments including the zither, bamboo flute, moon lute, monochord, pear-shaped lute, two-stringed fiddle and drum.

The competition required a folk or traditional piece and a second piece chosen by the performer. This structure links engagement with established repertoire to individual artistic choice. It encourages students to develop instrumental techniques and confidence in presenting music to listeners, while keeping traditional musical practices visible within university life.

A bamboo flute performance at Ho Xu Xang, the university’s traditional musical instrument competition