Turning Hai Phong into a musical city

In recent years, Hai Phong has continuously made its mark with highly creative artistic works, reflecting a vision for developing performing arts in a professional and globally integrated direction.

The city is proving its ability to create distinctive stage products capable of spreading widely, nurturing audiences, and affirming its identity.

Two standout works in 2025, the musical “Bien Mo” (Dreaming Sea) and the puppet play “Bay chim Thien Nga” (Swan Flock), are clear evidence of artistic creativity and methodical investment, with enough strength to form a chain of signature cultural products, contributing to making performing arts a key cultural industry.

Bien Mo, produced by the Hai Phong Contemporary Arts Theatre as part of the 2025 Television Stage Program, is regarded as a breakthrough in efforts to create a modern musical space imbued with traditional essence.

Meanwhile, Bay chim Thien Nga, staged by the Hai Phong Traditional Stage Theatre in collaboration with People’s Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, demonstrates a new direction for puppet theatre: adapting world classics and retelling them in the imaginative language of puppetry, combining modern light-and-sound effects with masterful performing techniques.

Hai Phong’s puppet theatre is approaching international standards while preserving national spirit and humanistic educational values, key factors in winning over audiences.

Hai Phong also boasts a “living musical heritage” with legendary names and a large, dynamic, and creative community of contemporary artists.

According to composer Duy Thai, Chairman of the Hai Phong Music Association, the city is the birthplace of great names such as Van Cao, Hoang Quy, Doan Chuan, Tran Chung, and Ngo Thuy Mien, as well as the next generation including Vu Tu Lan, Nguyen Kim, Ha Giang, Sy Vinh, The Vinh... Their works are present not only in academic art but also in everyday life, becoming part of the cultural memory of many generations of Vietnamese.

After the merger with Hai Duong province, Hai Phong now has a strong performing force with professional art units such as the Hai Phong Contemporary Arts Theatre, the Hai Phong Traditional Stage Theatre, and the Xu Dong Cheo Theatre, along with units based in the city such as the Military Region 3 Art Troupe and the Navy Art Troupe. They not only have achieved success at national festivals but also play the role of promoting culture, serving political and defense tasks, and contributing to improving the spiritual life of the people.

According to Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, launching a chain of art creations rich in the identity of the port city is part of the roadmap to turn Hai Phong into a “musical city.”

Building a “musical city” is not just a slogan but a strategic process requiring long-term planning, methodical investment, and close coordination between management agencies, artists, and the community.

Hai Phong is standing before a major opportunity to define its creative identity, securing its place on both the national and international cultural map. A “musical city” will not only echo the glorious past but also be a fresh, vibrant, and promising artistic destination in the era of global integration.

HAI HAU – DO HIEN