Weekend music brings Jazz to Hanoi’s historic core
On this Sunday afternoon, Hanoi will slow to a gentler pace when live jazz fills a lakeside garden, turning the weekend calm into a shared cultural experience.
THE HANOI TIMES — Hanoi’s cultural calendar came alive on Sunday afternoon [January 25] as the “Hanoi Weekend Music” series returned to the Ly Thai To Flower Garden, offering residents and visitors a refined jazz experience in one of the capital’s most storied public spaces.
Vietnamese jazz master Quyen Van Minh leads a live performance at Hanoi Weekend Music program. Photos: Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports
Led by Meritorious Artist Quyen Van Minh alongside musicians from the Binh Minh Jazz Club, the program unfolded as a carefully curated journey through jazz traditions, blending global classics with original Vietnamese compositions. The performance traced multiple stylistic pathways, including the buoyant rhythms of swing, the lyrical warmth of bossa nova and contemporary jazz expressions within an intimate, open-air setting.
The afternoon opened with Joe Garland’s “In the Mood,” setting a spirited tone with its instantly recognizable swing energy. A contrasting highlight followed with “Remembering Hau Giang,” an original work by Quyen Van Minh that wove Vietnamese musical sensibilities into the language of jazz, underscoring the genre’s adaptability and local resonance.
Young listeners gather to experience live jazz at the performance.
International standards such as “Samba de Orfeu,” “Blue Monk,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” and “Watermelon Man” expanded the soundscape, moving from Latin-inflected rhythms to modern jazz idioms. Together, they offered audiences a concise survey of jazz’s evolution while maintaining broad appeal for both seasoned listeners and casual passersby.
The program closed with “Village Festival,” another original composition by Quyen Van Minh, drawing inspiration from Vietnamese folk traditions. The piece delivered a sense of familiarity and warmth, bringing the performance to a reflective close rooted in national identity.
Held every Sunday beside Hoan Kiem Lake, “Weekend Music” positions itself as a cultural offering rather than a formal concert, removing barriers between artists and audiences.
By embedding live music into a public heritage site, the program adds a distinctive layer to Hanoi’s tourism and cultural landscape, where art becomes part of the city’s everyday rhythm and a shared experience for locals and international visitors alike.
