The event takes place on March 8 at the Vietnam Exhibition Center (VEC) in Dong Anh, Hanoi. According to the Organizing Committee, the Thunder Arena is not built like a regular music night but is a true "arena".
The stage is designed according to a 270-degree structure, where the audience not only sits to watch but also becomes a part of the performance layout. Music, lighting, movement, props, smoke, LED systems, even the sound of the propeller engine are all calculated as elements that make up the overall stage.
The highlight of the program is the symmetrical double stage structure at both ends, connected by a small stage in the middle. The artist appears in a Jeep or convertible, moving for about 60–70 seconds before entering the main stage. This time is accurately calculated by Music Director SlimV in the opening music.
SlimV said: "The fan sound will no longer be noise, but will be integrated into the chord, becoming a part of music.
With a 270-degree structure, the audience is arranged around the stage instead of just sitting in front. According to general director Dinh Ha Uyen Thu, this is a big challenge for artists when they have to continuously move and change the direction of performance to connect with the audience from many different perspectives.
The audience is from many directions, so artists have to calculate carefully to be able to communicate with all parties," the director shared.
The program is led according to the structure of the Ceremonial Part - Festival Part. The Ceremonial Part has solemn, epic colors, recreating Vietnamese cultural symbols in modern stage language. Familiar images such as Phu Dong Thien Vuong, Red Blood, Yellow Skin, checkered scarf, lotus flower, martial arts uniform, folk procession... are creatively transformed by light, dance and mechanical prop system.
Artists appear in the folk festival space with a procession including real horses, ancient Northern palanquins made of chiffon, creating a visual effect that is both familiar and new. According to director Dinh Ha Uyen Thu, the narration and images at this stage are built with a strong Vietnamese spirit to "affirm identity from the beginning".
After the Ceremony Part, the program moves to the Festival Part with modern energy, strong choreography, battle and futuristic concepts. The switch is calculated to create a continuous emotion, helping the audience not to be "broken" experiencing in a wide stage space with long travel time.
Standing behind the overall structure of Thunder Arena is the close coordination between general director Dinh Ha Uyen Thu and music director SlimV. SlimV said that the program does not follow a consistent musical style but is arranged like a diverse "menu". "The important thing is to arrange which dish first, which dish later so that the audience is not tired," he said.
According to the crew, in this "arena", the stage, music, artists and audience are no longer separate components but blend together into a unified whole. That is also the mark that Thunder Arena aims for in the large-scale music performance picture in Hanoi. The backstage is recording the elaborate preparation of the production crew.
