The Mobile Art Festival around Southeast Asia - "Between Migration and Exile" will begin from January 9-11 in Hanoi and from January 16-18 in Ho Chi Minh City. A journey of discovery with the theme of exile, a morphological identity from migration and separation, through outstanding works of art from many different fields such as visual arts, performance, dance, poetry, and diverse community programs from Southeast Asia and Germany.
The festival is co-organized by the Goethe Vietnam Institute with Indonesia and the Philippines with the participation of 15 artists from Southeast Asia and Vietnamese-origin communities currently living and working in Southeast Asia and Germany.
As a global cultural organization of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Goethe-Institut strives to maintain a strong presence in Southeast Asia to promote regional connections and multicultural dialogues.
Starting from that vision, in 2023, 4 Goethe-Institutes in Southeast Asia co-initiated the "Between Migrations" project, going through many stages, from group discussions (2023 & 2024), networking exchanges in Germany and Indonesia (2024), to 3 stays of artists in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam in 2025.
Participating artists are selected by the Goethe-Institut and an independent judging panel including internationally renowned performing artist/art lecturer Melati Suryodarmo, prestigious multidisciplinary artist/screening judge Lizza May David and independent artist/art producer Nguyen Hai Yen (Red) - who is also the festival's screening judge.
In January 2026, "Between migration and translation" visits 4 cities in Southeast Asia to explore migration as an interconnected identity, constantly changing. Like a root, a growing network that is constantly spreading and intertwined, migration identity creates connection through distance, language, history and different artistic approaches.
The festival kicks off the first stage in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, then will reach Denpasar/ Bali, Indonesia and Manila, Philippines. Each stop will gather from 12 to 15 artists, with a total of 14 works including performances, workshops, installations, along with about 4 public programs such as film screenings, collective cooking experiments and meals together as separate responses to each local setting.
Le Hon is also an opportunity to exchange dialogue and culture between artists, and between artists and indigenous communities - where stories, memories and perceptions blend together to form a common "house".
It is known that in Hanoi, the first chapter of "Between Migrations" will take place at COMPLEX 01 space, a dynamic cultural complex for young people in the Capital. As a community complex rebuilt from an old factory in Hanoi, COMPLEX 01 wishes to create an inter-sectoral connection space and promote art and cultural exchange between different community groups.
After that, in Ho Chi Minh City, the festival will take place at 257 Hoang Van Thu, Tan Son Hoa ward, under the patronage of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ho Chi Minh City.
