The tour is organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Vietnam, and the companionship of ROX Group and MSB Commercial Joint Stock Bank.
Music tells stories of Vietnam to the world
In the late afternoon of July, in the spacious space of Gabala - a city located between the mountains of Azerbaijan, where for the 15th time artists from many countries came to attend the international music festival - the sound of Vietnamese two-stringed violin echoed on the outdoor stage.
That simple, clear sound seems to have its own way of reaching the listener. Azerbaijani audiences attentively follow. Then when the melodies end, applause continues. In that moment, a cultural region far away has found harmony with another cultural region, in the simplest language of human beings: music.
That is one of the highlights of the Vietnam National Conservatory's art troupe at the Gabala International Music Festival 2026. Including 27 artists, under the guidance of NSND Bui Cong Duy, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Conservatory, the troupe was selected to perform in the opening program of the festival.
This year's Gabala Fest gathers artists from Azerbaijan, Austria, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Concerts, art exhibitions, masterclasses and public gatherings create a space where geographical distance seems to be narrowed.
Coming to that stage, Vietnamese artists not only bring a performance program. They bring layers of sediment of culture. There is the sound of the monochord resonating like a silk thread. There is the sound of the T'rung evoking the great forest. There is the clear sound of the bamboo flute. There is the zither and Then tunes - values preserved through many generations. Interspersed with folk music are opera, jazz, instrumental performances and drum festivals, creating a Vietnamese picture that is both familiar and open.
After Gabala, that journey continued in Baku with the Vietnamese Music Day program in Azerbaijan. Vietnamese artists and Azerbaijani artists stood on the same stage, so that the two cultures could continue to chat with untranslated sounds.
From Gabala to Baku, Vietnamese music has taken another step. But what remains is probably not just the performances that have been performed. That is the curiosity awakened, the emotions shared, and the cultural doors opened.
When businesses jointly build a cultural bridge
Each international tour of an art troupe needs more artists on stage. Behind the lights is the joint effort of many organizations, individuals and businesses - those who believe that culture also needs bridges to go far.
With ROX Group, cultural bridges are not connected by temporary meetings, but are built by a serious and long-term journey of companionship.
From 2025, ROX Group and MSB initiated the "Sound of Essence" project, accompanying the Hanoi Symphony Orchestra and Ho Guom Theater through many art programs, bringing classical works and the quintessence of international music closer to the Vietnamese public.
From "Happy New Year", "The Nutcracker", "Romeo and Juliet", "Melodies of Triumph", "Musical Night" to "Frozen Fire"... each stage opens up another meeting between Vietnamese audiences and the vast art world.
And this year, that journey continues in the opposite direction, when ROX Group accompanies the art troupe of the Vietnam National Academy of Music to bring Vietnamese-inspired sounds to Gabala, to Baku and closer to the international public.
In 2026, when ROX Group enters the milestone of 30 years of construction with efforts to bring Vietnamese values further, that story evokes even more associations. Three decades of development of a business can be measured by numbers, projects or business milestones. But it can also be viewed from the values that the business contributes to connecting with a wider community.
From a musical instrument, a melody, a concert night, geographical distances can be narrowed, cultural stories can be told, and the image of a Vietnam rich in identity, open, and confident in integration can go further.
And then, from Gabala, Vietnamese sounds continue to resonate in their journey as a beautiful greeting to the world.
