The attraction of political art programs
1 year ago, on August 10, the art program "Fatherland in the Heart" (co-organized by Nhan Dan Newspaper and Hanoi City People's Committee) created a great buzz with the participation of about 50,000 spectators at My Dinh Stadium (Hanoi). On each ticket distributed free of charge to the audience, the organizers printed images of the handwritten original copy of the song "Tien Quan Ca" by musician Van Cao.
Many viewers were moved to tears in the moment of singing the National Anthem, in front of the brilliant scene of thousands of flags flying in My Dinh stadium. With the message "Fatherland is not far away - Fatherland is in everyone's heart", the program brings a deep emotional journey, connecting the heroic memories of the past with the aspirations to rise up of the present and future.
In fact, the attraction of this program started from the time ticket sales were opened, according to the organizers, immediately after opening the free ticket registration gate for people, in just 9 minutes, about 3 million scans caused the ticket registration gate to "collapse".
Continuing that success, the program "Fatherland in the Heart" will move its venue to Ho Chi Minh City at 8:00 PM on Sunday, August 23rd at Van Phuc Urban Area. According to the previous plan, "Fatherland in the Heart" will take place on August 22nd, but according to the Organizing Committee, the schedule change is to avoid coinciding with the first leg final of ASEAN Cup 2026, scheduled to take place on the evening of August 22nd, with the possibility of the Vietnamese national football team participating. Moving the program to August 23rd will create conditions for the public to follow, cheer for the team as well as participate and accompany the art program, thereby spreading the spirit of solidarity and national pride through cultural and sports activities.
The appeal of the program is shown right in the ticket sales process. Just 1 minute and 27 seconds after opening the registration gate, all tickets registered online to participate in the special art program "National Concert: Fatherland in the Heart" in Ho Chi Minh City have been fully registered. The system recorded 5,729,323 access requests to register tickets to participate. This shows the special appeal of the program right in the first minutes. This number also increased sharply compared to the first season held in Hanoi. The large number of accesses in a very short period of time continues to show the public's strong interest in the "National Concert: Fatherland in the Heart" and at the same time, affirms the increasing spread of the political art program after the first season.
Ticket fever from Big Bang
If in Ho Chi Minh City, the heat of the "National Concert: Fatherland in the Heart" is spreading, then in Hanoi, the two nights of Big Bang performances are also receiving special attention. On August 13, an early ticket sale for BIGBANG V.I.P Membership members will be held and 4 days later, fans can book public tickets. This is not only a major entertainment event but also an opportunity for Hanoi to promote its image and increase revenue from tourism and culture.
Quynh Huong - an office worker in Hanoi - recounted that last year, when G-Dragon came to Vietnam to perform at the VPBank K-Star Spark in Vietnam 2025 music festival held at My Dinh Stadium (Hanoi) in June 2025, she had to spend up to 8 million VND to buy tickets. "That day it rained heavily, although the price of a ticket was equivalent to half my monthly salary, perhaps I, as well as the 40,000 spectators at My Dinh that day, did not feel regret" - Huong said.
Huong also shared that some of her friends did not mind spending money, booking air tickets, hotels, with a total cost of tens of millions of VND just to see their idols with their own eyes. "This time, the highest ticket price is 10.5 million VND but there are also tickets over 1 million VND, I will definitely find a way to buy them to watch G-Dragon and Big Bang again.
Big Bang is expected to perform at My Dinh on October 24-25, 2026 in a 20-year anniversary tour. More than 2 months before the concert, according to the travel website Traveloka, the number of searches for Hanoi travel related to the event has increased more than 4 times.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - General Director of Vitamin Tours & Events Company - commented: "Guests coming to see concerts often have travel needs in nearby destinations, around the city or the event area. The main customers are young people with good spending ability. Therefore, travel businesses often proactively design short-day product packages such as Hanoi city tours, night food tours or tours combined with visits to Ha Long - Ninh Binh - Sa Pa after the concert to attract tourists, especially international tourists".
According to representatives of travel businesses, these products not only help extend the length of stay but also increase the average spending of tourists, while creating opportunities to promote Vietnamese landscapes, culture and cuisine more deeply.
With Blackpink, G-Dragon and soon Big Bang continuously being welcomed, Hanoi is having the opportunity to gradually affirm its position as a new music destination in Asia.
Hanoi also enjoys something that cannot be bought by advertising. Tens of thousands of viewers simultaneously creating content on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook will form a huge promotion campaign. A successful concert can help Hanoi shift in the awareness of young tourists: From a destination mainly known for history and heritage to a city that has both cultural depth and modern entertainment life.
Two major art programs that are about to take place not only prove the public's interest in performing arts, but importantly, these events show the right direction to invest in the cultural industry: Both enhancing the audience's demand for art enjoyment and contributing economically to the locality and the country.
