Inclusive Arts Festival opens with Hope Choir performance at Goethe-Institut Hanoi
WVR - From October 20-25, in Hanoi, the Inclusive Theatre and Performing Arts Festival (Inclusive Arts Festival) "Every body in motion" brings together artists with and without disabilities across various performance forms, from theater, contemporary dance, and choir to performance art and documentary films.
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The project is organized by EUNIC Cluster Vietnam (Association of European National Cultural Institutes and Embassies in Vietnam) with financial support from the EUNIC Cluster Funds program, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Vietnam.
On the evening of October 22, the official opening ceremony of the Festival was held at the Goethe-Institut, featuring a musical performance by Hope Choir, Traditional Musical Instrument Ensemble, comprising talented visually impaired young individuals passionate about art, under the guidance of musician Ton That Triem and artist Nguyen Xuan Thanh over the years.
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| Mr. Pierre Du Ville, Delegate General of the Wallonie-Bruxelles (Belgium) in Vietnam, President of the EUNIC Association in Vietnam, shares at the event. (Photo: Thanh Binh) |
Goethe-Institut representative Mai Lan Thai introduced the formation and development of the Hope Choir and Traditional Musical Intrument Ensemble, as well as the significance of Hope’s performance being selected to open the Festival. She recalled the successful joint performance by the Hope Choir and Traditional Musical Instrument Ensemble and the Berlin Lichtenberg Chamber Choir at the Vietnam National Academy of Music to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany. “Two choirs from two countries, one shared programme, and music that needed no translation. That spirit of meeting through music and art is exactly what we hope to carry through this Festival, and it’s why we are so happy to begin with the Hope Choir tonight,” she emphasided.
In his opening speech, Mr. Pierre Du Ville, Delegate General of the Wallonie-Bruxelles in Vietnam, President of the Association of European National Cultural Institutes and Embassies (EUNIC) in Vietnam, stated that the Inclusive Arts Festival is an initiative of EUNIC Vietnam, co-organized by the Goethe-Institut Hanoi and the British Council Vietnam under the meaningful name “Every body in motion - Dong cam cong huong”.
He emphasised that despite speaking different languages and having their own distinct histories, EUNIC members share a common belief that culture is a space where people can meet, understand one another, and create together. The aim of the Inclusive Theatre and Performing Arts Festival is not to organise activities for people with disabilities, but to create and carry out those activities together with them. At the Festival, audiences are invited to discover performances and works of art conceived, created and presented by artists from diverse backgrounds. Inclusion does not constrain creativity; on the contrary, it is a source of richness, innovation and beauty.
“Inclusive art teaches us to view the world from a different perspective; it reminds us that there is not just one way to perceive the world and not just one way to tell about the world. Each body, each voice adds a nuance to the shared picture we all contribute to,” said Mr. Pierre Du Ville.
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| A performance by Hop ca, the ethnic band Hy Vong at the event. (Photo: Thanh Binh) |
The Festival's Artistic Director, Ms. Nguyen Hoang Diep, proudly recounted how the project came into being. She said that in late 2024, when the Goethe-Institut invited the Hope Choir, led by musician Ton That Triem, to welcome the New Year in a spirit of poetry and inclusive arts, both sides hoped to meet again. From that shared aspiration, in less than two years, a vibrant and high-quality arts week, Every Body in Motion, came to life, featuring numerous performances, productions and artists from many countries. The space for artistic exchange has expanded far beyond a single room to encompass multiple rooms, cinemas and theatres.
She expressed her delight at the diverse participation of many artists, reputable experts, and the enthusiastic response from the disabled community and the public. She noted that most of the performances were “sold out”.
Notably, Shakespeare’s classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream was brought vividly to life on the stage of the Young Talent Theatre through a collaboration between Austrian and Vietnamese directors. The cast included students from the School of Theatre and Cinema and performers with mobility impairments and cerebral palsy. She briefly introduced the production.
The Chuong Vang Theatre, in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, also came alive with performances during the Festival. The Wonder is a fresh production with a truly unconventional format, bringing together visually impaired artists, artists with cerebral palsy, and non-disabled actors collaborating for the first time. Meanwhile, A Sound, Falling… , created by Deaf artists, has achieved international success after two years of intensive work. Ben Tam (Silkworm Wharf) is the graduation production of students from the Len San (Take the Stage) acting course, featuring six visually impaired performers working together in a spirit of close-knit teamwork.
The festival will conclude with Waiting in the Wilderness, adapted from The Blind (Les Aveugles), a renowned work by Belgian author Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgium’s first Nobel Prize laureate in Literature. The production brings professional actors and visually impaired performers together on the same stage in a closely interwoven performance, supported by a large, dynamic and youthful production team.
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| The performance draws applause from the audience. (Photo: Thanh Binh) |
The programme also features music performances by artists from Italy and the Republic of Korea, alongside workshops and discussions facilitated primarily by members of the disability community or experts with many years of experience in inclusive arts. The Hope Choir, too, represents a sustained journey spanning two decades and stands as a vivid testament to inclusive arts in Vietnam, the Festival's Artistic Director noted.
At the opening night, under the direction of musician Ton That Triem and the leading voice of artist Nguyen Xuan Thanh, the visually impaired members of the Hope Choir and Traditional Musical Instrument Ensemble performed a wide range of classical works from Vietnam and around the world. Their repertoire spanned Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa, and embraced Vietnamese, English, French, German, Spanish and Latin. It ranged from Mozart’s Longing for Spring and Ave Verum Corpus to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, Handel’s Hallelujah and Giuseppe Verdi’s “Va, pensiero”, as well as folk songs from Germany, Australia, Venezuela, South Africa and Vietnam.
The entire audience was immersed in a diverse musical experience, at once melodious and vibrant, in a world without borders.
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| Mr. Pierre Du Ville expressed his hope that this inaugural Festival would mark the beginning of a new journey. (Photo: Thanh Binh) |
Notably, the Hope Choir performed Le Chant des Wallons, the official Hymn of Wallonia-Brussels. The year 2026 also marks the 30th anniversary of the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation establishing its representative office in Vietnam. Musician Ton That Triem expressed his sincere thanks to the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation for its support of the Hope Choir over the years.
Concluding the Opening Night, Mr. Pierre Du Ville expressed his hope that this inaugural Festival would mark the beginning of a new journey, opening new doors and fostering sustainable partnerships between Vietnamese and European artists, while contributing, in its own way, to making culture a truly shared right.
