Music tourism is back.

Above the clouds and in the dreamy pine forest.

The stage for Soul of the Forest at Flamingo Dai Lai (Vinh Phuc) has been changed since its first season in 2022. The second season will begin on September 28th with a performance by Huong Tram and Tang Phuc. The stage seating has been redesigned, now made of wood with a rhythm and height similar to a small stadium. Nearby is a contemporary art museum showcasing works owned by Flamingo. The organizers of Soul of the Forest stated that this is not just a simple music show, but a series of multi-layered emotional resort experiences, featuring pine forests, gentle weather, and beautiful artworks…

Soul of the Forest , with its blend of music and the expansive pine forest setting alongside small hills featuring international sculptures and art exhibitions, evokes the renowned Monsoon International Music Festival held at Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi. Launched in 2014 under the direction of director and musician Quoc Trung, Monsoon opened up a new destination. After three seasons, Quoc Trung confidently announced that international audiences were booking trips to Vietnam to see Monsoon .

The Dreamy Cities music festival, held from afternoon to night in Hanoi, has become a familiar brand among young people.

Another example of music tourism is "Dreamy Cities" at Yen So Park in Hanoi. In 2023, the April performance of "Dreamy Cities" in Hanoi lasted 7 hours with 17 artists and bands and 7,000 attendees…

When discussing music tourism in Vietnam, it's impossible not to mention Ha Anh Tuan. He's considered the pioneer of music tourism with his See Sing Share – Gấu (Bear) show in December 2018, and continues to attract tourists to Ninh Binh by holding shows there. Ha Anh Tuan even drew Vietnamese audiences to Singapore to hear him sing in June 2024.

As part of the international music market, Vietnam also has its own music tourism stories when big names come to perform. During Blackpink's performance in Hanoi, a huge number of tourists flew in to see the show. The Hanoi Department of Tourism estimated that during the two days the group performed at My Dinh National Stadium, the total number of tourists visiting Hanoi was over 170,000, including over 30,000 international tourists and over 140,000 domestic tourists. Also during those two days, hotels around My Dinh Stadium recorded a 20% increase in occupancy rates.

What model should Vietnam adopt for music tourism?

Dr. Trinh Le Anh (Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) stated that the music tourism model can be called a tourism experience, but in essence, it's a long-term experience with a concert. "For a long time, the Vietnamese perception has been that if you go, you only go to see the show, only during the show's duration, with the longest show lasting only about 3 hours. In contrast, the European and American perspective is that people don't just go to see the show; they essentially travel from a great distance to enjoy a vacation," Dr. Le Anh said.

Phan Mạnh Quỳnh and Văn Mai Hương in Soul of the Forest season 1

PHOTO: SOUL OF THE FOREST

Therefore, in European and American countries, they often organize weekend camping trips in large spaces, like Yen So Park. Stages are set up where performances can take place day and night, broken down into smaller shows. “People can pitch tents, buy tickets for several days, eat, sleep, and relax there to enjoy the weekend. That’s what music tourism is all about,” said Dr. Le Anh. According to Dr. Le Anh, this model is also how musician Quoc Trung runs the Monsoon Music Festival, or how the organizers implement the Dreamy Cities project .

The second model for organizing music tourism, according to Dr. Le Anh, is live concerts by star artists. These are the big shows of Taylor Swift, Blackpink, Ha Anh Tuan, My Tam, etc. “This model only targets the fans of that artist. The lifespan of a star-studded show is not as long as that of a music festival. In a music festival model, people go for a few days, and the target audience is often entire families, including parents and children. For future generations, there will be many cities specializing in music tourism each year. This method would be ideal,” Dr. Le Anh said.

The Monsoon Music Festival is a cultural space where generations can enjoy moments immersed in music amidst the ancient landmarks of Hanoi.

However, Dr. Le Anh believes that celebrity tours have a significant advantage in building brand recognition for the destination. “The biggest role of a star like Taylor Swift is to be a destination ambassador, to put it simply. Therefore, some major European cities that don't have many established brands go to great lengths to invite Taylor Swift. In Sweden, one city even temporarily changed part of its name to Taylor Swift for a month. Changing the city's name shows a welcoming gesture to the star and also helps build brand recognition. How that brand is used afterward is another matter,” Dr. Le Anh explained.

However, getting the star's approval is no easy feat. The stars' teams are very adept at setting conditions with the local authorities where the concert is planned. Not to mention, they already have strict requirements that are difficult for any venue to meet. "Taylor Swift's standard is a stadium with a minimum capacity of 60,000 spectators. We don't have a stadium like that. Even the largest stadium, My Dinh, only has a capacity of 40,000," said Dr. Le Anh.

Based on the above analysis, Dr. Le Anh believes that welcoming superstars to Vietnam to promote music tourism is difficult, even though their arrival would liven up the tourism market.

“That approach is very difficult because it requires enormous infrastructure. Those stars don't invest in destinations. Therefore, in my opinion, the model of Yen So Park with 'Dreamy Cities ' and Thang Long Imperial Citadel with 'Monsoon Wind' is more suitable while still being good for tourism… Moreover, we can hold this music festival model regularly. Who knows when Blackpink will return to Vietnam, while we can build our own brand,” Dr. Le Anh commented.

The Hanoi Department of Tourism estimates that during the two days Blackpink performed at My Dinh Stadium, the total number of tourists visiting Hanoi exceeded 170,000.