The annual BridgeFest Music Festival in HCM City on Saturday, December 9, 2023. -- Photo Courtesy from event organisers

HCM CITY – The annual BridgeFest Music Festival was held on Nguyễn Huệ Street in HCM City on Saturday night, attracting thousands of people.

This year’s theme of “Bridging the Gap Toward Human Economy,” aimed to inspire participants to realise the importance of our shared humanity and the collective environment, and encourage the public, especially youth, to be change agents to promote equality and create a future that places the well-being of people and our planet at the heart of the development.

This concept had resonated with the Vietnamese public and has been the essence of BridgeFest since its inception.

Trần Nhất Hoàng, deputy director general of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s international co-operation department, said his ministry “always wants to see more quality and free art programmes for everyone, accompanied by humanistic messages, encouraging social responsibility and sharing love, so that no one is left behind.”

The annual music and community festival brings together artists, youths and social organisations to promote social equality.

This year it featured popular young artists including Võ Hạ Trầm, Da LAB, Microwave, Lynk Lee, beatboxerTuansss, and DJ 32french.

In 2022, after five years in Hà Nội, BridgeFest moved to Đà Nẵng, attracting more than 10,000 people.

Since its first iteration, BridgeFest has been a key cultural and social event, and this year’s event too was expected to demonstrate the role of music and collective action in driving substantial social change and highlighting diverse voices in the pursuit of a more inclusive and sustainable world.

The festival is jointly organised and sponsored by the US Mission to Việt Nam, the Swiss Embassy, Oxfam in Việt Nam, the Consulate General of Canada, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Việt Nam in collaration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourisms. - VNS