A performance at the New Year Concert 2026, celebrating the Year of the Horse, took place at Hồ Gươm Opera in Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Kiên

HÀ NỘI — The New Year Concert 2026, celebrating the Year of the Horse, took place at Hồ Gươm Opera in Hà Nội on February 24 evening, drawing senior Party and State leaders, incumbent and former officials, ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, and international guests.

The annual event was organised under the direction of the Department of Political Affairs of the Ministry of Public Security. It featured the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Conductor – Meritorious Artist Kim Xuân Hiếu, alongside artists from the Việt Nam National Opera and Ballet, the People's Public Security Music, Song and Dance Theatre, and renowned performers including Bùi Công Duy, Đào Tố Loan, Bảo Yến, Trường Linh, Thùy Dung, Lê Tuân, Thu Lương and Gema Nguyễn.

According to organisers, the concert served as a New Year greeting, conveying hopes and aspirations for a year of new achievements, with musical works praising the peaceful beauty of Việt Nam, honouring the glorious Party and great President Hồ Chí Minh, and celebrating the vibrant spirit of spring across the country. It further performed international works resonating with buoyant, festive tones and a strong sense of optimism.

The programme showed beloved Vietnamese works such as Đảng Đã Cho Ta Một Mùa Xuân (the Party has Given us a Whole Spring), Mùa Xuân Đầu Tiên (The first spring), Bác Đang Cùng Chúng Cháu Hành Quân (Our Beloved Uncle Hồ Marches with us), Hà Nội 12 Mùa Hoa (Hà Nội's Twelve Flower Seasons), Bài Ca Hi Vọng (Song of Hope), among others.

Classical masterpieces included selections from The Four Seasons — Spring and Summer — by Antonio Vivaldi, Emperor Waltz by Johann Strauss II, and Radetzky March by Johann Strauss I. Together, the works created a vibrant and multi-layered musical portrait of spring.

A Hồ Gươm Opera representative said the concert was intended to help spread Việt Nam's core cultural values, enrich spiritual life, and foster pride and love for the homeland. —  VNA/VNS