HÀ NỘI — Nepalese Buddhist nun and chant artist Ani Choying Drolma will return to Vietnam in September for two mantra chanting concerts themed 'Nhân – The Inner Seed' in Hồ Chí Minh City and Hà Nội.

Organised by Sound Healing World, the concerts follow Sound Healing Concert 2025, when Ani Choying Drolma met Vietnamese audiences for the first time. This year, she will perform at Gem Center in HCM City on September 12, followed by a concert at the Hồ Gươm Theatre in Hà Nội on September 19.

Rather than a conventional music performance, the programme centres on the story of 'Nhân', a Vietnamese concept referring to a seed or seedling. According to the organisers, each syllable in a mantra chant can also be seen as a 'seed', representing the beginning of an inward journey and a return to the deepest and most authentic part of oneself.

Ani Choying Drolma performs in Hồ Chí Minh City last year. Photos courtesy of the organisers

Ani Choying Drolma is known for her Sanskrit mantra chants and for leading chanting sessions at Nagi Gompa Nunnery in Nepal. She has described mantra chanting as music that goes beyond entertainment and reaches the inner realm of consciousness.

The concept of 'Nhân' is presented as both a starting point and an inner seed from which love, transformation and core values emerge. Through the concert, the organisers aim to create a space for audiences to slow down and reconnect with themselves.

Ani Choying Drolma has built a following in Việt Nam through her mantra recordings, which have been listened to by Vietnamese audiences for many years. Following her 2025 concerts, she said she felt a particular sense of familiarity and connection with Vietnamese audiences.

Meetings with audiences and Himalayan culture communities

In addition to the two concerts, Ani Choying Drolma will take part in four meetings with audiences and communities interested in Himalayan culture in HCM City and Hà Nội.

In HCM City, she will meet members of the Himalayan culture community from 4pm to 6pm on September 9 at OM Himalayas Saigon – Tibetan Cultural House, 256 Pasteur Street, Xuân Hòa Ward. On September 11 at 6pm, she will meet registered audiences at Kova Centre, 92 Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh Street.

In Hà Nội, a meeting with the Himalayan culture community will be held at 4pm on September 16 at OM Himalayas Hanoi, 36, Alley 67 Tô Ngọc Vân Street, Tây Hồ Ward. On September 18 at 6pm, Ani Choying Drolma will meet registered Sound Healing Concert audiences at Melia Hanoi Hotel on Lý Thường Kiệt Street.

Ani Choying Drolma with a Vietnamese fan during her performance tour in Việt Nam last year.

According to the organisers, the meetings will give fans an opportunity to meet Ani Choying Drolma in person and hear her share her perspectives on music, spiritual life and community service. Each city will also host a meeting featuring book signing and photo opportunities for eligible audiences who register in advance.

Ani Choying Drolma is also known for her long-standing social work in Nepal, supporting women, disadvantaged children and people facing difficult circumstances. She has also been involved in establishing nunneries and schools for girls.

For Ani Choying Drolma, mantra chanting is not confined by language or cultural boundaries. She describes herself not simply as a singer but as a person who chants, using sound as a means of sowing 'seeds' of awareness.

Sound Healing World says it aims to develop meditation music and sound healing in Việt Nam. Following its 2025 programme, the organisation continues to combine music, traditional sounds and Vietnamese and international artists in programmes focusing on spiritual and mental wellbeing. VNS