Da Lat to Host Vietnam Jazz Heritage Festival 2026
Vietnam Jazz Heritage Festival 2026 will bring Vietnamese and international artists to Da Lat from November 6 to 8, adding a contemporary musical dimension to the 11th Da Lat Flower Festival. Across three nights and at three distinct venues, the event aims to connect jazz with the highland town’s cultural identity, architecture and tourism experiences, while laying the groundwork for a new meeting point for jazz in Asia.
Jazz Meets the Cultural Landscape of Dalat
As Da Lat prepares for the 11th Da Lat Flower Festival, scheduled for December 2026 under the theme “Da Lat– A Symphony of Flowers and Music,” Vietnam Jazz Heritage Festival 2026 will offer an early highlight in the city’s cultural calendar. The inaugural festival is scheduled for November 6–8, bringing together international performers and leading Vietnamese musicians in a program spanning jazz, contemporary music and cross-cultural collaboration.
The event is being organized by HAUS Foundation, a member of The One Destination, with the support of Lam Dong Province. Musician Huy Tuan, the festival’s creator and general director, sees the initiative as more than a series of standalone concerts. Its longer-term ambition is to establish a recurring cultural event that connects Vietnamese audiences with international artists and gives Da Lat a stronger presence on the regional music scene.
Da Lat's appeal lies not only in its cool climate and natural scenery but also in its distinctive urban landscape, historic architecture and established tourism culture. By staging performances in different parts of the town, the festival seeks to make these surroundings part of the musical experience rather than treating them merely as a backdrop.
Jazz lends itself to this approach. Its improvisational character, subtle interplay and capacity for musical dialogue invite audiences to listen closely and experience familiar compositions in new ways. The festival’s use of the word “heritage” also points to jazz’s history of more than a century, while emphasizing how the genre continues to evolve through new interpretations and collaborations.
International Artists Meet Vietnamese Musical Traditions
The inaugural lineup brings together performers from different musical backgrounds. Japanese singer Lisa Ono, widely associated with bossa nova and a multiple recipient of the Japan Gold Disc Awards in the jazz category, is among the international guests. American bassist and performer Nik West, also a producer and founder of the Queen of Strings competition, will join the program.
Another featured artist is Raul Midón, the visually impaired American guitarist and singer who has received two Grammy nominations in jazz album categories. His music draws on jazz, pop, soul, R&B, flamenco and Latin influences, reflecting the festival’s broad approach to contemporary music.
Vietnamese musicians will bring their own projects to the festival, creating opportunities for jazz to interact with local musical traditions and contemporary arrangements.
Composer Duc Tri will present Musique de Salon – Le Grand Orchestre et Jazz, a project combining orchestral performance with jazz elements. Guitarist Nguyen Le will perform with his band from France alongside singer Hong Nhung, revisiting works by the late composer Trinh Cong Son through jazz-influenced arrangements.
Composer Hoai Sa will also rework Vietnamese songs for a special smooth jazz program featuring singer Tran Thu Ha. Meanwhile, Tran Manh Tuan Fusion Band will explore the meeting of Western harmony with pentatonic scales, folk melodies and traditional Vietnamese instruments.
Other participating artists and groups include Dadada and JKC. Together, the lineup brings international jazz influences into conversation with Vietnamese songwriting, orchestral arrangements and traditional musical materials.
For Da Lat, these collaborations offer a way to broaden its cultural program beyond its established associations with flowers, landscape and resort tourism. They also create opportunities for audiences to encounter Vietnamese music through new arrangements while experiencing the diversity of contemporary jazz.
Three Nights, Three Distinct Venues
The festival will unfold across three venues from November 6 to 8, with each location offering a different setting for the performances.
The opening night on November 6 will take place at Lam Vien Square, beside Xuan Huong Lake. Its open-air setting is expected to bring the music to a broad public audience, making the square a natural meeting place for residents and visitors.
On November 7, the program will move to the square in front of Hoa Binh Theater, within the Da Lat Market area. Located in the heart of the town, this venue is intended to bring jazz into a busy public setting, where people can discover the music as part of their everyday experience rather than only at dedicated concert venues.
The final performance, on November 8, will be held at HAUS Da Lat for invited guests. In contrast to the first two public-facing venues, the closing night will offer a more intimate setting, allowing audiences to focus on the musicians’ interplay and the finer details of the performance.
The three locations reflect an approach that places music in dialogue with its surroundings. From a public square beside the lake to the busy town center and a more intimate performance space, the festival aims to show how the same musical genre can create different experiences depending on where and how it is heard.
Building a New Cultural Destination Through Music
The festival comes as Da Lat continues to expand its cultural and tourism offerings. While the city is widely known for its flowers, gardens and highland scenery, events such as the Vietnam Jazz Heritage Festival create opportunities to explore its identity through live music, artistic exchange and contemporary cultural experiences.
The program also aligns with the broader direction of the 11th Da Lat Flower Festival, whose theme brings flowers and music together. By extending the festival atmosphere into November, the jazz event adds another dimension to the city’s year-end cultural calendar ahead of the main flower festival activities in December.
For Huy Tuan and the organizers, the ambition is to develop a recurring cultural platform where international musicians and Vietnamese artists can meet, exchange ideas and introduce audiences to different musical perspectives. Establishing such an event will take time, sustained programming and continued engagement with local audiences. Its first edition, however, marks a step toward positioning Da Lat as a destination where music is not simply performed, but experienced in connection with place, culture and community.
