The Nutcracker ballet starts Christmas season in HCM City
Dancers of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will launch the Christmas season with the classical ballet The Nutcracker, a two-act production choreographed by Johanne Jakhelln Constant, art director of the Moving Art Theatre in Bodo, Norway, on December 11 and 12.
Dancers of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will start the Christmas season with the classical ballet The Nutcracker. (Photo courtesy of the theatre)
HCM City (VNA) - Dancers of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestraand Opera (HBSO) will launch the Christmas season with the classical ballet TheNutcracker, a two-act production choreographed by Johanne Jakhelln Constant,art director of the Moving Art Theatre in Bodo, Norway, on December 11 and 12.
The work is based on the story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by Germanauthor E.T.A. Hoffmann.
It features the dream of the little girl Clara and her adventures with anutcracker, a gift from her godfather.
It was first presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia onDecember 17, 1892, and has become a worldwide favourite during the Christmasseason.
It premiered in HCM City in 2001 as part of the Norway government'sTransposition programme to bring classical music projects to Vietnam.
This season, it will be staged by dancers of HBSO, including Ho Phi Diep (theNutcracker), Nguyen Thu Trang (Clara), Do Hoang Khang Ninh (Sugarplum Fairy)and Dang Minh Hien (Mr Drosselmeyer).
Japanese dancer Yuki Hiroshige will play the role of Snow Queen and Dewdrop.
The play’s choreographer Johanne has also worked in costume design, scenographyand props design.
The Nutcracker, with music by Tchaikovsky, will highlight the HBSO symphonyorchestra and female choir led by conductor Tran Vuong Thach.
Meritorious Artist Thach, director of the HBSO, was recently granted the titleKnight of Arts and Letters (Chevaliers des Lettres et des Arts) from the Frenchgovernment for his efforts to promote arts exchange between Vietnam and France./.
The Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) has announced that 2019 Rock Symphony concert will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on December 27 and 28, promising to bring a special musical event to the public.
Vietnam’s leading violinist Bui Cong Duy will perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto at the HCM City Opera House on October 31 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birthday.
The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will stage contemporary and classical ballets choreographed by Vietnamese and international artists at the HCM City Opera House on November 14.
Pianist Nguyen Duc Anh, who earned a master’s degree at Freiburg Conservatory of Music in Germany, will perform in a concert celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birthday at the HCM City Opera House on November 28.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The event served as a vibrant display of solidarity, promoting peace, cooperation, and development through cultural dialogue, and reaffirmed HCM City's role as a dynamic hub for cultural diplomacy and international friendship.
The Indian Film Festival not only honours the artistic value of cinema but also contributes to strengthening the friendship and enhancing cultural exchange between the people of Son La in particular and Vietnam in general and India.
An art exchange programme between Vietnam and Cambodia was held on the evening of June 13 in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long as part of the 2025 Cambodia Culture Week in Vietnam.
Digitalisation does not mean commercialisation or oversimplification of culture. It is a way of selecting, adapting, and spreading traditional values through a modern language.
Dancers of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will start the Christmas season with the classical ballet The Nutcracker. (Photo courtesy of the theatre) 
