- Over 100,000 fans attended G-Dragon’s concerts at Ocean City, Hanoi.
- The event signals Vietnam’s rise from a consumer market to a global performance destination.
- Vingroup and its affiliates drive integrated entertainment and tourism development.
- Cultural investment aligns with Vietnam’s expanding middle-class spending power.
From Audience Market to Destination
The two Hanoi concerts of South Korean artist G-Dragon, held under the banner Übermensch World Tour 2025, drew over 100,000 attendees to Ocean City, a new coastal urban complex developed by Vingroup. The event’s scale and precision reflected Vietnam’s changing role in Asia’s entertainment economy — not merely a market for imported acts, but a viable host for international-grade performances.
Visitors arrived from across Asia, Europe, and North America, filling hotels in Hanoi and its surrounding areas. The concerts generated an estimated ₫500 billion (≈ US $20 million) in local economic activity through accommodation, dining, and transport, according to preliminary tourism board data.
“Experiencing a world-class tour right in my home country is truly unmatched,” said Khanh Trang, a Hanoi concert-goer.
The organizational infrastructure — sound, logistics, crowd control, and artist management — met the same standards seen in Seoul or Singapore. Cultural industry observers view it as a threshold event: a demonstration that Vietnam can deliver operational and experiential quality at an international benchmark.
Shifting Consumer Dynamics
Vietnam’s entertainment evolution coincides with a broader shift in consumer behavior.
- The middle-class population is projected to reach 56 million by 2030, accounting for over half of all households.
- Tourism revenue is expected to exceed US $45 billion by 2030, driven by domestic demand and inbound traffic.
- Vietnam welcomed 12.6 million international visitors in 2024, representing a 32% year-over-year increase.
Rising disposable income and a youthful demographic (median age ≈ 32) are fostering demand for destination entertainment — live events tied to travel and leisure. This convergence positions Vietnam as a rising competitor to Bangkok, Seoul, and Singapore in the Asia-Pacific cultural landscape.
The Corporate Vector
The 8WONDER brand, under Vingroup’s V-Culture ecosystem, has previously hosted artists such as Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons, Charlie Puth, and J Balvin, marking a steady escalation of ambition. Its latest subsidiary, V-Spirit, handled all aspects of G-Dragon’s production, from technical delivery to audience services.
“Vietnam has risen from a consumer market to a performance destination,” said cultural expert Nguyen Ha Linh, lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.
The model mirrors the integrated tourism-culture cluster that has long been established in East Asia, where concerts, resorts, and retail form a single commercial ecosystem. Ocean City exemplifies this: a self-contained urban resort that combines hotels, shopping centers, beaches, and entertainment venues, positioning itself as a year-round festival destination.
Long-Term Cultural Strategy
Vingroup’s cultural subsidiaries — V-Spirit, V-Culture Talents, and V-Film — operate under a coordinated framework intended to sustain Vietnam’s creative economy. Their mandate extends from infrastructure investment to talent development, aligning private capital with the government’s goal of building a US$10 billion cultural industry by 2030.
“Corporations like Vingroup turn cultural soft power into economic strength,” noted Ha Linh. “It is not philanthropy; it is long-horizon economic positioning.”
Regional Perspective
The pivot mirrors broader regional trends. According to Statista and PwC’s 2025 projections:
- Thailand’s entertainment and media market is valued at roughly US $17 billion, growing at 6 % CAGR.
- South Korea’s exports exceed US $55 billion, anchored by K-pop and film exports.
- Vietnam’s economy remains relatively small, at about US $5 billion, but is expanding at a rate of 10–12% annually, making it one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.
In relative terms, Vietnam is no longer a passive consumer. It is a scaling producer — a country that converts cultural participation into an exportable experience.
Outlook
Vietnam’s transition from audience market to performance destination is measurable, not aspirational. The G-Dragon concerts, the corporate infrastructure behind them, and the steady pipeline of upcoming international acts point to a structural transformation.
From an economic standpoint, the shift carries clear implications: Vietnam’s cultural tourism is becoming an investable sector, not an event-by-event exception.
