A Royal Feast Inside the Independence Palace: VietCharm's Culture & Dining Show Debuts in HCMC

Ho Chi Minh City's Independence Palace just got a new attraction.

On the first day of the 2026 Lunar New Year, a culture and dining show called VietCharm opened inside the palace's convention center.

Ninety minutes. Nine live performances woven between eight courses of Vietnamese fusion cuisine. The audience sits at dining tables, watching dance and live music while eating their way through the meal.

The first three days — six shows total — sold out completely.

A Revolving Stage Inside the Palace

VietCharm's stage design draws on Eastern philosophy: the audience area is square, representing the earth, while the stage is a 360-degree revolving circle, symbolizing heaven and cultural continuity.

Every instrument on stage is traditional — guzheng, bamboo flute, moon lute, drums, gongs — but the choreography is contemporary.

The nine acts take the audience on a journey across Vietnam, from north to south:

The opening act, "Lotus Genesis" (Liên Hoa Khởi Thủy), pairs contemporary dance with guzheng as lotus imagery unfolds on stage. Waiters bring out a lotus-themed appetizer.

Next comes "Spirit of Âu Lạc" (Hào Khí Âu Lạc), a dance depicting the vigor of ancient Vietnam. The matching dish is a refined take on phở, called "Imperial Phở."

Then it's into the world of ethnic minorities. "The Piêu Scarf Dance" (Chiếc Khăn Piêu) features rhythmic ethnic choreography, paired with a northwestern highland sturgeon dish. "The Mountain Goddess" (Cô Đôi Thượng Ngàn) is an adaptation of hầu đồng, a northern Vietnamese spirit medium ritual, served alongside grilled chicken wrapped in five-color sticky rice.

At the midpoint, "Strings of the Homeland" (Cung Đàn Đất Việt) puts the revolving stage to full use — musicians perform on the rotating platform, giving each section of the audience a different view. The dish: shrimp rolled in shredded coconut.

Then comes the highlight of the entire show. "Royal Court Music" (Nhã Nhạc Cung Đình) recreates a Nguyễn dynasty court ceremony. Performers wear full imperial regalia and draw from Huế royal court music, a UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage. The paired course, "Phoenix Palace Banquet," is a soup with abalone, dried scallops, and cordyceps — the most elaborate dish on the menu.

The second half turns south. "Southern Waterlands" (Miệt Đất Phương Nam) brings folk songs and storytelling from the Mekong Delta, accompanied by lemongrass grilled beef.

After a traditional opera segment, the closing dessert is a longan and lotus seed herbal soup.

The finale: a rendition of "Hello Vietnam" to send the audience off.

The Team Behind the Show

Director Nguyễn Hữu Thanh has deep roots in Vietnamese television, having produced major shows like The Voice Vietnam and Dancing with the Stars Vietnam.

Music director Vũ Quốc Việt composed entirely new arrangements for VietCharm, reworking traditional musical material into formats suited for live performance.

Choreographer Quang Đăng designed the contemporary dance segments. He's well-known among younger Vietnamese — he went viral during the pandemic with a handwashing dance video.

Head chef Huỳnh Phi Nam Phong leads the kitchen team, turning classic dishes from Vietnam's three regions into fusion cuisine. Each course is thematically linked to its corresponding performance: court music gets court food, southern stories get southern flavors.

Tickets and Showtimes

VietCharm currently runs two shows daily:

Matinee from 12:00 to 13:30 (arrive by 11:00).

Evening from 19:00 to 20:30 (arrive by 18:00).

The early arrival is for photos. For an extra 300,000 VND, you can rent a traditional Vietnamese outfit and take pictures around the palace grounds. There's also a post-show photo session with the performers.

Tickets come in two tiers: 1.6 million VND (104 seats, panoramic view) and 1.8 million VND (64 seats, front row facing the stage). Both include nine performances, eight courses, and the post-show photo opportunity.

Minimum age: 10 years old.

Why the Independence Palace

The Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập) is one of HCMC's most historically significant buildings — the iconic site where North and South Vietnam were reunified in 1975.

Staging a culture and dining show here means the venue itself is part of the draw. Guests walk the palace grounds in traditional attire, snap photos, then head into the convention center for the show and dinner. The experience extends well beyond the 90-minute performance.

The VietCharm team has a clear goal: create a cultural experience compelling enough for foreign tourists to put on their itinerary, while also giving local Vietnamese a fresh way to reconnect with their own traditions.

Based on ticket sales from the opening days, they've at least made a strong start.