Show Review: Nhung Thanh Pho Mo Mang (City of Miracle) Summer Tour 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City
by Vy Le | July 1st, 2025
Via NTPMM's facebook
Những Thành Phố Mơ Màng, or “NTPMM” for short, started back in 2017 with a group of young people full of passion and big dreams. They believed that everyone wants a city to call their own, so they created one with music at its heart. It’s a place where artists and audiences can truly connect and where young people, whom they lovingly call NTPMM citizens, can feel a little less alone in the chaos of everyday life. Their mission is to spread Vietnamese cultural values and bring young people together through music. To them, it’s not just about hosting events. It’s about creating real and meaningful connections with every melody (ntpmm.com).
In past years, NTPMM’s lineups mostly featured indie, underground artists, and punk bands. But this year, there was a clear shift towards mainstream pop and hip-hop artists in their lineup. For the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) stop, the lineup included Justatee, Hoàng Dũng, Thắng, Chillies, Màu Nước Band, HIEUTHUHAI, RHYDER, HURRYKHNG, Wxrdie, Obito, Shiki, and Dương Domic. I was surprised there weren’t any female artists in the lineup, but I got tickets anyway because the price was honestly so good for such big names – 755,000 VND, which is around 29 USD.
I arrived at 2 pm, the same time check-in opened. There were four lines in total, and honestly, they moved pretty slowly. The lines weren’t too long when I got there, but I still waited around 30 minutes for my turn. Inside the festival area, there were sponsor booths and photo booths created by the artists’ fans, which I thought were so cute. Some people had been camping there since early morning, so I didn’t get a spot close to the stage. But mine was still good enough to see both the stage and the LED screens.
The show started exactly at 4 pm with an introduction by MC An Trương. The first act was Chillies, which I already knew since people who went to the previous stop in Ha Noi had talked about it online. Chillies is one of the most well-known bands in Vietnam right now, and they’re usually the last act for NTPMM in previous years, so it was a surprise to see them open. It was the same with the second act, Thắng. After Chillies’ set, it rained, so there was about a 30 to 45-minute delay before Thắng came on. Seeing Thắng was the most exciting for me because he’s one of my all-time favorite artists. I watched fan recordings of his set at the previous stop, so I was expecting the same setlist. But he took me by surprise with a completely different setlist, and honestly, he didn’t disappoint. It was my first time seeing him live, and he sounded exactly like his recordings. It was sad, though, to see that the crowd didn’t cheer for the first two acts, even though they’re considered NTPMM OGs.
Hoàng Dũng was third, and people were definitely more hyped. He opened with an upbeat song featuring backup dancers and choreography, which caught me off guard because I always thought of him as an acoustic and ballad artist. I didn’t know he could dance. My favorite moment from his set was when he sang a sneak peek of his upcoming release. It was catchy yet heartbreaking.
The fourth set was RHYDER’s. He was my first-ever celebrity crush back in elementary school, so I was pumped to finally see him live. His energy was insane, and I was so hooked that his set felt short. During “Chịu Cách Mình Nói Thua,” he brought out a surprise guest, CoolKid from his team, DG House. Both of them were so talented.
Next up was Dương Domic. The people standing next to me were his fans, so I could really feel the energy when he came on. Honestly, I don’t remember much from his set aside from the surprise guests he brought out – Lou Hoàng, hooligan., and Minh Đinh.
The sixth, seventh, and eighth sets were Shiki, Obito, and Wxrdie. I don’t listen to Vietnamese hip hop that often, so I’m not that familiar with their music. I only knew some of their songs from TikTok. For some reason, I always thought Obito’s music was more laid-back and chill, but I was wrong. His set was upbeat and full of raw lyrics. Then came Wxrdie, which was my least favorite set of the night. There were some technical issues during his first song, so he had to pause and start over. His set was definitely the longest out of everyone’s, and he brought out two to three special guests. At the very end, there was a cute surprise appearance from his girlfriend, tlinh, one of my favorite Vietnamese rappers. She ran on stage from the audience just to take him backstage, and it was adorable.
HURRYKHNG was third to last. Even though I knew who he was and my friends are fans, I realized during his set that I’d never actually listened to any of his songs before, which is wild considering how big he is now.
After HURRYKHNG came Justatee, which surprised me. Usually, the artist with the most years in the industry closes the show, but not this time, which made sense since most people came for HIEUTHUHAI. Justatee’s set was my favorite of the night. I grew up listening to him, so seeing him live felt surreal. He was also the only artist with a full group of backup singers. I’d watched his set from the previous stop, so I kind of knew what to expect. But he still blew my mind. At one point, he mentioned wanting to sing a friend’s song just for fun and asked the crowd to join. Then out of nowhere, Vũ actually appeared and finished the song with him, and stayed on stage for the next song, “I’m Crying Over You.” Then, for the next song, “Bâng Khuâng,” which is my all-time favorite, Kimmese appeared out of nowhere. I literally cried.. Justatee and Kimmese were the artists I grew up listening to, and I never thought I’d see them live together. For the rest of that song, all I could think about was little me watching the “Bâng Khuâng” music video on TV in my childhood home. It was such an emotional and unforgettable set.
HIEUTHUHAI was the headliner of the night. For context, he’s currently one of the biggest names in Vietnam. If you’re in Vietnam, you’ll see his face on billboards for almost every major brand. His music is always topping the charts, and everything he says becomes a trend. He started off strong with “Ngủ Một Mình,” one of his biggest hits. Seeing him live made me understand why people love him so much. His energy was unmatched – he danced, sang, rapped, and performed with such confidence. He also had a super likable and interactive stage presence. Most importantly, he knew exactly what the crowd wanted. He kept interacting with fans, making jokes, and just having fun. He closed the show with “Walk,” bringing HURRYKHNG back on stage. It was the perfect ending to the night. If K-pop has SEVENTEEN’s “Very Nice,” then V-pop has “Walk” – the kind of song where you never know how many times they’ll replay it before the real ending.
NTPMM gave me a true music feast. The artists were incredible, but I felt like the organizers didn’t care about the audience experience at all. I honestly don’t understand why they thought it was a good idea to hold an outdoor show in June, when HCMC weather is the most unpredictable. And that wasn’t even the biggest issue. The venue was probably the worst I’ve ever been to. It wasn’t even a real venue, just an open field behind a stadium that organizers sometimes use for concerts. Since it rained the day before, the ground was muddy and gross. NTPMM laid down hard ground panels near the stage area and basically said screw it to everyone standing behind the FOH. Also, the venue was way too small for the number of people there. As someone who’s survived multiple GA concerts, I almost passed out in the middle of the show and ended up leaving my spot to stand near the medic booth just in case.
Overall, I’d give the experience a 3.5/10, but the music itself an 8/10.
