Ho Chi Minh City International Martial Arts Festival 2025: Elevating Martial Arts Excellence into Performance Art

The 2025 Ho Chi Minh City International Martial Arts Festival marks the fifth edition of this international event, taking place over three days—from November 21 to 23, 2025—at the Le Loi pedestrian street. As the city's largest event of its kind for the year, the festival transforms the urban center into a massive open-air martial arts stage, where the essence of martial arts is celebrated through the languages ​​of performance art and modern stage technology.

Organized under the direction of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, the event brings together dozens of domestic and international federations and schools representing over 16 major martial arts disciplines. It features the participation of more than 200 martial arts masters and practitioners, attracting over 2,000 audience interactions daily. The presence of international delegations from countries such as South Korea, China, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines fosters a multinational exchange, spreading a spirit of friendship and conveying the message: "Vietnamese Martial Arts – Connecting for Peace."

Serving as the production partner, TOP Group introduces a fresh approach to staging the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City International Martial Arts Festival by integrating modern stage technology to highlight the power and depth of the martial arts spirit. Believing that martial arts must resonate emotionally with a broad audience through a sophisticated blend of traditional performance and modern technology, TOP Group has created a "new storytelling space." Each performance goes beyond a mere display of technique; it becomes a narrative told through the interplay of light, sound, visuals, and movement. A technical system was engineered to highlight the distinct movements and characteristics of each martial arts school, while synchronized lighting, sound, and visuals conveyed the rhythm, structure of the forms, and the discipline inherent in martial arts. This modern presentation allowed the audience to fully appreciate the technique, power, and significance of each formation.

Complementing the central stage, the entire event venue featured an open-plan design that harmoniously integrated performance areas, open competitions, martial arts equipment exhibitions, interactive experiences, and culinary zones, creating a vibrant cultural and sports festival in the heart of the city. Notably, the send-off ceremony for the SEA Games athlete delegation was solemnly incorporated into the program; the event not only honored the martial artists' achievements but also served as a powerful send-off, affirming the pride of Vietnamese martial arts on the international stage.

The success of the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City International Martial Arts Festival stands as a testament to TOP Group’s execution capabilities and creative vision in elevating cultural and sports values. We are proud to have helped bring martial arts closer to the public through a modern, artistic, and dynamic presentation, paving the way for even larger-scale projects in the future.