Hà Nội, 27 May 2026 — Hot Panda Media, in partnership with the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, officially announces ALL EARS: FOCUS AUSTRALIA 2026 — the second edition of one of the most meaningful cultural diplomacy initiatives in the Vietnam–Australia relationship.
Building on its inaugural edition in Ho Chi Minh City in 2024, the programme now comes to Huế and Hà Nội with expanded scope: a live performance at Huế Festival 2026, shared cultural experiences across both cities, an industry open talk, and an intimate showcase — all anchored by two artists travelling and creating together across four days.
Those two artists are Mỹ Anh, one of the most internationally active voices of Vietnam's new generation, and Matthew Ifield, an Australian singer-songwriter of Asian heritage who recently signed with EMI Music Australia, Capitol Records US, and Fontana Records UK.
A programme built on more than exchange
ALL EARS: FOCUS AUSTRALIA is a flagship cultural initiative supported by the Australian Government to support two-way cultural exchange and people-to-people links, and to build greater engagement between the creative sectors of Australia and Vietnam, in line with Invested: Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
The 2026 edition is built on a straightforward belief: that meaningful relationships between artists — and between music industries — are formed through shared experience, not formal ceremony. Rather than brief exchange sessions, Mỹ Anh and Matthew Ifield will spend four full days together across two cities, moving through the same spaces, working in the same rooms, and sitting alongside industry professionals in open conversation.
The programme is organised by Hot Panda Media in partnership with the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, with Turning World and This Much Talent AU serving as organising partners on the Australian side — bringing together a network of industry expertise across artist development, international PR, and cultural diplomacy that underpins the programme's ambition for 2026.
We are thrilled to support this musical collaboration between Australia's Matthew Ifield and Vietnam's Mỹ Anh. Creative connections and exchange between young people in Australia and Vietnam will help build cultural understanding between our nations.
— Her Excellency Ms Gillian Bird PSM, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam
After ALL EARS: FOCUS AUSTRALIA in 2024, Vietnamese artists have started touring in Australia and working with Australian artists and companies. We aim for the 2026 edition to fuel that momentum further — a Vietnamese and Australian artist writing, performing, and sharing their journey with fans across both countries.
— Dong Nguyen, Founder, Hot Panda Media
Four days
14–15 June — Huế
The programme opens in Huế, where Mỹ Anh and Matthew Ifield will perform at Huế Festival 2026 on 15 June — one of Vietnam's largest cultural festivals, held in a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage city.
The two days in Huế are equally about what happens off the stage. Matthew Ifield moves through the citadel, the royal tombs, the old town lanes, and the quieter rhythms of daily life in the ancient capital — not as a tourist, but as an artist being given time and context. These shared experiences are the foundation the programme is built on: the belief that the most durable artistic relationships are shaped not at a microphone, but in the accumulation of moments that have nothing to do with music and everything to do with it.
16 June — Hà Nội
The immersion continues in Hà Nội. Mỹ Anh and Matthew Ifield spend the day moving through the capital together — its streets, its sounds, its pace — before turning inward for a creative session: a dedicated space to work together, away from the stage and the schedule. As with Huế, what happens on this day is not peripheral to the programme. It is the programme.
17 June — Open Talk & Showcase, VinUniversity
The programme closes at VinUniversity, Vinhomes Ocean Park, Gia Lâm, Hà Nội — a free Open Talk & Showcase for young music professionals in Hà Nội.
The Open Talk brings together Australian and Vietnamese artists and industry professionals for a direct, practical conversation about how the music industry operates across borders — from building international careers to understanding the rights and structures that underpin them. The morning then flows into the Showcase: live performances by Mỹ Anh and Matthew Ifield, including the first public performance of their collaboration.
Admission is free. Space is limited. Registration opens shortly — follow Hot Panda Media on social media or check hotpandamedia.com/newsroom for updates.
The artists
Mỹ Anh spent 2025 performing across six countries — Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. Her Australian debut at Vivid Sydney drew 1,000 spectators to Tumbalong Nights, followed by a show at Northcote Social Club in Melbourne as part of the Social Sanctuary series. She performed at Expo 2025 Osaka, and in October was selected as Vietnam's sole representative at APEC Woman on Music in Gyeongju — a concert broadcast on KBS World as part of the official APEC cultural programme. At ALL EARS 2026, she returns to the Australia–Vietnam story as an artist who has already begun building that bridge.
This time last year, Australia welcomed me with love when I performed at Vivid Sydney and Social Sanctuary in Melbourne. This year, I am beyond excited to perform with a very talented Australian artist — Matthew Ifield — at Huế Festival. I believe music and the arts is such a beautiful way to share ideas, make new friends and find inspiration from one another.
— Mỹ Anh
Matthew Ifield is an Australian singer-songwriter of Asian heritage whose recent signings with EMI Music Australia, Capitol Records US, and Fontana Records UK mark a clear step into global markets. Following the success of his debut album My Favourite Place To Be and a sold-out tour across India, he now brings his music to Vietnam for the first time.
To be able to perform at Huế Festival, surrounded by so much history and culture, feels really special. I'm grateful to be invited into that space and excited to bring my music to Vietnam in a setting that celebrates both heritage and contemporary creativity.
— Matthew Ifield
Programme details
- Programme
- ALL EARS: FOCUS AUSTRALIA 2026
- Organisers
- Australian Embassy in Vietnam & Hot Panda Media
- Organising Partners
- Turning World, This Much Talent AU
- Dates
- 14–17 June 2026
- Locations
- Huế City & Hà Nội
- Artists
- Mỹ Anh (Vietnam) & Matthew Ifield (Australia)
- Open Talk & Showcase
- 17 June, VinUniversity, Hà Nội — Free, limited space
Media enquiries: info@hotpandamedia.com
About Hot Panda Media
Hot Panda Media is an artist management and music production company based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, dedicated to developing Vietnamese artists for international markets. Hot Panda Media has served as the organising and production partner for ALL EARS: FOCUS AUSTRALIA since the programme's founding in 2024.