Vietnamese students perform American musical to explore history

Students from Fulbright University Vietnam performed excerpts from the musical Hamilton at the Youth Theater of Ho Chi Minh City University of Theater and Cinema.

The performance took place during an international conference organized by Fulbright University Vietnam to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The students collaborated with experts, lecturers, and the professional team at Honey Musical Vietnam to stage the production.

Director Tony Tong provided guidance to help students from various academic majors bring the story of Alexander Hamilton to life. The production used the musical's blend of hip-hop and R&B to portray historical events such as the formation of the government and debates over the Constitution. The performance served as an educational tool to show how music and theater can make history more accessible than traditional classroom memorization.

During the conference session, the performers presented 11 songs from the musical alongside 11 excerpts from the biography of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. The session concluded with a discussion featuring academic experts and the production director. This event followed other local efforts to use the arts for historical education. Other students in Vietnam have previously staged plays based on the memoirs of Colonel Nguyen Van Tau and produced musicals about the national hero Kim Dong.

These initiatives aim to help younger generations connect with the past through modern artistic languages.