A few months back, Long Tranh Hổ Đấu Fest introduced itself to the local crowd with a packed and ambitious two-day lineup. Day one, “Long” (Dragon), focused more on punk and alternative-heavy genres, while day two, “Hổ” (Tiger), promised a full dive into hardcore and heavier sounds. This year, Ethos Collective also stepped in as an official media partner and official host of Taiwanese Infernal Chaos. May 8th marked the Dragon half of the festival. Taking itself seriously as a full-scale fest, Long Tranh Hổ Đấu hosted a market outside the venue, filled with merch booths, food and drink stalls, instruments, accessories, and more. Although the event was delayed and experienced organizational hiccups, the Dragon show still delivered an impressive lineup of 11 established bands alongside 3 student bands from the local Wooden Guitar Club at the University of Architecture. Because of venue management delays and eventual police intervention, the schedule had to be shortened, leaving most bands with less than 30 minutes on stage. Even so, the energy between bands and audience never died down.
CALABOGUTA: The Local Rock ’n’ Roll Youth
The show kicked off rather abruptly right after soundcheck. Audiences still seemed sparse and slightly unsure about the event’s flow. Without much announcement, the first band from the Wooden Guitar Club of the University of Architecture, CALABOGUTA for short, stepped onto the stage. They quickly caught the attention of those already familiar with them. Their original song leaned into melodic rock territory, warm and youthful in spirit. Each student band performed one original track, introduced themselves briefly, and then made way for the next act. The second band followed with a noticeably heavier direction, incorporating screaming vocals and chunky chugging riffs. The crowd immediately responded with more movement and energy. By the final student band, the sound had fully shifted toward metalcore territory. Judging from the audience reaction, they gathered the biggest hype out of the three. Overall, it was a humble but genuinely supportive start to the festival. Seeing younger musicians so invested in rock and heavy music gives real hope for the continued growth of the scene in Vietnam.
DIE SO FAR: Heartfelt Hardcore from the Coast
The first major act of the Dragon fest was Die So Far, coming all the way from the coastal city of Nha Trang. Their fast, energetic hardcore immediately woke up the still-forming crowd, and signs of moshing started appearing almost instantly. Their set was tight and full of momentum. One of the standout moments came during a short pause between songs when the vocalist shared a heartfelt message: “No matter who we are or where we come from, we are all equal in this pit, through our shared love for this music.” For Die So Far, hardcore clearly feels like more than just a genre. It comes across as a community built on equality, respect and belonging. That same spirit is likely shared by many bands working hard to grow a welcoming heavy music scene in Vietnam. Musically, their sound stayed rooted in classic hardcore, with a strong emphasis on vocals thanks to the band’s dual-vocalist setup, each taking on different lyrical roles. Between the emotional speech and explosive energy, the crowd left feeling not just hyped, but oddly wholesome too.
AMONGST THE FALLEN: Kids of Heavy Music
Next up was another hardcore act, Amongst the Fallen, bringing even more chaos into the room. Loud, straightforward and full of spirit, they delivered exactly the kind of energy needed to bring the crowd to life. Traveling all the way from Hanoi, the band radiated confidence from the second they stepped on stage. That confidence passed on to the audience almost immediately, with the crowd becoming noticeably more active during their set. What shocked many people most, though, was learning that the members are only in 9th grade. Last year at the same fest, they were still in 8th grade. The amount of confidence and dedication these middle schoolers already bring to the local scene is honestly impressive. It seems that the Dragon fest is especially committed to spotlighting younger talent, the very people who will continue pushing the community forward in the years to come.
THÁNH DỰC: Old-School Death Metal Never Gets Old
Shifting the atmosphere away from hardcore for a moment, Thánh Dực took the stage with their signature old-school death metal sound. Experienced and reliable as always, the band delivered crushing low-end distortion, guttural growls and relentless blast beats with ease. Beyond their musicianship, Thánh Dực also knows exactly how to work a room. Their presence somehow made the venue feel both heavier and more intimate at the same time. As their set continued, the audience naturally pushed closer to the stage. Before long, mosh pits and circle pits started opening up on their own. Once Thánh Dực stepped on stage, everything suddenly felt fuller, louder and much more alive. The audience’s support kept them on stage a bit longer, pushing the new set times for the bands a bit further.
NHẠO: Modern Metalcore Meets Vietnamese Folk
The festival continued expanding its genre palette with Nhạo, a modern metalcore band with fusion elements. One of the band’s biggest highlights is undoubtedly the vocalist, an expressive and highly engaging performer who constantly kept the energy levels high. Early in the set, the singer encouraged everyone to move closer to the stage, creating a much tighter connection between the band and the crowd. Musically, Nhạo leaned heavily into modern melodic metalcore with crushing breakdowns, percussive riffs and a balance between harsh and clean vocals. What makes the band especially memorable, though, is the way they fuse those elements with traditional Vietnamese sounds, including đàn tranh-inspired melodies and flute sections. The combination worked surprisingly well. Soon enough, the crowd was headbanging in unison, rolling across the floor and throwing themselves into pits.
BLACK INDUSTRY: Gas Tank Drums and Industrial Chaos
Perhaps the most unique act of the entire evening was Black Industry, both musically and visually. Taking clear influence from bands like Slipknot and Rammstein, Black Industry embraces industrial metal with a highly experimental edge. One of their most striking features is the percussionist, who performs with a gas tank and a single floor tom, creating harsh, metallic rhythms that push the industrial atmosphere even further. The band also plays around with synths and EDM-inspired textures layered into their heavy sound. Visually, the percussionist stood out immediately, appearing in workwear overalls and split-color face paint, one side blue and the other white. Watching a Black Industry set felt strange, theatrical, and thrilling all at once.
HAPPY CO.: The Melodic Post-Hardcore Movement
When it comes to happyco., it’s hard not to think of them as one of the leading forces behind the local melodic post-hardcore wave. Their sound refuses to remain confined to one genre, constantly borrowing from diverse influences and reshaping them into something distinctly their own. One of the band’s most recognizable inspirations is Title Fight, and traces of that influence became even clearer during the newer songs in their set. happyco. has a natural ability to lift a room. Their lyrics are simple and catchy, the riffs are punchy and immediate, and almost everyone in the audience seemed ready to sing along. The atmosphere quickly turned loud, communal and full of movement. Their set initially leaned harder into hardcore aggression, but later songs introduced more melodic and hypnotic guitar work reminiscent of Title Fight: raw open chords, repetitive emotional phrasing and grooves that occasionally hinted at funk-inspired rhythm.
RESURGED TEMPTATION: Back to Metalcore
The metalcore energy returned with Resurged Temptation. Their aggressive riffing and intense vocals immediately hit the sweet spot for fans of modern metalcore. Judging by the constant activity in the pit, plenty of people were already familiar with the band’s sound. The set reached its peak when they launched into a cover of “Psychosocial” by Slipknot. At that point, everything blended together into pure chaos: moshing, shouting, sing-alongs, and nonstop movement. Slipknot’s influence could definitely be felt across several bands throughout the lineup.
SÓNG ÂM: A Ballad Break
Next came Sóng Âm, immediately catching attention with their techwear-inspired outfits and cyberpunk aesthetic. Ironically, their visual style stood in stark contrast to the softer direction of their set. The vocalist explained that the organizers had specifically asked them to provide a brief respite from the constant heaviness, and Sóng Âm delivered exactly that. Their music leaned toward sentimental rock ballads with emotional melodies and a softer pace. They also performed a new track from their single “We Are The One”, carrying strong themes of passion and patriotism. The crowd seemed to genuinely appreciate the change of pace, waving phone flashlights, clapping, and singing along together. The emotional atmosphere built steadily throughout the set, making it even more surprising when the finale suddenly exploded into a wall of death during the final breakdown.
18.18: The Perfect Pop-Punk Warm-Up
As the night approached its finale, the Dragon stage seemed to save its pop-punk energy for the very end. 18.18 entered as the second-to-last act and immediately brought the room back to life. Expectations were high, and thankfully, they delivered. Their energetic pop-punk rhythms had everyone jumping, screaming and moshing within minutes. Their style felt very compatible with the eventual headliner, almost making them the perfect lead-in act for the night’s closing stretch. The band’s humor also added a lot to the set. With such a humorous and entertaining style, the band can win over just about anyone in any setting. At times, they even threw in witty Gen-Z jokes in their lyrics like “1,2,3,4,5,6,7… 18” — read it out loud and you might catch the reference. The band sort of refused to fit their set within the expected time limit and instead went full force, responding to the audience’s wish for more music. This might have affected what would happen later, but we can’t say we didn’t enjoy it.
I’M NOT SURE: Are You Sure?
Before the headliner came, I’m Not Sure, a band sitting somewhere between alternative heavy rock and electronic music. The vocalist stood out immediately with a memorable appearance, confident stage presence and expressive performance style. Their set moved quickly and maintained moderate but steady crowd engagement, serving as a solid transition before the final act.
7UPPERCUTS: Vietnamese Pop-Punk Legends
Finally, the most anticipated act of the evening arrived: 7uppercuts. Unfortunately, just as the crowd was preparing for the biggest moment of the night, the night was coming to an end. First, the speakers went dramatically low in volume to bring everything to a halt before the planned ending. This brought us an abruptly shortened and incomplete set. Even so, 7uppercuts still came in with their usual fun, witty, and chaotic energy. They managed to squeeze in around three songs, ending with their iconic track “Yêu” upon the request of a highly enthusiastic fan. The night ultimately ended more quietly than expected, almost fading out mid-sentence.
Long Tranh Hổ Đấu had huge potential on paper, and no one can argue that the idea could’ve been a big move forward for the Vietnamese scene altogether. The lineup was thorough, the genre diversity kept things exciting, and the audience turnout remained steady throughout the night. Still, the organizational issues significantly affected the experience, especially for later bands, who dealt with shortened sets and rushed schedules. The biggest disappointment naturally fell on the incomplete 7uppercuts performance, which many people had been waiting for all evening. We hope this was a learning experience worth noting, and next year the festival can iron out those problems. Despite everything, the event was still genuinely enjoyable. At the end of the day, the crowd still left sweaty, tired and entertained, which might be the most important thing a fest can achieve.
