District 105 has been on an unstoppable rise within Vietnam’s metal and hardcore scene, especially with their latest EP, Chapter I: The Lost Creator. Formed in 2018, this powerhouse has seen several lineup changes but remains true to their mission: to create music that fans can truly mosh to. This EP marks a significant step forward for the band, blending influences from metalcore, beatdown hardcore, and nu-metal to create a powerful sound.
District 105 has played extensively in Vietnam, but their international reach is also expanding, having toured in Southeast Asia and beyond. Their upcoming international performances, including a highly anticipated tour in Taiwan and potential shows in Europe or China, will bring their music to even more fans across the globe.
In this interview, we explore District 105’s journey from humble beginnings to international recognition, their thoughts on the Vietnamese hardcore scene, and how the band continues to evolve. From discussing the trials of touring internationally to their thoughts on the challenges of being a band from Vietnam, District 105’s story is one of resilience and passion.
Ethos:
Take us back to the early days — how did District 105 come together, and what was the original vision for the band?
District 105:
District 105 was formed by past members of In Your Eyes và Stranded Pxl. Huy was the tour manager and a long-time friend of the boys from In Your Eyes. After In Your Eyes disbanded, Khanh and other members asked Huy to join the band as bassist and backup screamer, but the vocalist had some issues and had to leave the band, so Huy stepped up to take his place. Our original vision is pretty much the same until now, people gotta be able to mosh to our music. But yeah took us a while to finally find our mark. Which is the latest EP, “Chapter I: The Lost Creator”
E:
What were some of your first musical influences, both globally and locally?
D105:
Kublai Khan, Knocked Loose, Stray From The Path, etc. But yeah, over the years, as our members changed, our influences changed too. But after writing the last EP, we all agreed to write what we want to write, want to represent, and focus more on finding our own sound.
E:
Did you ever expect the band to grow into what it is today when you first started? How has your vision evolved — musically, personally, and in terms of goals?
D105:
Don’t know how to answer this really. We’re proud of the band, we love what we have become as a band, but we are far from where we want to be. There’s a long way ahead that requires us to be patient and focused. We’re very ambitious. Musically, personally, we have stopped writing what people want to hear but more about what we wanna hear, and how to bring out the best in each of the members, fuse them into the District105 we all can be like “Yeah, this is it!”
E:
What usually drives you to write and release something new — is it emotion, a message, or something else?
D105:
It varies a lot from time to time, but we’re interested in digging deep into human morals, ideals, emotions, how people react to certain tragedies, their trail of thoughts, and their twisted actions. But yeah there are times when we’re just gonna go full caveman mode and shout random shit.
E:
How has working with different producers shaped your sound or songwriting approach over the past few years?
D105: It definitely upgraded our skills for sure, and helped us understand more about what we need to make a good song.
E:
Your latest EP has a distinct energy — what was the creative process like? What themes or experiences inspired it?
D105: Ok, so the first thing we solved was how to combine both Khanh’s writing style and Rich’s writing style together. Rich writes awesome buildups and really interesting, technical parts, while Khanh can write catchy parts and heavy/mosh-worthy breakdowns. We wrote a bunch of demos, then set up a listening session in our room, there we decided which song gonna go into the EP. Afterward, it was time for Huy to struggle. Rich’s songs are not easy to flow in. A Broken Symbol really gave Huy a headache, he was never so pissed off and frushtrated then when writing lines for a song like this. Truthfully, he was on the verge of telling Rich to either change the structure or do another song. I’m glad we stuck to it and tried. We’re happy with every song from that EP. As for the theme, we wanted to introduce more Vietnamese mythical creatures and lore to people, which is why you can see the Ly dynasty dragon head as the artwork, shoutout to Vuiqa for pulling that off wonderfully. This EP will be the first of a trilogy that forms an album later on.
E:
What was the hardcore/punk/metal scene in Saigon like when you were starting out?
D105:
Errrrr, 2018 was a weird year. Vietnam’s scene and Saigon’s scene always have their ups and downs. I don’t know how to describe it, and at the same time, we’re a bit tired of talking about it. As probably many other artists out there, we’re in a love-hate relationship with the scene haha. But I still wanna represent it and protect it.
E:
How would you describe the changes you’ve witnessed in the local scene over the years?
D105:
Positively negative?!? Lots of drama, beefs. But we do believe it will all work out in the end. These days, we’re spending all of our energy on District 105.
E:
You’ve played several shows abroad — what does that feel like for a band coming from Vietnam?
D105:
It’s a blessing. I think back in the days, whenever we talked about a Vietnamese band playing in other countries, it sounded like a far-fetched dream, so we’re glad we can do it. But we don’t think we have gone far enough, nor do we find our place in bigger scenes. Vietnamese bands of this genre can’t survive with just local listeners unless they buy bots or fake streams. So the road to getting a bigger international audience is still pretty bumpy.
E:
What are some of the biggest differences between playing shows in Vietnam versus overseas?
D105:
Depends on the country. We found out that the Taiwanese scene enjoys our music while others might not as much. So, playing internationally has always been a hit or miss. But we always want to go further every time we have new stuff coming out.
E:
Let’s talk about Ieperfest — how did that opportunity come about, and how are you preparing for it?
D105:
We were applying for Fajtfest in the Czech Republic, they said “Yes”, but during the process of further discussion, they ghosted us. Which wasn’t cool at all. At the time, we met up with Witney, a Vietnamese friend who was born and raised in Belgium. He tried to reach out to multiple organizers in Europe to help us book more shows while we were there, and fortunately, Ieperfest said yes, which is unimaginable. That being said, the financial/ visa struggle is unreal. It’s practically hell for us. We have that do-it-or-die-trying mindset, and we have Rooster beer, Rockfest Vietnam, and NFQ helping us at the moment. So we will do everything we can and see how it turns out. Will keep you guys updated.
E:
Do you think it’s realistically possible for more Vietnamese bands to tour internationally, given the challenges like visa issues and funding?
D105:
They can always start going to Southeast Asian countries first. There are scenes like Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines which are huge. Then slowly working their way outside of SEA. But the answer is yes, it’s just about how much you want it and how you’re gonna plan for it.
E:
What do you want people to take away from your newest release?
D105:
This is us, this is our own sound, our vibe.
E:
What does the rest of 2025 and beyond look like for District 105 — more music, touring, collaborations?
D105:
We will tour Taiwan again in May. Quite excited since we never played Kaohsiung before, heard that it’s a fun place to travel and play as a band. Afterward, depending on our visa results for Belgium, we will either tour Europe or China. New song and EP will be out in late October or early November.
E:
If you could give advice to younger bands in Vietnam trying to get out there, what would it be?
D105:
None, we don’t think we’re in a good position yet to be giving out advice for younger bands. Honestly, they might be doing way better than us. So they should just do their own things.
E:
Which bands do you recommend to our readers? What are some of the upcoming forces of the Vietnamese scene?
D105:
9xacly, Empathize, Katto Katto (please clean up your playing, you guys have potential), Under Pressure, Cút Lộn, Diarsia, Now Or Later.
District 105 continues to grow as a leading force in Vietnam’s metal scene, and their plans for the future are as ambitious as ever. With new music, a growing fanbase, and international opportunities on the horizon, they are poised to make a significant impact. Stay tuned for their next EP release and upcoming tours, as District 105 is only getting started.
