Music night «Kirtan Mantra»

   In a small room in Cau Giay, mantra singing meets acoustic guitar and handpan, and the people in the room are not there to sit still — they sing back to whoever leads the line. The whole evening is run as a fundraiser for children undergoing cancer treatment.

   Kirtan is call-and-response chanting: one voice sings a mantra, the room answers, and the phrase repeats until the whole group settles into the same rhythm. The organisers are bringing the format to Hanoi for the first time.

   Three people lead the evening, in the order given on the official poster:

• — Musician Ho Nhat Ha (Hồ Nhật Hà) — guitar and voice
• — Yen Nguyen (Yến Nguyễn) — lead chanter, the person behind Yên Yoga & Retreat
• — Long Percussion — handpan, the person behind Hang Drum Vietnam

   This one suits you if you already practise yoga or meditation and want a real chanting session rather than a playlist, if you are curious about the handpan and hand percussion, or if you simply want a quiet evening that also does something useful. Nothing to prepare beforehand and no Sanskrit needed — the mantras are short and repeated many times over.

   The organisers take sign-ups through a form in advance. A set contribution is stated in the announcement, but you may also give what you feel is right instead of the fixed amount, and what comes in goes to the children's fund.

   An evening of singing together, with your contribution going somewhere it is needed.