The boutique Equation Festival brings the best of international and Asian underground dance music to Vietnam’s Mai Châu Valley
Asia’s underground music festival scene is thriving. It clearly shows with the steady rise of festivals in the country, cultural exchanges with small clubs abroad, and the influx of visiting DJs. One standout event is the Equation Festival, returning for its seventh edition from April 4 to 6, 2025. The boutique electronic music festival will be set against the limestone mountain ridges of Mai Châu, Vietnam.
With attendance capped at the lucky number 999 attendees, the three-day gathering will continue to connect international artists with Asia’s growing presence of artists in electronic music.
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The festival attracts a diverse crowd: Music purists passionate about sound quality and deep cuts, free spirits drawn to the energy of the dance floor that can keep up all night, and creatives inspired by the underground scene’s aesthetics, all expressing their individuality through bold, subculture-driven fashion.
Some also see electronic music festivals as modern rituals, using music and movement for transcendental experiences.
Natural settings-turned-sonic environments
The Equation Festival features two distinct performance spaces, each with distinct ambiances and acoustic experiences.
The Garden Stage, situated within the sustainable Mai Chau Lodge complex, provides a relaxed open-air environment by a man-made lake where ambient, disco, and house music can be experienced against panoramic sunset (and sunrise) views. In this outdoor setting, festival-goers can breathe in between energetic performances and tranquil waters.
Meanwhile, the much-awaited Cave Stage is housed within Mỏ Luông Cave, a natural limestone formation featuring dramatic stalactites. The cave’s 25-meter-high ceiling dome creates exceptional acoustics that are like few other experiences around the world. The natural resonance of the cave adds an immersive depth and dimension to the music, melding the modern electronic sounds with the ancient geological formations.
Who’s playing?
The 2025 lineup of the Equation Festival represents a diverse cross-section of electronic music artists from Europe and Asia.
International performers include Spain’s John Talabot, the UK’s Peach, and Germany’s CEM and Partok. Canadian producer D. Tiffany and German DJ Jacob Meehan will also perform, as well as Netherlands-based artists Tundji and duo Double Dragon 88.
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The festival keeps its commitment to promoting Asian talent with performers from across the region. Dignos, Nomoclassiq, Shrugs, Emel Rowe, and Saint Guel are among the finest representing the Philippines at the festival. Other notable appearances include Japan’s Zhiqi and Sisi, Thailand’s Dott and Sarayu, and Vietnamese artists Di Linh, Feelz, and Manikk, among others.
Beyond the beats
Beyond the electronic musical experience, the festival incorporates visual arts through the Bangkok-based Human Spectrum Collective, which will create immersive light installations throughout the venue.
Culm-Innate design studio will also transform the festival grounds using bamboo and other renewable materials, emphasizing the importance of sustainable practices in contemporary creativity.
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The festival will also feature fabulous drag performances of Vietnamese collectives from Hanoi to Saigon—Peach x Genderfunk x Snug, adding another thrilling dimension to the weekend’s artistic offerings.
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With creative direction from the teams behind Hanoi’s Savage and Hong Kong’s Cliché Records and Fragrant Harbour collectives, the festival presents their meticulously curated selection of both local Asian talents and global performers.
The sonic experience it results in traverses multiple electronic genres—from house and disco techno to atmospheric ambient, from energetic techno to melodic downtempo, with additional elements of funk, soul, and live instrumental performances woven throughout.
Open to both casual festivalgoers and music industry professionals, the Equation Festival has served as a meeting point for electronic music enthusiasts and professionals throughout Asia across its previous six editions, which keeps the beats rolling and vibe electric in the region’s musical landscape.
And as the Equation Festival gears up for its seventh edition this April, that energy shows no signs of slowing down.
The Equation Festival runs from April 4 to 6 at Mai Châu, Vietnam. Book your tickets online here
