The Connections Through Culture (CTC) grants programme nurtures fresh cultural partnerships between the UK and select countries in Asia Pacific and Europe. These grants support new ideas and collaborations from artists and cultural organisations at any stage of development.  

The latest round of Connections Through Culture programme supports a diverse range of projects spanning artistic disciplines and themes. From diversity and inclusion to climate change and beyond, these collaborations bring together partners across borders to generate fresh ideas and creative solutions to today’s shared challenges. 

CTC support new connections, exchanges, and collaborations between artists, cultural professionals, creative practitioners and art and cultural organisations. 

2025 Grant Recipients: Viet Nam

Citizen Stories

Vietnam: Phố Bên Đồi 
UK: D-Fuse 
 
Citizen Stories will run collaborative workshops in the UK and Vietnam exploring environmental storytelling through discussions, filmmaking, and participatory walks. 

In London, the workshops engage students from the University of Westminster alongside local community members, encouraging neurodivergent participants. 

In Vietnam, workshops will engage Indigenous participants from rural areas near Đà Lạt.

Creative design from children for urban biodiversity

Vietnam: Think Playgrounds  
UK: Vicky Cave 
 
Creative design from children for urban biodiversity is a UK–Vietnam collaborative project that empowers local children to creatively explore, interpret, and co-design elements of an ecological trail along the Red River in Hanoi. Co-led by Think Playgrounds and UK-based creative educator Vicky, the project connects children with nature through art, storytelling, and cultural exchange.

DeafLink Wales-VN

Vietnam: Saigon Theatreland 
UK: Jonny Cotsen 
 
DeafLink Wales-VN is an initiative creating a sustainable arts community for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) individuals in Vietnam and the UK by offering them new art practices. This collaboration enables them to craft their own stories and gain meaningful exposure in mass media through valuable networking opportunities and efficient working methods with the DHH community. 

Music Ally Vietnam Scale Up Programme

Vietnam: Hương Đoàn 
UK: Music Ally 
 
The Scale Up Programme supports promising creators in advancing their careers, with each of its three waves ensuring representation from diverse communities and challenged backgrounds in Vietnam. By fostering growth and opportunity, the programme aims to generate inspiring case studies and success stories that encourage future participants to join the Launchpad Programme.

Playing together: A Cross-Cultural Music Education Toolkit

Vietnam: Vietnam Youth Music Institute (VYMI) 
UK: London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) 
 
This project is a collaboration between the Vietnam Youth Music Institute (VYMI) and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) to strengthen music education in Vietnam through cross-cultural exchange. LSO musicians will lead a residency with the Vietnam Youth Orchestra, while VYO coaches engage in reflection and peer learning.

Rising and Sinking Like Mountains in Streams

Vietnam: Nhã Thuyên 
UK: Literature Across Frontiers 
 
This collaborative, site-specific project connecting two river ecosystems, the Red River in Hanoi and the Wye River in Wales, brings together poets and artists Nhã Thuyên and MontenegroFisher who will work with local communities and early career artists in the two locations to create and perform experimental poetic works based on visual notations of sound that respond to the ecological and cultural rhythms of these rivers.

Through the Frame: Puppetry in Motion

Vietnam: TồLô Puppet Theatre Company 
UK: (John) Gavin Glover 
 
Through the Frame is a UK–Vietnam collaboration between TồLô Puppet Theatre (Hanoi) and UK puppeteer Gavin Glover, exploring live-cinema puppetry through workshops, a residency, and a public festival. The project includes an online seminar (March 2026), a creative residency for selected Vietnamese artists (May–June 2026), and a mini-festival in Hanoi showcasing new performances in unconventional venues.

Tracing The Natural World Inside Out

Vietnam:   Đỗ Hà Thu 
UK: Louise Barrington 
 
The project connects young people in Orkney and Vietnam to explore how climate change shapes everyday life. Participants will strengthen their artistic voices and creative agency through digital film and sound workshops, led by Scottish and Vietnamese filmmakers. The exchange creates space for dialogue across cultures and geographies, raising environmental awareness and empowering young people to respond to the climate crisis.

Treasury of Vietnamese Folk Tales: A Journey Through Cultural Heritage

Vietnam: Jeet Zdũng 
UK: Major Books 
 
This innovative cultural exchange presents Vietnamese folk tales through original translation, artwork, and performance. It begins with the publication of 11 stories translated from Nguyễn Đổng Chi's definitive folklore anthology, illustrated by Yoto Carnegie Medal winner Jeet Zdũng. The project continues with a London exhibition featuring 50+ original illustrations, community workshops, academic talks.

The Whale Hunters of Pamilacan

Vietnam: Mai Huyền Chi 
UK: Joseph Alford 
 
The Whale Hunters of Pamilacan is a hybrid participatory documentary rooted in community-led storytelling. Co-led by Vietnamese filmmaker Mai Huyền Chi and Filipino theatre-maker Jerrey David Aguilar (Executive Director, Kasing Sining), with UK theatre director Joseph Alford (Theatre O, London) as dramaturg and mentor, the project explores the cultural and emotional legacies of outlawed whale-hunting traditions.