Equation secures 3-day festival at Mo Luong Cave with headliners from Asia & Berlin

Update on February 16, 2022, 14.30pm (CST)

Vietnam has officially announced a plan for resuming international tourism.

Including additional visa exemptions that currently exist for 13 countries, new regulations for foreign tourists may only be require travellers to have proof of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 and negative test result certificate issued within 24 hours (rapid test) and 72 hours (RT-PCR) before departure.

For further clarification, you can check the Vietnam Government News site here.

Back in November, Equation’s founder Ouissam Mokretar spoke to us about the announcement of a return to the cave for NYE, to end a low-swung 2021 on a high. But, it didn’t happen — COVID-19 regulations meant that events in Vietnam could only take place on Phú Quốc island, which is when he reassembled resources to co-curate Sunlit Festival together with close counterparts from Hanoi’s dance scene.

But with restrictions now being eased, new dates for April 8, 9 and 10 have been secured for Vietnam’s revellers to return to Mo Luong Cave in Mai Chau, and alas, the event will finally be able to host guest artists from outside of the country’s borders to headline the three-day affair.

Returning to Vietnam since his last performance at Epizode in 2020 is Siamese Twins Records and Karma Krew events co-founder Sunju Hargun, UNKNWN Manila’s co-founder Emel Rowe and More Rice Records co-founder DOTT. From China, .TAG Chengdu residents HAO, who spearheads sweaty and queer night Seafood Party, and Cora will represent China’s broiling underground from their respective and current home bases of Beijing and Shanghai. Flying in from Berlin as the international guest is Tourguide, who will join Equation's own residents Di linh and Hibiya Line to share centre stage.

Judging from our familiarity with the line-up, there are only high expectations for quality music curated for hedonists who will be dancing under a ceiling height of about 25 metres — the Mo Luong Cave will be hauled through a rave-specialist metamorphosis to guarantee incredible acoustics and atmospherics for up to 888 entrenched ravers. A secondary stage built across a lake will host Vietnam’s top jocks while enveloped by a sultry, natural landscape.

Stunning landscapes, natural acoustics and a handful of Asia’s finest selectors make for the kind of spring rave we would all line up for right now — and for those who intend to travel, updated regulations for arriving in Hanoi mean fully vaccinated foreign travellers only need to self-quarantine for three days, as opposed to the previously required seven days of hotel quarantine. Arriving passengers must also test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours before arrival. Even more exciting are the rumoured plans for the Vietnamese government to open tourism nationwide between March 30 and April 30, 2022.

A full announcement with more details is set for March 1, and if you are seeking more information in the meantime, head over to Equation Festival on Instagram.