Media OutReach
Alicia Keys, aespa, and Dimash Join Top Vietnamese Stars at 8Wonder Winter 2025
With the theme “Symphony of Stars,” this year’s music festival is crafted as a dazzling symphony, where international music icons and Vietnam’s most celebrated talents unite in the heart of Hanoi. Each artist brings a unique hue, together lighting up the winter sky with one-of-a-kind melodies, creating a galaxy of layered emotions.
The headliner of the grand concert is Alicia Keys, the global symbol of soul and R&B, winner of 17 GRAMMY Awards, and the No. 1 R&B female artist of the century according to RIAA, with over 65 million records sold and 5 billion global streams. From her debut album Songs in A Minor to timeless hits like Empire State of Mind, No One, and Girl on Fire, Alicia Keys has left an indelible mark with multi-billion-view tracks that have shaped contemporary music for more than two decades. Beyond her artistry as a singer, songwriter, and producer, she is also a bestselling author, entrepreneur, social activist, and founder of “She Is The Music,” a movement promoting gender equality in the music industry. Recently, she achieved great success with the Broadway musical HELL’S KITCHEN, which earned 13 Tony nominations, 2 wins, and a 2025 GRAMMY Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Joining Alicia Keys on stage will be aespa, one of K-pop’s leading 4th-generation girl groups and a symbol of the new wave of Asian artists. Seen as the future of regional entertainment, aespa brings youthful, creative, and tech-forward energy to the stage. With their distinctive metaverse concept, the group has pioneered a fusion of real and virtual music worlds, making a global impact with hits like Next Level and Savage. aespa has won multiple Daesang awards, been named among Time‘s Next Generation Leaders, and recognized by Billboard as “Group of the Year.” Their performance at 8Wonder Winter promises a futuristic visual feast that is explosive and full of energy on the “Symphony of Stars” stage.
This year’s special guest, Dimash Kudaibergen from Kazakhstan, will take the audience on a journey through extraordinary emotional heights with his rare six-octave vocal range. Nicknamed “the voice of the universe,” Dimash has captivated audiences from Bastille Opera in France to Kremlin Palace in Russia and Barclays Center in the United States. His fusion of pop, opera, and Kazakh folk elements, along with his multilingual performances, will make his appearance an unmissable highlight of the night.
The “Symphony of Stars” stage will also shine with outstanding Vietnamese representatives: HIEUTHUHAI, the young, dynamic rapper known for his powerful emotional delivery; Van Mai Huong, whose soulful and expressive vocals move listeners through heartfelt ballads; and Maydays, a rising indie band with intimate yet deeply inspiring music. Together, these three artists bridge memory and modernity, Vietnamese spirit and international artistry, contributing to the confident global rise of Vietnamese music.
Beyond the performances, 8Wonder Winter 2025 offers a multi-dimensional world of experiences where music, light, art, and emotions intertwine, creating unforgettable moments. Audiences will not only enjoy music but also immerse themselves in a vibrant festival space filled with folk culture, regional cuisine, entertainment zones, artist exhibitions, and community connection areas. Especially, 8Wonder leads the way in developing a “green festival,” spreading a message of sustainable living with recycled art installations and eco-friendly booths. All of these elements combine to create a lively, modern, and memorable celebration for all generations.
Beyond the festival experience, 8Wonder Winter continues to define its distinctive identity through the Wonder Sound Lab project, a creative music “laboratory” initiated by 8Wonder. Here, young Vietnamese talents are given the opportunity to collaborate with international artists to produce one-of-a-kind performances, debuting for the first time on Vietnam’s music stage. Wonder Sound Lab is not only a launchpad for the new generation of artists but also a powerful statement of Vietnam’s aspiration to bring its music to the world.
With a world-class artist lineup and international-standard organization, 8Wonder Winter 2025 – hosted by Vingroup – promises a luxurious and unparalleled symphony of music, art, and experience, setting a new benchmark for Vietnam’s entertainment scene. This event is expected to energize the entertainment market and reaffirm Vietnam’s position as one of Asia’s leading music and entertainment destinations.
Official Ticket Sale Announcement
8Wonder Winter 2025 – Symphony of Stars marks the fifth season of the 8Wonder music festival series, continuing to bring the world’s musical excellence to Vietnam and crafting a world-class artistic celebration.
Tickets will be available nationwide from October 24, 2025, via VinWonders.com, Trip.com, Ticketbox, and Klook, with prices ranging from 1,600,000 VND to 20,000,000 VND, including luxurious Skybox & VVIP, premium VIP Zone, and energetic Standing Zone near the stage.
Hashtag: #8Wonder #AliciaKeys
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GoTyme Bank becomes the first digital bank in the Philippines to enable Apple Pay, expanding secure and seamless digital payments for 10 million customers
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 August 2026 – Paymentology, the leading global issuer processor, today announced the successful launch of Apple Pay for GoTyme Bank in the Philippines. Through this launch, GoTyme becomes one of the first issuers in the Philippine market to enable Apple Pay, giving 10 million customers an easy, secure and private way to pay using their Apple devices.
As one of the country’s fastest-growing digital banks, GoTyme continues to accelerate its digital payments strategy by expanding secure, seamless and convenient payment experiences for Filipino consumers. Customers can now securely add their GoTyme debit card to Apple Wallet and make contactless payments in stores, within apps and online wherever Apple Pay is accepted.
Apple Pay uses industry-leading tokenisation technology, meaning card numbers are never stored on devices or shared with merchants. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, with every transaction authenticated through Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode, providing an additional layer of security while delivering a fast, frictionless checkout experience.
Nate Clark, President and CEO at GoTyme Bank commented: “At GoTyme Bank, we’re constantly looking for ways to make banking simpler, safer and more rewarding for our customers. Bringing Apple Pay to GoTyme Bank customers in the Philippines gives them an easy and secure way to pay wherever they shop while continuing to earn rewards points on all their transactions. This is another step in our commitment to making everyday banking more beautiful and convenient for our customers.
The launch comes as digital payments continue to reshape the Philippine economy. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), digital payments now account for more than half of all retail payment transactions, as consumers increasingly embrace mobile-first banking and contactless payments. Meanwhile, smartphone penetration continues to rise, supporting growing demand for digital wallets and tokenised payment experiences. As digital commerce accelerates, enabling secure mobile payments through services such as Apple Pay is becoming an increasingly important differentiator for financial institutions.
Minh-Ha Truong, Head of Growth, APAC at Paymentology, added: “As a long-standing partner to GoTyme, we’re proud to support another significant milestone in its growth journey. Bringing Apple Pay to market demonstrates how modern, cloud-native issuer processing enables digital banks to rapidly deliver innovative payment experiences while maintaining the highest standards of security, scalability and performance. Together, we’re helping shape the future of digital payments in the Philippines.”
The launch further strengthens GoTyme’s position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading digital banks and highlights the value of Paymentology’s cloud-native issuer processing platform in helping banks and fintechs rapidly introduce innovative payment capabilities that meet evolving customer expectations.
Hashtag: #Paymentology
https://www.paymentology.com/
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Media OutReach
New Documentary Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun From Discovery to Debut on August 20 in Southeast Asia
Set against the sun-drenched landscapes of southern Taiwan, Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun highlights how the people of Liugdui have thrived alongside the land for over 300 years. Following local scholars, farmers, and artisans, the documentary explores how this community adapts its deep-rooted traditions—from water stewardship to food heritage—in response to environmental and economic change, offering vital modern insights on sustainability, rural revitalization, and cultural continuity.
Across three episodes—Water, agriculture, and food—the documentary explores how the people of Liugdui blend tradition with modern innovation. Viewers meet groundwater experts, farmers pioneering sustainable crops, and artisans repurposing local materials like betel nut, alongside culinary practitioners who preserve Hakka identity through ancestral rituals, communal feasts, and family traditions that unite generations.
Audiences will discover a community that views tradition not as something fixed in the past, but as a living legacy that continues to evolve. From innovative groundwater management and botanical dyeing to ritual feasts and modern interpretations of Hakka cuisine – the documentary celebrates the creativity, resilience, and values that have sustained Liugdui for centuries.
Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun premieres in Southeast Asia on Discovery Channel, Thursday, August 20 at 7:10pm; TLC Channel, Monday, August 24 at 7:10pm; and Discovery Asia, Tuesday, August 25 at 9:25pm.
Hashtag: #Discovery
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About Discovery Channel
The launch press conference broke away from tradition with a vibrant runway show featuring celebrity “Hot Spring Travel Navigators,” including acclaimed chef Edward Lee from Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, visual identity creative director Yen Po-Chun, TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE Taiwan Chairman Kazuma Otsuka, and actor-host Andrew Chau. Together with local businesses, they showcased regional agriculture, specialties, and lifestyle products.
The official launch celebration kicks off on September 4 at Guguan Park in Taichung, featuring a themed parade with over 500 participants and the lighting ceremony for the Lishan–Guguan Light Art Festival, which stars a massive eight-meter “OhBear” light installation. The festivities continue on September 5 with a guided tribal trekking tour in Guguan, offering participants an exclusive NT$500 accommodation discount.
To promote four-season wellness tourism globally, the campaign partners with the East Asia Hot Spring Association for an international symposium on September 4. Key promotions also include complimentary LINE POINTS for new followers, curated packages starting at NT$299, and a flash sale of 800 limited NT$1 Hot Spring Vouchers for the Double 11 Shopping Festival. Furthermore, cross-sector collaborations offer half-price entry to national forest areas, limited-edition Taiwan Railway bento boxes, and Guanziling mud spring skincare products to enrich the travel experience.Hashtag: #TaiwanFourSeasonSprings
https://www.trimt-nsa.gov.tw/zh-tw/
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