Art in the park: Attendees were encouraged to show their creativity and freedom of expression. Quest festival offered the audience varied genres of music over the course of three days. — Photos courtesy of Quest

HA NOI (VNS) — With a blend of electronic and eclectic genres, Quest musical festival brought the wilderness alive in Ba Vi National Park, located about 50km west of central Ha Noi.

Intermittent rain turned the area into muddy bogs, but did little to dampen the enthusiasm of young locals and expats who came to enjoy Viet Nam's only multi-day camping festival that was held Friday through Sunday.

Despite Quest's reputation for heavy drinking, attendees sought more than just a hangover.

Celebrating its fifth edition, Quest has become an internationally recognised festival with a diverse mix of talented DJs, artists and bands from both Viet Nam and abroad.

This year's line-up featured top-class DJs including Belitu, Ikono and Mighty Mouse.

Musically, the festival reached out with rap battles and B-Boy showdowns coupled with fire performances between acts.

Each of the three stages (Monster Stage, Quest Embassy and Eerie Altar) offered respective art pieces, leaving the attendees no shortage of options for creativity and entertainment.

Unlike other well-established Vietnamese festivals with a long list of sponsors, Quest turns out a truly independent music and art space. Originating as an idea to escape from Ha Noi for a day of music and nature, Quest's popularity has quickly grown to include local folks who crave a weekend getaway and a blend of music in a Western-style music festival.

When it was first organised two years ago, the festival was still a new concept to audiences, of which 80 per cent were expats. However, its name has reached Vietnamese audiences, evidenced by the fact that most of the photos on Instagram from Quest were shared by local concert-goers.

With its open-air setting, overnight camping, non-stop music, fire spinning, dancing and painting, it was apparent that people were easily connected.

With a cinema, a flea market, workshops of hypnosis and magic, live visual mapping and a lake for boating, Quest will never cease to create encouraging spaces for self-expression. — VNS