The ‘Book Street’ in downtown Ho Chi Minh City has recently been filled with the sound of classical music performed by a group of youths.

“Classics On The Go,” the group founded by Quach Nguyen Minh Anh, an 11th grader from Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted, is intended to connect those passionate about classical music.

The troupe has been given permission to perform on District 1’s Nguyen Van Binh Street, the city’s so-called book street, by the venue’s management board.

Anh said the group is keen to perform classical pieces in public spaces free of charge, in order to challenge stereotypes around the genre, which is mainly referred to as “arid, academic, and unattractive.”

Most members of the group are amateurs, so trained viola player Tran Dinh Trong is the group’s conductor.

The group has received positive feedback from the passers-by.

“What a lovely performance, I must say,” Nguyen Tat Thanh, a book lover, said while taking his children to the book street.

“It is really enjoyable and relaxing to listening to music on the streets by this group of young people,” he added.