Vietnamese pop stars make TV comeback

HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Vietnamese pop stars who were popular in the 2000s have made a TV comeback with two new reality shows.

Dan Truong had an impressive return on September 14, appearing on the opening of the weekly show Bai Hat Dau Tien (Debut Song) launched by Vietnam Television (VTV).

The show honours the career of singers who have made great contributions to the country's music.

“Bai Hat Dau Tien gives me an opportunity to show my gratitude to my fans who have supported me for 20 years,” said Truong, whose last TV appearance was in 2014.

“I want to share my love for music and introduce my hits during my career to fans,” the 44-year-old said.

During the show, Truong performed songs that established his name, including Kiep Ve Sau (Cicada Life), a Cantonese pop song with Vietnamese lyrics by Nguyen Ngoc Thien.

Truong’s favourites songs like Di Ve Noi Xa (Go Far Away), composed by Le Quang and Hon Moi Xa (Long Distance Love) by Tran Minh Phi, were featured as well.

The singer revived his hit Ao Mong Tinh Yeu (The Illusion of Love), a duet with songtress Cam Ly that rocketed him to fame, by performing with Vietnamese-Korean singer Hari Won on the show.

“I’m excited for my beloved fans to hear my favourite songs and stories about my singing career. I want to take my fans back to our youth,” said Truong.

Comic actor Minh Du, a big fan of Truong, said: “Dan Truong’s songs play an important role during my youth. Watching his performances on TV reminds me of beautiful memories of youth.”

Truong began his singing career in 1997, overcoming challenges along the way to become a big star.

In 1999, his first album, Dan Truong Collection, featuring his favourite hits, helped him become a new star in the country’s music industry.

Three years later, his top hit Giac Mo Mau Xanh (Blue Dream) became a hit phenomenon and helped him win his first Mai Vang Award for the year's best singer, presented by Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper. He won the award nine times.

For many years, he has been named one of the top 10 singers in Vietnam by the local press and listeners of the Lan Song Xanh (Blue Wave) music programme on the Voice of HCM City radio station.

Truong has released 37 albums featuring pop, dance and contemporary folk music, with total sales of 1.2 millions copies, and has organised 13 live shows.

Along with music, Truong enjoys acting. He was the leading actor in TV series on school life, Thu Ba Hoc Tro (Students Are the Third Most Scary Thing), and rom-com movies Nu Hon Dau Xuan (Spring Kiss) and Yeu Anh! Em Dam Khong? (Dare You Love Me?).

After Dan Truong, Bai Hat Dau Tien will bring pop stars like Ngoc Son, Phuong Thanh and Jimmy Nguyen back to TV. The show is broadcast at 8:30pm every Monday on VTV3.

Like Bai Hat Dau Tien, Shadow Singer, a Vietnamese version of a Korean show, is also reintroducing TV audiences to famous singers.

The show’s highlight is the reunion of bands who impressed audiences born in the 1980s and 1990s but later broke up.

One of them is AC&M (Acapella and More), a four-member boy band which broke up in 2009. Two members of the band, Hoang Bach and Nam Khanh, moved when sharing the stage of Shadow Singer after the split.

“I’m speechless. Ten years is a long time for us. Now we can sing together,” Bach said.

Khanh added that he had dreamed of a day when all members could sing a capella again.

AC&M was founded in 2001 with four graduates from the HCM City Conservatory of Music: Dinh Bao, Hoang Bach, Nam Khanh and Thuy Vu. They focused on a capella and pop, which wowed audiences with their skills and voices.

The group won top prizes, including best song in 2003 and best band in 2004 and 2005.

After breaking up, Bao and Vu moved to live in the US. Khanh became a lecturer at the city’s music conservatory, while Bach has continued his music career.

Shadow Singer is broadcast at 9:15pm every Sunday on VTV3./.