Vietnamese-American singer Thanh Lan to perform in HCM City

Vietnamese-American singer Thanh Lan will stage a solo performance in HCM City on July 29.

Lan will perform with Vietnamese-American singers Tuan Ngoc and Alvis Phuong, both pop idols for decades.

Around 1,000 people are expected to attend the Bang Bang - Khi Xua Ta Be show (Bang Bang - When I was a Child), which will begin at 8pm at the Hotel Equatorial HCM City on July 29.

Lan will sing love songs that shot her to fame in the 1970s and 80s by composers Pham Duy, Le Huu Ha and Nguyen Van Ty. The 69-year-old artist left Viet Nam in 1993, but her love for singing in her homeland has not diminished.

The show’s highlights will include Khi Xua Ta Be (Bang Bang), a Vietnamese version of Nancy Sinatra’s My Babe Shot Me Down and Tro Ve Mai Nha Xua (Come Back to Sorrento). Lan will also perform French songs like Bup Be Khong Tinh Yeu (Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son), which made her famous worldwide.

Lan showed her talent in music when she was at school. She began her professional career before graduating from the Sài Gòn University of Literature in 1973.

She performed Tuoi Biet Buon (Younghood), a romantic song composed by Pham Chanh and Pham Duy at the Yamaha International Music Festival in Japan in 1973.

She later worked with a music producer in Tokyo to record Tuoi Mong Mo (Dream Age), one of the most popular songs composed by Pham Duy, in Japanese, titled Yume o Miruno.

After 1975, Lan worked for prestigious art troupes, including Kim Cuong Troupe, Huong Mien Nam and Bong Hong Troupe, and travelled to perform in many places.

Lan has played leading roles in several feature films by directors Le Hoang Hoa, Nguyen Xuan Thanh and Le Cung Bac.

Her role in the late veteran director Hoa’s Van Bai Lat Ngua (Showdown), an eight-episode TV series broadcast on national television in 1980, left a strong impression on audiences.

After moving to California, she worked with music producers and entertainment agencies and performed on many albums and videos.