Duyên dáng Việt Nam - Thanh Nien’s “charming” fundraiser to hit HoChiMinh City

“Charming Vietnam” (Duyen Dang Viet Nam), Thanh Nien's annual music and fashion extravaganza, will open in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) next week with a star-studded cast and state-of-the-art technology.

Thanh Nien’s Editor-in-Chief Nguyen
Cong Khe (C) tells the press briefing
that Charming Vietnam is this year's
must-see event

Performances of the 19th annual charity event will run at Hoa Binh Theater for four consecutive nights from January 3 to 6.

This year's music and fashion charity show, the first to feature three-dimensional (3D) visual techniques, has a “Pho” (town) theme.

“With 200 performing artists and event organizers working hard on the rehearsals and the application of the world's cutting edge 3D technique, Charming Vietnam gears to cheer the audience up in the new year as well as bringing happiness and good luck to all,” Thanh Nien's Deputy Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Quang Thong told a media briefing Thursday.

Thong also thanked local authorities, sponsors, philanthropists, event executives, artists and the future audience for their support of the show.

Since its debut, Charming Vietnam has raised more than VND9.8 billion (US$612,500) for the Nguyen Thai Binh Scholarship Fund.

The fund has used the money to grant more than 6,500 scholarships to economically disadvantaged students.

Nguyen The Thanh, deputy head of HCMC Department of Culture and Information, said Charming Vietnam played an important role in preserving Vietnam's traditional values and arts.

The event attracted a huge number of famous local and international artists, she said, and encouraged people from all walks of life to support Vietnam's needy.

“Charming Vietnam has proved to be the most efficient and meaningful entertainment extravaganza within the country since its inception in 1994,” she told the media briefing.

“The gala has become a bridge linking the Vietnamese at home and overseas expatriates.”

The last Charming Vietnam show traveled to Singapore this August, captivating an audience of 2,000 people.

This year's performance will include five sections: Pho xua (ancient town); Pho chien tranh (town road); Pho tam linh (spirit town); Pho nay (present town); and Pho hoi nhap (integration town).

The sections reflect the beauty of the Vietnamese countryside, the misery and devastation of war, and the modern, international Vietnam.

The show, which marks Thanh Nien's 22nd birthday, features 17 giant LED, light and cinema screens that will display ancient Hanoi town-themed artworks by renowned painter Bui Xuan Phai.

“The screens will be placed like several layers on the stage,” said the show's technical manager Dinh Nguyen Bao. “Artists will be arranged to perform between the layers to stimulate the audience's imagination and ardor.”

Reported by Luu Hong