Mr. Nguyen Thuy Duong - Chairman of IB Group Vietnam, the person behind the famous international live concert series, said that Vietnam will be the destination of the world's top music in the coming years, because of the love of music of Vietnamese audiences and many potential tourist destinations, but it is important to prepare good infrastructure to welcome the peak.
Unexpectedly turning Dalat into the most vibrant outdoor music festival this past Christmas season with an international lineup of artists including Boney M, Joy and Samantha Fox, the annual music project Dalat Spring Concert was honored at the closing ceremony of Dalat Flower Festival. On this occasion, Mr. Nguyen Thuy Duong had a talk about the potential of the Vietnamese market in 2025.
By 2030, Vietnam will have enough infrastructure to welcome the biggest international concerts.
- This is the first time the event was held in Da Lat, not Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. What challenges did you face when bringing all three artists Boney M, Joy and Samantha Fox here in such a short time at the end of last year?
When planning to bring international artists to Vietnam, we need to prepare for a long time, Kenny G, Modern Talking, Smokie or Bond also have to discuss with the artists for a whole year because it depends on their tour schedule. This time, we only had 4 weeks to work with the artists when Lam Dong province and Da Lat city realized that the idea of the Dalat Spring Concert music project was suitable, so they decided to organize it right away.
When I contacted the artists, I didn’t think I would get 100% agreement because before Christmas they usually don’t travel far from their country or have previous performance schedules. But maybe they love the Vietnamese audience, love Da Lat and trust us, in the end we brought the audience an emotional music night.
- Why did you decide to choose the model for Dalat Spring Concert as an outdoor performance, specifically at Lam Vien Square and completely free of charge?
Concerts by international artists Kenny G, Modern Talking, Boney M, Smokie, Bond, Samantha Fox, Joy….. or the Symphony Orchestra of the Royal Opera of Versailles (France) are all performed indoors, the main source of revenue is ticket sales. But when we came to Da Lat - the creative city of music, we decided to do things differently. When it comes to festivals, I want it to be open and find a larger space for a larger audience to enjoy.
Nothing is free, everything has its own value because this is the first year of the project, so Lam Dong province, Da Lat city and IB Group Vietnam want to give a special musical gift to the audience, tourists who love the city of thousands of flowers, we found sponsors who also love and are attached to Da Lat, Lam Dong and our business also contributed a part of the finance to produce with the desire to create a musical party for tourists and Da Lat audiences to fully enjoy a giant outdoor Disco dance floor.
Mr. Nguyen Thuy Duong (second from left) took a photo with the artists of "Dalat Spring Concert" including: Liz Mitchell, the legendary singer of Boney M, shared at the meeting with the Vietnamese press. Photo: NVCC
- How did the artists feel when they first came to the Dalat Spring Concert stage?
All the requirements of international standards for music performances of our artists exceeded the standards. Boney M, Joy and Samantha Fox were surprised. They did not think that in Vietnam there was a large outdoor stage with such good quality of sound, light, technology and great cheers from the audience here. The artists did not want to leave the stage, Boney M performed for more than 30 minutes.
The result is careful preparation and research despite the tight schedule. In addition to the international standard stage equipment system that must be guaranteed for the artists, I have carefully prepared the inspiration, energy and spirit for the artists from the moment the artists set foot in Da Lat.
- Besides Da Lat, what cities in Vietnam do you think can replicate this concert model and what is Vietnam's potential for developing the performance industry?
Da Lat is one of the few special cities in the world, where you can feel 4 seasons in one day, but Vietnam has a beautiful geographical location and is a great destination for world music. In addition to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, beaches such as Ha Long, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Phan Thiet, Phu Quoc and mountainous areas of Sa Pa, Ninh Binh, Quang Binh... are all great places and destinations for world-class music.
Vietnam is still a new market for the performing arts industry and has a lot of potential. We need to create a synchronous infrastructure to catch the drop when the market takes off. For example, in the region, Singapore is a very small island nation but big tours of world stars always flock there because the government has shaped a comprehensive development strategy, becoming a destination for top music in the entertainment industry. I have strong belief that when the government has a plan to invest in the development of the cultural industry from now until 2030, Vietnam will have enough infrastructure to catch the biggest international concerts when artists go on tour.
Lessons from 2 shows "Brother"
- What do you think about the trend of "following idols" in Vietnam when last year, the live shows of the two programs "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai" and "Anh trai say hi!" achieved unbelievable numbers in terms of audience attendance?
I said many years ago that the music market in Vietnam has potential, but the products are not open enough for the audience to spend money. Perhaps that trigger point is from BlackPink in 2023, along with the world artists' tours in the region, especially Taylor Swift in Singapore, which has had a huge impact on the market and especially on young people and music lovers who want to enjoy live concerts. Life is now improving, access to music is a flat world, one click to listen to music globally. Moreover, the ability to pay for the need to experience is now higher. In the past, when Vietnamese music was just developing, there was no online system, if you wanted to listen, you had to buy CDs.
Nowadays, young musicians compose music and have access to new world trends in music, and have technology to support them in the process of perfecting their music products. Young people listen a lot, practice a lot, and show their full potential. Through the 2 shows, especially Anh trai say hi, I highly appreciate the creativity of the artists. With Anh trai vu ngan cong nong gai , the core is to blend traditional music with modern music, along with the creativity and dedication of the artists, touching the emotions of the audience.
- In 2025, which artists do you hope to bring to Vietnam?
In addition to annual music projects such as Sound Freedom - Tour across Vietnam, Lover in Concert ... we will continue to carry out music projects for the community with the criteria of bringing the world's top music to Vietnam and joining international artists in community activities in Vietnam, spreading the image of the cultural and historical values of the Vietnamese people to the world. We are also in the process of exchanging to bring famous stars from the 1990s who are still widely loved by audiences such as Michael Bolton, Richard Marx, Bryan Adams or Mariah Carey to Vietnam in the coming years.
Kenny G's "Going Home" MV made in Vietnam after the concert in 2023:
Quynh An
Photo, clip: NVCC
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