VietNamNet Bridge – Pop singer and song writer Le Cat Trong Ly is an unhappy woman after her planned six-city tour, Vui (Happy), been abbreviated reportedly due to a cash crunch.

Busted flat by budget blues: Le Cat Trong Ly at her press conference at HCM City's Conservatory of Music on Tuesday. (Photo: VNS)
She had hoped to perform in HCM City, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Hoi An, Hue, and Ha Noi this month but the last three cities have been chopped from her itinerary after the tour sponsor Caviar de Duc, a caviar maker, decided to cut its sponsorship money by half.

The baby-faced singer revealed the news at a press conference on Tuesday, saying the sponsor gave no reason for the cut.

She will sing some of her hits at four concerts in HCM City, Quy Nhon, and Da Nang, her hometown, as scheduled. The concert will begin at the HCM City Conservatory of Music, a venue she said she chose because she had dreamed of singing there ever since she was very young. "I am afraid I am not talented enough for the stage," she said.

She will be accompanied on the tour by pianist Vu Dang Quoc Viet, violinist Nguyen Dan Cat Du, drummer Luong Binh Khoi, and guitarist Nguyen Tien Chinh.

The group will carry on and travel to the cities that have been excised from the itinerary – Hoi An, Hue, and Ha Noi – spending their own money.

"My friends and I will set up a small stage wherever we go. Happiness is the main purpose. I want to bring happiness to every body."

She was ready to sing for free for students if any university invited her, she said.

She is preparing to perform at next year's Music Festival in France to which she has been invited.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News