From social-media hit to national TV music video

Young singer Nguyen Hung has done something revolutionary. He has brought together 100 singers and 1,000 students to sing about the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the song Khuc hat dong long (Song of Consensus).

The song, which gained fame through local social media, will be featured in a music video expected to be broadcast on local television channels on March 26 to celebrate the 82nd anniversary of the founding of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

All of the performers, both amateur and professional, will be dressed in blue, the traditional colour of the Youth Union.

To make the video, the singers, all of whom have worked for nothing, have spent eight days filming at several locations in the city, including Notre Dame Cathedral, the zoo, April 30 Park and others.

Even the most famous singers have been willing to wait for their cue to contribute just one or two lyrics.

Singer Nhat Tinh Anh said Hung's composition was lovely and had deep meaning for today's youth.

The song calls for youth to do voluntary work to help protect the country and develop its economy.

Writer of Never Give Up finally speaks to her idol

Nguyen Bich Lan is the well-known translator of books Life Without Limits and Unstoppable by Nick James Vujicic, a Serbian-Australian motivational speaker who was born without arms or legs.

What people don't know is that Lan has never met her idol Vujicic, 30, who has inspired her deeply.

Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at age 13, the 34-year-old native from northern Thai Binh Province types on a keyboard with one hand supporting the other.

Despite societal stigma, Lan taught herself English and became a successful translator of 25 books, becoming an example for Vietnamese youth. In 2010, she won a Literary Award for translation from the Vietnam Writers Association.

She has also written an autobiography, Khong Guc Nga (Never Give Up), as well as poetry and short stories.

Recently, a press meeting was held to announce Vujicic's plans to visit Viet Nam from Mary 22-26.

Lan was unable to attend, but she said by telephone that Vujicic had been instrumental in helping her to overcome her difficulties in life and continue her work as a translator.

While translating Vujicic's books, she said some details made her sleepless and she obsessed for months about how to express the content correctly.

On his trip to Viet Nam, Vujicic plans to meet with more than 10,000 Vietnamese youth. More than 5,000 disadvantaged children will have a chance to listen to him and "get fired up".

Source: VNS