VietNamNet Bridge – A decade after rising to fame in the "Sao Mai – Rendezvous" national song contest, singer Ha Anh Tuan will celebrate his birthday with his first concert this month.

The man of the hour: Ha Anh Tuan will have his first live concert this month to celebrate his birthday. – Photo courtesy of AM5

Entitled Café-in-Concert, the show will be held in both Ha Noi and HCM City.

The concert in Ha Noi, which will be held on his birthday on December 17, is titled Nau Nong. It  refers to a favourite drink of Hanoian people – hot coffee with condensed milk. The show in HCM City is named after their local favourite: Sua Da (iced coffee with condensed milk).

The singer said, “When I was a boy, I was very curious about the black-coloured drink that my father often enjoyed with satisfaction. My mother told me that I would be able to drink it when I grew up.”

Many years later, Tuan had his first cup of coffee when he met composer Thanh Phuong to discuss his album 3 Ngay Hat (3 Days of Singing).

“I didn’t expect that I become a coffee ‘addict’ on that day,” the 32-year-old singer said.

“People mention both helpful and harmful values of coffee. For me,  I regard coffee as a friend who is always willing to share [quietly] my inner thoughts and emotions – joy or sadness. Coffee is a legal ‘drug’. With my up-coming concerts, I hope my music will become a kind of possitive ‘drug’ for my audience,” he said.        

After few years of not seeing each other, Tuan and his “former rival” in the Sao Mai – Rendezvous contest, singer Phuong Linh, will team up again to perform together at the up-coming Café-in-Concert.

“We used to be a great duo on the stage as well as good friends in the real life. However, for a few reasons, we couldn’t maintain the harmony in our relationship and caused misunderstanding between us. For a long time, Linh even didn’t want to see me, and she denied all my invitations to join me on the stage,” Tuan revealed about his former partner, who also has built up her fame since the singing contest.

“Linh is the only one who, once I share the stage with, I can reach full of emotion and energy. That’s why I’m happy to have her on stage for my upcoming shows,” he added.

Tuấn also has invited other close friends to perform.

Diva Hong Nhung and beloved songstress Thu Phuong from the US will join him on his birthday concert.

Winner of Vietnam Idol 2010 Uyen Linh, singer Luu Huong Giang and her composer Ho Hoai Anh, who has also written hits for Tuan, will be on the stage in HCM City on Decenber 22.  

Part of the ticket proceeds from the Nau Nong concert in Ha Noi will be donated to the Power On scholarship programme to support 50 excellent students in poverty across the country. The scholarships will be given at the free-entry show in HCM City, which will attract about 2,000 young audience.

Alongside the two concerts, Tuan also presented the show See Sing Share comprising 10 acoustic songs on his Youtube channel - Ha Anh Tuan Official.

During a decade of singing, Tuan has released six solo albums, of which the Café Sáng (Morning Café, 2007), and Saigon Radio (2009) received raving responses from both critics and audiences. He also recorded two albums with his “stage lover” Phuong Linh.

The former chemistry student of Germany’s Darmstadt Technical University has conquered audiences with his emotional and romantic voice and a street-wise style.

VNS