At 5:20 pm, Ms. Pham Thi Thu Hien, 44, the owner of an áo dài shop on Ly Chinh Thang Street in Ho Chi Minh City, quietly touches up her makeup. She then puts on a wig, the most beautiful áo dài, and a pair of high heels.

Meanwhile, her staff set up two large speakers in front of the shop. Behind the clear glass window, she pulls back the velvet curtain and adjusts the vintage-style microphone.

When everything is ready, the music starts. Hien holds the mic, steps onto the "stage" behind the glass window, and lip-syncs to the songs she recorded earlier.

Her melodious voice and performance, reminiscent of singers from the 1990s, surprise and delight passersby.

Many people walking along the sidewalk stopped to watch and listen. Those in the car wave, lower their windows to greet her, and take pictures.

Hien began performing behind the glass window of her áo dài shop months ago for several reasons. Before the Tet holiday, she noticed the high rent was not bringing enough attention to her shop.

Therefore, she wanted to do something unique to attract customers. Having been an MC and actress, she was confident in her ability to sing and perform on stage. This idea led her to start performing at her shop every afternoon.

"I had the idea to sing at my shop for a long time but hadn't set up the stage as I wanted. Last March, during the city's áo dài festival, I participated and displayed my products at the walking street. There, I set up the stage as I had envisioned and engaged with everyone. The event was very successful. After that, I brought the idea back to my shop. I played music, sang, and received a lot of positive feedback, so I continued," she shared.

To ensure her music doesn't disturb others, she keeps the volume at a reasonable level. She also works and holds permission from the city's branches.

Due to a paralyzed vocal cord, Hien cannot sing live in front of an audience. Therefore, she recorded her favorite songs in a studio. Most of these are old Vietnamese songs her father used to listen to. After recording, she plays the songs and lip-syncs to her own voice every afternoon from Monday to Friday.

Despite lip-syncing, Hien perfectly matches her lip movements to the songs. Her performances are so captivating and professional that almost no one realizes she is lip-syncing.

"Lip-syncing is not easy. Singing without producing sound can be very uncomfortable. Moreover, I must perform lively and with genuine emotion; otherwise, it would look forced and make viewers uncomfortable. To achieve this, I find my own emotions when I sing and convey them to the audience. That's why I don't hire others to sing or imitate other artists' styles. I want to present something unique to me. The happiest thing for me is that no one has ever said I resemble any artist or singer," she said.

In addition to attracting more customers to her shop, Hien performs to fulfill her passion for áo dài, her longing for the stage, and her love of singing. Previously, she was a designer of fashion and suits.

However, for nearly 10 years, she has particularly loved áo dài. To her, the áo dài is a type of clothing that hides flaws and highlights the strengths of a woman's figure.

Many years ago, she founded a club for áo dài enthusiasts, attracting many members. Every month, she organizes free photo shoots for members in áo dài and gives them the photos as gifts.

In recent years, due to focusing on her business, she has had less time to be active in this club. Nevertheless, her love for áo dài remains unchanged.

Whenever she steps onto her unique "stage," she always wears áo dài and showcases the special áo dài designs she created.

Ha Nguyen