Lights off: Pop star Uyên Linh will perform at the concert “Turn your Lights off for an Hour” on March 19 night in HCM City to celebrate 2016 Earth Hour. VNS File Photo

HCM CITY — Dozens of singers and dancers will perform at a concert  tonight to celebrate the 2016 Earth Hour at HCM City’s Youth Cultural House.

The event, called Turn Your Lights off for an Hour, will attract several thousands of young people and students.

Its theme, “Working Green for a Green Future", was chosen to encourage more people to contribute to the work.

The artists, including pop star Uyên Linh, Hà Okio, Tiêu Châu Như Quỳnh and the band FB Boiz, will sing songs in praise of love and peace.

They will appeal to people to turn their lights at home and businesses off for an hour at 8.30pm. 

Since it was first launched in Việt Nam in 2009, the annual event Earth Hour has become one of the most popular events, attracting local and foreign organisations as well as locals and expatriates.  

Singer Phạm Quỳnh Anh, an ambassador of the event this year, said, "My colleagues and I feel we are making ourselves useful by performing in the concert.”

“Our concert tonight will encourage people to come together and work for a better and clean world. We hope people, particularly youngsters, will bring more attention to the effects of climate change,” she said.

The concert will be held at 7pm at the city’s Youth Cultural House in Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street, District 1. Entrance is free.    

It will be broadcast live on Việt Nam Television’s VTV1 and Hồ Chí Minh City Television’s HTV1.

On the same day, the Turn the Lights off festival will take place in Hà Nội in response to the 2016 Earth Hour from 9am to 10pm.

Various activities to raise highlight the importance of protecting the environment such as instructing to recycle rubbish and games relating to environment will be held. Music performances, flashmobs, magic shows and hip-hop dancing will take place in the morning while a concert featuring Mỹ Linh, Vũ Cát Tường, Nhật Thuỷ and Big Toe band will be held in the evening.

It’s a part of a campaign named Turn off the Light, Turn on the Idea which was launched last year by BOO Company, WWF and other partners.

The campaign connects young people acting in the field of environment nationwide.

An exhibition reviewing their achievements in protecting environment over the last year will be organised today.

Đỗ Việt Anh, head of the organising board, said the campaign was launched for the first time in 2010 in response to the Earth Hour programme.

The campaign has connected young volunteers nationwide and spread the message of protecting environment to many people. VNS