HCM CITY— Pop star Thanh Thảo will perform in California at a show for fans celebrating her 25-year career. 

Thảo will sing with friends, including pop stars Lam Trường and Đan Trường of HCM City and Vietnamese-American singers Mạnh Quỳnh and Dương Triệu Vũ, who have both contributed to the country’s contemporary music.

She will also perform with the band The Headlline of Canada and dance group Hollywood DCP of the US.   

The 42-year-old said she has worked with theatre director Trần Vi Mỹ to perfect her performance meeting the taste of fans in the US.

"I have faced challenges to pursue my dream of singing without studying,” said Thảo, who has worked to develop her career as a singer, songwriter and music producer.   

“My concert in California will include stories about my life, instead of just my music,” she said. 

Thảo will sing 30 songs that shot her to fame between 1998 and 2009.   

Most of Thảo’s pop and dance songs will be remixed. She will also try electronic music to meet the demands of young fans.  

Highlights will include songs by musicians Phương Uyên and Đức Trí, such as Búp Bê Đẹp Xinh (Beautiful Doll), Cô Đơn Mình Em ( I’m Alone), Ôi Tình Yêu (Love) and Vị Ngọt Đôi Môi (Sweet Kiss). These songs were top hits of the year.  

Thảo, who lives in the US, will also cover a series of songs by Thai girl band China Dolls, which helped make her a pop idol among audiences at home and abroad.

In 1993, Thảo won acclaim from audiences in HCM City and southern provinces after working for the Rạng Đông Studio. 

In 2002, she left Rạng Đông and worked with female composer and music producer Phương Uyên, who made her a pop star. 

In 2007, she challenged herself by opening Music Box, one of the city’s leading entertainment agencies.

In 2011, she left Music Box to open the Thanh Thảo Production and still manages the company. 

She won several top prizes presented by TV stations and newspapers, including HCM City Television and Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper of HCM City.

 Her concert will open on March 10 at the City National Grove of Anaheim concert hall in Anaheim, California.— VNS