Leading Vietnamese jazz saxophonist Trần Mạnh Tuấn performs at field hospitals no 3 and 6 in Thủ Đức City to pay tribute to frontline workers and encourage people to get well soon. File photo from the artist’s Facebook page

Phương Mai

HCM CITY — Dozens of musicians and artists of HCM City have given special performances to inspire frontline workers and people staying in concentrated quarantine zones and COVID-19 treatment hospitals.

These performance are part of a programme to bring music to people in concentrated quarantine zones and COVID-19 treatment hospitals during the pandemic. It is initiated by MC and songstress Quỳnh Hoa, deputy director of the HCM City Youth Cultural House.

The programme has attracted more than 20 singers and artists like Phương Thanh, Nguyễn Phi Hùng, Quốc Đại and Hoàng Bách who have performed favourite songs, and MC Nguyên Khang and Miss Universe Việt Nam 2017 H'Hen Niê.

Hoa said that when the artists gave support at Củ Chi field hospital, they were welcomed warmly by medical staff and patients. 

“Since then, with only some mobile outdoor speakers by our sides, we have hosted several performances for frontline workers and people to help them feel at ease for a moment,” Hoa said, adding that the stages were set up outdoors and people could only listen to the music from a distance.

On Saturday night, leading Vietnamese jazz saxophonist Trần Mạnh Tuấn hosted performances at field hospitals No 3 and 6 in Thủ Đức City to pay tribute to frontline workers and encourage people to get well soon.

The 51-year-old musician played nostalgic melodies Quê Hương (Homeland) and Về Quê (Coming Home).

He also performed late composer Trịnh Công Sơn’s famous songs Diễm Xưa (Diễm, My Cherished Old Flame) and Còn Tuổi Nào Cho Em (Time for You).

Tuấn shared on his Facebook page: “It was an emotional performance for me. When melodies of those songs were played, I heard cheers and claps from the special audiences in the field hospitals.”

“I have performed at numerous small and large stages during my music career, but the stage on Saturday night was the most special. I performed in front of hundreds of doctors and healthcare workers and more than 10,000 patients at field hospitals No 3 and 6.”

“Such unforgettable moments for me and my colleagues,” added Tuấn, who began playing the saxophone in 1979.

He received a scholarship to study jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in the US and became the first Vietnamese to study there.

He has released 11 solo albums and worked with well-known Vietnamese and international singers and musicians. He has toured in Europe, Russia, China, Thailand, Singapore and the US.

Đỗ Bá Sơn, a resident in Đồng Nai Province, after watching the performances on YouTube, said: “I got goosebumps right after Tuấn played his saxophone. I have loved his music for years, but watching his performance on the special stage moved me. Come on Việt Nam!”

Pop star Phương Thanh and her peers give performances in concentrated quarantine zones and at COVID-19 treatment hospitals. Photo from the artist’s Facebook page

Like Tuấn, pop star Phương Thanh and her peers have given performances for residents at Củ Chi field hospital and Củ Chi Hospital in Củ Chi District since June.

She have sung her favourite songs Một Đời Người, Một Rừng Cây (A Forest of Trees, A Lifetime) by veteran composer Trần Long Ẩn and Một Thời Đã Xa (A Time to Remember) by Trường Huy.

The songstress and Quốc Đại have also presented excerpts from famous cải lương (reformed opera) plays. 

Thanh, who was popular in the early 2000s, said it was hard breathing because of her mask while singing, but “I have never had such a joyful performance”.

Apart from music performances, the artists have participated in volunteer activities at quarantine zones and have given haircuts for healthcare workers. They have also cooked and bought food for people in locked-down zones across the city.

Nguyễn Phi Hùng, a familiar face in volunteer activities for COVID-19 prevention and control, said: “It hurt seeing many doctors and nurses with their hair shaved off so they could care for patients easily. However, their optimistic spirit and efforts help artists like us and people across Việt Nam believe that with love and sharing, we can overcome any difficulty.”  — VNS

Singer Nguyễn Phi Hùng gives haircuts to healthcare workers. File photo from the artist’s Facebook page