Asia Times: A good dose of discipline for Vietnam's popsters


	April 19, 2000	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

A good dose of discipline for Vietnam's popsters
By Nguyen Nam Phuong

HANOI - In the West, when rock and roll was young, older generations may have felt that a good dose of discipline was just what the crop of delinquent pop upstarts needed. In Vietnam, today's generation of fashionable songsters is not known for wrecking hotel rooms or taking drugs. Nevertheless, discipline is what they are getting.

By the end of May, Vietnam's Ministry of Culture and Information is to require all singers, as well as musicians and dancers, to hold special permits in order to perform live.

To gain permits, singers are obliged to sit tests, during which their vocal talents, knowledge of music theory, moral standards and obedience to state law and Communist Party principles come under scrutiny. Those who pass the test gain a five-year performance permit; those who do not receive a temporary six-month one.

Permit holders are to be prohibited from miming and changing the lyrics of songs, and will be forced to perform for free in mountainous and remote areas. Should they not comply, their permits will be revoked.

The controversial measure is intended to bring order to the music industry. Chaos in the organization of concerts has allowed the quality of performances to slide, critics say, leaving paying audiences indignant. The permit procedure also comes amid accusations by Vietnam's cultural csars that pop music has strayed from the patriotic role the Communist Party has long assigned to the arts.

As late as the mid-1980s, bracing tunes singing the praises of Uncle Ho, the army and the workers were all that could be publicly performed. Traditional Vietnamese music - often melancholic in nature - and the love songs that flourished in the south prior to the end of the Vietnam War were deemed deeply unsuitable.

With the opening up of the economy, known as doi moi, such restrictions were eased. An initial flood of ''yellow music'', sung by overseas Vietnamese, has given way to a batch of homegrown talent. But not all has received the official nod.

''Most of the pop songs are shallow and do not reflect Vietnamese culture, while some singers do not project a high moral standard,'' said Professor To Vu in the Ho Chi Minh City Women newspaper in March.

Le Nam, head of the Performance and Music Recording Management Office of the Art Performance Department, fumed in the Youth newspaper: ''Many singers even mime on stage, making audiences angry. Meanwhile, they refuse if they are asked to perform in shows in flooded or remote areas.''

The responses from singers to the decision have been mixed. ''It is ridiculous to force veteran singers to undergo examinations to gain an operation permit,'' said pop diva Phuong Thanh.

''The decision is unreasonable as currently most singers have not received any official training,'' agreed Thuy Tien. ''I doubt if these permits will be effective.''

Even Law newspaper, which belongs to the Ministry of Justice, strongly criticized the move and stated that acceptance by the audience was the most important certificate for any artist.

Meanwhile, other singers were more blase. Hong Nhung told IPS that she had taken the test and found it easy. ''I don't care about the administration. I want to put all of my effort and creativity into satisfying my audience.''

Few singers would genuinely welcome greater government control of their profession. At the same time, most would agree that the domestic pop scene has become shambolic, with audiences turning away and entertainers themselves losing out. Allegations of greed and superstar egos on the part of singers have been balanced by reports of unscrupulous behavior among concert organizers. Impresarios have been blamed for inflating the talent and prestige of amateur singers in concert promotions.

Others point the finger at local departments of culture and information, claiming that their share of concert takings often takes priority over quality regulation. The vast - and in effect uncontrolled - pirate CD market does not help boost standards of professionalism in the industry. ''Sometimes I do a new album and there are bootleg copies on the streets before its even officially released,'' singer Thu Phuong says.

The illegal trade means that, unlike other countries where stars make most of their money from CD sales, in Vietnam singers rely on live performances to make ends meet. For all but the biggest stars who can command large sums for live appearances, playing two or three concerts a night is not unusual. Performances inevitably suffer and audiences are often left waiting while singers hotfoot it from their previous venue.

The pirate industry has also been known to scupper performers' chances of signing with international record labels and entering the world music market.

Last year, four musicians, including the singers Quoc Trung and Thanh Lam, became the first Vietnamese artists to sign a copyright contract with the Polygram Records. They were to collaborate with a Danish band in a project entitled ''Asian Session''. International recognition, not to mention sizeable royalties, beckoned.

The performers' hopes were dashed, however, when the Danish Copyright Association rejected the contract since Vietnam had yet to sign the International Copyright Agreement. Polygram reportedly also refused to distribute the CD in Vietnam for fear of illegal duplication.

Show-business chaos has also deprived Vietnamese pop fans of the chance to see international stars in the flesh. Sting was the last artist of superstar status to appear, in 1996. Private concert promoters complain that charges for stage rental, sound and lighting equipment and security are much higher than in other Southeast Asian countries.

What's more, an ''organisation fee'' - a charge which does not generally exist elsewhere - of 10 percent of the total revenue of the show must be paid during the application for a show license. One private promoter who staged a show for an internationally known act last year complained to Vietnam Investment Review newspaper that he was required to pay a ''bonus'' of $10,000 to ensure the license came through.

Then there is the problem of ticket sales. A show by the Canadian teen-pop band The Moffats at a stadium in Ho Chi Minh City last year brought a capacity crowd of 10,000. According to unofficial estimates, however, only 4,500 of the teenyboppers had tickets. The rest entered by other means.

(Inter Press Service)

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