Vietnamese performers may have to change their act!

Singers promising to perform and then not following through has harmed their relationships with showbiz organisers, but they are still quitting shows after contracts have been signed. However, they may be better advised to curb this habit sooner than later.

Singer Nguyen Vu was nearly sued for not acting in “Duyen Tran Thoat Tuc” (Leave Love of Dust) movie.

Quitting shows – a bad habit

The Vietnamese showbiz industry is developing and the working style is becoming more professional. From oral agreements between show organisers and singers, singers and show organisers have advanced to signing contracts, even in the presence of lawyers.

However, despite signed contracts, many singers still quit committed shows, resulting in scandals and lawsuits, such as the cases between singer Anh Kiet and GMC, organiser Dung and singer Ung Hoang Phuc, singer and actor Nguyen Vu and the “Duyen Tran Thoat Tuc” (Leave Love of Dust) film crew.

Some Vietnamese singers have dared to quit shows signed with foreign organisers. People still remember the scandal of pop star Dam Vinh Hung who suddenly quit a show in Sacramento, organised by Quang Thanh, which upset the Vietnamese-American community. Singer Quang Dung was “absent” from a show organised by “black” Dung in the US. Cai luong star Kim Tu Long stated that he was wanted to “quit shows in the US” to sing with senior cai luong singer Thanh Sang in Thanh Sang’s live show in Vietnam.

Vietnam – an exception?

The Honolulu Court in March 2009 asked Korean star Bi Rain and his company to compensate the US-based Click Entertainment with $8 million for cancelling a live show in Hawaii in June 2007. Bi Rain claimed he didn’t know about the cancellation but he was still held responsible for the case. Bi may lose his villa in Seoul because of the lawsuit.

Singer Tim currently involves in a dispute with Thien Thi Company and US-based VMS.

Has this case had any influence on Vietnamese artists and show organisers? Not yet, but perhaps the first case will soon happen in Vietnam. Recently, US-based Vietnamese Music Stars Entertainment (VMS) informed Vietnamese company Thien Thi about a show in the US this September 2009. The announcement was a latent warning from the US partner.

VMS signed an exclusive contract with Thien Thi on January 27, 2007, under which Thien Thi singers Luu Chi Vy, Minh Hang and Tim will perform for VMS in the US for five years, 2007-2012. At that time, singer Tim hadn’t yet performed on stage. Aware of Vietnamese singers’ propensity to quit shows suddenly, VMS signed contracts with the singers and their management firm, Thien Thi.

However, Thien Thi and Tim are involved in a dispute which has gone to court. VMS is afraid that because of this scandal, Tim may quit his show in the US this September so VMS quickly informed Thien Thi and Tim about the consequences if Tim didn’t fulfill his commitments.

In its announcement, VMS stressed: “We are ready to take legal action to not only protect our company’s image but also our business partners in the US. We will bring the case to the American Guild of Musical Artists Association in New York and the US Embassy in Vietnam and ask them to not allow singer Tim – Tran Cat Nguyen Vu to sign contracts with American partners or to enter the US in any case.”

VietNamNet contacted VMS’s director Brian Nguyen, who verified that the firm will take action to prevent singer Tim from quitting planned shows in the US. If Tim breaks the contract, VMS will bring the case to court to ask for compensation.

A HCM City lawyer said that if VMS brings the case to court, it would be very bad for Thien Thi company and singer Tim because VMS would surely be the winner in the case. He advised Tim to negotiate with Thien Thi and VMS to realise the show. 

Thanh Chung