Goodbye Lan Anh and Trong Dong Stages: A Golden Age and Sad Last Days

Inside the Trong Dong stage on May 9, the main gate had its previous large nameplate removed, only the side gate (in the photo) remained - Photo: MI LY

Lan Anh, Trong Dong, Cau Vong 126 are stages that have been active for about 30 years, contributing to bringing many artists to the top and becoming a part of Vietnamese music history.

On May 9, Tuoi Tre reported that the two recently closed stages, Lan Anh and Trong Dong, were both in a state of disrepair. Lan Anh was being dismantled, and was littered with iron, steel, bricks and stones; Trong Dong was deserted, a trash collection point next to rows of worn, silent seats.

Lan Anh: witnessing the golden age

Editor Dieu Minh (VOH - who has participated in organizing the Green Wave Awards ceremony at Lan Anh stage for many years) told Tuoi Tre: "Lan Anh witnessed the golden age of Vietnamese music 30 years ago. At that time, all the big live shows were held at Lan Anh, after the opening fireworks was the premiere and award ceremony of the Green Wave Awards in 1998".

Lam Truong sings "For you, for me" at Blue Wave 2002 - Video : Phuong Nam Film

The most famous singers of that generation such as Lam Truong, Dan Truong, Cam Ly, Phuong Thanh, Dam Vinh Hung all held concerts at Lan Anh because with more than 3,000 seats, this is a place that guarantees the attraction of a star. The iconic image of Lan Anh stage is the long line of audiences lining up to buy tickets to watch music shows.

Back in the day, when tickets weren’t sold online, the sight of hundreds of people lining up to buy tickets was a true symbol of popularity. Lam Truong’s 2002 live show “Cho ban cho toi” – one of the first large-scale solo shows – sold out so quickly that fans who arrived even a little late were left without seats.

Or the story of the audience climbing over the fence, standing in the rows of seats, and rushing onto the stage has also happened. There have been "hot" music nights with up to 4,000 spectators.

Trinh Thang Binh and Hoang Dung sing at the Upgeneration concert - the last large-scale music show at Lan Anh in 2023 - Photo: Facebook Trinh Thang Binh

In 2023, singer Trinh Thang Binh will organize a large-scale Upgeneration concert, investing in modern equipment and a cast of famous young singers. Trinh Thang Binh wants to bring hot names with today's youth here with the dream that "Lan Anh will return to its bustling period with a series of quality concerts".

"I wanted to create a big stage where young artists have more opportunities to reach audiences, reviving the atmosphere of audiences regularly going to see shows on stages with thousands of people" - Trinh Thang Binh shared with the press at that time. Unfortunately, this dream did not come true.

Bronze Drum: Sad Last Days

Musician To Hieu once organized Tim nhau trao yeu thuong and Tinh nghe si both in 2023. These are two of the last music nights at Trong Dong stage, alongside Cat Phuong's comedy show Dem cua cuoi 4 at the end of 2023.

To Hieu said that now audiences like to go to places with air conditioning and LED screens. But when Cat Phuong does a show, she has to spend money to invest in the stage and re-make the chairs, which is expensive.

The Bronze Drum was once popular for shows because the rental price was very cheap, but the stage's facilities are now old and degraded - Photo: MI LY

Many rows of seats at Trong Dong are old, worn and broken, artists who want to do shows have to repair and reupholster themselves - Photo: MI LY

There were some late shows here with no audience, while the Golden Drum was very crowded - Photo: MI LY

"The day of the Tinh Nghe Si performance, it rained so many audiences didn't come because they knew Trong Dong couldn't protect them from the rain" - To Hieu said in a sad voice. He loves Trong Dong stage because there was a time when he went to see it every night: cheap tickets, spacious space, leaving many memories. When doing a show, he always wants to choose Trong Dong because of its convenient location.

With Trong Dong, the story is a bit different from Lan Anh because this is a stage specializing in variety shows. Trong Dong does not have a backstage to stage on a large scale like Lan Anh.

During its heyday, Trong Dong was popular for shows because the rental price was very cheap, the location was quite nice, and it reached many audiences. This place was suitable for simple weekly entertainment programs. The floor area was also very small, not enough to develop many diverse design and performance ideas later.

Looking at the general situation today, Editor Dieu Minh commented that Ho Chi Minh City still needs stages with a capacity of thousands of people, from 3,000, 4,000 or more.

Stages such as Hoa Binh Theater (nearly 2,500 seats), Ben Thanh Theater (nearly 1,100), Ho Chi Minh City Theater (nearly 500) are being renovated; or they borrow the functions of stadiums such as Nguyen Du Stadium, Phu Tho Stadium, Military Zone 7 Stadium - Military Zone 7 Stadium... or squares that each time they organize performances, they build their own stages and stands.

Without the familiar stages, there is still no shortage of places to hold performances, because Ho Chi Minh City only really lacks places to hold concerts with tens of thousands of people. But in the hearts of the audience, when the iconic stages close, an era of Vietnamese music has also passed.

Lan Anh stage is being dismantled on the morning of May 9 - Photo: Mi Ly

A time when "every weekend is watching music and comedy"

"Lan Anh Stage is where large, artistic live shows or big branded programs are performed. Trong Dong Stage has a different value, closely associated with the cultural and entertainment life of the city's people in the past: every weekend, people would go to see music and comedy shows at reasonable prices and in a friendly atmosphere. Trong Dong Stage is as closely associated with the spiritual life of the people of Ho Chi Minh City as the drama stages" - Editor Dieu Minh said.

Where is the future?

Tuoi Tre contacted the representatives of Lan Anh and Trong Dong stages to ask more about the upcoming activities of the management units. The representative of Lan Anh stage, in addition to confirming that the stage has stopped operating, said that they would not share more at this time. The representative of Trong Dong stage (formerly) said that this space has always been managed by the Ho Chi Minh City Green Parks and Trees Company Limited.

MI LY

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tam-biet-san-khau-lan-anh-trong-dong-mot-thoi-hoang-kim-va-nhung-ngay-cuoi-buon-20250510095759468.htm