For celebrated Italian illusionist Erix Logan, who is gearing up for his performances on July 5, 6 and 7 in Ho Chi Minh City, illusions are a source of life, and help him make strides through his artistic career.

In an interview with Tuoi Tre on July 3, Logan stressed that entertaining and amazing his audiences, not gaining material rewards, is his top priority.

“Young magicians of course need hard work and dedication to win hard-earned recognition. However, if your job remains dishearteningly difficult, you should reconsider your abilities and see if you’re cut for this job,” Logan stressed.

The illusionist held a meeting with young local magicians as soon as he landed in HCMC on July 2.

“In my opinion, the Vietnamese young magicians are quite talented and well-trained, but they don’t have many chances to perform at and learn from large-scale international magic competitions,” he commented.

He added that some years ago, most young South Korean magicians didn’t make much of an impression on him. However, with tremendous efforts, many of them have now become world-famous.

“If young Vietnamese magicians keep making efforts and never give up if they believe they’re really fit for this profession, they’ll succeed sooner or later. The thing that counts is that they should create their own identities, and search for suitable, traditionally unique props and contents,” Logan noted.

Logan, whose real name is Enrico Del Buono, developed his passion for magic at a very tender age. To him, magic is spectacular, as it brings special gifts and is a good way for him to show off his talent and is an outlet for his emotions and creativity.

Logan will perform at 8pm on July 5, 6, 7 and 9am on July 7 at the Lan Anh Stage, 291 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street in District 10.

The master of illusion will bring to the stage more than 30 mesmerizing performances with the aid of 8.8 tons of props he has brought to Vietnam.

The HCMC shows are part of Logan’s tour across Vietnam’s big cities, including Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong and HCMC. Vietnam is one of the destinations during his Asian tour this summer.

Tickets for the daytime performance cost from VND100,000 (US$5) to VND300,000, while evening performances cost from VND150,000 to VND 350,000. 1,000 tickets will be given to disadvantaged children in the southern city.

Apart from onstage performances, Logan will also visit the Tam Binh orphanage. Earlier, the illusionist also visited Quang Ninh Orphanage and the Central Children's Hospital in Hanoi.

“Emotions hold a special place in my personal life and artistic career and I particularly love kids. What I love most during my shows are the exchanges and the acts joined by audience members. Children are the magicians which bring the most surprises, therefore, wherever I go, I always make it a point to bring joy to children, especially underprivileged, physically-challenged ones,” Logan shared.