Several local singers have been launching shows and performing tours abroad this year and more are also eyeing the foreign market.

Though in recent years local singers have increasingly performed abroad, most of their shows are part of festivals and admission is usually free. They rarely put on themed shows or live concerts which are invested with their own money or funded by groups of expat Vietnamese and sell tickets.

Among them, veteran singer Hong Hanh has recently made her comeback on the stage with her latest project , HStar, which will include several shows in other countries.

Hanh’s first show is “Diem xua” (Over the old tower), which she will perform alongside singer/businessman Thai Hoa in Toyko, Japan tonight, Feb 8.

Unlike in the occasional previous shows in which local singers mainly entertain expat Vietnamese communities with everlasting songs, Hanh said that her HStar Production shows will feature newer Vietnamese songs and target at both expat Vietnamese and natives.

To get ready for her performing tour to Japan, Hanh and Hoa recently launched an album titled “Diem xua”, which features 10 songs by Trinh Cong Son, one of the country’s most revered composers, in both Vietnamese and Japanese. Several of Son’s songs, which are well loved by locals and foreigners for their haunting melodies and profound lyrics, have been translated into different languages.

“I had the honor to perform Son’s “Diem xua” in Japanese several years ago. I’m really happy that now I can perform more of his songs in Japanese in Japan, my husband’s home country,” Hanh shared.

The singer will also hold her “Hong Hanh in Japan” performances in Wakayama, Japan on Feb 10 and 11 before taking her “Diem xua” show back in Hanoi on Feb 28.

“As Hanh has a considerable number of fans in Japan, we chose the country as our first destination. We also debut our project with Son’s music to give listeners a familiar yet novel experience by remixing them in jazz,” said Hoa. He added that he and Hanh will also launch more shows in other localities in Japan.

Meanwhile, Tung Duong, a local singer who is known for his “weird” performing style, is also set to take his show, “Doc dao” (The unaccompanied road), to Moscow on Feb 22 and March 2 in Paris before staging it in Tokyo in early April.

Duong’s show, which was a huge success in Hanoi, will also feature guitar accompaniments by celebrated artist Nguyen Le, and other foreign artists including  Julia Sarr, Dhafer Youssef and Tom Diakite from Senegal, Tunisia and Mali as well as famed koto Japanese artist Mieko Miyajaki.

“With “Doc dao”, I’m elated to discover that expat Vietnamese communities not only enjoy old-time music but are also enthusiastically receptive to newer, more technically-demanding music. I’m also proud that foreigners are increasingly interested in the works by young singers like me,” Duong shared.

Apart from Hanh and Duong, several more local singers are also planning their shows and tours abroad.

Among them, singer Duc Tuan is set to hold his “Requiem” show at the Adyar Theater in Paris on June 28 and the “Music of the night” musical in Hongkong on Oct 18.

While the “Music of the night” show features eternal pieces from famous world musicals, “Requiem” showcases Vietnamese songs which are remixed by Vietnamese German artist Vincent Nguyen and are thus choosier regarding audiences.

“If “Requiem” is well received, I’ll launch more similar music projects in other countries later this year,” Tuan shared.

Several other local singers such as Thu Minh, Thanh Bui, who made it to the 2008 Australian Idol’s Top 8, Ha Anh Tuan, Dong Nhi and Thao Trang are also working on their projects to enter the foreign markets.

According to Hieu Cao, of Vietvision Co., local singers’ performing abroad will be the dominant trend in the years to come, as with affordable costs and simple paperwork, singers may earn higher revenues from shows abroad than from local ones.