A music show will be held Friday night in Ho Chi Minh City to raise funds for people living in regions affected by the worst drought and salinization to hit Vietnam’s central provinces and southern Mekong Delta in nearly a century.

The show, organized by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Performing Arts and Cinema Center and the Ho Chi Minh City Television Station, will take place at 6:00 pm at Sen Hong Stage at 23/9 Park in District 1.

It is the third show of the charity series named ‘Ket Noi Yeu Thuong,' which literally means ‘Connecting Love,’ with the two previous shows held in 2013 to support flood-hit areas in central Vietnam and victims of the super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

This year’s event, which is open to the public, will feature performances from nearly 300 artists and athletes, including many household names.

Singer Ky Phuong, who is in charge of inviting talent to perform at the show, said almost all the artists he invited were willing to participate, saying that performing in the show is a chance to reward the love they have received from people in the Mekong Delta.

A music video featuring Hoang Van’s ‘Tinh Yeu Cua Dat Va Nuoc,’ which literarily means ‘The Love of Soil and Water,’ has been prepared for the show with the participation of hundreds of local artists in the hope of spreading the awareness of the drought-hit regions.

“I’ve heard a lot of news about the drought recently, and feel very happy to contribute to help,” local pop star Thu Minh said.

The show has not only received support from local artists, but also from the Consulate General of the Philippines in Ho Chi Minh City which has invited some Filipino singers to perform to show the strength of friendship between the two countries and emphasize a borderless sharing spirit.

Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Performing Arts and Cinema Center Huu Luan, who had recently took trips to the Mekong Delta region, said he could not help but become emotional at seeing the situation people there have been coping with.

“The whole country has eaten rice from the Mekong Delta to live, now people there are in trouble, they have to pay VND200,000 [US$8.93] for a cubic meter of water,” he said.

“I hope we could spark a fire of sharing and that it spreads quickly,” Luan expressed his expectation of the show.

Danh Thi Bay, a resident in Hon Dat District in the southern province of Kien Giang, bursts into tears talking about the loss of her family's field due to salinization. Photo: Tuoi Tre

All money donated at the show will be distributed to people in drought-hit areas through Tuoi Tre, he said.

Besides giving away money at the event, people who want to can donate at the newspaper’s headquarters at 60A Hoang Van Thu Street, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City.

The newspaper has so far received more than VND270 million ($12,054) in donations.

Donors can also join another program launched by the newspaper in cooperation with the Vietnam Red Cross Society, the National Humanitarian Portal 1400, the Vietnam Digital Television VTC and the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications.

During the program taking place from 0:00 on April 7 to midnight on June 5, every text message with the content ‘NC’ sent to ‘1407’ will equal a donation of VND14,000 ($0.63), equivalent to one cubic meter of water for people in the drought-hit areas.

Singer Thu Minh will be among the performers of the show on April 8, 2016.

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