A much loved singer is preparing to mark her 47th year in the music business with a live show and a retrospective DVD.

Lan was born in 1956 in Vietnam with the name Tran Ngoc Anh.

Her father, Tran Quang, better known with his stage name Huu Phuoc, was a renowned cai luong (southern traditional Vietnamese opera) artist.

Lan learned by heart several vong co (the main supporting song in cai luong, usually about a longing for the past) when she was only three or four years old, before she had even learned to read.

Her father put her onstage when she was only five and she was dubbed a cai luong prodigy.

Celebrated cai luong artist Ut Bach Lan became Lan’s mentor and her father’s friends gave her the pseudonym Huong Lan, which means “Orchid’s scent.”

Lan switched to modern music in 1968, performing romantic ballads, folk songs and songs exalting the country and human bonds.

Her first romantic song Ai ra xu Hue city (Who visits Hue) was warmly received by audiences and she signed her first contract to record her songs at 15.

Seven years later, in 1978, she migrated with her family to France.

She had a difficult time and did many menial jobs, such as selling vegetables, clothes and cooking to survive, all the while dreaming about singing again.

Lan sang in cabarets before signing a contract with US-based entertainment and recording company, Thuy Nga Inc., in 1984, enthralling the overseas Vietnamese community with her haunting songs.

She put all her heart and her affection for her home country into songs such as Ngay ve (Day of return), Em di tren co non (You walk on young grass) and Dieu buon phuong Nam (The southern region’s sad tune).

Even after living abroad for 20 years, Lan always yearns to perform at home as “she can truly be herself when performing to her own people.”

In 1996, Lan became the first overseas Vietnamese singer to perform in her home country.

Since then, she has often traveled between Vietnam and the US for performances.

“What I find most satisfying about my singing career is being able to sing to audiences in my home country,” she said.

“I have performed on state-of-the-art stages in many countries to wealthy audiences, but no one has brought tears to my eyes like a poor elderly woman I met after a show in Can Tho City in 1997.”

“She said she had to sell some bushels of rice to have enough money to buy a ticket to see my show and she had to walk a long way to see me perform.”

“I was moved to tears then and vowed to sing as well as I could and use my voice to help such people,” Lan said.

Lan has released more than 10 albums in Vietnam including Nho Hue (Missing Hue), Nang que me (Sunshine in my home country) and Hat tu coi nguon (Singing from the origin) and has appeared in many major shows, such as Thanh Nien’s fundraising extravaganza Duyen Dang Viet Nam (Charming Vietnam) and Mot thoang Sai Gon (A glimpse of Saigon).

Lan is now making preparations for her next live show, which she plans to put on next May, with the main show held on her birthday, May 9.

The show will sum up Lan’s life and 47-year singing career.

She plans to invite long-standing friends and teachers, such as famed cai luong and dramatic artist Ngoc Giau, overseas Vietnamese comedian Hoai Linh and pop sensation Dam Vinh Hung, to join her show.

The show will be included in a retrospective DVD, Lan said.

She plans to return to Vietnam, where she has two houses, more often in the future.

She said staying healthy and optimistic was the secret of her youthful appearance and voice.

Lan often advises her younger colleagues to honor their audience so they will be loved even when they are out of the limelight.

“I feel blessed with all the assistance I have received since I entered the career 47 years ago. So I feel compelled to share the experience I have garnered in all those years with my successors,” Lan said.

“Artists are thought to be emotional, but in reality they show too much envy and hostility towards their colleagues. There is certainly rivalry, but we should compete to better ourselves, not to become hostile towards one another.”

Lan is also a great philanthropist who is active in charity work in Vietnam.

She joined many charity activities, including the third “Singers Day” festival, Noi vong tay lon (Arm in arm), in Phan Thiet Town earlier this month to raise funds for the poor.

Reported by Nguyen Van