ĐÀ LẠT Celebrated singers and bands from the 1970s and 1980s — namely Boney M. and singer Liz Mitchell, as well as Joy and Samantha Fox — will perform their hits at the Dalat Spring Concert set to take place at Lâm Viên Square in Đà Lạt on December 21.

The much-anticipated concert is organised by Lâm Đồng Province's People’s Committee and Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Đà Lạt City’s People’s Committee, Lâm Đồng Centre of Culture and Arts and IB Group Vietnam.

Trần Thanh Hoài, deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and deputy head of the organising committee, said the Dalat Spring Concert is part of the Đà Lạt Flower Festival 2024 celebrations.

“Lâm Đồng Province is a venue for many domestic and international music events. This year marks a turning point with the launch of the Dalat Spring Concert, a distinctive annual cultural and artistic event of international scale that gathers global music legends in Đà Lạt for the first time,” he noted.

“This is not only a great joy for Lâm Đồng Province and Đà Lạt, but also for music lovers across Việt Nam. It is also an opportunity to promote Đà Lạt as a creative city recognised by UNESCO in the field of music, with the goal of establishing the city as a global music destination.

“It also aims to promote the cultural, historical and natural value of Đà Lạt and Lâm Đồng to friends both domestically and internationally, creating a new opportunity for the development of the tourism industry and boosting the socio-economic growth of Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng Province and the Central Highlands region,” he added.

Trần Thị Vũ Loan, vice chairwoman of the People's Committee of Đà Lạt City, said the Dalat Spring Concert is anticipated to start off high-level international music activities in Đà Lạt, the UNESCO City of Music.

“This is a tribute from Đà Lạt to residents and tourists. We will continue to strive to bring quality performances to audiences in the ‘city of a thousand flowers’,” she added.

Founded in 1976 in Germany with four members, Boney M. is famous for songs like Daddy Cool and Sunny, Rivers of Babylon and Rasputin, which dominated music charts worldwide and in Việt Nam due to their cheerful, lively melodies that are easy to listen to and sing along with.

Liz Mitchell, the lead singer of Boney M., will come to Việt Nam to perform as part of the Dalat Spring Concert, promising to showcase the group's most famous hits as well as many classic Christmas songs. She has previously performed in Việt Nam in 2016 and 2019.

Mitchell was recently awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contributions to music and charity, at the age of 72.

A famous band from Austria, Joy, will also perform at the Dalat Spring Concert. Returning to Việt Nam after five years, Joy will play lively disco melodies that are equally sweet and passionate, featuring hits like Touch by Touch, Hey Hello, Valerie and I'm in Love.

Both Boney M. and Joy performed in Việt Nam five years ago at a concert that attracted nearly 4,000 people.

Unlike with Boney M. and Joy, the Dalat Spring Concert marks the first time the 'Queen of 1980s Pop', Samantha Fox, will perform in Việt Nam.

The iconic and once-sensational figure from England has conquered the charts with famous hits such as Touch Me (I Want Your Body), Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now, Just One Night, Wanna Please Me and I Only Wanna Be With You.

“The Dalat Spring Concert is the first annual international music project in Đà Lạt that follows international standards and turns the city into a destination for global music legends. The appearance of three renowned names in the disco and pop music scene — Boney M. and Liz Mitchell, Joy, and Samantha Fox — promises to deliver an anticipated performance to kick off the project,” said Nguyễn Thùy Dương, chairman of IB Group Vietnam and producing director of the concert.

The Dalat Spring Concert is expected to welcome as many as 25,000 music lovers free of charge. VNS