On November, 26, singer Lan Nha announced the cancellation of “Nha Concert,” scheduled for December 7 at the Vietnam - Soviet Friendship Cultural Palace in Hanoi.

He said that the cancellation was due to “ticket sales not meeting the required threshold,” and the flooding in central Vietnam prompted him to prioritize community support.

Since the concert announcement on November 6, the high ticket prices, ranging from VND2.5 million to VND5.9 million, have sparked debate, especially as they were compared to concerts held by top stars like My Tam and Ha Anh Tuan.

He said the team lowered ticket prices as much as possible. However, the number of seats at the venue in Hanoi is smaller than Hoa Binh Theater in HCMC, not to mention the cost of transporting audio, lighting equipment and the orchestra from HCMC, which pushed ticket prices higher.

On the Threads app, Lan Nha received criticism. Some posts even suggested he was “dismissive and ignoring audience feedback.” He was also attacked by fans of Ha Anh Tuan for mentioning their idol during his project announcement.

Before Lan Nha, in mid-November, singer Duc Phuc also announced the cancellation of his mini-show “Em dong y,” (I do), featuring guest artist Noo Phuoc Thinh, citing “health issues.”

However, many analysts pointed out that the mini-show was canceled because it suffered from poor sales. On the ticketing website, seats priced from VND700,000 to VND2.5 million remained unsold after one month of sales.

In July 2024, singer Ha Tran also cancelled two concerts - “Thien ha tinh khoi – 30 nam tieng hat diva Ha Tran” - in HCMC and Hanoi, saying the producer “lacked financial capability.” It was clear she faced the same challenges.

A recent case involved a meeting of fans with actor Lam Thanh Nha in Hanoi, where attendance was sparse due to unreasonable ticket prices. Like Lan Nha, he also explained the high cost as related to “operational expenses and crew travel from HCMC to Hanoi.”

Lessons

Communication expert M, who has long worked in showbiz and music production, said that the cancellation faced by Lan Nha and others is inevitable in a market where concerts are exploding.

“Within just the last three months of 2025, the number of concerts surged to several dozen while the size and purchasing power of the audience remain the same. Saturation is unavoidable, so some concerts being cancelled is natural,” the expert said.

According to the expert, many Vietnamese singers rely too heavily on emotion rather than strategic planning or long-term vision.

For example, while foreign artists often stop performing for at least half a year before a concert to maintain demand, most Vietnamese singers continue taking shows and only stop 1–2 months before their concert, thus resulting in weakened ticket appeal.

Additionally, many Vietnamese concerts have repetitive, outdated content, reusing performances and songs often seen at music festivals, lounges and events.

Regarding unreasonable pricing, the expert said explanations such as “high investment cost,” “limited seats,” or “high transportation fees” are not valid.

“We have many high-quality concerts with reasonable ticket prices. This is a matter of organizational capacity. Also, there is no significant difference between organizing concerts in HCMC or Hanoi since both cities have full supplier networks. The claim that Hanoi concerts cost more is unfounded,” he said. 

“This year, the number of concerts in Hanoi is not lower than HCMC,” the expert explained.

Why do artists still push forward with concerts despite early warnings and obvious risks? The expert said: “This is the gap between PR and reality. Many teams push headlines like ‘sold out,’ ‘website crashed,’ even when sales are stagnating.

“In reality, even concerts by top stars also do not sell out. There was a major music festival originally announced with 15,000–17,000 seats that quietly cut capacity to 5,000–7,000. Recently, the concert of an artist sold only 60 percent of expected tickets.”

“This misleading PR is dangerous. It creates false perceptions, making many artists believe concerts are ‘easy money’ and rush into them,” M said.

For solutions, the expert recommended that artists and production teams should learn from the approach of My Tam and Ha Anh Tuan, especially their structured processes and choosing the right timing aligned with market demand. Their content, production and overall concepts are significantly more professional than the industry average.

Tinh Le