Paris by Night 77: 30 Nam Vien Xu

I have to give it to Thuy Nga for turning an emotional topic into their sex standards. The first thirty minutes of Paris by Night 77: 30 Nam Vien Xu is soul-stirring, heart-rending, and spirit-shattering. I was touched by the documentary clips on the boat-escaping adventure, and inspired by those who went out of their ways to help our people. Unfortunately those heartfelt moments quickly dissolved into the air as the video progresses into the sex zone.

It used to be that real singers draw the crowd with their real voices. Nowadays, fake singers get viewers attention with their fake boobs. Ngoc Lan didn’t have to bare her skin to bring her audiences “Tan Tac,” “Nguoi Tinh Tram Nam,” and many songs that were born in the States. She brought them with her heart and soul. Don’t give me wrong, I love hot bodies, but there is the place and time for everything. Thuy Nga invited special guests (mostly foreigners) to pay tribute for what they have done for us, yet our girls bare their skins to show that we have come a long way – from immigrants to sex barbies. Is it me or is Luu Bich turning from sexy into sleazy? For a few minutes, I thought Stifler’s mom is on Paris by Night doing her things with the young dancers. Her recovering of “Uoc Hen” and “Tan Tac” offer nothing new but the low skirt. She is not the only one. Ho Le Thu, Minh Tuyet, and even Thuy Tien are as guilty as charged.

On the bright side, older singers such as Khanh Ly, Le Thu, Hoang Oanh, and Khanh Ha are the appropriate representation of our Vietnamese women. Their singings leave deeper impact than those young faces. Even though male singers are subdued by females’ provocative appearances, they have contributed some memorable contents to the show. Duong Trieu Vu is convincing in “Vien Khuc Viet Nam” and The Son is compelling in “Bai Ca Hoc Tro.” The Son is at his best when he could feel the lyrics. On “Bai Ca Hoc Tro,” he has successfully transferred the writer’s words to the listeners. Here is my loose translation: “Dear professor, this is my essay / an essay is written about the US / I misspelled twice the word ‘America’ / I misspelled twice the word ‘Communist’ / I misspelled twice the word ‘Liberty’.”

If Thuy Nga toned down the tramp appeal and selected more suitable songs, Paris by Night 77 would have been an invaluable DVD. Even though the documentaries are educational, we can’t show our kids the entire presentation without skipping some of the performances.