Two lecturers of the National Music Institute, who are also famous singers,  have been temporarily banned from the stage after they quit a special show to celebrate Vietnam-Laos friendship on July 18 in Vientiane, Laos.

The duo: Trong Tan (left) and Anh Tho.

Trong Tan and Anh Tho were selected to perform at this show, which had the presence of the Secretary General, the President, the Prime Minister, the National Assembly Chairman of Laos and high-ranking officials of the Vietnamese Party and Government.

However, the two singers quit the show to return home to participate in a show in Ninh Binh province, held on the same day, which they had promised to attend a long time ago.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a dispatch to relevant agencies about this incident, criticizing the act of the two artists and asked the National Music Institute to seriously punish the two artists, including suspending them from work from July 18 for investigation.

The Ministry also asked the Performing Art Agency to suspend them from performing at home and overseas.

On July 20, the National Music Institute held a meeting on the case, where Trong Tan and Anh Tho cited many reasons to explain for their act but all reasons were denied. The Institute suspended the two artists from work and asked them to write reports about the incident to submit to the relevant agencies.

Trong Tan and Anh Tho are very famous for singing traditional and revolutionary songs.

Trong Tan, 36, graduated from the Hanoi Music Conservatory. He became famous after winning the first prize of the Hanoi Television Singing Contest in 1997. In 1999, he won the first prize of the National Television Singing Competition. In 2011, Trong Tan was the candidate for the Outstanding Artist title but he failed to get the title.

Anh Tho, 36, is the leading voice for the chamber and revolutionary music genre in Vietnam. She won a lot of prizes at television and chamber music contests in Vietnam.

They are lecturers of the National Music Institute and a famous duo of traditional and revolutionary music.

Source: VNN