Breaking from a sluggish entertainment front that does not often see a good turnout at ticket office for music live shows, Hanoi is witnessing a boom in concerts and music programs.

Since January, the city seems to have become a new favorite venue for show organizers, as numerous programs, from international to personal catering to all kinds of fans, have taken place in Hanoi.

Unlike the easy-to-please audience in the southern metropolitan, show goers in the capital seem to prefer classy programs by classier and finer artists of the industry.

This, however, comes with a not very wallet-friendly ticket price, yet all of them sell well.

Shooting a promising start earlier this summer was “Color of Ho Quynh Huong”, a personal concert by the versatile singer Ho Quynh Huong, whose show was very well received in Ho Chi Minh before she brought it to Hanoi this June.

Although tickets are not cheap (VND 300,000 – 2 million each), there was no vacant seat left at the concert hall.

Not long after that, the city welcomed David Cook and Alexandra Burke, winners of American Idol 2008 and X-Factor 2008 in a Hennessy- sponsored international show that was highly praised by the press for its quality.

A crowd of A-list celebrities, from Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy, actress Tang Thanh Ha, model Hoang Yen to many music big names was spotted among the audience.

However, raising the highest expectation of music fans in Hanoi this summer must be two projects by two of the most influential artists in the current music scene in Vietnam: top diva Thanh Lam and songwriter Quoc Trung, also her ex-husband.

Their first show, joined by Vietnam Idol 2010 winner Uyen Linh and singer Ha Linh presented a chance for the three powerful and distinct vocalists to shine with Trung’s inspiring and re-arrangements of familiar works.

Titled “Cam tay mua he” (Holding hands in summer), it was held at the Hanoi Opera House on June 18 and 19.

The husband-and-wife team came back one week later, as their “Duong xa may trang” (White cloud over the long road) show featured the most successful works of the couple in their early days.

Quoc Trung brought his inspiration on stage, with which a fusion of electronics and traditional music such as tuong, cheo, chau van, ca tru gave the audience another approach to the country’s rich music heritage.

The reunion also showed Thanh Lam’s exquisite talents and undeniable energy, which gave fans a true quality time to enjoy music to their hearts’ content.

Not surprisingly, Cam tay mua he and Duong xa may trang were among a minority of shows that had all tickets sold out 1 week prior to the actual date.

Of all, what has also been most talked about recently is Music Space, a monthly event in Hanoi where each show will introduce a pair of two artists.

Featuring talented singer-songwriter Le Cat Trong Ly and quirky singer Tung Duong in its first opening show this April, Music Space is expected to create a true space and venue for real music, a producer said.

After Ly and Duong, singers like Nguyen Thao and the veteran Tuan Ngoc, Thanh Lam and Quoc Trung followed suit, drawing an exciting number of audiences and turning this into one of the most expected events in Hanoi’s music market.

As show organizers seem to pack their bag and move to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh’s music front is quieter these days, which is hardly the case for the most dynamic city of Vietnam.

To Hanoi, it seems its entertainment potential and what people really want has not been well realized until recently.