Asia 66 – Canh Hoa Thoi Loan

Asia Entertainment has done it again. The production managed to create gloomier and gloomier videos with each new release by recycling old concepts, old songs and same old documentary clips. In Canh Hoa Thoi Loan, Asia even used scenes from Journey From The Fall throughout the program as if they were part of the documented materials. Is Asia turning into Fox News?

One thing for sure, Asia has mastered the art of drama entertainment. Right off the opening scene, Asia brought out guns, dancers in army uniforms and tons of explosive effects in the background. Quoc Khanh was all teared up trying his hardest to make “Ao Anh Sut Chi Duong Ta” convincible. Then the MCs all beefed up to make the program even more dramatic. Sister Duong Nguyet Anh spoke with so much anguish that she sounded like she was swallowing her own tears every time she opened up her mouth.

Canh Hoa Thoi Loan is so damn heavy that even some of the up-tempo performances couldn’t lightened up the spirit. As depressing as the program was, I’ll admit that I can’t take any of it any more serious then a product of entertainment. I am not the only one here. Asia knows it too. If you read in between in the line you can tell. Asia dropped hints here and there. Take “Hat Cho Nguoi Nam Xuong,” one of the darkest performances in the video, for instance. Thien Kim is not Khanh Ly, but she came pretty damn close in expressing the mournfulness in Trinh Cong Son’s lyrics. While she was performing, the coffin covered in the yellow-with-three-red-stripe flag was hanging in the air. The whole scene was looking pretty damn doleful until the camera zoom right to Thien Kim’s sexy, see-through ao dai and her black bra. I am not accusing her of disrespecting the dead, I am just saying.

After Y Phuong’s grand finale, MC Thuy Duong gave another clue in her closing statement: “This has been a very special show for us. We hope you had a great time and we look forward to seeing you again next time.” I don’t know if I had a great time, but I would have drove myself off the cliff after watching the program if I took the content seriously. So even Asia knows that this is just for your entertainment.