Lee Min Ho’s Hanoi show cancelled at last minute

The show featuring popular Korean model-actor-singer Lee Min Ho was cancelled only four days before it was due to take place in Hanoi, which shocks local fans who bought the tickets in advance.

Starhaus Entertainment, Lee’s managing company, announced on its fanpage the last-minute cancellation of his show called “My everything Global tour 2013”, set to take place in Hanoi on Aug 3.

The company explained that the cancellation is due to the problems which VDC Entertainment, its Vietnamese partner, is unable to solve.

The Korean company also added that VDC Entertainment will make full reimbursement in two months and promised to go on with the negotiating and fix another date for the show as soon as possible.  

The announcement immediately sent shockwaves among Lee’s Vietnamese fans, who spent VND2-4.2 million (US$95- 200) on each ticket to his show, and have been eagerly awaiting and preparing for their idol’s debut appearance in Vietnam though Lee’s singing ability is considered limited by many.

However, the Vietnamese company has remained silent and inaccessible by phone by July 30. A source from a unit responsible for the show’s PR said that the cancellation was the Korean company’s decision only.

While the local organizer has yet to respond, musicshow.vn, which represents the Association of Vietnam Ticket distributors, announced that those who bought tickets through the website and the association’s members will be fully reimbursed. The agency promised that it will send the list of ticket buyers to the local organizer, and in case the organizer wouldn’t make reimbursements, it will file complaints at concerned agencies.

However, VDC Entertainment told Tuoi Tre later that the company requested that the show be postponed indefinitely as it  managed to sell only 122 tickets with a mere revenue of VND458.9 million by July 29.

The company also promised to the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on making reimbursements.

VDC Entertainment said in an earlier press meeting that it had to spend VND12 billion (US$570,451) to bring Lee to Vietnam, including huge sums to meet the singer’s stringent demands on lighting and sounds, which is said to offset his singing voice’s flaws.

It also announced then that 2,000 tickets out of 3,500 had been booked.

Local Vietnamese K-pop fans have recently expressed their fury on online forums for possibly not being reimbursed for their exorbitant tickets to the cancelled 2013 Asia Super Showcase show, which was advertised to feature several celebrated K-pop bands, including Super Junior, EXO M and BTOB.