Vũ Linh's niece allegedly performed the role of Trưng Trắc without permission, prompting the production team to speak out.

The controversies surrounding Thùy Dung's (commonly known as Bùm Bum, daughter of artist Tiểu Linh, granddaughter of the late Meritorious Artist Vũ Linh) performance as Trưng Trắc in the program "Tự Tình Phương Nam 4" (Southern Love Songs 4) are not just about one controversial performance.

Reportedly, the performance by Bum Bum and Ho Khac Tung was a musical scene titled "Me Linh Farewell Song," taken from the classic Cai Luong play "The Drum of Me Linh."

According to a member of the Arts Council of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, the "Southern Love Songs 4" program underwent a rehearsal but completely omitted the "Me Linh Farewell Song" (from the play "The Drum of Me Linh") performance.

Therefore, following feedback from the press and social media, the department will invite the program organizers to a meeting to explain why some performances were not included in the list of permitted acts.

The department is expected to work with this unit next week to determine appropriate action.

"Mê Linh Biệt Khúc" is a famous piece from the play "Tiếng Trống Mê Linh". This is the scene where Trưng Trắc bids farewell to her husband, Thi Sách, as he goes to war. The late artists Thanh Nga and Thanh Sang (playing Trưng Trắc and Thi Sách) sang this piece, creating an atmosphere of overwhelming emotion.

The segment where the two veteran artists performed the song "Me Linh Farewell Song" has become "legendary," something that every Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) fan must remember and know by heart.

Later, in many programs celebrating Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera), contestants in talent competitions chose this poignant segment to perform.

Because of how much people love "The Drum of Me Linh" and "Me Linh Farewell Song," Thuy Dung and Ho Khac Tung's extremely poor and sloppy performance caused an uproar on social media.

Shortly after, Bum Bum spoke up. According to her, the entire training process consisted of only one rehearsal and one program run before the official performance on stage.

"I also feel that my performance wasn't good and there were many shortcomings. However, I tried my best when I was on stage. After reading the audience's feedback, I will try to improve myself in the future," Thuy Dung said.

Speaking on behalf of the program's organizing committee, singer Ho Khac Tung stated: "We (the Tu Tinh Phuong Nam team) would like to affirm that we always operate in the spirit of upholding the law. If we have made any mistakes, we will rectify them."

Whether to praise or criticize is the audience's right. We always respect and actively consider all feedback to improve and become better.

Any comments that intentionally attack, disrupt, incite animosity, or sow discord will be deleted immediately by Tung.

Every day, they're constantly spewing insults, jealousy, envy, criticism, and comments on live streams, using other people's names to gain views. But then again, they're artists, singers, and actors. Go out there and make money from genuine art; you'll see that benefits the country more than just "sitting at home."

Come on, or have you lost your passion for the job? If you lack motivation, come here, Tùng will inspire you. Even if you're weak or do a poor job, it's still more interesting than not doing anything at all and becoming a useless and incompetent member of society."

It's clear that even in just a short scene, Thùy Dung's acting was clumsy. When an incident occurred on stage (the scene where someone backstage runs out and covers the character Trưng Trắc with a shawl that's askew), Dung didn't know how to handle it, just haphazardly adjusting the shawl, making it even more messy.

Her singing was weak, her dialogue lacked emotion, and her performance was clumsy. Thuy Dung is to blame, but the person who dared to organize and invite her to perform this act despite knowing she lacked the ability is even more to blame.

Some audience members questioned the purpose of this performance. Was it to glorify or "denigrate" cải lương (Vietnamese traditional opera)? Or some suggested it was simply "exploiting" the names in the never-ending drama surrounding the late artist Vũ Linh for personal gain?

Vu Linh's niece responds after playing Trung Trac; netizens dig up the incident where her biological father disowned her. Đình Như16:53:53 12/03/2026Bum Bum is the daughter of Cai Luong artist Tieu Linh, the younger brother of the late artist Vu Linh. Therefore, she is also the niece of the "King of Cai Luong" Ho Quang - one of the most famous artists of Vietnamese Cai Luong theater.