The municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will send a list of singers subject to the ban to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Performing Arts Department this week.

The move follows the recent release of a DVD in the US by the Asia Centre that contained negative opinions about Vietnam.

The authorities have yet to clarify what these singers said during their overseas performances.

Vo Trong Nam, the department’s deputy director said, “We’re still considering and waiting for a final appraisal. We will propose a ban on domestic performances for any overseas Vietnamese singers who have expressed negative views about the country.”

The Performing Arts Department has told the press that they would not license several singers who performed in the DVD.

Overseas Vietnamese singers who may be subjected to such ban include Thanh Tuyen, Tuan Vu, Manh Dinh, Gia Huy, Quang Minh and Hong Dao.

The department’s Director Nguyen Dang Chuong said, “A domestic performance ban for such singers would be clear and we are waiting for the final decision from senior leaders.”

Chuong noted that they are still considering the lengths of the bans.

Several domestic singers who performed on the DVD could face discipline as well, he added.

Information about names of the domestic singers who may be disciplined has not yet been made available.