Chinese music night «Tay Trái Chỉ Trăng» at Thoáng Acoustic

   A full moon, a paper umbrella and flowing period costumes on the poster set the tone: for one evening a small upstairs room in central Hanoi fills with Chinese love songs in the gufeng style, sung live by two voices over a keyboard, as if lifted straight from a costume-drama soundtrack.

   The night takes its name from «Tay Trái Chỉ Trăng» (左手指月, «Left Hand Points to the Moon»), a song by Sa Dingding from the soundtrack of the Chinese series «Hương Mật Tựa Khói Sương», known in English as «Ashes of Love». Gufeng, cổ phong in Vietnamese, means «ancient style»: Chinese pop that dresses modern songs in classical colours, often with pentatonic melodies, poetic lyrics and the mood of historical dramas.

   On stage are vocalists Lan Huong (Lan Hương) and Cam Anh (Cẩm Anh) with keyboardist Tran Phong (Trần Phong). Regulars will know the trio: in late August and early September they led the venue's Chinese nights «Đại Ngư» and «Vén Rèm Châu», and in September Cam Anh and Tran Phong played two more nights of their own, «Xích Linh» and «Đào Hoa Nặc».

   It suits anyone who grew up on Chinese period dramas and still remembers their theme songs, as well as anyone who wants a slow, poetic weekend evening rather than a loud one.

   Thoáng Acoustic is a live acoustic bar on the second floor of Drop In Café & Bistro, open every evening, with warm lighting, paintings on the walls and a small bar mixing cocktails to order. According to the menu on the venue's website, cocktails cost 185,000–215,000 VND, mocktails 115,000 VND and fresh juices 90,000 VND.

   Besides the phone line, tables can be booked by email at [email protected].

   If costume-drama melodies are part of your own soundtrack, this is a rare chance in Hanoi to hear them live and up close.