Music night «Ánh Nắng Của Anh» (My Sunshine) at Thoáng Acoustic

   Warm pop ballads on a Thursday are aimed at the point in the week when work has already worn you down but the weekend is still out of reach. The set gathers gentle Vietnamese songs that do not demand your full attention and leave room for conversation at the table.

   The night is titled «Ánh Nắng Của Anh», roughly «my sunshine». The duo is the same as the evening before: vocalist Quang Huy and keyboard player Nhật Dương play two nights in a row. The programme is billed as warm pop ballads built on sincerity, aimed at the point in the week when the tiredness has piled up but the weekend has not started.

   Thoáng Acoustic states its own aim without much modesty: a place where music and art connect people across languages and cultures, and where an evening is an excuse to listen and stay quiet. In practice that is the upper floor of the Drop In café, with a small stage, a piano and a guitar.

   Convenient if you work in the centre and want somewhere to go after the office without a long ride: Quán Sứ is in Hoan Kiem, a couple of minutes from the Old Quarter. The room draws a mixed crowd of locals and visitors.

   Thursday is a good day to slow down early rather than waiting for Friday to do it for you.