PHOTO BY BAO ZOAN
W
hen Vietnamese comedian Uy Le came first in the 2018 Ho Chi Minh City heats of the Vietnam Amateur Comedy Competition in early January, there was a sense of jubilation. Uy had performed in the competition for two years running and had finished in the top three each time. This time round marked a watershed. He had come first. Yet he remains modest. “Three years ago I started as an outsider, particularly with the language and the cultural nuances,” he says. “I have worked hard to improve what I bring to the stage.” What makes this special is that here you have a Vietnamese
52 | Word February 2018 | wordvietnam.com
comedian performing stand-up comedy in his non-native language, English.
A Growing Presence
In terms of Vietnamese comics, Uy wasn’t alone. In the Ho Chi Minh City heats, which were organized by Saigon International Comedy, Vu Minh Tu finished an excellent third, while in Hanoi, put on by Stand-Up Hanoi, another seasoned Vietnamese performer, Nguyen Tuan Anh (Alex) came second. Although none of these comics has made the transition from amateur to professional — the scene in this country is still in its infancy — over time the opportunity is certainly there. Head to places like Singapore,
and comedians such as Jinx Yeo, Rishi Budhrani, Fakkah Fuzz and Sharul Channa have emerged out of the local scene. This is to name but a few. Then there are pro comics like Turner Sparks (US), William Childress (US) and Brian Aylward (CAN) who cut their teeth in the comedy scenes in this region. Yet in Vietnam, stand-up comedy remains unassuming. Unlike Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, there are no dedicated comedy clubs. Until three years ago, the comedy festivals overlooked Vietnam, and even now the focus of this year’s Magners International Comedy Festival in March and April is Ho Chi Minh City. The promoters tend to put on shows once a month, and while