Netizens cast doubt on Vietnamese singer’s announcement on Super Bowl invitation
September 22, 2023
Facebook users are calling out media outlets that have erroneously reported that a Vietnamese singer would be performing at the Super Bowl in February 2024.
Background: In a Facebook post on Sept. 10, Vietnamese pop star Tuấn Hưng, 44, shared his invitation to the “Vegas Super Bowl Pregame Warm-up,” which is set to take place at the Las Vegas Strip on Feb. 9, 2024. According to the letter, it will be an “extraordinary event that will undoubtedly mark a historic moment in the world of entertainment and sports.”
Hưng, who wrote his post in Vietnamese, said he felt “surprised and proud for being the FIRST VIETNAMESE SINGER invited to perform at the Super Bowl event.” As of press time, his post has amassed more than 2,400 reactions and 200 comments, with many Facebook users congratulating him.
What reports are saying: Local news outlets first reported Hưng’s announcement. On Sept. 12, English-language outlet VNExpress International ran a story with the headline “Vietnamese singer gets invite to Super Bowl,” noting that Hưng “told the press that he got the invitation from the National Football League (NFL) two weeks ago, but had to wait until he signed the contract to make the announcement.”
In an interview with daily newspaper Thanh Niên, Hưng was quoted saying: “Super Bowl is the NFL final, featuring top athletes in the world. Sometimes I still think that I’m dreaming and don’t understand why I was invited. I’m really honored to be the first Asian and Vietnamese artist that got invited to perform there.”
At least two other Vietnamese outlets (1, 2) reported the invitation. VietNamNet, which ran the headline “Tuan Hung becomes first Vietnamese singer invited to perform at Super Bowl,” said they spoke with the singer, who reportedly stated, “I am the first person in Asia and in Vietnam invited by the organizing board, which I would have never imagined.”
Around a week after Hưng posted on Facebook, NextShark caught wind of the news and reported on it as well. However, NextShark immediately retracted its piece and published an editor’s note after Facebook users pointed out several inaccuracies and questioned whether Hưng’s performance would take place at the actual Super Bowl.
What netizens are saying: “There’s something off here, everyone,” said one commenter on Hung’s Facebook post. “Read the invitation carefully: ‘Pre-game warm up’ on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, is just a pre-event warm-up. This means Mr. Hưng will be performing two days earlier to hype up the event, singing only for the Vietnamese audience at the Casino; he won’t be performing on Sunday. The Super Bowl takes place on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.”
“This year’s Super Bowl is on Sunday, 11/2/2024, at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The invitation is just for the pre-Super Bowl event to lure people in to watch some singing and card playing. It’s not like we get to go on stage during the Super Bowl night,” wrote another user.
“You might not understand the content of this letter… a tailgate party is outside the stadium, not inside. To be honest, even someone as famous as BlackPink might not have the credentials to be invited. So if you can’t sing American songs, who’s going to listen?” another commented.
What’s next: The facts of the story are currently unclear. In his Facebook post, Hưng seemingly omitted the source of the invitation, which claimed to be a “Proud Official Partner of the following NFL Organizations,” followed by logos of said organizations.
NextShark has reached out to Hưng and the NFL for clarifications and comments on the matter. This story will be updated following a response.
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