Vietnamese music crosses the border to go viral

Hoang Thuy Linh has won international fame thanks to her viral hit See Tình (See Love). Photo of The Leader Entertainment

The hit has been viewed 43 million times on YouTube and millions of other times on a variety of music platforms and social networks.

The song is also trending across many Asian countries like Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. The video featuring Jolin Tsai, the most successful singer in Taiwan, dancing along to See Love with friends in early May was shared widely on social media and forums. Japanese singer Shayne Orok covered the song on YouTube and got more than a million views.

On January 31, a video by Korean volleyball athletes Lee Da-heyon and Kim Yeon-koung dancing to it  during a game was watched 37 million times on TikTok.

See Love is the second single from Hoang Thuy Linh's fourth studio album LINK released in February 2022. The video has impressed viewers with its lively choreography and catchy melody inspired by the culture of the Mekong Delta region.

YouTube account holder Sharksarekiy0t said of the video: “Somehow this song is still trending. It shows how loved this song is and I honestly still love it just as much as when I first listened to it. Watching the MV makes me appreciate it even more because these visuals are an absolute treat to the eyes! The colours, the themes, the cultural aspects, set designs, costumes, everything is so beautiful.” 

Besides See Love, many Vietnamese songs have also gone viral globally, particularly in China and Thailand, such as Quang Hung MasterD’s De Den De Di (Easy Come, Easy Go), Phong Max - Tang Duy Tan’s Ngau Nhien (Random) or rapper Phao’s Hai Phut Hon (Two Minutes More).

“When I heard these songs, I did not expect that the compositions by young Vietnamese songwriters would spread widely like that,” composer and music researcher Nguyen Quang Long told Kinh Te Do Thi (Economy and Urban) newspaper.

“Young Vietnamese artists are increasingly catching up with the world and starting to create notable works. It is such happy news in today's entertainment and art life when young Vietnamese artists have gradually approached listeners from different countries.”

According to female singer Phao, who sung the of the hit Hai Phut Hon that has caused a fever internationally, half of the success of Vietnamese viral hits in the international market comes from the distinctiveness in the musical personality of each artist.

Unique colours featuring Vietnamese characters are new elements in the international market. The Vietnamese artists are also increasingly meticulous in building personal images and product quality to be on par with international counterparts.

The remaining 50% of success, she added, derives from the investment and professionalism of international brands and record labels. They have devoted much effort in promoting Vietnamese products on music listening platforms, thereby helping Vietnamese music reach a wider international audience.

Recent years have also seen the collaboration between Vietnamese and international artists to release viral songs, like Son Tung M-TP with rapper Snoop Dogg, K-ICM with Plastik Funk, Polmoya and 9tySlac, or Thanh Bui with Tata Young.

Most recently, winner of The Voice Vietnam 2015, Duc Phuc, paired with legendary English band 911 to release an MV of their hit – I Do, on Valentine's Day. The MV attracted more than 958,000 views only one day after its release on YouTube on February 9.

Vietnamese music tends to appear in the world market as a trend on social networks, a dance, a short piece of music for a few tens of seconds instead of the whole song.

According to musician Quoc Trung, it is still a long journey for Vietnamese songs to be appreciated and enjoyed by audiences around the world as a complete musical product. Expertise and skills are still the weakness of Vietnamese music makers.

"In order to firmly venture into the world, it demands meticulous planning and a rich Vietnamese music industry and music life," he said.

“It also needs a long-term strategy and vision of the management agencies, so that Vietnamese music really has a place on the global map instead of being just a trend that soon appears and fades.”

VNA