Eighty years have passed, and that historical milestone is not only present in books or commemorative ceremonies, but also resonates in music , where love for the homeland always finds new forms of expression.
While revolutionary songs were once the "mainstream music genre" in the 20th century, today, in the atmosphere of celebrating the 80th anniversary of National Day, the public is witnessing a vibrant wave of songwriting and music video releases about the homeland and country.
From Nguyen Van Chung and Tung Duong to Hoang Bach, Trung Quan, Vo Ha Tram, DTAP, Le Viet Anh… each artist brings their own way of storytelling and musical style. However, they all share a common thread: affirming national pride and igniting the aspiration to build the country in the future.
When patriotic music "changes its appearance"
While traditional revolutionary music tends towards grandeur and direct lyrics, the new works commemorating September 2nd, 2025, embody a youthful spirit and diverse genres, ranging from EDM, pop, rock, symphonies to contemporary folk… These are explored and applied flexibly by artists, preventing patriotic songs from being confined within the stereotype of being "rigid."
The participation of young singers, familiar with the pop music market, shows a desire to bridge the gap between the spirit of revolutionary music, the epic spirit, and contemporary life. The image of the Fatherland is not only the color of the flag, the image of the beloved leader, but also the pearl in the rice field, the lingering song, the image of Saint Gióng rising up to merge with the national symbol in the form of the 21st century.
Many artists have elevated their products into community-based music projects. For example, the DTAP music production group, in collaboration with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, launched a community music project called "Made in Vietnam," featuring three main vocalists: People's Artist Thanh Hoa, Truc Nhan, and Phuong My Chi.
Singer Nguyen Vu is undertaking a long-term project titled "Vietnam - An Era of Resurgence," featuring 34 songs praising each province and city after the merger, along with the music video "Vietnam: A Green Journey," utilizing AI technology to bring images of Vietnamese landmarks to life in a vibrant and fresh way.
It is at this point that we recognize a significant change: patriotism in contemporary music is conveyed through a new aesthetic language, more accessible to young people while still maintaining its sacred spirit.
"Polyphonic" of a topic
The music in this year's new series of compositions released to celebrate National Day demonstrates a diversity of language and creative spirit, clearly affirming the trend of renewing the expression of patriotic themes in contemporary life.
While Nguyen Van Chung and Tung Duong's "Vietnam - Proudly Moving Towards the Future" boasts a majestic feel with its orchestral arrangement and powerful pop-rock rhythm, Hoang Bach's "Words from the Heart of Vietnam," a collaboration with music producers SlimV and Suy Son, takes a contrasting approach: simple, pure, and using gentle ballad melodies with pop and orchestral influences to evoke a sense of intimacy.
Notably, the blend of folk elements and modern influences in Trung Quân's "White Pearl" (written by Keyri Phan, who also served as the music producer) is remarkable, where melodies with the folk music of the Mekong Delta are subtly processed against a backdrop of modern pop. Through "White Pearl," Trung Quân uses the image of a "pearl"—a symbol of rice—to symbolize the nation, the beloved President Ho Chi Minh, thereby praising the vitality of Vietnam.
Võ Hạ Trâm drew attention when she sang a long passage with the two words "Vietnam" in her music video "Nguyện là người Việt Nam" (Wishing to be Vietnamese). This song has a structure almost like an epic, incorporating elements of Northern Vietnamese lullabies, a symphony orchestra, and choir in a work of praise. It can be said that the work is created by a blend of inner strength and solemnity, making it a shared "wish" of the community.
At the other extreme, Made in Vietnam explores fresh, catchy electronic rhythms, incorporating rap, showing that patriotism can be expressed in a youthful way, appealing to the digital music tastes of Generation Z. This is proof that young artists can completely revitalize national themes with their own unique voices.
Serious from music to visuals.
In the series of songs released to celebrate National Day on September 2nd this year, a diverse musical landscape is easily discernible, with different approaches but a shared patriotic spirit. These works not only "borrow" revolutionary or folk elements as a foundation, but also truly experiment with orchestration, instruments, and vocal techniques to transform the patriotic message into a natural part of the audience's musical experience today. This diversity and boldness allows music with patriotic themes to transcend old patterns, entering contemporary art life with a fresh and vibrant appearance.
The lyrics of the new songs released to celebrate National Day on September 2nd this year both inherit tradition and offer many fresh expressions. "Vietnam - Proudly Moving Towards the Future" uses broad, generalized imagery such as "the nation," "the future," and "generations" to affirm national pride and the spirit of continuity.
"I am Vietnamese" uses many declarative words such as "unyielding," "resilient," "willing," "proud," and "arrogant." "Made in Vietnam" employs youthful, witty, and contemporary language, emphasizing dynamism and creativity while maintaining pride in its identity.
Overall, the lyrics of these works are diverse: from epic and majestic to simple and everyday, from sacred and solemn to witty and modern, reflecting a common effort to renew the theme of patriotism to suit multiple generations of audiences.
In terms of visuals and music videos, the new songs released this National Day season also show serious investment, with each product choosing a unique approach to portray the spirit of patriotism.
Some music videos feature grandiose visuals, while others lean towards vibrant colors and cleverly blend Vietnamese culture with modern life (Made in Vietnam). Still others exploit powerful imagery, utilizing light, fire, and smoke effects (Giong Tu Do)... Overall, the visuals in these music videos contribute to reinforcing patriotic messages in different ways, ranging from epic and solemn to youthful and modern.
A new autumn of patriotic music
This year's series of new works, released to celebrate National Day on September 2nd, shows that patriotism in music is no longer an "outdated" field, only suitable for formal ceremonies, but has become a diverse creative ground, opening up many different approaches.
Artists are not afraid to experiment, from rock to pop, from folk to electronic, from epic to ballad. All of this creates a rich and diverse landscape, demonstrating that love for one's country is a constant current, yet it can be expressed in many voices and across generations. This is a welcome sign.
Patriotic music was once closely associated with generations of pioneering artists of Vietnamese revolutionary music during the nation's two protracted wars of resistance in the 20th century. Today, the new generation continues this legacy with bold experiments, creating "new forms" while retaining the core spirit. Most notably, artists are not only composing to praise the homeland, but also to bring the spirit of patriotism closer to young people through the music they listen to every day and the images they see on social media. This opens up the possibility that patriotism will no longer be limited to holidays, but will become a part of everyday musical life.
It can be said that this year's National Day has seen music write a new chapter, both continuing tradition and boldly innovating, so that patriotism can spread widely throughout the spiritual life of society. Eighty years since that historic autumn, songs praising the Fatherland still resonate. And each generation of artists, in their own language, continues to write the epic of patriotism, so that music always serves as a bridge connecting the past with the future, a bridge between each individual and the community, and between the individual and the nation.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/cung-cat-cao-tieng-hat-yeu-nuoc-3300792.html
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