Bringing Vietnamese music to the world

Vietnamese music has gradually spread beyond borders, but to make an impression on the international music map, a comprehensive, methodical strategy is needed.

Singer Dinh Bao (former member of AC&M group) after studying and working in the US founded the CRIIO platform. He hopes to bring more Vietnamese music products to the international market, especially supporting young people.

New bridge of Vietnamese music

CRIIO is designed as an ecosystem to help artists create, release, publish and manage music copyrights in the digital age. This is a place to connect with about 100 music release platforms worldwide such as: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal... CRIIO also connects with more than 180 organizations protecting intellectual property rights, copyrights and related rights to ensure the rights of Vietnamese authors and artists.

At the CRIIO launch in Ho Chi Minh City not long ago, singer Dinh Bao revealed that he had been nurturing this project since he noticed the digital music market was starting to appear in Vietnam. Therefore, when AC&M was operating stably, he decided to go to the US to focus on studying and understanding the international music market.

Singer Hoa Minzy makes a splash with “Bac Bling”. (Photo: NHAT NGUYEN)

As predicted by Dinh Bao, recently, the release of Vietnamese music on international platforms has begun to develop. Many Vietnamese music works have been noticed and some units have done this work. According to Dinh Bao, CRIIO, which he researched and developed, has the advantage of connecting with many units, helping artists release simultaneously on many platforms or proactively choose the desired market.

The Vietnamese music market is considered to have great potential. In recent times, many Vietnamese singers and songs have made a good impression, even "causing a fever" abroad. This has opened up the hope of bringing Vietnamese music to the world market in a more systematic way.

For example, the song "Bac Bling" by Hoa Minzy was once considered a Vietnamese music phenomenon, even causing a "storm" worldwide. The MV "Bac Bling" held the Top 1 Trending position on YouTube Vietnam for many days. With YouTube Charts Worldwide, "Bac Bling" once topped two categories: Most Impressive Debut MV and Most Impressive Debut Song. The Best Popular MV chart (most popular MV, including both new and old) on March 9 recorded "Bac Bling" as the Top 2 globally.

Japan's Nikkei Asia newspaper commented that "Bac Bling" is an entertainment product with strong Vietnamese cultural characteristics. The fact that Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong used the song "Bac Bling" as the background music for his vlog video during his visit to Vietnam in March 2025 also shows that the influence of this MV has gone beyond national borders.

Previously, "See Tinh" by singer Hoang Thuy Linh also received the attention of many music lovers around the world. This song caused a "fever" in many countries such as Thailand, Korea, China, India... Many audiences consider "See Tinh" to be a modern, youthful song; a harmonious combination of tradition and modernity.

Focus on traditional culture

Experts say that the aspiration to bring Vietnamese music to the world has been cherished by many generations of composers and singers. However, this dream has not been realized yet as the operating mechanism of Vietnamese music is still closed.

In the past, only a few individuals with the means could open their own doors, through collaborations with international artists. Thanh Bui once collaborated with William of Black Eyed Peas and Tata Young; Son Tung M-TP collaborated with Snoop Dogg... Recently, Duc Phuc joined hands with the band 911; K-ICM connected with Plastik Funk, Polmoya and 9tySlac; SOOBIN with Ji Yeon of T-ara; Vu with Lukas Graham...

Conductor Tran Nhat Minh highly appreciates Vietnamese artists who have pioneered collaborations with foreign artists. The results are often well-invested and polished products.

"Collaboration with foreign artists is a fusion between Vietnamese and international music. This breakthrough combination has helped Vietnamese musical works create attraction" - conductor Tran Nhat Minh commented.

According to singer ST Son Thach, when collaborating with foreign artists, Vietnamese artists have the opportunity to learn many things, from musical rhythm to performance style or creativity in their works. However, to make an impression on the international music market, choosing what products to introduce, how... is also a difficult problem to solve. Experts believe that integration needs to be done with all music genres, from traditional to popular, light music...

Rapper Tien Dat believes that popular music tends to lead the way when integrating with world music. However, we need to take advantage of introducing and promoting songs with national melodies and Vietnamese styles.

"The West already has its own music. If we introduce to the West the music they already have, it certainly won't make an impression. Not to mention, with that music, how can we be as excellent as them - which has been developed by them for generations. Meanwhile, the West doesn't have the music that we possess, which is a typical traditional cultural feature of Vietnam. When introducing to the outside world what they don't have, we will certainly make an impression more easily" - rapper Tien Dat analyzed.

The strategy for developing Vietnam's cultural industries to 2020, with a vision to 2030, has determined that cultural industries are an important component of the national economy. The State creates favorable conditions to attract maximum resources from businesses and society to develop cultural industries.

Bringing Vietnamese music products to the world also aims to implement the strategy of developing Vietnam's cultural industries. Musician Quoc Trung emphasized: "Vietnamese music is gradually affirming its name on the international music map. Many young musicians have made efforts to bring their compositions into global charts. Although there are still difficulties and barriers, if there are efforts from many sides, from artists to authorities, the day when Vietnamese music products are accepted by the world is not far away."

Vietnamese music reaching out to the world has always been the desire and destination of many domestic artists. In a flat world, this dream is increasingly possible.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/dua-nhac-viet-vuon-ra-the-gioi-196250525203223453.htm