A bleak outlook for Tet music in 2026.

In recent years, Tet music has clearly divided into two categories. On one side are the hit songs that dominate throughout the Tet season, while on the other side are the outdated and old-fashioned products that receive much criticism.

Tet music is causing a sensation.

A highlight of this year's Lunar New Year music scene is the song "May All Your Wishes Come True" by singer Truc Nhan.

He invested heavily in the music video, inviting 68 close artist friends such as Thu Minh, Tung Duong, Ho Ngoc Ha, Noo Phuoc Thinh, Dong Nhi - Ong Cao Thang, Ngo Kien Huy, Toc Tien, Minh Hang, Miu Le...

After more than a month since its release, the music video has reached 16 million views. The video of him performing this song at the Green Wave Awards also reached 2.6 million views after 11 days, ranking in the top 2 trending music videos.

However, the song " May Everything Go as You Wish " spread most widely on the social media platform TikTok because of its cheerful, lively "tang tang tang" melody. There are as many as 175,000 videos using this melody.

Truc Nhan invited 68 artists to star in his music video. Photo: Provided by the artist.

Each video Truc Nhan posts on his official TikTok channel attracts several hundred thousand to 5 million views. Not only the music, but also the "foul-mouthed" dance moves (resembling Zumba) in the music videos have gone viral.

Not only was it the most successful song of the Lunar New Year 2026 (Year of the Horse), Truc Nhan also "pocketed" his first hit of the year.

Other notable Tet music releases include: Tet Ta Ve (Dong Nhi, Jun Pham, Bui Cong Nam, Khoai Lang Thang, CongB); Mong Nam Moi Trai Hoa (HIEUTHUHAI) and Tet Luon Miem Cuoi (Kay Tran).

Besides the Lunar New Year hits, this year also sparked controversy surrounding the theme of Lunar New Year music due to several veteran artists unexpectedly releasing new products at the same time.

The "bad luck-removing" dance goes viral.

This Tet holiday, singer Thanh Thao released three songs: "Spring Remains," "Look, Tet is Coming," and "Greeting the Loving Spring ."

Although not a singer, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Huyen also refused to be outdone by others with her Tet-themed music video and the modern folk music video "A Spring Blessing for the Maiden ".

Two members of the Five Tiger Generals – a notorious music group known for its gambling advertising scandal – Ung Hoang Phuc and Duong Ngoc Thai both have Tet (Lunar New Year) music videos.

Ung Hoang Phuc "goes big" with two music videos , "Tet is Home, Home is Tet" and "Tet Moments ". Duong Ngoc Thai and his wife release a joint music video, "Happy Like Tet", and Trieu Ai Vy also makes her own product, " Tet Must Be Happy" .

Among the long-standing artists releasing controversial Tet-themed music is Nhat Kim Anh with her MV "Bao Li Xi" (Lucky Money Envelope ).

These products are controversial because, overall, from the songs to the music videos, they are all made with low quality standards and a style reminiscent of the 2000s.

This year, many artists coincidentally released Tet-themed music videos, sparking controversy. (Image: Screenshot)

The European and American markets have a term called "low effort" to describe this group of products: made with little effort, poor ideas, and shoddy implementation.

The song has a boring theme, revolving only around themes like "Apricot and peach blossoms blooming," "Tet reunion," "Sticky rice cakes," "Children showing off their new clothes"... The melody, chord progression, harmony, and arrangement are all old-fashioned and outdated.

The common motif in these music videos is a simple set design, with the singer as the central character, surrounded by a group of dancers performing to the music, sometimes incorporating elements like lion dance.

During their peak, Thanh Thảo, Ưng Hoàng Phúc, Dương Ngọc Thái, and others often produced music in this style and were well-received by the audience. However, this approach has long been outdated and is likely to draw ridicule from viewers.

In Ho Quynh Huong's case, the song "Tet Den La Vui Nha" (Happy Tet) wasn't bad, but it was ignored by the audience who felt that the singer's voice and technique weren't really suitable for singing Tet songs.

The song is boring, the music video is outdated, and the production is cheesy; all these elements converge in singer Thanh Thảo's song "Look, Tet is Coming."

Sadness or opportunity?

It's a fact that few people realize: in recent years, Tet music has become a playground for brands.

Most of the most successful and widely shared Tet (Lunar New Year) songs are commercials commissioned by major companies. Examples include: "Let's Forget the Past " - Bich Phuong; "Who's Selling Old Stories?" - Truc Nhan; "Hello Tet" - Bich Phuong; " Going Home " - Den Vau ft. JustaTee; " This Tet, I'll Come Home " - Bui Cong Nam; "Going to Return " - Soobin...

Purely Tet-themed songs that achieved great success, such as "A Peaceful New Year" (Son Tung M-TP), " What Have We Done This Past Year?" (Noo Phuoc Thinh), or " A Bountiful Tet " (Kay Tran, Nguyen Khoa, Duck V), are actually few and far between, and are becoming increasingly rare.

It's easy to see that Truc Nhan, Bich Phuong, Bui Cong Nam, Soobin... are among the most favored names by brands. Just Truc Nhan alone has had more than 10 Tet (Lunar New Year) music videos from various brands.

According to our reporter's sources, orders for Tet (Lunar New Year) music compositions from brands, especially the "big players," are worth several times, or even many times more, than regular composition orders.

When the music is good enough, nobody cares whether it's commercial music or regular music. Video: The Green Wave

Each completed contract not only brings the songwriter a "warm" Lunar New Year but sometimes "enough to live on for the whole year." Some compositions have reached billions of dong – equivalent to the fees of S-list stars. Therefore, songwriters earning money from Lunar New Year music today are in no way inferior to singers who perform during the Lunar New Year.

Unfortunately, there is a degree of subject matter control and creative limitation because brands commission songwriters to create content for their marketing strategies.

However, if we disregard the branding factor, the aforementioned Tet songs still fully possess the elements of creativity, artistic value, and meaningful message.

Notably, in recent years, Tet-themed music products commissioned by brands have tended to gradually eliminate advertising elements, almost indistinguishable from regular Tet music.

At some point, the line between advertising music and regular music will blur. The Lunar New Year music of future years may only be a distinction between good and bad, disastrous products.

Mi Le

Artist Ngoc Huyen speaks out after her Lunar New Year music video receives harsh criticism. On her personal page, artist Ngoc Huyen expressed her frustration over the controversy surrounding her Lunar New Year music video.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ham-hiu-nhac-tet-2490890.html