When patriotic music becomes a spreading stream

For more than a month, a series of “national concerts” exploded, attracting tens of thousands of spectators and spreading on social networks. At the same time, a wave of patriotic music videos with millions of views showed that political music had gone beyond the framework of celebrations and become a popular cultural trend.

For more than a month, a series of “national concerts” exploded, attracting tens of thousands of spectators and spreading on social networks. At the same time, a wave of patriotic music videos with millions of views showed that political music had gone beyond the framework of celebrations and become a popular cultural trend.

The "national concert" fever

Over the past month, Vietnam’s music scene has witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon: the explosion of large-scale political art programs, enthusiastically named by young people as “national concerts”. These are no longer music nights associated with major holidays that are considered solemn and “selective of audiences”, but have become mass cultural and entertainment events, creating widespread social effects.

At My Dinh Stadium, more than 50,000 people sang “Marching Song” together on the night “Fatherland in the Heart”. Photo: Hai Le Cao

The first thing that is easily noticed is the size of the audience. At My Dinh Stadium, more than 50,000 people sang “Tien Quan Ca” together in the night of “To Quoc Trong Tim” – an emotional moment, which people will always remember as a symbol of unity. Before and after that, tens of thousands of spectators continued to flock to the Vietnam Exhibition Center for “V Concert – Radiant Vietnam”, then youthful festivals such as “V Fest – Glorious Youth”, “8Wonder”. In particular, there were programs to issue free tickets, but people, especially young people, still accepted to line up all night, even spread out mats to sleep on the sidewalk to get an entrance ticket. That image shows that the need to participate is not simply for entertainment, but also the desire to accompany in a spiritual festival.

"National concerts" with audiences mostly young people.

The appeal of the “national concert” comes not only from the grandiose event, but also from the way they are renewed. If in the past, revolutionary songs were often associated with a familiar performance style, now they have been given a new look with EDM, rap, pop, rock… Young artists who are familiar with the entertainment music market have appeared on the political stage, bringing new energy and new arrangements, making familiar melodies closer to the taste of young people.

The effect also spread strongly on social networks. After each performance, hundreds of videos of the audience singing the “National Anthem” in unison, resplendent in the red and yellow stars, covered TikTok and Facebook. The phrase “national concert” quickly became a trend, used by young people to talk about community-based art programs, associated with the national spirit but exploding like a trendy music festival.

The latest highlight in this series of events is the “Rock Concert – Heart of Vietnam” taking place on the evening of September 7 at Thang Long Imperial Citadel. In the space of a thousand-year heritage, thousands of spectators lived in the passionate atmosphere of rock. Names such as Buc Tuong, Ngu Cung, Chillies, The Flob, Blue Whales and guest artists Pham Anh Khoa, Thai Thuy Linh, Duong Tran Nghia... took the audience from excitement to pride with a series of immortal songs such as “Len Dang”, “Day Ma Di”, “Hat Mai Khuc Quan Hanh”, “Bai Ca Dat Phuong Nam” to “Khat Vong Tuoi Tre”, “Duong Toi Ngay Vinh Quang”. All resounded freely and strongly, affirming that the spirit of patriotism can be ignited in any genre, as long as it is infused with creativity.

Special art program "80 years of journey of Independence - Freedom - Happiness" with the participation of 3,000 artists.

Organizing a rock concert – a genre of music that is closely associated with the strength and aspirations of youth – right at Thang Long Imperial Citadel has a special meaning. It is like an affirmation: patriotism and national pride do not only belong to the past, but continue to burn in the present, are received by the young generation and passed on to the future.

From traditional songs to new compositions, the “national concert” has shown a strong transformation of political art, going beyond the commemorative framework to become a cultural and entertainment phenomenon of the era.

Patriotic MV creates storm with millions of views

While the “national concert” is stirring up the real world, a wave of patriotic music videos is also exploding on the digital platform. In just half a month, a series of music videos about the homeland and country were released and quickly set records.

Tung Duong with “Continuing the story of peace ” reached 1 million views in 24 hours and up to now, the MV has reached more than 5 million views on Youtube. He shared: “It is an honor to sing about the country. When these songs become hot hits with millions of views, I feel it is a sacred gift”. Previously, the male singer also introduced “Vietnam – Proudly continuing the future” to promote the country’s image internationally.

Hoa Minzy caused strong emotions with “The Pain of Peace” – the soundtrack of the movie “Red Rain”, depicting the loss of a heroic Vietnamese mother. The female singer shared: “This is a song that made me cry many times in the studio”. Not only touching emotions, the product also created a fever on the digital platform. After 1 day of release, the MV rose to the Top 1 Most Impressive Music Video Debut in the world according to YouTube Chart – the global ranking system of the largest video platform.

Just a few days later, “Pain in the Middle of Peace” continued to enter the Top 21 Most Trending Music Videos in the world, and set a series of domestic records: holding the Top 1 YouTube Vietnam Daily Chart, leading YouTube Trending and ranking Top 1 Music Video Trending in Vietnam. Up to now, the MV has reached 17 million views on YouTube.

Not only Tung Duong and Hoa Minzy, many other artists also contributed their voices to the wave of patriotic MVs, creating a rich picture of the melody of the Fatherland. Ha Anh Tuan impressed with “My house has a flag”, Vo Ha Tram released “Nguyen la nguoi Viet Nam”, Trang Phap with “Mai la nguoi Viet Nam”, Duong Hoang Yen sent a message through “To quoc trong nang mat sang”, and Dinh Lan Huong affirmed her mark with “Vut bay len Viet Nam”. The group DTAP left an impression with “Made in Vietnam”, while Hoang Bach released the EP “Loi trai tim Viet Nam” with many new songs.

The common point is that they all have a youthful color, using rap, EDM, modern ballads. Patriotic music has escaped the form of "revisiting old songs", and has become a popular trend on YouTube, TikTok, Spotify.

This success comes from the creative choices of the artists. They do not aim to chase “hits” but focus on emotions and messages. Musician Nguyen Van Chung shared: “I write music for the Fatherland not to compete on the charts, but because it is the responsibility and happiness of an artist.”

Singer Tung Duong affirmed: “It is an honor to sing about the country. When these songs become hits with millions of views, I feel it is a sacred gift.” He expressed his desire to bring songs like “Vietnam – Proudly Stepping Forward to the Future” to the international market to promote Vietnamese culture and tourism.

From trend to sustainable flow

The “National Concert” and the wave of patriotic music videos have proven the strong appeal of music associated with national spirit. But to not only be a temporary movement, but also become a sustainable flow in Vietnamese cultural life, there needs to be accompaniment from many sides.

Music researcher Nguyen Quang Long said: “The fact that young singers are interested in revolutionary songs, songs about patriotism and love for the homeland, shows me that this is a good sign. This is a period of 'heavenly time, favorable location, and harmony' for young artists to shine in music products about the homeland. However, this trend is still temporary. Therefore, there needs to be specific actions to encourage young singers and musicians to continue to exploit this topic.”

Music researcher Nguyen Quang Long. Photo: NVCC

He also mentioned the importance of innovation in the way of doing things: “If we continue to do things the old way, without using commercial singers, we will not be able to attract young audiences – the future generation. This is the most important audience for revolutionary songs to live forever.”

In order for patriotic music to not fall into stereotypes and repetition, but still attract young audiences, music researcher Nguyen Quang Long believes that the biggest challenge lies in how to maintain the core spirit of music with the theme of praising patriotism, which is pride and sacred feelings for the Fatherland, but at the same time, it must be expressed in musical language, lyrics, and staging that is suitable for the aesthetics and "taste" of today's young audiences.

“If we keep repeating the way of singing, arranging, and developing songs from three or four decades ago, it will be easy to fall into a cliché. On the contrary, if we only follow the taste and forget the depth of thought and lack the “calm” point, if we keep chasing the noise and forget the value of depth, we will also lose the spirit of music and lack the core of patriotic music. Therefore, artists need to balance two factors: one is to create new and fresh music, close to young audiences in terms of melody, harmony, MV images or stage; two is to maintain the spiritual value and great message. When this balance is achieved, patriotic music not only does not repeat itself, but also has a strong influence on the young generation,” said Mr. Long.

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Full-time Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Social Affairs

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society, commented: "The recent national concerts not only create a grand stage, but also open up a new approach to shaping the Vietnamese entertainment industry. Previously, entertainment was limited to commercial factors, ticket sales, and competition in market music. But with national concerts, music is placed in the context of culture, history and national aspirations. That has created a new standard - Vietnamese audiences are not only interested in what suits their tastes, but also aim for profound spiritual values."

He emphasized: “The national concert has raised the bar for the Vietnamese entertainment industry, affirming that popular art has the ability to compete if it knows how to exploit its identity properly. If commercial concerts are the land of the market, then the national concert is the stage for Vietnam to introduce its soft power; another form of competition, but no less important, on the regional and world entertainment map.”

“Rock Concert – Heart of Vietnam” took place on the evening of September 7 at Thang Long Imperial Citadel. Photo: Organizing Committee

The explosion of "national concerts", the wave of patriotic music videos with millions of views and the strong response of audiences, especially young people, have proven that political music is no longer strange, but has become a popular cultural and entertainment trend.

For the public, especially the youth, patriotic music is no longer a framework, but a connecting language, a way for them to express their patriotism in a modern and profound way. For artists, it is a mission: “writing music for the Fatherland not for the sake of rankings, but because it is a responsibility and happiness”.

However, to prevent this flow from being fragmented into a brilliant but short-lived movement, there needs to be a support mechanism – from art development policies, to program organization strategies and training of young artists. If that can be done, it will not only be a “national concert” season, but a sustainable cultural trend, bearing the mark of the dream of innovation and modern patriotism – an entertainment industry that is not only attractive, but also rich in identity and inspiration.

According to Ha Phuong/VOV.VN

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/202509/khi-am-nhac-yeu-nuoc-tro-thanh-dong-chay-lan-toa-4010964/