'Made in Vietnam' - when Gen Z turns to its roots

DTAP group and Phuong My Chi (second from right) promote the project at the end of August in Hue. Photo: Duc Triet — *DTAP group and Phuong My Chi (second from right) promote the project at the end of August in Hue .*

After three months of release, the song attracted tens of millions of views on digital platforms and was selected by many producers for major music programs. In October, the MV won three international awards at the International Music Video Awards (IMVA).

The achievements put the song in the top 7 of the Inspirational Music category at the Vietnam iContent Awards 2025, competing with Buon Trang (Phuong My Chi), Bac Bling (Hoa Minzy), What's More Beautiful, Miracle (Nguyen Hung), The Vast Sky Days (in the show Gia Dinh Haha ), Continuing the Story of Peace (Nguyen Van Chung).

The song is included in the album of the same name released at the end of August, marking DTAP's six years in the profession. Of the 16 songs, Made in Vietnam is placed in the first chapter, along with Golden Forest, Silver Sea, Red Blood, Yellow Skin, and Southern Country. The content mentions the origin, history, and outstanding people - the factors that 'make up Vietnam'.

DTAP wrote the song in a contemporary style with parts close to the EDM structure. However, they used traditional instruments such as monochord, tranh, drum, sona trumpet, giving the listener a sense of heroism mixed with softness. The inclusion of folk melodies from three regions adds emphasis to the song, while honoring the artistic heritage.

The group carefully crafted the lyrics with many images associated with history and life. The song has the following passage: "I love, love so many old craft villages in our hometown. The new silk dress of Ha Dong flows gracefully. I love, love so many folk songs that resound throughout Nghe An province. The conical hat tilts, oh gentle, graceful, pretty girl" or "From far away, the vast sea. The reputation of the Southern country's mountains and rivers is still famous. Because I am so proud. Looking at the flags flying all over Vietnam".

The harmony of three generations helps the song reach many audiences. According to DTAP, the idea was not spontaneous, but from the time they wrote the song, they thought of creating a fusion. Each singer representing a region, including Thanh Hoa (North), Truc Nhan (Central), Phuong My Chi (South), breathed life into the song, expressing the spirit of solidarity.

In the MV, artist Thanh Hoa stands in the middle of the Vietnam Military History Museum. The veteran singer spoke emotionally when entering the scene prepared by the crew, reminding her of the atmosphere of the youth volunteer generation "cutting through Truong Son to save the country". She also wore Bac Ninh quan ho costumes and conical hats in some scenes.

Thanh Hoa highly appreciated DTAP's working ideas. "Selecting and connecting folk songs from three regions is not easy, but the group has done it smoothly, honoring the cultural values of each region," the artist said.

Phuong My Chi burst into tears when watching the MV on the day of its release. In the product, the young singer wore an ao dai, with badges on her chest including Youth following Uncle Ho's words, Outstanding young citizen of Ho Chi Minh City, Promising young face of Vietnam, which were awarded in 2024. She considered the opportunity to appear in the MV a great honor.

DTAP invested in producing the MV, taking the audience on a journey to discover famous craft villages such as Ha Dong silk, Bat Trang pottery, or cultural and tourist icons in Uncle Ho's hometown Lotus Village (Nghe An), Northwest terraced fields, Hoi An flower lanterns (Da Nang). Delicious dishes, art forms such as water puppetry, hát bội or images of fishing village life, fish markets in the Southwest region also appear in the video.

The crew chose the image of the North-South train, inspired by the Lac bird motif on the Bronze Drum, departing from "Dong Son station". The final destination is Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi when the train turns into a dragon, expressing the desire to grow and integrate. Interwoven with the natural scenery are historical elements with the reenactment of the atmosphere of the Bach Dang battle in 938, the image of the Women's National Salvation Union (August 19, 1945), and the Khe Sanh battle in 1975.

The grand scene at the end of the MV features 100 people representing many generations and different professions, including female Saigon commandos and youth volunteers. Miss H'Hen Nie, opera artist Phuong Loan, former athlete Anh Vien, designer Phan Dang Hoang and many other multi-disciplinary stars appear. DTAP chose the brick kiln scene to end the MV with the meaning: Each of us is like a brick, before becoming strong, we must constantly nurture our will and train our temperament.

*Behind the scenes of the crew filming the water puppet scene in the MV.*

All the images in the MV were created in the studio, then processed with VFX. Director Kawaii Tuan Anh said he lost sleep for many days to do post-production. He gathered 60 associates who have been with him throughout his career to accompany the project.

DTAP limited their music production requests for a year to focus on their products. In the middle of the year, while participating in an international composition camp in Beijing, they let Korean and Thai music producers listen to their demos and received positive feedback, which gave the group more motivation to improve. The management company mobilized more than 300 people, built 16 sets, and produced for half a year. They also consulted experts to design costumes and props based on historical documents.

Made in Vietnam is considered by experts and audiences to be one of the outstanding songs released on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, September 2. Singers Luu Huong Giang, Noo Phuoc Thinh, and MLee praised the song's message and spirit. Mr. Nguyen Thai An - Deputy Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union - commented that the song contributes to promoting the spirit of national pride among young people. "The heroic melody makes listeners love the country more, and raise awareness of building and protecting the Fatherland," said Mr. Thai An.

In October, DTAP received a certificate of merit from the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union for its efforts in spreading patriotism through the project. The group said the success of Made in Vietnam gave them more confidence in their direction of popularizing traditional music among young people and spreading it to the world.

The group consists of three members: Thinh Kainz (real name Nguyen Hoang Thinh, 29 years old), Kata Tran (Tran Khanh, 28 years old) and Tung Cedrus (Vo Thanh Tung, 27 years old). They have contributed to the success of Hoang Thuy Linh through many songs such as De Mi noi cho ma nghe , See tinh - songs that have become hits in many countries. DTAP has been honored at awards such as Cong Hien, Mai Vang, Lan Song Xanh.

Vietnam iContent 2025 is co-organized by the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and VnExpress. With the theme Vietnam shines, the event honors outstanding faces, projects and creative products, and creates a forum for management agencies, multiple social networking platforms, units and individuals to share information, discuss trends and development directions.

This year's award is aimed at Vietnamese individuals, content creation groups and production organizations operating in the domestic market, with activities and products as of September 2025. The organizing committee divided the awards into three categories, including 11 awards.

After the preliminary round, Vietnam iContent Awards 2025 selected 72 outstanding candidates from more than 100 initial nominations to enter the final round. Readers can vote for their favorite nomination from 3:00 p.m. on October 30 to November 18. The results, based on 30% of readers' scores and 70% of judges' scores, will be announced at the gala, scheduled to take place on November 29 in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to VnExpress

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/made-in-vietnam-khi-gen-z-huong-ve-nguon-coi-526700.html