Vietnam and the desire for "Vpop idols", billion-dollar music exports

International fans hunt for Vietnamese singers, know Vpop hits by heart

Recently, some Vietnamese singers have attracted the attention of international fans, typically Quang Hung MasterD in Thailand and Chi Pu in China.

The success of Quang Hung MasterD, Chi Pu and before that Son Tung M-TP is considered by experts and fans to be a positive signal showing that the Vietnamese music market is ready to enter the "globalized" playground.

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son - Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture andEducation - shared his opinion with Dan Tri reporter: "The success of Quang Hung MasterD in Thailand or Chi Pu in China are the first signs that "going abroad" is possible and is also a source of inspiration for many Vietnamese artists to dare to dream and make their own progress."

In recent years, many Vpop songs have spread across borders, causing a fever on TikTok and being welcomed by audiences in neighboring countries such as See tinh (Hoang Thuy Linh), Hai phut hon (Phao)...

Singer Chi Pu (Photo: Facebook character).

Recently, many artists have also tended to exploit the cultural values ​​of the nation. The use of musical materials, folk literature combined with modern harmony and arrangement has created interesting colors for Vietnamese music.

With the success of Vpop when focusing on traditional elements, the audience believes that if national materials are exploited more strongly, this could be the key to shortening the distance to make the dream of "exporting music" come true in the new era.

Exploiting national cultural materials is one of the hallmarks of the success of "Brother overcoming thousands of obstacles" (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam ).

Vietnamese music aspiration to earn billions of dollars: Why not?

In the new era of the country, the contribution of the entertainment and cultural sector in general, and music in particular, is extremely important. If it steps out into the world, Vpop will have the opportunity to bring impressive economic, cultural and tourism benefits, similar to the story of the Korean music wave.

Hanoi tourism earned 630 billion VND in 2 days when Blackpink performed in July 2023 (Photo: Manh Quan).

Globally famous K-pop stars like BTS and Blackpink bring huge economic benefits to Korea. According to the Hyundai Economic Research Institute, since their debut in 2013, BTS has contributed an average of 3.6 billion USD per year, equivalent to the revenue of 26 medium-sized Korean companies.

BTS also attracts about 800,000 foreign tourists to South Korea each year, stimulating 5 trillion won ($4 billion) in annual spending, helping to boost exports of South Korean products.

Expert Tran Thang Long believes that for music to become "soft power" and help Vietnam "export culture" successfully like Korea, this journey requires the cooperation of an industry that is well-invested in all aspects.

Mr. Ngo Quang Dong - Public policy expert of the Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development (IPS) - said that the "sweet fruit" of Kpop did not come overnight. Phenomena like Blackpink and BTS are all based on the strong cultural foundation of Korea.

"For the past 30 years, the cultural and entertainment industry has been the spearhead industry bringing Korea to the world. That is the vision of the whole country based on the State, Government and private enterprises working together, not one person alone. That is the whole development strategy for the cultural and entertainment industry," said Mr. Dong.

What can Vietnam do to get revenue from international audiences?

What needs to be done so that the performing arts industry in Vietnam can gain revenue from international audiences?

Mr. Ngo Quang Dong frankly shared: "If Vietnam wants to achieve such successes and dreams from music, movies... in the next 20, 30 years, it must build a strong foundation, determining this as a strategic goal.

Besides, there must be specific sanctions and guidance mechanisms, there must be a long-term vision of the country, considering the cultural and entertainment industry as a key industry, a real business sector.

Expert Hong Quang Minh - founder of London & Hong Entertainment Media Company - also believes that in order to move forward to profit from the international market, Vpop needs more factors, from serious investment in music production, training and building artist images to creating a systematic management ecosystem and carefully preparing a promotion plan.

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son believes that the journey of "Vietnamese music going abroad" is difficult and arduous, but it is an inevitable path: "I think that the story of "exporting culture" and "exporting music" is not a distant dream or "illusion" for Vietnam; it is a feasible and promising path if we have enough determination, investment and a long-term strategy. "Exporting culture" is really not just a wish but an inevitable path if we want Vietnamese culture to have a solid position on the world map".

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son also stated that management levels need to change their perspective on music: This is not only a form of entertainment, but also an important cultural industry, capable of contributing to economic development and promoting the national image.

"Countries like Korea or Japan not only build a supportive cultural ecosystem, but also have a strong cultural promotion network to make their mark and maintain influence in the international market.

Vietnam also needs to consider investing in this ecosystem: From building policies to support artists' international development, to more proactive cultural promotion activities abroad.

In addition, to achieve success and make real profits, Vietnamese artists need an international marketing strategy. Vietnamese artists need to develop a unique musical personality, especially music products that have a fusion between Vietnamese identity and global trends. This not only creates novelty, but also affirms Vietnamese cultural values, helping us not to blend into the international music flow while still maintaining our own unique identity," said Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son.

In 2024, the Vietnamese concert market will explode with a series of sold-out concerts from the shows "Anh trai say hi" and "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai", with revenue of 30-40 billion/night (Photo: Vie Channel).

According to Mr. Bui Hoai Son, investing in human resources will be the decisive factor for the Vietnamese music industry to develop strongly, keep up with international trends and bring economic value to the country.

Accordingly, there should be specialized training programs to help artists master the knowledge and skills necessary to operate effectively in an international environment. Regarding capital support, the State should have funds to support artists and music projects, helping them have financial resources to produce high-quality music, organize international tours, or participate in major music events abroad.

At a dialogue conference with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in March 2023, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said that to implement the Party's Resolution on cultural industry, the Government issued the Vietnam Cultural Development Strategy for the 2015-2020 period, with a vision to 2030.

To implement this strategy, the Government identified 12 groups of industries belonging to the cultural industry.

Emphasizing that the pillar is Vietnam's cultural resources, Minister Nguyen Van Hung said that the initial implementation of this strategy has achieved some results. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the cultural industry contributed 3.61% of the country's GDP.

However, Mr. Hung admitted that Vietnam's cultural industry is lagging behind, developing on a small scale, and many industries are identified as basic fields but have not been strongly promoted for a long time.

To continue developing this industry, the 6th Central Conference issued a Resolution on continuing to promote industrialization and modernization of the country until 2030, with a vision to 2045, in which the content of cultural industry was also considered by the Central Committee to be included in the group of tasks and solutions.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/viet-nam-va-khat-vong-than-tuong-vpop-xuat-khau-am-nhac-ty-usd-20241028113645701.htm