In recent days, Vietnamese singers and rappers have rushed to release music celebrating the country, turning YouTube’s trending charts into a sea of red and yellow. Among dozens of heartfelt music videos, Hoa Minzy is currently holding the top spot.

Over the past month, the buzz from hit game shows like Em xinh "say hi" and trendy V-pop tracks has quieted, making way for a powerful wave of songs themed around history, homeland, and the Vietnamese spirit. Artists anticipated this shift, knowing that public attention would soon focus on the historic milestone - Vietnam's 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2.

The “patriotic music” race ignited with the release of Made In Vietnam, a collaboration between People’s Artist Thanh Hoa, Phuong My Chi, Truc Nhan, and DTAP. This was followed by the powerful Kiep sau van la nguoi Viet Nam, featuring People’s Artist Thu Huyen, Quoc Thien, Duong Hoang Yen, Quan A.P, and Lam Bao Ngoc.

The competition reached its fever pitch as Tung Duong and Hoa Minzy dropped their music videos, adding to the hype surrounding DTAP’s full-length Made In Vietnam album.

A phenomenon unlike any before

Hoa Minzy's new music video is trending #1 on YouTube.

This has become a golden moment for Vietnamese artists to create patriotic music. Previous massive hits like Viet tiep cau chuyen hoa binh (Continue the story of peace), Duong len phia truoc (The road ahead), Tuoi tre hom nay (Today’s youth), and Mot vong Viet Nam (A circle of Vietnam) had already dominated TikTok, proving that national pride could become viral.

The sheer volume of patriotic songs released in the past two months is overwhelming. Veteran artists like People’s Artist Thanh Hoa are joined by big names such as Tung Duong, My Tam, Ha Anh Tuan, and Hoa Minzy - as well as a new generation of lesser-known talents.

Among those rising stars, Nguyen Hung is making waves with Con gi dep hon (What could be more beautiful), a track from the hit war film Mua do (Red Rain). Following his earlier hit Phep mau (Miracle), Nguyen Hung has once again created a quiet sensation. In just one month, the track has surpassed 6.5 million views on YouTube.

Hoa Minzy teamed up with renowned hitmaker Nguyen Van Chung to release Noi dau giua hoa binh (Pain in peace) on August 22. The video gained over 3 million views within three days - currently the most successful release in this wave. Tung Duong, also collaborating with Nguyen Van Chung, launched Viet Nam tu hao tiep buoc (Vietnam proudly moves forward) three weeks earlier, now sitting at 3 million views as well.

DTAP had long planned a grand album to commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime event. Their songs feature support from leading voices including People’s Artist Thanh Hoa, Thanh Thuy, Bach Tuyet, My Tam, Ha Anh Tuan, Vo Ha Tram, Hong Nhung, Hien Thuc, and Phuong My Chi. While the album has gained traction, no single song has yet gone viral - likely due to fierce competition from other artists.

With the race still open, one major factor in a song’s viral potential is its remixability on TikTok. For example, Viet tiep cau chuyen hoa binh initially flew under the radar, but exploded in popularity once a remixed version gained traction on TikTok. It has since become a fixture at official ceremonies and commemorative events - a benchmark Tung Duong, Hoa Minzy, and others aim to replicate.

After the viral success of Viet tiep cau chuyen hoa binh, Nguyen Van Chung also penned the current hits of Tung Duong and Hoa Minzy.

Unexpected stumbles

Right now, audience attention is entirely focused on National Day events. Consequently, entertainment activities not aligned with patriotic themes are being sidelined. Many artists have either released their work early or postponed launches to avoid the current high-stakes window.

At the moment, the trending music charts belong solely to patriotic songs. National-level concerts dominate the live performance scene. On social media platforms, especially TikTok, search trends overwhelmingly lean toward Vietnamese history, military parades, and patriotic content. Trending TikTok music is now synonymous with national pride.

Entertainment shows and music not tied to these themes have lost traction. The hit show Em xinh "say hi", once a sensation, has seen a sharp decline in attention over the past two weeks. Even the show’s final performances failed to generate buzz.

Some artists misjudged the timing and have seen disappointing results. For instance, Masew returned with a new album featuring Hoa Minzy and other collaborators, yet none of the tracks have surpassed 100,000 YouTube views. Rapper Osad teamed up with producer Onionn, a former collaborator of Son Tung M-TP, but their new song attracted only 12,000 views in four days.

While Masew and Osad may not be among Vietnam’s top-tier stars, their recent numbers mark a sharp contrast with their previous successes. Both artists are struggling to gain organic visibility on TikTok and other platforms, resulting in limited audience reach.

Tien Phong