Music Concert: Đại Nhạc Hội Imuzik

Attended a grand musical concert for Vietnamese popular music at the national outdoor stadium of Hanoi (Sân vận động Quốc gia Mỹ Đình)

It was an eye-opener, where most of the nations top singers came down to perform for one night.

This event attracted an estimated 22,000 people and is a musical showcase that is sponsored and organized with liaises with Viettel., a major telecom company in Vietnam. Many of Vietnam’s up and rising stars came to perform at this showcase, including Mỹ Tâm, Đàm Vĩnh Hưng, Hồ Nhọc Hà, Phương Linh, Tuấn Hưng, Quang Vinh, Bảo Thy, Phạm Quỳnh Anh, Thùy Trang, Hoàng Nghiệp, Xuân Bắc, Mỹ Lan, Ban nhạc Rock Ngũ Cung, Nhóm Nhịp Điệu, Nhóm nhảy Big Toe and Nhóm múa K27.

It was noted that audiences came from a wide variety of demographics, from young to old, friends to families. Most of the audiences were quite enthusiastic about the programme, singing along to the various tunes sang by the singers, as well as giving loud applause and cheers. There were many genres of Vietnamese pop on display , including rock, dance, pop and hip hop among others However, it was noted as well that some genres were more well received by the audiences than others. One of the more popular singers on stage that day was Tuấn Hủng, who sings contemporary pop songs in this modern age, with tunes that are easy to understand and follow. The most anticipated song in my opinion was sang by him, titled “Cầu Vồng Khuyết.” It was very well received.

Other pop singers include Phương Linh, the singer most well known from her rendition of “ bonjour Vietnam” , and the winner of “Sao Mai Diem Hen”, Hoang Nghiep.

In addition, was Bao Thy, one of the more popular singers in Vietnam, mostly because of her appeal as an artist rather than a singer, her songs appealing to the youths, a mixture of techno and pop. An artist with pleasant looks, she typifies that success in the modern pop music industry of Vietnam can be molded not just by personality and vocal strengths but by beauty as well.

Diversity of Vietnamese popular music was made evident as well by another 2 singers that performed during this concert, “Ngu Cung”, a student rock band, which featured head banging, and “Dam Vinh Hung”, whose music is mostly in the genre of dance and techno, but judging by the response, is rather popular as well. Lastly, on stage was Vietnam’s most diverse and well-groomed overseas singer, My Tam, who has ventured abroad to work with Korean composers before, exchanging cultures and musical ideas between these two nations. The songs she sang were very modern and trendy, a signal of Vietnam’s rising development in the popular music scene.

Overall, the concert was an overwhelming experience. Interview with audiences revealed that this concert was a good opportunity for them to meet hear their favorite singers perform live, and that the participatory atmosphere is fantastic, and a great place to enjoy music. Hence, this concert has also shown how far Vietnamese music has progressed throughout the years, and how popular it is with the Vietnamese population, particularly among young adults and teenagers. It addition, it has also grown commercially as a business rather than for mostly nationalistic purposes in the past, especially after the advent of “ Đoi Moi.” One of the factors of this can be seen by Viettel’s partnership in organization, which offered its employees free passes to this concert to promote Vietnamese music and its development, in exchange for publicity space, noted by 2 informants interviewed who came as they were customers of Viettel. Thus, embarking the shift of the commodification and individual performance of music.