V-pop

V-pop (Nhạc Pop Việt Nam), an abbreviation for Vietnamese pop, is a musical genre covering Vietnamese music from the 1990s to the modern-day. In Vietnam, it is also known as "youth music" (nhac trẻ).

History

Early history

Vietnamese Pop music was heavily influenced early on by the large United States military presence in South Vietnam.

Some of the most successful acts of the era include Phượng Hoàng, Elvis Phương, Trường Kỳ, Nam Lộc, Tùng Giang, Thanh Lan and Carol Kim. Popular for their modern style, Mai Lệ Huyền and Hùng Cường are considered to be more "exciting" contributors to V-Pop.

The escalating war in Vietnam culminated with the fall of Saigon, and the following economic crisis resulted in many Vietnamese music artists leaving the country. Under the Vietnamese communist government, popular music was suppressed while it continued to be popular amongst overseas Vietnamese refugee communities.

Renovation period, U.S. embargoed

Domestic

After the end of the Vietnam War, with the U.S. embargo, popular music produced prior to 1975 ("nhac vang") was prohibited for its sentimental nature. Music that had "patriotism" and followed a traditional revolutionary theme ("music in red"), as well as folk songs, had "good values," and so were encouraged by the state.