Indie Vietnam

In recent years, Indie music has been spreading amongst the Vietnamese youth like wild fire. Many Indie artists are finally getting the recognition and popularity they deserve for their music and their hard work. A few prime examples include Đen Vâu, with his 1,500,000 YouTube subscribers (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWu91J5KWEj1bQhCBuGeJxw), and Vũ, with his 380,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 137,600,000 total video views (https://www.youtube.com/user/VMaxTV), among others. 

Among the constellation of rapidly rising Indie artists, Ngọt is a shining star that has been making noticeable waves ever since the release of their first studio album in 2016. After the release of their second album ‘Ng`bthg’, the band saw vast critical and commercial success. In 2018, the band received 2 honourable Cống Hiến awards: ‘New artist of the year’ and ‘Song of the year’. They also quickly sold out all 3000 tickets of their live shows in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city.

(Lê 2017)

A major part of Ngọt’s massive appeal to Vietnamese audiences is thanks to the band’s excellent lyrical range, brought about by Ngọt’s lead singer and songwriter – Vũ Đinh Trọng Thắng. That is, the band’s music has two very contrasting musical flavours. Sometimes, the ‘feel’ of the songs can be sweet and positive – but at times it can be bitter, dark, and intensely philosophical as well. Let’s take a closer look.

(Zingmp3 n.d.) 

I. The sweet 

The ‘sweet’ side of Ngọt is what launched the band towards massive commercial success, particularly with the song ‘Em Dạo Này’. This song amassed 8,500,000 views on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6s_eRHYqVM), and acted as the leverage that helped Ngọt reach such a large audience with their newest album. 

In this song, Ngọt combined elements of both Indie Pop and Waltz to create a romantic and almost dream-like ‘feel’, then sprinkled in the magic of the words to make the perfect cherry on top. The lyrics are down-to-earth but ever so sweet and tender. ‘Em dạo này có còn xem phim một mình? Em dạo này có đồ ăn và shopping?’ The narrator in the song wonders what his ex is doing – whether she’s going to the movies alone, and whether she still does the things she did when they were still together. These romantic words pluck at the listener’s heartstrings, the exact way a love ballad should.

(Zingmp3 n.d.)

II. The bitter 

The more bitter side of Ngọt’s music is less popular than the sweet side, but it is what keeps Ngọt’s fans coming back for more, time and time again. In fact, even though sweet songs like ‘Em Dạo Này’ launched the band’s second album to commercial success, for the most part, the album consists of ‘bitter’ songs – songs that are deep, philosophical, and can be considered ‘dark’. 

One prime example of such a song is ‘Bartender’ – the fifth song on the album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u0ygl9vJHI). With heavy emphasis on electric guitar and drums, this musical element of this song sets up a serious tone, which is once again confirmed by the grim lyrics. With lines like ‘What goes around comes around. Người ta gieo gió rồi gặp bão. Để bây giờ lòng đầy sám hối, đến xưng tội bên tai tôi’, the narrator of the song ponders themes of karma, heartbreak and death. This proves the very diverse spectrum of Ngọt’s music. One minute, they can be sweet, upbeat and dreamy. The next, they can ponder life and death themselves.

Reference list: 

Cầm, Đ 2019, ‘Nhạc indie: Họ là dòng chảy của những gương mặt đẹp với âm nhạc đẹp’, Tuổi Trẻ, 2 July, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://tuoitre.vn/nhac-indie-ho-la-dong-chay-cua-nhung-guong-mat-dep-voi-am-nhac-dep-20190702095042926.htm>.

Đen Vâu 2019, Đen Vâu Official, YouTube, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWu91J5KWEj1bQhCBuGeJxw>.

Kaye, D 2018, Ngot’s Lead Singer Vu Dinh Trong Thang On How To Be Normal, Vietcetera, viewed 28 July 2019, <http://vietcetera.com/en/ngots-lead-singer-vu-dinh-trong-thang-on-how-to-be-normal/>.

Lê, MG 2017, Ngọt: ‘Chúng tôi mỗi lúc một kiểu, có cả tăm tối và dễ thương’, photograph, viewed July 2019, <https://news.zing.vn/ngot-chung-toi-moi-luc-mot-kieu-co-ca-tam-toi-va-de-thuong-post783097.html>.

Linh, T 2018, ‘Ngọt Band: Từ hát không cát-sê ở quán cà phê đến ‘cháy vé’ liveshow’, Thanh Niên, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://thanhnien.vn/van-hoa/ngot-band-tu-hat-khong-cat-se-o-quan-ca-phe-den-chay-ve-liveshow-959118.html>.

Ngọt – Bartender, YouTube, Ngọt, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u0ygl9vJHI>.

Ngọt – Em Dạo Này, YouTube, Ngọt, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6s_eRHYqVM>.

Nguyễn, Đ 2017, ‘Nhóm nhạc Ngọt ra mắt album mới’, VNExpress, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://vnexpress.net/giai-tri/nhom-nhac-ngot-ra-mat-album-moi-3644301.html>.

Thư, Q 2018, ‘Những chàng trai 9x đa tài của Ngọt band vừa nhận giải Cống hiến là ai?’, Tiền Phong, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.tienphong.vn/giai-tri/nhung-chang-9x-da-tai-cua-ngot-band-vua-nhan-giai-cong-hien-la-ai-1253390.tpo>.

Vũ 2019, Vũ Official, YouTube, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/user/VMaxTV>.

Zingmp3, n.d., Bartender, photograph, viewed July 2019, <https://zingmp3.vn/bai-hat/Bartender-Ngot/ZW9BUUAI.html>.

If you are a keen listener of Vietnamese contemporary music, it’s not hard to notice several Indie artists gradually making a name for themselves and winning audiences’ hearts left and right like never before. Notable names include Vũ – the designated Vietnamese prince of Indie (https://news.zing.vn/hoang-tu-indie-viet-neu-viet-nhac-tam-toi-chac-toi-khong-song-noi-post814213.html), Ngọt – with hits like ‘Em Dạo Này’ accumulating more than 8 million views on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6s_eRHYqVM), and Cá Hồi Hoang – who are set to release their fourth studio album at the end of July.

Indeed, these days, Indie music is certainly becoming somewhat of an inseparable element of the Vietnamese music scene. Nevertheless, it is important to note that it has not always been like this. There were times when ‘Indie’ was not even a fathomable concept in Vietnam. Vietnamese music was divided into two main streams: V-Pop – which stands for Vietnamese Pop, and V-Rock – which stands for Vietnamese Rock, and that was that. Only recently have terms like ‘Indie’ and ‘underground’ had a standing in the minds of Vietnamese audiences. So what led to the rise of Indie?

(Domino Recording Company 2017)

Let’s put the Vietnamese scene aside for now and visit the roots of Indie music as a whole first. Indie got its start in the late 70s, with English punk rock band Buzzcocks’ EP ‘Spiral Scratch’. This particular EP disc’s success ‘created the blueprint for independent labels in one fell swoop’ (Peacock 2018, The Rise Of Indie Music). In the 90s, Indie music went mainstream, with the raging success of household names such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and The Smashing Pumpkins. 

After the US lifted its trade embargo on Vietnam in 1994, Westernization started to take off in Vietnam, and slowly Western culture started to have a larger influence on Vietnamese youth, including of course, on the music front. Around 2015, the rise of popular free music sharing platforms such as SoundCloud paved the way for Indie music to kindle its fire and really start to grow in Vietnam. Artists like Vũ, Ngọt, and Đen Vâu could finally reach mainstream audiences by posting their work on SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/toilavu) (https://soundcloud.com/ngot) (https://soundcloud.com/den1305). This helped them gradually amass an impressive amount of fans. As of right now, Vũ has 134000 SoundCloud followers, Ngọt has 45600, and Đen Vâu, 124000.

(Unite Asia n.d.)

The Vietnamese Indie scene is growing rapidly and faster than ever. Indie artists are getting more opportunities to perform in large shows instead of just small coffee shop gigs. One prime example of this is the recent ‘Bờ Hồ Fest’ – a music festival that took place just last month and consisted of over 20 Indie artists and bands not only from Vietnam, but also from Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, and more. This goes to show that the Vietnamese Indie community is definitely expanding and reaching international waters as well. All this certainly paints a promising picture for the future of Vietnamese Indie. All there is left to do is to wait and see what more these independent artists will have to offer us next.

Reference list: 

Cầm, Đ 2019, ‘Nhạc indie: Họ là dòng chảy của những gương mặt đẹp với âm nhạc đẹp’, Tuổi Trẻ, 2 July, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://tuoitre.vn/nhac-indie-ho-la-dong-chay-cua-nhung-guong-mat-dep-voi-am-nhac-dep-20190702095042926.htm>.

Đen Vâu 2019, denvau, SoundCloud, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://soundcloud.com/den1305>.

Domino Recording Company, MG 2017, Buzzcocks Spiral Scratch, photograph, viewed July 2019, <https://www.dominomusic.com/releases/buzzcocks/spiral-scratch/limited-edition-7-2>.

Ngọt – Em Dạo Này, YouTube, Ngọt, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6s_eRHYqVM>.

Ngọt 2019, Ngọt, SoundCloud, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://soundcloud.com/ngot>.

ntglobal 2013, Westernization in Vietnam, WordPress, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://thinkglobalasia.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/westernization-in-vietnam/>. 

Peacock, T 2018, Music For Misfits: The Story Of Indie, Udiscovermusic, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/story-of-indie-music/>.

Thư, M 2018, ‘Nhạc Indie – ‘sức nặng’ trong showbiz Việt’, Thể thao & Văn hoá, 18 February, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://thethaovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/nhac-indie-suc-nang-trong-showbiz-viet-n20180119120007308.htm>.

TinNhac.com 2016, ‘Top 10 ca khúc bất hủ của Rock Việt’, TinNhac.com, 9 June, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://tinnhac.com/top-10-ca-khuc-bat-hu-cua-rock-viet-69973.html>.

Unite Asia, n.d., boho fest, photograph, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://uniteasia.org/hanoi-music-festival-bo-ho-fest-announce-full-lineup-vietnam/boho-fest/>.

Van, H 2018, ‘‘Hoàng tử Indie Việt’: Nếu viết nhạc tăm tối chắc tôi không sống nổi’, Zing.vn, 24 January, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://news.zing.vn/hoang-tu-indie-viet-neu-viet-nhac-tam-toi-chac-toi-khong-song-noi-post814213.html>.

VpopFan 2016, Vpop 105: Adolescence – Growing Pains And Identity Crisis In A Kpop World, VpopFan, viewed 28 July 2019, <http://vpopfan.com/2016/09/07/vpop-105-adolescence-growing-pains-and-identity-crisis-in-a-kpop-world/>. 

Musicians need a place to play like a bee needs its hive. Indie artists don’t perform in sold-out stadiums. Instead, they find their second home in smoke-filled cafes and dimly lit pubs. These places don’t pay as much, but they have their own unique charm. Each musical venue is a small yet intimate community in and of itself. Artists get a chance to share their passion, and people who visit these venues get a chance to personally connect with artists – and with each other – through the music. Here are 3 exceptional venues you can visit in Hanoi to soak yourself in the complete Indie experience.

(Topgo n.d.)

1. Hanoi Rock City – The mini concert center 

Address: 27/52 Tô Ngọc Vân alley, Tây Hồ district, Hanoi, Vietnam. 

This is the first on our list of must-visits for Indie fans. Situated in a quiet area near West Lake in Tô Ngọc Vân alley, this bar encapsulates a surprisingly lively vibe. Hanoi Rock City was founded in 2010 and has been bringing underground artists’ music closer to audiences for almost a decade. The venue features all kinds of genre, from indie to heavy metal, electronic and swing jazz. There most certainly is something for everyone here.

This is undoubtedly a large space. Shows taking place here could be better described as ‘mini concerts’ rather than ‘intimate cafe music’. The stage is relatively big, and there is plenty of space for the audience to move around and liberally dance to the lively tunes. Beer and other soft drinks are served at the back of the room for all the refreshment needs. 

Hanoi Rock City is where people go to feel alive. Nothing keeps you more in touch with yourself than a Friday night spent at this venue, discovering new bands and dancing alongside strangers with a beer in hand. Here, the music isn’t just played. It transcends the atmosphere and becomes one with the bar itself.

(Huong Khanh&Fanpage 2019)

2. HUB café – Artists’ hideout 

Address: 122 Ô Chợ Dừa street, Đống Đa district, Hanoi, Vietnam. 

On my first time visiting HUB, it took me a minute to locate the place. After all, the café does lie on a busy street, with shops and coffee places sprawling left and right. Then I noticed them – the musicians. They were sitting at the foot of the stairs leading up to the café, on those tiny blue plastic chairs, chatting away enthusiastically, cigarettes in hand. I would recognize them anywhere, with their band T-shirts and peculiar hairstyles and all. The musicians play an integral part – they are the soul of HUB. 

HUB is a safe haven for the artistic soul, with its rock band posters plastered all over the walls and the constant appearance of musicians from all sorts of indie bands there. It is not a huge space, with only two floors and limited space, but it is the absolute representation of the Hanoian indie scene – small and down-to-earth. 

The shows hosted here are mainly rock shows, so this venue is a definite hotspot for rock lovers. People visit because of local indie rock bands like School Of Rockk, as well as cover shows of international music.

(Bowyer 2019)

3. Whiskey Mystics and Men – Intimate connection 

Address: 15A/12 Đặng Thai Mai alley, Tây Hồ district, Hanoi, Vietnam. 

Whiskey Mystics and Men – also known as W2M – is located in the same quiet area as Hanoi Rock City, close to West Lake. Although it also hosts live shows, it is inherently a lot more “chill” than Hanoi Rock City. It doesn’t have a huge stage, and is most definitely not designed to be a center for playing mini concerts. Still, it is profoundly charming in its own way. A TripAdvisor review for Whiskey Mystics and Men has even called it ‘A Hidden Gem for Rockers in Hanoi’ (https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293924-d17427175-r672738903-Whiskey_Mystics_and_Men_W2M-Hanoi.html). 

I absolutely agree – ‘a hidden gem’ is the exactly correct phrase to describe this place. Despite constantly hosting live shows that fill out every seating space, it does not create a “crammed” feeling. Rather, there is a certain intimacy to the atmosphere that is almost romantic. Visiting the bar, you can often find audiences sitting closely next to one another on the floor, surrounding the playing band. Here, people come as strangers and leave as friends, and music is the very bond that ties them together.

Reference list: 

Bowyer, M 2019, Whiskey Mystics and Men Bar, Hanoi, Rusty Compass, viewed 28 July 2019,  <https://www.rustycompass.com/vietnam-travel-guide-233/hanoi-5/nightlife-17/whiskey-mystics-and-men-bar-hanoi-1466#.XTyropMzbpA>.

Bowyer, MG 2019, Whiskey Mystics and Men – W2M, West Lake, Hanoi, photograph, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.rustycompass.com/vietnam-travel-guide-233/hanoi-5/nightlife-17/whiskey-mystics-and-men-bar-hanoi-1466#.XTy1Y5MzbpA>.

H5456HTdanm 2019, A Hidden Gem for Rockers in Hanoi, TripAdvisor, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293924-d17427175-r672738903-Whiskey_Mystics_and_Men_W2M-Hanoi.html>.

Hanoi Rock City 2018, Our story, Facebook, 21 November, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.facebook.com/hanoirockcity.welive/>.

Hanoi Rock City n.d., About, TripAdvisor, viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293924-d3748946-Reviews-Hanoi_Rock_City-Hanoi.html>.

HUB Café 2019, Past events, Facebook, n.d., viewed 28 July 2019, <https://www.facebook.com/pg/hubartclub/events/?ref=page_internal>.

HUB Café, Clingme, viewed 28 July 2019, <http://clingme.vn/Place/Detail/hub-cafe-tgf5>.

Huong Khanh&Fanpage, MG 2019, Hub coffee – bar, photograph, viewed July 2019, <http://hoahoctro.vn/tin-tuc/neu-ban-muon-tim-mot-quan-ca-phe-that-hay-ho-o-ha-noi-thi-day>.

Musicshow n.d., Bar Hanoi rock city, Musicshow, viewed 28 July 2019, <http://musicshow.vn/user/hanoirockcity_u118>.

‘In the face of a bubblegum pop invasion and the resurfacing of pre-1975 oldies, a crop of young indie artists are quietly carving out a musical identity of their own by marrying elements of local culture with iconic international influences.’ I couldn’t agree more with this statement from a Saigoneer article. In 2019, Vietnamese indie artists are developing their own unique styles and winning over audiences left and right. If you are new to the Indie scene, it can be overwhelming to look at the many artists emerging and try to distinguish which ones are worth your time and energy. For your convenience, here are our top-picked 2 Vietnamese Indie artists who are most definitely worth a proper checking-out.

(Krançien 2006)

1. Ngọt 

This band of 4 young men in their 20s are undoubtedly making their way into the headphones of mainstream audiences. They started out just like any other indie band, doing small gigs in bars and coffee shops. After a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2016, the band managed to produce its own debut album. Now, in 2019, Ngọt has entered the mainstream market with hit singles like ‘Em Dao Nay’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6s_eRHYqVM&feature=youtu.be) and ‘Cho Toi Lang Thang’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUr4qp6YGLs), accumulating 8 million and 11 million views on YouTube, respectively.

(Linh 2018)

One of the main reasons why Ngọt’s music appeals so much to Vietnamese youth is that the band is able to convey such a wide range of emotions through their songs. They can be romantic, like in ‘Em Dao Nay’ and ‘Xanh’, but they can also take the listener to dark corners of the mind, like with ‘Bartender’. Their fans are mostly young people, and what is youth without confusion and chaotic mixtures of love and sadness? Psychology Today – an American magazine – published an article in 2013, noting that youth today are under the influence of multiple factors, from ‘changing social norms’ to ‘shifting economic conditions’ and ‘advancing technology’, and these factors cause them a whole lot of confusion. Young people adore Ngọt’s music, because they see reflections of themselves in the songs, and feel that the band understands what they are going through.

2. Vũ 

Vũ has been dubbed by multiple media outlets, including Zing.vn and Ticketgo, ‘the Vietnamese prince of Indie’ (https://news.zing.vn/hoang-tu-indie-viet-neu-viet-nhac-tam-toi-chac-toi-khong-song-noi-post814213.html) (https://ticketgo.vn/blog/tieu-su-va-con-duong-am-nhac-cua-vu-chang-hoang-tu-indie-viet) – and for good reason. On the solo Indie artists front, he is definitely making the most waves, with over 300,000 subscribers on his official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/VMaxTV). Some of his songs are so well known, that their popularity could easily be compared to that of mainstream pop songs.

(Vân 2018)

‘Dong Kiem Em’ has garnered over 30 million views on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLBTbCfR-Fg), and ‘La Lung’ – 66 million (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5tS5m86bOI). When comparing YouTube video views, Vũ’s numbers even beat those of a couple international indie acts. For example, Arcade Fire, a Canadian indie rock band, can only garner 30 million video views at its best, with the song ‘Reflektor’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E0fVfectDo). American band Vampire Weekend also only manages to reach 40 million with their most popular music video, ‘A-Punk’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XC2mqcMMGQ&list=PL5EeLPfXTf97wlQteyz52pe_VvZn6L_4N). Vũ’s music does not have as much range as Ngọt’s, but it has still successfully captured the hearts (and ears) of a large audience. Why is that? 

If there were one phrase that could best describe Vũ’s music, it would be ‘exceptionally real’. Most of his songs revolve around the topic of love, inspired by his own heart-wrenching experiences. He is able to deliver the essence of those experiences through every lyric and every musical note, effectively allowing the listener to look through his lens and even feel his pain. I think that is why so many people can connect to his music: pain is universal. Every one feels it, and every one longs for someone to share their pain with. At times, the mind can feel like such a prison. In Vũ, they find a friend, someone who “gets” them and helps them escape that prison, even if just for a brief moment.

Reference list: 

CafeDen 2019, ‘Tiểu sử và con đường âm nhạc của Vũ – chàng “Hoàng tử Indie Việt”’, Ticketgo.vn, 12 March, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://ticketgo.vn/blog/tieu-su-va-con-duong-am-nhac-cua-vu-chang-hoang-tu-indie-viet>.

ĐÔNG KIẾM EM / Vũ. (Original), YouTube, Vũ Official, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLBTbCfR-Fg>.

Krançien, MG 2006, Beef, photograph, accessed July 2019, <https://www.flickr.com/photos/48648388@N00/228419944>. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

LẠ LÙNG / Vũ. (Original), YouTube, Vũ Official, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5tS5m86bOI>.

Linh, MG 2018, Ngọt Band chính là các nghệ sĩ Indie đầu tiên nhận giải Âm nhạc Cống hiến, photograph, viewed July 2019, <https://thanhnien.vn/van-hoa/ngot-band-tu-hat-khong-cat-se-o-quan-ca-phe-den-chay-ve-liveshow-959118.html>.

Ngọt – Em Dạo Này, YouTube, Ngọt, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6s_eRHYqVM>.

Ngọt vc. Đen – Cho Tôi Lang Thang, YouTube, Ngọt, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUr4qp6YGLs>.

Nguyen, D 2017, ‘Ngọt - ban nhạc Indie chinh phục khán giả bằng sự mộc mạc’, VNExpress, 26 October, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://vnexpress.net/giai-tri/ngot-ban-nhac-indie-chinh-phuc-khan-gia-bang-su-moc-mac-3657753.html>.

Saigoneer 2016, Indie Artists Bring New Sounds to Vietnam’s Contemporary Music Scene, Saigoneer, viewed 8 July 2019, <https://saigoneer.com/saigon-music-art/8724-indie-artists-bring-new-sounds-to-vietnam-s-contemporary-music-scene>.

Schwartz, S 2013, ‘Why Are Young Adults So Darn Confused?’, Psychology Today, 27 August, viewed 26 July 2019, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/proceed-your-own-risk/201308/why-are-young-adults-so-darn-confused>.

Van, H 2018, ‘‘Hoàng tử Indie Việt’: Nếu viết nhạc tăm tối chắc tôi không sống nổi’, Zing.vn, 24 January, viewed 10 July 2019, <https://news.zing.vn/hoang-tu-indie-viet-neu-viet-nhac-tam-toi-chac-toi-khong-song-noi-post814213.html>.