Like in any other country, music is a vital part of the culture and tradition of Vietnam. Most tourists look forward to Vietnamese music, inspired by Western and Eastern tunes. What are the best Vietnamese songs?
Here are 20 of the most famous Vietnamese songs:
- Trốn Tìm by Đen
- Sài Gòn Hôm Nay Mưa by Hoàng Duyên Jsol
- Họ Yêu Ai Mất Rồi by Doãn Hiếu
- Khi Em Lớn by Orange featuring Hoàng Dũng
- Răng Khôn by Phí Phương Anh
- Dịu Dàng Em Đến (Cukak Remix) by Erik
- Càng Lớn Càng Cô Đơn by JayKii
- Sợ Ta Mất Nhau by Châu Khải Phong
- Em Hát Ai Nghe by Orange
- Thế Nào Là Tình Yêu by Kai Đinh
- Đờn Ca Tài Tử
- Xẩm
- Tuồng
- Quan Ho Folk Songs
- Chèo
- Chầu Văn
- Ca Trù (Hát Ả Đào)
- Nhã Nhạc
- Hò and Lý
- Cải Lương
The first ten songs in the list are some of the best modern pop Vietnamese songs. At the same time, the following ten songs are some of the most famous traditional Vietnamese songs.
Read on to learn more about these 20 best Vietnamese songs.
Best Vietnamese Songs [Top 20 Most Popular]
1. Trốn Tìm by Đen
Trốn Tìm means “Hide and Seek” in English. This song by Đen is a sad love song that suits people longing for their loved ones to come back. But, sadly, the ones they love have already found a home in someone else’s arms.
In Trốn Tìm, this kind of love is compared to how two children play hide-and-seek. In which case, one child hides, and the other finds the one hiding. But in the game of love, it is possible that the seeking one will not look for the hiding person.
2. Sài Gòn Hôm Nay Mưa by Hoàng Duyên Jsol
Sài Gòn Hôm Nay Mưa is another beautiful but sad love song. It talks about a person who decides to leave Saigon to move on and heal a broken heart.
In this song, the heartbroken one sort of reminisces how they both promised to stick together through life’s ups and downs. They had so many dreams that unexpectedly shattered all at once.
3. Họ Yêu Ai Mất Rồi by Doãn Hiếu
Họ Yêu Ai Mất Rồi is another love song and this time, it’s by Doãn Hiếu. This also suits listeners who have experienced a broken heart.
If you have experienced being heartbroken, this song will never fail to take you on a trip down memory lane. You can’t help but reminisce about the fun times you had shared with your significant other, who, unfortunately, has already found someone else.
4. Khi Em Lớn by Orange featuring Hoàng Dũng
The beautiful song Khi Em Lớn is not only about love, but it is about life in general. It talks about the life of a grown-up and how easier it is to live as a young child.
When you are an adult, you experience all of life’s ups and downs. You fall in love, and you fall out of love. At times, you experience success, but there are times when you encounter failures too.
Every time you fail, it’s as if you don’t know who to turn to. Sometimes, you feel like going home to your parents. But you don’t want to admit to them that you have failed.
There are times when you feel all alone, but life goes on. When you fall, there’s nothing else you can do but stand up on your own. Life is just like that but, sometimes, we could only wish to turn back the hands of time and be a kid once again.
5. Răng Khôn by Phí Phương Anh
First love never dies. This is what the song Răng Khôn, by Phí Phương Anh, is all about. In this song, a couple started dating at a young age; it was as if they had grown up together. But fate had other plans. Their relationship had to end, and the man married someone else.
6. Dịu Dàng Em Đến (Cukak Remix) by Erik
You will surely love the Cukak Remix of the song Dịu Dàng Em Đến by Erik. This time, this Vietnamese song is not a sad love song. Instead, it focuses on the joy of being in love. It talks about how it seems so surreal that we are blessed to be in a relationship with the right person.
7. Càng Lớn Càng Cô Đơn by JayKii
The song Càng Lớn Càng Cô Đơn by JayKii is a sad love song too. But it also talks about being an adult in general. It speaks of how people feel lonelier as they grow older.
This song talks about how love brings us happiness. But questions why we always hurt the people we love.
8. Sợ Ta Mất Nhau by Châu Khải Phong
Sợ Ta Mất Nhau is another song of love, or rather, obsession. The story revolves around a man afraid to lose the one he loves. He is worried that his loved one will fall in love with another person. In its music video, it shows how obsession can lead to tragedy.
9. Em Hát Ai Nghe by Orange
Some love songs talk about happy endings, while some are about relationships that don’t last forever. But some songs talk about loving someone who has never dared to love you back. This is what Em Hát Ai Nghe, by Orange, is all about.
10. Thế Nào Là Tình Yêu by Kai Đinh
The song Thế Nào Là Tình Yêu, by Kai Đinh, talks about moving on from a heartbreak. But it also talks about not remembering how it feels to be loved again.
11. Đờn Ca Tài Tử
From modern pop Vietnamese songs, let’s move on to traditional Vietnamese songs that are just as equally popular as the modern ones. The locals appreciate the traditional songs, but tourists look forward to hearing these songs too.
Đờn Ca Tài Tử officially forms part of traditional Vietnamese music as it is a world cultural heritage recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This type of music was established during the 19th century.
12. Xẩm
Xẩm is popularly known in Vietnam as the music of the beggars. This is because Beggars typically perform xẩm to earn a living. It is composed of simple songs and accompanied by simple instruments.
Ha Thi Cau further popularize xẩm. Sadly, the appreciation for this type of music slightly waned when she passed away in 2013. Fortunately, the Vietnamese music industry has recently exerted efforts to re-introduce Xẩm music to today’s generation.
13. Tuồng
The Tuồng music is influenced by Vietnamese folk songs and traditional Chinese operas. This type of music communicates that good will always prevail over bad. It further conveys that everyone must follow a good path.
This music is typically performed to promote life lessons. It encourages love for family and love for the country. Also, it reminds Vietnamese people to honor their national heroes at all times.
14. Quan Ho Folk Songs
Quan Ho music consists of typical Vietnamese folk songs that originated from the ancient region of Kinh Bac. Typically, a group of five or six performers performs these folk songs. They sing alternately with or without music.
15. Chèo
Chèo is traditional music recently gaining popularity in Central and Northern Vietnam. It is composed of folk songs that focus on romance, poetry, and ethnicity. Typically, these folk songs have meaningful lyrics which all Vietnamese people can relate to. Perhaps it is why Chèo has always been regarded as an influential type of music.
16. Chầu Văn
Chầu Văn is another type of traditional Vietnamese music. But unlike the ones we have already discussed, this one is spiritual. It consists of folk songs related to worshipping Mother Goddesses. The songs are typically composed of solemn verses and have deep meanings.
You will hear this type of music during spiritual activities. Usually, Chầu Văn performances last for hours. They are typically accompanied by several instruments such as cymbals, small drums, and moon lute.
17. Ca Trù (Hát Ả Đào)
Similar to the Đờn Ca Tài Tử music, Ca Trù is also a world cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO. It was initially a popular type of music among bureaucrats of the 15th century.
Ca Trù performances consist of three main components, namely, the “đào,” the “kép,” and the “Quan viên.” The “đào” refers to a female singer who performs with tongs. The “kép” refers to the male instrumentalist, and the “Quan viên” refers to the drummer.
18. Nhã Nhạc
Nhã Nhạc is also known as the Hue Royal Court Music and is another world cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO. It was introduced during the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam. This type of music consists of over a hundred original songs that are impressively distinct.
During Nguyen’s monarchical times, you can often hear the Nhã Nhạc music in Vietnamese ceremonies and festivals. It is appreciated until today due to how it has influenced the structure of orchestral music.
19. Hò and Lý
Also known as Chanty music, Hò and Lý is another popular traditional Vietnamese music. It is probably one traditional music known by all common folks. This is because Hò and Lý’s songs talk about Vietnamese laborers’ moods, habits, and lifestyles.
Hò and Lý are two distinct types of music but have been closely woven together because of the similar messages that they convey. It’s just that Hò music focuses more on the Vietnamese working environment.
This type of music is often heard in Southern and Central Vietnam.
20. Cải Lương
Cải Lương originated from Southern Vietnam and is one type of opera music. It consists of songs that are influenced by the Mekong Delta folk music and by the Đờn Ca Tài Tử music.
The Cải Lương songs are inspiring as they consist of verses associated with old stories of different countries. They focus not only on Vietnam but also on Japan, Egypt, India, and France.
Often, Cải Lương songs are accompanied by an orchestra, which impacts the audience more.
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Conclusion – Best Vietnamese Songs [Top 20 Most Popular]
Vietnam has a lot of great songs.
Some of the top modern pop Vietnamese songs in 2021 are the following:
- Trốn Tìm by Đen
- Sài Gòn Hôm Nay Mưa by Hoàng Duyên Jsol
- Họ Yêu Ai Mất Rồi by Doãn Hiếu
- Khi Em Lớn by Orange featuring Hoàng Dũng
- Răng Khôn by Phí Phương Anh
- Dịu Dàng Em Đến (Cukak Remix) by Erik
- Càng Lớn Càng Cô Đơn by JayKii
- Sợ Ta Mất Nhau by Châu Khải Phong
- Em Hát Ai Nghe by Orange
- Thế Nào Là Tình Yêu by Kai Đinh
While the top traditional Vietnamese songs that are still popular in 2021 are the following:
- Đờn Ca Tài Tử
- Xẩm
- Tuồng
- Quan Ho Folk Songs
- Chèo
- Chầu Văn
- Ca Trù (Hát Ả Đào)
- Nhã Nhạc
- Hò and Lý
- Cải Lương
There has been a remarkable growth in Vietnamese pop music. Perhaps because they can successfully incorporate traditional Vietnamese music with international music trends.
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