LISTEN: What happened to Vietnam's rock music scene? Part 2
The post-war decline of rock and pop music followed by its gradual revival
Post-war Vietnam brought about an overnight halt to rock and pop music in Saigon – or Ho Chi Minh City as it was newly-named after 1975.
The early 1970s had given birth to bands like Phượng Hoàng (Phoenix Band), Saigon’s first true rock band that sang original songs with Vietnamese lyrics.
Fronted by Elvis Phương, they became known as “The Beetles of Saigon” during a time when the Saigon Zoo played host to the city’s first ever rock concert in front of 10,000 enthusiastic rock music fans.
But it all came crashing down after reunification as the genre of music was viewed by the authorities as subversive, labelled as “Yellow Music” and confiscated and destroyed whenever it was encountered.
Gradually, however, it made a resurgence throughout the 90s and 2000s thanks to some very passionate individuals and groups who were determined to never let it die, some of whom became instrumental in bringing international rock bands to Vietnam, including Bob Dylan for a one-off gig in the early 2010s.
I hope you get a kick out of Part 2. Sit back, relax and turn it up loud! Rock on!
I have anxiously been waiting for this episode. When you were talking about Vietnamese rock following Doi Moi, I worried there might be some references to "Hanoi Rocks".
It is interesting that you mentioned "yellow music". I first heard the term when researching about Bolero music, which is a much different style. I guess only patriotic anthems were allowed in those early days.