Rock Music in Vietnam

US soldiers brought Rock and Roll into Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh city) when it was the trend during the 60s. At the beginning, Vietnamese reacted hostilely because it was considered an alien music from American invaders. Through times, Rock has gradually gained a foothold in the mind of Vietnamese youngsters with the appearance of bands in different periods like The Enterprise, The Rocking Stars, The Phoenix, Metronome, The Wall and Microwave.

Although Rock possesses only about 10% market share in the Vietnamese Music Industry, it remains a niche favorite. It has appeared in almost every prestigious music event, namely Vietnam Idol, “Sao Mai Diem Hen” or “Bai Hat Viet”.

In general, Vietnam’s genres are still strongly affected by international typicality like British or American rock. However, there are musicians that have blended the western music with a taste of the local, like Nguyen Cuong with “Tay Nguyen Rock” or Pham Anh Khoa, who has transformed Vietnamese traditional folk songs into Rock, which is called “Rock Dan Ca”.