HCM CITY — Singer Bùi Bích Phương has completed a music project called “Việt Nam – Việt Nam” that praises the beauty of the country and its culture.

“My team and I want to introduce our country’s landscape and culture to young Vietnamese, especially those overseas,” said the 27-year-old.

The project includes three music videos with songs that contain melodies that combine traditional Vietnamese music and pop and dance music.

One video, titled Nói Thương Nhau Thì Đừng Làm Trái Tim Em Đau (If You Love Me, Don’t Hurt Me), was released four days ago, earning more than 370,000 views on YouTube.

The song was composed by Phạm Thanh Hà, who is popular for songs influenced by traditional music.

“I know the song’s title looks weird and does not highlight my project, but its melody is great. It’s a harmony between the [ethnic minority] Red Dao’s music and pop music,” Phương said.  

The video is about a love between a Kinh woman and a Red Dao man, and a Red Dao traditional wedding.

Directed by Khương Vũ, the video captures landscapes at the Bản Giốc Waterfall in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bằng.

Phương said that her team loved the music, costumes and traditions of the Red Dao.

“I want to make impressive videos for my project. But, for Nói Thương Nhau Thì Đừng Làm Trái Tim Em Đau MV, we faced plenty of difficulties,” she said.

Phương and her team conducted research to create a traditional Red Dao wedding, with authentic costumes and rituals.

Trần Thanh Nhân, a student in HCM City, said: “The song is great with a lovely melody. I’m impressed by the wedding in the video. There’s no doubt that our country is very beautiful.”

Phương plans to release two other videos on YouTube this year about the special traits of Vietnamese culture.

“Three videos cannot describe the beauty of our country,” Phương said, adding that financial issues prevented her from finishing a bigger project.

“I dream of more projects to introduce Vietnamese music, culture and landscapes to locals and audiences around the world,” she said.

She also plans to release a DVD including three videos.

Phương became well-known after placing in the top seven of the Việt Nam Idol contest in 2010, a Vietnamese version of the American Idol show.

She won the favourite pop/rock song prize at Zing Music Awards (ZMA) 2014 for Mình Yêu Nhau Đi (Let’s Fall in Love) by Tiên Cookie.

She received the MV of the year at ZMA in 2016 for Gửi Anh Xa Nhớ (To My Love), another composition by Tiên Cookie. Since its release last August, the video has had more than 52 million views on YouTube.

Earlier this year, Phương amazed all her fans when presenting Bao Giờ Lấy Chồng (When Will You Get Married?) composed by Huỳnh Hiền Năng.

The song’s title is a question that single Vietnamese women hear regularly.

The video was warmly welcomed by audiences, especially women. It attracted over 45 million views on YouTube. — VNS