Music videos become “tourism ambassadors”

Beautiful images of landscapes, people and unique cultures of many regions are becoming "treasures" as many artists have been producing music videos (MVs), contributing to promoting tourism, the land and the people of Vietnam.

In 2023, singer Quach Beem released the MV “Ha Giang”, which was made in the northernmost province of the country. The MV was meticulously filmed at famous landscapes and landmarks of Ha Giang, such as Ma Pi Leng Pass, Nho Que River, Lung Cu Flagpole, Dong Van Stone Plateau, etc.

In addition to exploiting the beautiful sceneries, Quach Beem focuses on the image of locals on this rocky plateau amidst the majestic mountains and forests.

The MV is the beginning of his project of composing songs about 63 provinces and cities. “I want to make little contributions to promoting the beauty and developing tourism of Vietnam through non-profit music projects, starting with the MV “Ha Giang” and I look forward to the support of the audiences”, said Quach Beem.

The scenery of the northwestern mountainous region is always a great attraction for many artists to make music videos. Young singer Ha Thom chose the mountain scenery of Son La and Da River lakebed for her MV “Blue Smoke in the Sunset” to express her ideas in her artistic product. To get eye-catching images in the MV, Ha Thom and her crew had the challenge of finding a filming location with a river, a hillside of beautiful 'hoa gao' (bombax flowers) and a small house on stilts on the riverbank.

Not only was the image carefully created, but the song “Blue Smoke in the Sunset” also features unique cultural features of the Thai ethnic minority people. The female singer said she wants to introduce the beauty of her homeland to viewers, contributing to the land she loves.

Earlier this year, singer-musician Bui Tien Thuong also released an MV entitled “Spring Love in the Northwest” with images of white plum and apricot blossoms, symbols of spring in the northwestern mountainous region. The MV was made in the spring in Moc Chau District (Son La Province) with a spring festival scene associated with unique cultural features of the Thai people, such as Xoe dance, ‘nhay sap’ (dance between bamboo poles), gong dance, ‘ruou can’ (tube wine) and 'con' (colourful fabric ball) throwing. Bui Tien Thuong said he is implementing a music project to promote the culture, people, and beautiful landscapes of each region in Vietnam.

Den Vau is also one of the artists who has actively exploited the beauty of many regions in his million-view MVs, such as Dien Bien Province in the MV “Nau com cho em” (Cooking for children), Da Lat City in “Di ve nha” (Going home), Hoi An and Quang Nam in the MV “Mang tien ve cho me” (Bring money to mother), and Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai in the MV “Nhac cua rung” (Music of the forest).

Previously, many MVs included famous landscapes from all over the country in their music products. For example, the MV “Hoa khong huong” (Flowers without Fragrance), with the combination of K-ICM and vocalist Van Mai Huong, has conquered music lovers with eye-catching images of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, Trang An scenic spot, and Mua Cave (in Ninh Binh Province). The MVs “Anh co ve Quang Binh cung em” (Will you go to Quang Binh with me?) by singer Huyen Trang – the champion of the Sao Mai (Daystar) singing competition 2013, “Quang Binh trong anh” (Quang Binh in me) by singers Tran Nguyen Thang and Huyen Trang, “Vi mot Viet Nam” (For Vietnam) by Soobin Hoang Son; “Huong moc mien” by Vu Thang Loi, etc., also exploits the beautiful scenery of the country.

Not only singers but many localities have also boldly invited famous artists to cooperate in implementing music projects to promote tourism.

In 2023, the Da Nang City Department of Tourism launched the MV “Tuyet voi Da Nang” (Wonderful Da Nang), a combined product between the Department and singer-musician Only C, a son of Da Nang City. The MV was filmed at famous landscapes of Da Nang, such as the Han River, Rong River, My Khe beach, Son Tra Peninsula and Ba Na Hills. It also introduces the unique specialties of Da Nang.

At the end of 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism also introduced the MV “Vietnam nhung chuyen di” (Trips around Vietnam), the song composed by Vicky Nhung. It incorporated many images from the trips of travellers to promote Vietnam tourism. “Trips around Vietnam” "embraces" the beauty of three regions around the country with Cat Ba Island (in Hai Phong City), Tam Coc – Bich Dong (in Ninh Binh Province), Pu Luong (in Thanh Hoa Province), Phu Quy Island (in Binh Thuan Province) and Long An.

The most popular MV is “Going Home” by saxophonist Kenny G, which was conducted in Vietnam within the framework of a music project for the community, entitled “Good Morning Vietnam”, initiated by Nhan Dan Newspaper. “Going home” was filmed around many scenic spots in Hanoi, contributing to promoting cultural and historical values, as well as the beauty of Vietnamese people to the world.

Compared to many forms of tourism promotion, music videos have many advantages as they not only contain images, music, melodies, and lyrics but are also associated with the names of the artists. Thanks to the influence of the artists, the music videos can be spread quickly and widely, becoming one of the powerful propaganda tools and inspiring aspiration to experiences among viewers.

These music videos are gradually becoming "tourism ambassadors", bringing beautiful images of the country to the world through the artists' creativity. Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said creating content based on local tourism combined with music will contribute to promoting tourism in a new form while still retaining the spirit of Vietnamese culture.