Popular Music of Vietnam: The Politics of Remembering, the Economics of Forgetting

Olsen relies on the stories of individuals as a portal to understanding urban-based mainstream Vietnamese popular music and its struggle to exert a unique national identity through creative voice.

“Olsen (2008) similarly relies on the stories of individuals, but as a portal to understanding urban-based mainstream Vietnamese popular music and its struggle to exert a unique national identity through creative voice.”

Olsen relies on the voices of performers to express the identity of popular music that dominated Vietnam from the 1990s through 2005.

“Olsen, in Popular Music of Vietnam (2008) , similarly relies on the voices of performers, but here to express the identity of popular music that dominated Vietnam from the 1990s through 2005.”

Vietnamese pop stars do not have to go through recording companies and other gatekeepers yet, but that system may change with increased exposure to other modes of artistic management from the West.

“Vietnamese pop stars do not have to go through ' recording companies and other gate keepers yet, ' for example, but that system may change with increased exposure to other modes of artistic management from the West (94).”

The Vietnamese government desires performers to strive for originality in the sense that music should express something uniquely Vietnamese, and is critical of the quality of popular music and the behavior of youths who consume it as too global and lacking local identity.

“the government desires performers to strive for ' originality, ' in the sense that music should express something uniquely ' Vietnamese, ' and is critical of the quality of popular music and the behavior of the youths who consume it as arguably too global and lacking local identity (124 -28).”

Olsen fails to recognize that alternative performance spaces and related practices often operate deeply underground in strict political climates, and should not be so quick to dismiss the existence of possible dissenting musical and political voices.

“He fails to recognize that alternative performance spaces and related practices often operate deeply underground in strict political climates, and should not be so quick to dismiss the existence of possible dissenting musical and political voices.”

Music can be used to build a Vietnamese identity to present to the world, but unlike the intimate identity in Turkey, the national identity in Vietnam is a government-censored construction informed by globalizing processes.

“Like tourism, music can be used to build a Vietnamese identity to present to the world, but unlike the intimate identity that individuals can form with the nation through popular music in Stokes ' s study of Turkey, the national identity in Vietnam is a government-censored construction informed by globalizing processes.”

Song lyrics reveal how Vietnamese artists negotiate the need to represent social themes significant to the people while passing government scrutiny to present an approved national agenda.

“Song lyrics reveal how Vietnamese artists negotiate the need to represent what social themes are significant to the people, but at the same time can pass government scrutiny to present an approved national agenda (129).”

Political powers continue to have a problematic role in shaping the identity of Vietnamese popular music through censorship of song lyrics.

“Political powers continue to have a problematic role in shaping the identity of Vietnamese popular music through censorship of song lyrics”

Popular music, as intimated in Olsen's study in Vietnam, is again used to reinforce the ideals and values that the government associates with its new national identity.

“Popular music, as is intimated in Olsen ' s (2008) study in Vietnam, is again used to reinforce the ideals and values that the government associates with its new national identity.”