Analyzing Negus Use Of Globalization In Vietnamese Pop Culture

Together with the normalized relation with the U.S. and other Western countries, the economic expansion, the rise of living standard of national citizens and the intensive growth of technical advancement in a decade after the initiation of đổi mới policy have given the local music industry the opportunity to formulate itself again in Vietnam at the mid-1990, in major support of musical acts of Vietnamese youth subcultures, who represent the Vietnamese post-war generation. Through their musical expression, the youth has created their imagined identities, which Olsen has conceptualized with two following terms Globalization and Vietnamization. By quoting Negus’ definition of the term Globalization, which originally describes the worldwide process

As rock music has brought itself as “noise” characteristics into Vietnamese music scene contrasted to “Vietnamese government-approved traditional popular music”, according to Olsen, it represents “a relatively new musical statement in Vietnamese pop culture during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and it remains as the most obvious contemporary expression in music in the new millennium in Vietnam.” Following the globalization in contemporary music expression, it also reflects the capitalistic impact on Vietnamese contemporary culture, especially among the youth community after đổi mới policy, as Olsen commented: “Beyond the aspirations and successes of a few pop stars and bands in Vietnam, the youth in general make a connection between contemporary popular music, globalization, making money, learning English, and not thinking about the past [which means here the historical wars against France and America in the 20th century]” (2008: