Voices of Vietnam

On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh read out the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence over a makeshift wired loudspeaker system to thousands of listeners in Hanoi. Five days later, Ho's Viet Minh forces set up a clandestine radio station using equipment brought to Southeast Asia by colonial traders. The revolutionaries garnered support for their coalition on air by interspersing political narratives with red music (nh.ac /d?o). Voice of Vietnam Radio (VOV) grew from these communist and colonial foundations to become one of the largest producers of music in contemporary Vietnam. In this first comprehensive English-language study on the history of radio music in mainland Southeast Asia, Lonán Ó Briain examines the broadcast voices that reconfigured Vietnam's cultural, social, and political landscape over a century. Ó Briain draws on a year of ethnographic fieldwork at the VOV studios (2016-17), interviews with radio employees and listeners, historical recordings and broadcasts, and archival research in Vietnam, France, and the United States. From the Indochinese radio clubs of the 1920s to the 75th anniversary celebrations of the VOV in 2020, Voices of Vietnam: A Century of Radio, Red Music, and Revolution offers a fresh perspective on this turbulent period by demonstrating how music production and sound reproduction are integral to the unyielding process of state formation.

Lonán Ó Briain is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Nottingham. He is the author or editor of several books, including Musical Minorities: The Sounds of Hmong Ethnicity in Northern Vietnam.

Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Introduction: On Radio, Red Music, and Revolution
Defining Red Music
A Continuous Revolution
Radio and Voice
Social History of Sound Reproduction
Ethnographic and Archival Research
Structure of the Book
Note on Language and Music
Chapter 1: Sound, Technology, and Culture in French Indochina
Cultural Colonialism in French Indochina
Trading Instruments, Scores, and Recordings
The Gramophone as a Lifestyle Choice
Radio as a Technology of the Future
Public Radio in French Indochina
The Radio Club of Northern Indochina
Instability under Japanese Occupation
Local Clubs with Global Perspectives
Chapter 2: Battle of the Airwaves during the First Indochina War
Producing the Declaration of Independence
Viet Minh Clandestine Radio in the Mountains
Making Music for the Masses
Cosmopolitan Styles on Radio Hanoi
Inventing Traditions for the Vietnamese
Forgotten Musicians of the Vi?t Nh?c Ensemble
Viet Minh Radio becomes the Official Voice of Vietnam
Chapter 3: Songs of the Golden Age in the Democratic Republic
Radio Infrastructure in the DRV
Recording, Broadcasting, and Receiving Signals
VOV Directives and Programming Traditions
Iconic Voices, Musicians, and Singers
Local and International Tours
Reification of Gender Roles
Men as Administrators and Composers
Women as Mothers and Martyrs
Children as Nephews and Nieces
Listening and Responding in the South
Music for the Liberation of Saigon, April 30, 1975
Sonic Reterritorialization of the Socialist State
Chapter 4: National Radio in the Reform Era
Post-War Unification of the Musical Media
Challenges and Opportunities in the Reform Era
VOV3: A Place for Music
Programming the Minorities on Air
Curating the Past: The VOV Sound Centre and its Archives
History of the VOV Soun d Centre
Engaging with the Archives
Forecasting the Future: Listener-Centred Productions
Surveying the Musical Preferences of Audiences
Responding to Audience Demand
Revolutionizing the Medium, Regurgitating the Message
Chapter 5: Studio Production in Contemporary Vietnam
The Politics of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Representing the Nation with Traditional Music
In the Rehearsal Hall, July 12, 2016
In the Recording Studio, July 15, 2016
Redefining the Nation with New Music
In the Rehearsal Hall, July 13, 2016
In the Recording Studio, July 14, 2016
Post-Production and Dissemination
Reproducing the Homeland in the Late-Reform Era
Conclusion: Nostalgia for the Past, Hope for the Future
Notes
Bibliography
Interviews
Index