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 (nhạc dỏ). 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