“It would be great if one day we could bridge the gap between artists of Vietnamese descent and Vietnamese artists.” — thủy, 2021.
Today, that dream is slowly becoming reality. Across countries and languages, collaborations between Vietnamese artists and artists of Vietnamese descent are creating a new kind of cultural exchange — one where music becomes a bridge reconnecting identities, experiences, and communities across the world.
thủy x MIN — "girls like me don't cry"
When thủy released the remix of girls like me don't cry with MIN in 2023, the collaboration quickly became a symbolic moment for Vietnamese diaspora music culture. After visiting Vietnam and seeing how strongly local audiences connected with the song, thủy decided to invite MIN onto the remix, blending thủy's soft R&B sound with MIN's emotional Vietnamese verse.
Thai VG x Lil Wuyn — "Cảm Ơn Việt Nam"
Thai VG has long been considered one of the earliest Vietnamese rappers to break into the American hip-hop scene. His collaboration with Lil Wuyn on Cảm Ơn Việt Nam felt less like a commercial crossover and more like a cultural homecoming, connecting two generations of Vietnamese rap.
The Hotel Lobby x Gonzo — "Từ Ngày Hôm Nay"
The collaboration between The Hotel Lobby and Gonzo on Từ Ngày Hôm Nay brought together Vietnamese diaspora indie music and Vietnam's contemporary rap scene through a hopeful, forward-looking message. The music video was filmed on Ho Chi Minh City's newly launched metro line, symbolizing movement and optimism for Vietnam's future.
Pháo x Tyga — "Hai Phút Hơn (KAIZ Remix)"
One of the biggest viral crossover moments involving a Vietnamese song came when Tyga joined the remix of Hai Phút Hơn by Pháo and producer KAIZ. The collaboration also carried an extra cultural layer due to Tyga's Vietnamese heritage from his mother's side.
(S)TRONG Trọng Hiếu x Hoàng Tôn — "SOUVENIR"
For Trọng Hiếu and Hoàng Tôn, SOUVENIR represented a meeting point between performance-driven pop and emotional songwriting, combining Trọng Hiếu's themes of freedom and identity with Hoàng Tôn's smoother R&B-influenced style.
Together, these collaborations show how Vietnamese music is becoming increasingly borderless. Whether through rap, pop, R&B, or alternative sounds, artists across Vietnam and the diaspora are finding new ways to reconnect through music — not by erasing differences, but by embracing them.