Titled “Việt Nam mình đẹp lắm” (“How beautiful our Vietnam is”), the project debuted in late March 2026 with its first segment, “Gió đại ngàn thổi qua miền đất Võ” (“The Highland wind blows across the land of martial arts”), premiering in Gia Lai on March 29.
The launch features five music videos that combine modern musical styles with traditional elements such as tuồng, bài chòi and gong culture.
The project, initiated and performed by Quang Ngọc, is structured into seven parts representing the country’s seven cultural regions. Each segment explores local geography, cultural identity and human stories through a blend of contemporary composition and traditional folk materials. Collaborating artists include Bạch Lan, Phương Nhung, Hải Yến, Tánh Linh, Hải Hậu and Chí Kiên.
Born in 1987 in North Quy Nhơn Ward, Quang Ngọc (real name is Lê Minh Trung) graduated from the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music in 2014. He first gained recognition at the 2011 Bài Hát Việt competition, where his song Cô gái Việt (Vietnamese girl), performed by Phương Vy, won multiple awards including Effective Arranger, Effective Performer and audience-voted Impressive Song.
Despite beginning his composing career in 2008, he paused his musical pursuits in 2015 to explore other professions. He returned to Bình Định in 2023 to assist a former teacher, a turning point that reignited his passion for music. Between 2023 and 2025, he resumed composing and travelled extensively across Vietnam to produce the project, even selling his homestay to finance it.
Quang Ngọc said the project seeks to reinterpret traditional folk genres, from xoan and then singing in the north, quan họ and chèo in the Red River Delta, to ví, hò and ca Huế in the central region, and cải lương in the south, through a contemporary musical language.
The first segment was largely produced in his hometown, with contributions from artist Bạch Lan, whose performances added depth to the production. She described the experience of portraying historical figure Bùi Thị Xuân and filming across locations as both emotional and fulfilling, expressing hope that the project would help bring traditional art forms closer to the public.
Lieutenant Colonel and musician Dương Quang Việt, an art assistant at the Military Song and Dance Theater and Quang Ngọc’s mentor, praised the project’s meticulous production, noting that it offers audiences a deeper understanding of the cultural richness of Bình Định and Gia Lai.
For Quang Ngọc, the project represents a return to his roots. He said his childhood exposure to traditional music through radio broadcasts shaped both his identity and artistic direction, adding that he hopes the project will help preserve and promote the distinct cultural identities of Vietnam’s regions.
“Incorporating tuồng into new songs is a commendable innovation by Quang Ngọc. Today, Gia Lai’s cultural space connects the Central Highlands with the South Central Coast, where gong culture, hò, tuồng, bài chòi, and many distinctive folk melodies converge. The project team’s meticulous and serious investment in preserving and promoting cultural identity through music is truly admirable.”
Musician THẾ TUYÊN – Head of the Vietnam Musicians Association Branch in Gia Lai
▪ Link to the MV Gió đại ngàn thổi qua miền đất Võ:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&list=PLHpo94FPT1Wpt5i92UP5XISHoc7CfUgBO
