The movement of street art in Vietnam

Kool Herc and his friend Coke La Rock also helped shape the early rhyme-driven style that energised crowds over breakbeats. Their approach, marked by punctuated delivery, rhymes, and rhythmic flow, laid the foundation for MCing, drawing from influences such as rapping, “toasting”, and the competitive flair of “battle roasting”.

Since that almost mythical night, DJs across the Bronx have been eager to master the art of breakbeats, each striving to outdo Herc by developing their own techniques. The freedom at the heart of hip hop broke conventional creative boundaries, allowing artists to sample existing material provided they infused it with their own identity, setting their work apart from the original. This innovative spirit soon drew the attention of record labels, prompting investment in the burgeoning movement.

One of the genre’s early visionaries, Afrika Bambaataa—hailed as the “Godfather” of hip hop—founded the Universal Zulu Nation to champion music as a vehicle for peace. Through this collective, gang-affiliated youth were introduced to DJing, breakdancing, MCing, and graffiti. The four pillars of hip hop were thereby formalised, each supporting and enhancing the others.

If DJs are the custodians of hip hop’s soul, crafting the beats that anchor the genre, then MCs and rappers breathe life into those rhythms through words. Breakdancers give the music a physical form, while graffiti writers (or “writers”, as they’re known in the scene) serve as visual storytellers of the movement’s spirit.

Hip hop began to seep into Vietnam in the late 1980s, just as it was becoming a global cultural force. Vietnamese students studying overseas, along with members of the diaspora, were among the first to encounter the movement firsthand. Upon returning home, they brought back cassette tapes, CDs, and the techniques of popping and breakdancing: sharing and practising within small, grassroots communities. Hanoi was an early cradle for Vietnamese hip hop, where the first pioneers explored breakdancing, followed later by rap.

Following the Doi Moi (Renovation) period, access to foreign content through television and the Internet enabled more young people to discover hip hop art and its many forms.

Hip hop reached Saigon a little later in around the early 2000s, via word-of-mouth among teenagers and, more decisively, through the rapid expansion of the internet. Curious youth began to piece together the elements of hip hop culture. Soon, with strong support from this new generation, online forums like viethiphop and daRapClub emerged. At this point, hip hop in Vietnam was no longer confined to breakdancing and rapping: it grew to embrace DJing and graffiti, eventually branching out into skateboarding and street fashion. Its raw energy, physical freedom, and socially reflective nature found an eager audience among Vietnamese youth.

During the 1990s and 2000s, hip hop in Vietnam gained significant momentum, particularly through dance crews focusing on “breaking” and “popping”. Notable groups practised at the Viet Xo Cultural Palace under the guidance of Son Break, at the Hanoi Children’s Palace with BigToe, and in the flower gardens surrounding the Lenin Monument.

From the late 1990s into the early 2000s, the Internet’s rise fuelled a wave of breakdance groups in both Saigon and Hanoi. Names like COLD, Milky Way, and Big South became fixtures in the community. A series of dance competitions ranging from grassroots events like Quan Anh Hoi to televised shows such as So You Think You Can Dance? and Vietnam’s Got Talent provided platforms for performance and recognition.

Cinema, too, played a role. Teen films like Buoc Nhay Xi Tin (2009) and Vu Dieu Dam Me (2010) brought hip hop aesthetics, street fashion, and the kinetic artistry of breaking and popping to a broader public. Since then, numerous dance crews have trained rigorously, dominating the local scene and making waves internationally. SINE, for instance, placed third at the 2014 World Battle of the Year, while Urban Clown earned third place at the 2016 Astro Battle Ground.

Before 2002, rap remained largely outside Vietnam’s borders, as the pioneers and inspirations behind Vietnamese rap were international students or Vietnamese teenagers raised in North America. Among these early figures were Khanh Nho and Thai VG, notably with the track “Vietnamese Gang,” where Thai rapped in English and Khanh Nho in Vietnamese.

The influence of Khanh Nho and Thai VG extended beyond the overseas Vietnamese community, reaching Hanoi through word of mouth and the Internet. A turning point came with Xlim and the founding of Da Rap Club Ha Noi (RC), originally a forum for sharing knowledge and techniques, which later evolved into a production company. Alongside RC, pioneering Vietnamese rap groups such as Viet Spiritz and VietDreamerz deserve mention, with artists including LK, DCash, Eddy Viet, Ca Chep aka Double C, Young Uno, and PA, who produced early hits that laid the foundations of Vietnamese rap.

By 2005, Vietnamese rap had gained strong momentum within its community. Due to a lack of platforms and media exposure, these groups operated “underground” and independently, earning that label. Gradually, the first generation of rappers released carefully crafted music videos with significant investment in style and lyricism. They began blending rap with other genres such as R&B and pop balladry, moving beyond traditional breakbeats. This shift opened doors for rappers to enter the mainstream (sometimes called “overground”). A milestone was the collaboration between singers Đăng Khôi and Mỹ Linh with LK on the album Chat with Mozart, followed by projects from the LadyKillah team.

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Rap in the South emerged later, inspired by the Vietnamese “OGs” in Hanoi, with the Viet hip hop forum (VHH/VH2) playing a key role. In 2005, the VHH forum organised the contest Rapper, Where Are You?, which sparked a nationwide rap explosion, attracting thousands of young contestants from all regions.

Since then, rap has ceased to be an unfamiliar term in either underground or overground circles. Within the underground scene, a new generation of rappers has emerged, boasting impressive skills, inventive flows, and complex rhymes. Their lyrics explore diverse and often challenging social themes, enriching the genre. Groups such as Fan Hip Hop (FHH), Genius Viet Rap (GVR), and Southside Rappers (SSR) exemplify this trend. Meanwhile, pop artists have increasingly taken rap seriously, collaborating with rappers to create new music. Record labels and media outlets have also begun to acknowledge the genre’s significance.

The end of 2020 marked another phase of rapid growth for Vietnamese rap, which firmly established itself as a mainstream music genre with the debut of popular rap TV shows like Rap Viet Season 1 and King of Rap. Today, many young artists who rose to prominence through rap—such as MCK, Obito, Đen Vâu, Suboi, and the Gerdnang collective—enjoy success both musically and commercially.

The technique of stylised lettering used to convey messages or tags was the earliest form of graffiti art, often serving as an outlet for the frustration and resistance of young people confronting social injustice. These vibrant visual declarations, scrawled across buildings and public structures, were expressions of discontent. Yet, they were frequently perceived as reckless vandalism rather than legitimate artistic statements.

Perhaps this explains why graffiti’s emergence and evolution in Vietnam have been among the most discreet and least flamboyant. From the outset, it was largely regarded as a destructive act, defacing the urban landscape rather than enhancing it. Among the earliest known groups practising graffiti was Street Jockey in Hanoi, reportedly inspired by a Limp Bizkit album cover. In Saigon, The Saigon Projects attracted attention for their spray-painted works, which they shared on Tumblr—sparking growing interest among young art enthusiasts.

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Still, these artists, whether working alone or in small collectives, had no official platform or dedicated space. Their canvases were the walls beneath bridges or in abandoned buildings, chosen to steer clear of public criticism and stigma. It wasn’t until the release of the short documentary Spray It, Don’t Say It (2006) that perceptions began to shift, albeit among a small segment of the public already curious about urban art. A more significant turning point came in 2014, when the Hanoi Creative City festival recognised graffiti as an art form, marking the first time it truly entered public consciousness.

In Saigon, contemporary art galleries and cultural spaces began to reframe graffiti as a legitimate part of the modern art landscape. The Factory, for example, invited international graffiti artist Suby One to participate in its Street Art Festival. Other notable exhibitions included the Trialogue show at Vin Gallery in 2016, REI Artspace’s presentation of Daos501’s work, and the gallery showcase of artist Cyril Kongo.

Over time, attitudes began to shift, not only among the public but also within official circles. Authorities and community leaders slowly warmed to graffiti, recognising its potential to transform and beautify the urban environment. Projects such as the Tam Thanh mural village, the Phuc Tan art street initiative, and Saigon Urban Arts have helped reposition graffiti from an underground movement to a celebrated art form.

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