'Hello Vietnam' is a very well-known song among Vietnamese people today, even though it came from the Vietnamese community living outside of Vietnam.

The song has a cover.

This song might be popular because it was made to appeal to Vietnamese people: it has nostalgic lyrics and a sad melody, which are common in many popular Vietnamese songs. Even though the lyrics are about someone who has never been to Vietnam, the longing can still be felt by Vietnamese people who have never left the country. They might miss their hometown or a different version of Vietnam from the past.

The lyrics say, 'I want to see your house, your streets. Show me all I do not know.'

The song also says, 'Wooden sampans, floating markets, light of gold.'

The song's love and curiosity for Vietnam, along with its descriptions of the country's wonders, make it a great choice for anyone who wants to show patriotic pride. This might be why the song sounds familiar even to people who have never heard it before. Many people have been exposed to the song: it's been used in travel company commercials, social media videos, and cafe background music.

The story of 'Hello Vietnam' started in Belgium, where the original singer, Phạm Quỳnh Anh, was born. Her parents are Vietnamese immigrants. Her father went to Belgium to study, and her mother was a refugee. Quỳnh Anh was a talented singer from a young age. At 13, she participated in a Belgian singing competition called Pour la Gloire and won with a great cover of Celine Dion's 'The reason.' This made her think that a career in music might be possible.

Phạm Quỳnh Anh is the singer.

In 2005, Quỳnh Anh's music career took off when she became Marc Lavoine's protégée. Marc Lavoine is a famous French singer known for his karaoke classic 'Elle a les yeux revolver…'. He was looking for a voice to feature in his new duet 'J’espère.' He was impressed by Quỳnh Anh's performance: she only needed three takes during the audition. After the duet's success, Quỳnh Anh went on tour with Lavoine to many countries.

Being close to Marc Lavoine helped Quỳnh Anh a lot. Lavoine even wrote some songs for her, including one called 'Bonjour Vietnam.' When you hear that the song was written by a white French man, you might feel a bit weird at first, especially with the lyrics describing the character's physical traits. But the song was written at Quỳnh Anh's request and under her supervision.

While working on a potential album, Quỳnh Anh wanted to sing about her roots. She asked the lyricist Yvan Coriat to write about Vietnam. The text was too long, so she later asked Marc Lavoine to turn it into a song with music. Quỳnh Anh was immediately charmed: 'I tried it, and it worked instantly. It's amazing because they're European, yet they recreated an Asian atmosphere so well. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by talented people who help me express myself.'

Marc Lavoine is a famous French singer.

The story of how 'Bonjour Vietnam' became popular is interesting: a demo leaked on the internet and quickly spread throughout the Vietnamese community living outside of Vietnam. By Tết 2006, the song had already become a hit all over the world, often paired with a fan-made video montage of Vietnam. This unexpected success made Quỳnh Anh famous among Vietnamese communities worldwide. The song never had an official release, but she started receiving offers to perform live in many countries like Canada, the US, and Australia.

In 2008, Quỳnh Anh performed 'Hello Vietnam' on Paris by Night, which made the song even more popular among the Vietnamese community. At the end of the same year, she was able to visit Vietnam, the country she had always longed for, thanks to the song's popularity.

The original version of the song in French was performed by Phạm Quỳnh Anh.

There's a nice story behind how everything led Quỳnh Anh to the country of her roots. It started with her meeting Marc Lavoine, which resulted in the creation of a song where she sings about wanting to go to Vietnam. Then the song became famous on its own. And finally, the English translation reached Vietnam, bringing her to the country she had always wanted to visit.

The lyrics say, 'One day I'll touch your soil.'

The lyrics also say, 'One day I'll finally know your soul.'

The lyrics say, 'One day I'll come to you.'

The lyrics say, 'To say hello… Vietnam.'

Today, Quỳnh Anh's music career is not as active as it used to be. She prioritized her studies throughout her success and has now started new chapters in her life. But 'Hello Vietnam' is still very popular: many translations into Vietnamese have helped the song reach a new audience. The budget airline VietJet decided to play a mix of the English and Vietnamese versions as landing songs and a welcoming gesture. This has made the song even more popular, although it has also made some frequent domestic travelers feel like they're hearing it too much. The story of 'Hello Vietnam' is often forgotten, hidden behind its reputation as just a commercial jingle. But it was once a heartfelt wish to reconnect with a homeland that Quỳnh Anh had heard so much about but had never visited.