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🇻🇳 Vietnam /Culture & Society

As a child, Phương Mỹ Chi sang to help her mother sell chè. Now she is taking Vietnamese folk music to the world

From Tuổi Trẻ · () Vietnamese

Translated from Vietnamese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Phương Mỹ Chi recalled singing at markets as a child to help her mother sell the remaining cups of chè.
  • She said Vietnamese folk music shaped her identity and that she has chosen to modernize, rather than abandon, her “folk music girl” image.
  • Her Dân chơi dân ca project includes 10 co-written songs drawing on folk culture from regions across Vietnam.

Before Phương Mỹ Chi became known for bringing Vietnamese folk music to wider audiences, she used her voice to help her mother sell chè at the market.

“I would go to the market, sing songs such as Chiếc áo bà ba, and then call out: ‘Mom still has three cups of chè, please buy them,’” she recalled on the program Sao check. For Chi, the memory carries more than childhood charm. It represents the happiness of using her ability to help her mother sell the last servings. “I felt that I had value,” she said.

I felt that I had value.

· Phương Mỹ ChiShe described how singing helped her mother sell the last cups of chè.

Chi began singing at the age of six or seven under the guidance of an aunt. Her parents supported her performances, even preparing her clothes when she woke up late at night after hearing about a chance to sing at a party. She described that support as one of the greatest pieces of luck in her life.

I would go to the market, sing songs such as Chiếc áo bà ba, and then call out: ‘Mom still has three cups of chè, please buy them.’

· Phương Mỹ ChiShe recalled how she helped her mother sell chè as a child.

Her appearance on The Voice Kids gave her the enduring label “folk music girl.” Chi said she treasures the name because folk music nurtured her spirit and gave her inspiration, strength and knowledge. At the age of 10, when coach Hiền Thục asked whether she wanted to move into youth pop, Chi chose to continue singing folk music. She now aims to refresh traditional material through modern musical ideas rather than leave that identity behind.

Her Dân chơi dân ca project extends that approach. Chi and her team are co-writing 10 songs based on folk culture from different parts of Vietnam, from the plains to the mountains and from north to south. Artists and experts have joined a cultural advisory council for each art form featured in the project. Chi has also studied songwriting and choreography to expand the skills she brings to folk music.

I have stayed committed to folk music since I was 10.

· Phương Mỹ ChiShe explained why she continued singing folk music after appearing on The Voice Kids.
About this summary

Originally published by Tuổi Trẻ in Vietnamese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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