Author of national hit 'Vietnam Oh': 'I wrote the song in 30 minutes'

Amateur musician writes music in 30 minutes

Not many people know the songVietnamwas born in 2011, before the author Minh Beta went to study abroad. Minh Beta is not a strange name in the film industry. The guy born in 1983 owns a chain of cinemas, and is also the production director of many Vietnamese films in recent years. Sometimes, he appears in some of the films he produces as an actor.

Being an amateur in the music field, the melody of "Vietnam, Oh" was written with my own wistful emotions.

"At that time, I had mixed emotions because I didn't know if I would return to Vietnam after studying abroad, or if I would stay there to start my career. These emotions urged me to release them and so I started writing this song. It only took 30 minutes for this song to take shape. When I finished writing, I let my friends listen to it. Everyone really liked it and encouraged me to make a MV for this song," he shared.

And so the MVVietnamconceived and born in August 2011.Although he wrote the music very quickly, when it came to recording, it took the musician five takes to get the mix he was satisfied with.

SongVietnamWritten by Minh Beta in just 30 minutes.

What is special in the MV is the appearance of famous artists such as Thai Hoa, Khanh Thi, Duong Trieu Vu, Le Quyen, Dinh Ngoc Diep and MC Tung Leo. Each artist personally wrote a definition of their homeland, starting with the phrase: "Vietnam in my heart is....". Wanbi Tuan Anh also appeared in the last part of the MV. This was the time when the male singer was at the peak of his career when he released a series of hit songs.

"In 2011, I didn't have the budget to make a grandiose MV. At that time, I gathered my friends, who were active in the arts, to support me. When they heard that I was working on a community project, everyone contributed a little bit of effort to make it happen. Everyone came up with ideas about a miniature Vietnamese social scene in the studio and conveyed positive messages," he said.

Wanbi Tuan Anh appeared in the last part of the MV with Minh Beta and the children.

Since its release, the song has received a certain amount of love. However, it was not until early 2018, with the rise of Vietnamese football, that this song was "revived once again", according to Minh Beta.

"I just thought I was conveying a positive message to everyone, but I didn't expect that after 8 years, people would still love the song. I never thought my composition could be so popular. It's an honor and pride that exceeds my expectations," he said.

No royalties received for the song

Next toVietnam,Minh Beta said he composed some other songs but has not released them yet. The reason is that he is not really satisfied with his compositions. The 36-year-old man possesses outstanding beauty and talent in many fields but never thought that he would delve into the path of singing or acting to become an artist.

At the age of 36, Minh Beta is successful in business.

"I have no intention of going deeper into music because music only comes to me when I have inspiration, and inspiration comes suddenly and goes suddenly. I don't try to give myself the title of singer or actor. I believe that I will do what I like and everything will come to me," he shared.

Despite owning a famous song that is played everywhere, from national television to the streets and alleys every time the Vietnamese team wins, Minh Beta said he did not receive royalties for this song.

"I have never been contacted by a TV station or other units about the copyright of the song. But actually I don't really care because I composed this song to give to everyone. I just hope that when people use it, they will respect it and leave the author's name, that's enough," he said.

Yen Chi