Nominations for the 31st Golden Apricot Awards

This year, with the improvement of the organizing committee, there promises to be many surprises in the nomination round, so that readers, audiences and experts can predict the match with their own results.

Warrior Power

Immediately after winning the Intervision Song Contest 2025, Duc Phuc received a lot of attention from the domestic and international media. In particular, his performance with the song "Phu Dong Thien Vuong" was reported by a series of prestigious global media agencies such as CNN, Reuters, BBC, The Straits Times, Lenta, Regnum and praised for his completely convincing victory.

For music producer DuongK, what he is most satisfied with about the song "Phu Dong Thien Vuong" is the way Vietnamese folk instruments are incorporated into the vibrant electronic music, creating a unique blend of strong fighting spirit and subtle traditional features.

Closing the competition journey at Sing!Asia 2025, Phuong My Chi stopped at the top 3 position. Top 2 belonged to Chu Phi Ca (China) while the championship title of the first season of Sing!Asia was awarded to Mijuna (Japan). Phuong My Chi's greatest achievement in this journey is the success in spreading Vietnamese culture. With performances that were carefully invested in both music and cultural messages, Phuong My Chi and DTAP affirmed Vietnamese identity in a modern, strategic and integration-oriented performance spirit. The journey at Sing!Asia 2025 has ended, but what Phuong My Chi and DTAP left behind did not stop at a music competition. It was a convincing process that Vietnamese identity, when told in a modern language and performed with an inclusive spirit, can absolutely go far.

The popularity of Bac Bling with Hoa Minzy is confirmed by the number of followers of the product (200 million views). The success of Bac Bling once again affirms the importance of honoring traditional cultural features in a contemporary music product.

Đề cử giải Mai Vàng lần thứ 31 - năm 2025: Hạng mục — Hoa Minzy was impressed with Bac Bling. (Photo provided by the artist)

Anthony Ray, a Belgian music artist and YouTuber with nearly 350,000 followers, made a reaction video about this MV. In the 24-minute video, Anthony Ray could not hide his amazement at the powerful rap of Meritorious Artist Xuan Hinh, "so great, eating the whole beat". Anthony Ray also compared the melodic rap of artist Xuan Hinh to a real cinematic performance, bringing a surprise that he had never seen before.

In addition to Anthony Ray, Korean YouTuber Jongrak, owner of the "Korean Boys" channels on Facebook and Instagram, has been full of praise for the MV. Jongrak kept exclaiming: "So good, so beautiful!" and admitted that after watching the MV, he really wanted to visit Bac Ninh once in his life.

"Formidable" opponent

With the development of information portals and digital music platforms, it is not difficult to recognize the outstanding appearance of the Vietnamese music race. With the influence of historical events such as A50, A80, songs with "red" colors are especially loved. Revolutionary music (also known as red music) with compositions during the period when the country was still at war, was thought to only "live well" according to the historical period, then fell into oblivion. But reality has shown the opposite, red music has recently returned with the creativity of many young musicians and singers, bringing new life to this seemingly dry music genre.

Singer Thai Thuy Linh, Oplus band, singers Viet Thu, Tung Duong, Anh Tu, Double2T, Vo Ha Tram, Quoc Thien... have breathed new life into revolutionary music. Today, revolutionary songs still play an important role in nurturing patriotism and educating the younger generation about the nation's glorious history.

The creative efforts of today's artists not only enrich the musical life but also contribute to shaping its own identity, creating a special mark for Vietnamese music on the journey of integration, making Vietnamese culture shine in the international arena.

In that series of works, beloved singers like Nguyen Hung with the song "What's more beautiful" in the movie "Red Rain" became prominent. Actor Do Nhat Hoang (playing Cuong in "Red Rain") shared: "When I heard the song "What's more beautiful", I was so attached that I couldn't bear to leave the film crew of "Red Rain". That is also the reason why, although Nguyen Hung is a brand new name, he suddenly became a singer sought after by many programs. Nguyen Hung's popularity does not "rely" on the existing effect of the blockbuster "Red Rain" but in fact, his emotional voice and his ability to compose "heart-stopping" songs. Before "What's more beautiful", Nguyen Hung made an impression with the hit "Miracle".

"Kho Bau" is considered a hit song that helped (Strong) Trong Hieu establish his position in the Vietnamese music market. Since becoming the champion of the "Vietnam Idol" competition, Trong Hieu has attracted attention. But it was not until "Kho Bau" and his participation in the program "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai" that (Strong) Trong Hieu once again created attraction.

This is also the case of many singers appearing in "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai". With the leverage of "rising again", the singers quickly made music products and achieved success. Among them, the most prominent are ST Son Thach, SOOBIN Hoang Son, Jun Pham, Dinh Tien Dat, Rhymastic, Kay Tran... with the hit songs "Oanh tom" on the music charts. This is completely understandable when these singers all have a large fan base.

Son Tung M-TP, Jack... even though they have been involved in love scandals, it is undeniable that their music has a great appeal. In particular, their "uniqueness" is what helps these two singers have a high position in the music market.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/de-cu-giai-mai-vang-lan-thu-31-nam-2025-hang-muc-ca-si-nhac-nhe-196251007212407057.htm