9 Vietnamese music videos that ruled YouTube in 2017

If you want to take a rest from the global storms of "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, Ed Sheeran’s "Shape of You", or Taylor Swift and her snakes in "Look What You Made Me Do", Vietnam’s most watched music videos in 2017 can take you by surprise.

Among these nine most watched YouTube videos in the country, some attracted an even bigger online audience than the most popular K-pop songs. One even managed to rise ahead of Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" on Valentine’s Day. Others are impressive hits by underground artists.

Thanks to the generosity of the internet, you can watch several videos with English subtitles for a peek into Vietnamese’s taste in music.

*View counts are estimates as of December 31, 2017

Caution: be prepared for earworms.

9. Có em chờ | MIN x MR A

Views: 49 million

A sweet love song plus a dazzling Hello, Kitty-inspired music video are what got Vietnamese hooked on the song "Co Em Cho", or Here I Wait. If you loved the pinky glow cast in Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, this song is for you.

8. Sống Xa Anh Chẳng Dễ Dàng | BAO ANH

Views: 49.7 million

The haunting, mysterious ancient theme has been trendy this year as young singer Bao Anh has gained massive success with the dream-like, full of folk references music video for "It’s not easy living without you".

Within over one and a half month, it has attracted nearly 50 million views on YouTube.

7. Bao Giờ Lấy Chồng? | BÍCH PHƯƠNG

Views: 51.3 million

By describing precisely the nightmare of every young single woman, the singer Bich Phuong won millions of hearts with her song "When will you get married?", the burning question many Vietnamese parents throw at their grown up kids during family gatherings.

The timing of the release couldn’t have been better: it was dropped right before the Lunar New Year’s Eve, when the "When will you get married?" conversation echoes the most.

6. Ghen | KHAC HUNG x MIN x ERIK

Views: 76.5 million

If you like watching good-looking people in fancy clothes wrecking luxurious things, this Ghen/Jealous song is for you.

Unlike the glamorous playgirl Taylor Swift in her revengeful second part of "Blank Space", Min and Erik – the singers – declared the whole destruction as something done out of love.

5. Em Gái Mưa | HUONG TRAM

Views: 90 million

Nothing seems better than listening to a story of first love. The music video is about a young girl’s unrequited crush on her substitute teacher, who treats her only like a little sister.

To quote the Great Dumbledore, "Oh, to be young and to feel love's keen sting".

4. Túy Âm | XESI X MASEW X NHATNGUYEN

Views: 92.8 million

Dubbed the "Vietnamese Despacito", the song Túy Âm, or Drunken in the music, has put three young underground artists on the map. Xesi, the composer and singer was 17 years old when her song went viral.

Hit play for eargasms.

4. Yêu Là "Tha Thu" | ONLY C

Views: 95.1 million

The song is the soundtrack of Vietnam’s 2017 blockbuster "Em chua 18" (I’m not 18). The rom-com beat Hollywood’s "Guardians of the Galaxy" at the local box office, claiming the title of the biggest Vietnamese movie of all time, so it’s no surprise that its main track is on this list.

3. Quăng tao cái boong | HUYNH JAMES X PJNBOYS

Views: 107.6 million

The name of the song means "Pass me the Bong" by underground artists Huynh James and Pjnboys.

2. Nơi này có anh | SON TUNG M-TP

Views: 161 million

Son Tung M-TP may ring a bell with you as Barack Obama mentioned him in one of his speeches to the Vietnamese youth back in 2016.

Released on Valentine's Day, "Noi nay co anh" (Here I am) held fourth place in the world’s top trending videos in 24 hours, with over 8.6 milllion views, ahead of Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" that captured over 8.1 million views that day. "Here I am" got 18 million views in the following two days.

The 22-year-old singer is also the first Vietnamese artist to win YouTube's coveted Gold Play Button for attracting one million YouTube subscribers.

1. Lạc trôi | SƠN TÙNG M-TP

Views: 167.6 million

Yep, it’s him again.

This year, the young pop star set another new record in Vietnam with his hit "Lac Troi" (Lost and Floating), which attracted nearly 5 million views on the day of its release on January 1, championing the YouTube race this year with over 167 million views in 365 days.