Report affirms Korean Wave still strong in Vietnam

Up to 31 percent of respondents said they like Korean pop music, and 20 percent said they like it "very much", according to a survey results released recently by HCMC-based market research firm Q&Me. Among the most popular K-pop artists are BTS, Big Bang and G-Dragon.

Around 68 percent of Vietnamese prefer Korean dramas and movies, with 25 percent liking them a lot. The most popular Korean dramas and movies are Descendants Of The Sun and Boy Over Flowers.

Korean cuisine was favored by 58 percent of respondents, with popular dishes including kimchi (Korean pickled vegetables), kimbap (Korean rice roll) or topokki (Korean rice cake).

The survey found over 70 percent of Vietnamese having positive feelings about South Korea.The survey was conducted in May with 917 respondents nationwide. All of the participants are over 18 years old; a majority of them come from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

K-pop is a genre of popular music originating from South Korea, which features catchy music and dance performance. Many K-pop artists have come to perform in Vietnam in recent years, including girl group Red Velvet in April or boy band Super Junior in March. 

The widespread popularity of K-pop and South Korean movies are parts of the Korean Wave, which refers to the global popularity of South Korean culture. The Korean Wave started to develop in some Asian countries including Vietnam in the 2000s, and has strengthened since.