Culture cooperation an important pillar in Vietnam-RoK relations
Hallyu’ brings RoK culture closer to Vietnam It can be said that Korean culture has been popular in Vietnam thanks to the presence of ‘Hallyu’ in the country. In the 2000s, the term ‘Hallyu’, which literally translates to “the Korean wave”, became familiar to Vietnamese youths thanks to the popularity of RoK pop music and television dramas. Television blockbusters such as Medical Brothers, The Autumn Heart, Glass Slippers, Winter Sonata, and Dae Jang-geum have taken a root in the memory of many Vietnamese viewers, making them among the most loved Korean dramas in Vietnam for almost 20 years. Good characters, a romantic storyline, and a philosophy that encourages people to overcome adversity all helped viewers in Vietnam develop empathy for and a nuanced understanding of Korean culture. From the early 2010s, the spread of the Korean wave in the Southeast Asian nation was mostly led by K-pop boy and girl groups known as idol stars, such as Big Bang, Girls’ Generation (SNSD), and S...