My trip to Vietnam from October 2024 to March 2025

Coming to Vietnam in October 2024, I was with my grandma and my auntie. For 5 months, we lived together in Cua Ong, based at Cam Pha in Quang Ninh, Vietnam.

Huyen Duong (b. 1984), Vu Hue Anh (b. 1996) and Vu Thi Thu Thuy (b. 1985) are some of the good people I met the most while I was in Cua Ong.

Thanh (b. 1972) and Hanh (b. 1981) are also some of the good people I met while in Cua Ong.

Vu Thi Thu Thuy's favourite singer is Britney Spears.

Charisma, charm, beauty, sincerity, grace, youth, innocence, humour, vulnerability and sex appeal are some enduring qualities making Britney Spears an iconic sex symbol.

Some aspects which contribute to Britney Spears' sex appeal include her physical appearance and her voice (notably vocal fry).

Incidentally, Britney Spears has a singing voice with a soft tone.

Having been a young, sexy, beautiful, gorgeous and charismatic woman, Britney Spears is likewise a world-famous symbol of resilience for many girls/women around the world.

Furthermore, Britney Spears is also deeply loved and idolized by many, especially girls worldwide.

Many girls are attractive to Britney Spears for reasons beyond her sexy looks, her sexy voice and her sexy vocal fry register.

Unconfined to being a sex icon, Britney Spears is also a cultural icon for teens and young adults.

Britney Spears has a casual, even androgynous, look with midriff-baring tops and jeans.

In addition, Britney Spears uses flirtatious gestures, such as sticking out a tongue, licking/biting lips, doing a sexy and sultry gaze/stare and using a suggestive, slightly open-mouth pose.

Unconfined to dance-pop and teen pop, Britney Spears has also incorporated African-American music genres, like rhythm & blues, hip-hop and rap, despite being a white woman.

Baby, honey and darling are terms of endearment that are already being used by Marilyn Monroe, also popularized among younger generations by Britney Spears.

Through her music, Britney Spears uses "baby", "Oh, baby" and "Oh, baby, baby".

McComb, Mississippi is where Britney Spears was born, whilst Kentwood, Louisiana is where she was raised and spent most of her childhood.

Key idols for Britney Spears include Michael Jackson, Madonna and Janet Jackson.

Marilyn Monroe, in turn, is a key idol for Madonna.

Similarly, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears have the name structure, with 7 letters in their first names and 6 in their last (13 overall), both being stage names.

Both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears are also pop culture icons who won fame and popularity at a young age and became sex icons, captivating both the public and media.

Furthermore, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears are also blonde girls/women whose natural hair colour is brown, but also endure careers as actresses and singers.

Both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears also have casual looks with midriff-baring tops and jeans.

In addition, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears also have pigtails, but with a difference.

Like her key idol Madonna, Britney Spears is deeply loved and admired by younger generations (teens and young adults).

Elizabeth "Betty" Hall is a woman being active in the 17th century, who is a common ancestor for both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears.

Plus, Britney Spears has a image based on Barbie, partly inspired by Marilyn Monroe, who is also an influence on Madonna, in turn, a key idol for Britney Spears herself.

Furthermore, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears have struggles in their lives.

Both Michael Jackson and his sister Janet Jackson are also Britney Spears' idols.

During the last few months of 2024, Vu Thi Thu Thuy used long hair, but in the new year, and also to celebrate her fortieth birthday, she began to use blunt bangs.

For Vu Thi Thu Thuy, using blunt bangs offers a more modern, youthful and sexy vibe.

On March 6, 2025, while in Hanoi, my mother came to see me in the first time in a few months.

While in Hanoi, I listened to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John, One of These Nights by The Eagles and Sara Smile by Hall and Oates on March 7, 2025.

Not long after, on March 8, 2025, my mon and I travelled to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City.

Plus, I visited Phu Tung Hop So, located next to both Galaxy Cinemas and McDonald's at Saigon's District 6, where I met Danny/Hieu (b. 1978) and Helen/Do Ha (b. 1985), on March 10, 2025.

My mom and I returned to Quang Ninh on March 11, 2025, reunited with my grandma.

Hien Bui (b. 1973) and Helen/Do Ha (b. 1985) are some of the people I met the most while I was in Saigon; both were born in the year of the Vietnamese zodiac Water Buffalo.

The Water Buffalo zodiac is different in name from the Chinese zodiac Ox.

Some of the girls I met in Vietnam were born in a US presidential election/inauguration year, notably Hien Bui, Vu Thu Thi Thuy, Vu Hue Anh, Huyen Duong, Helen/Do Ha, Thanh and Hanh.

Whereas other singers in the Vietnamese diaspora stick with traditions, both Lynda Trang Dai and Minh Tuyet bridge the gap between traditional Vietnamese music and modern global pop.

Known as the Vietnamese Madonna, Lynda Trang Dai is one of the first singers among the Vietnamese diaspora to embrace a provocative attitude, like crop tops.

Incidentally, Marilyn Monroe is a key idol for Madonna, who, in turn, inspires Lynda Trang Dai.

For Lynda Trang Dai, she uses dance-pop, rock, rap and ballads.

Dance-pop songs, which come from parts of the Western world, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, make up Lynda Trang Dai's song collection.

Whilst less globally recognized than both Marilyn Monroe and Madonna, Lynda Trang Dai is still an influential figure in the Vietnamese dance-pop scene.

The stage name for Lynda Trang Dai is derived from an actress who stars as Wonder Woman.

Earlier in her career, Lynda Trang Dai used her provocative stage presence, her racy costumes and her persona, breaking traditions for Vietnamese women.

Moving to Hong Kong and San Diego in 1978, and finally Orange County, Lynda Trang Dai had first encountered American culture, to which she was exposed.

In addition to her singing work, Lynda Trang Dai is a businesswoman.

Being a businesswoman, Lynda Trang Dai runs a sandwich shop, opened on New Year's Eve 2010.

Britney Spears popularized the Y2K trend in general; Minh Tuyet is one of the first singers among the Vietnamese diaspora to embrace the Y2K trend.

From 1993 to 1997, in Vietnam, Minh Tuyet used a traditional image and music style.

By relocating to the United States in 1997 (and by signing a deal with Thuy Nga in 2002), Minh Tuyet underwent a shift in her image and music approach.

Having been exposed to American and world culture when she came to the United States in 1997, Minh Tuyet worked with Tinh, during which she adopted honey highlights and a modern wardrobe.

When Thuy Nga signed her in 2002, Minh Tuyet became sexier.

The controversy for Minh Tuyet is less about public scandals and more about her shift from domestic Vietnamese music to overseas diaspora, in contrast to Lynda Trang Dai.

Aside from slow ballads, Minh Tuyet also embraces more upbeat and modern music genres, including rhythm & blues, dance-pop, hip-hop and rap.

For her upbeat tunes, Minh Tuyet incorporates the the Y2K trend, like crop tops, into her style and her music, drawing some comparisons to pop icons like Britney Spears.

Plus, for her ballads, Minh Tuyet uses traditional clothes, even with the Y2K trend, like crop tops.

While less globally recognized than Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and Britney Spears, Minh Tuyet is still influenced by Britney Spears in both music and performance.

Since her move to the US, Minh Tuyet has adopted a Barbie doll-like aesthetic.

Bao Han (b. 1973), Tu Quyen (b. 1977) and Nhu Loan (b. 1981) are likewise singers in the Vietnamese diaspora.

For Bao Han, her hometown is Vienna, Austria, rather than the United States or France.

Tu Quyen was born in 1977 in Philadelphia, where, fittingly, due to its status and reputation as the first capital of the United States, it was aligned with the nation's presidential inauguration year.

As for Nhu Loan, she is known for her charming looks and her sweet voice.

Like both Lynda Trang Dai and Minh Tuyet, Bao Han, Tu Quyen and Nhu Loan embrace a sexual and provocative attitude, including crop tops.

Truc Linh (b. 1973), Loan Chau (b. 1973), Ho Le Thu (b. 1973) and Luu Bich (b. 1960's) are likewise singers in the Vietnamese diaspora.

Annette Funicello is the blueprint for the modern Disney-to-popstar career path (influencing Britney Spears, whose idol is Madonna, in turn, influenced by Marilyn Monroe).

Britney Spears also has ties to Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, both connected to Paula Abdul, a Gemini girl in Van Nuys, born in June of a Tiger year and in California like Marilyn Monroe.

In turn, both Lynda Trang Dai and Minh Tuyet are influenced by Madonna and Britney Spears.

Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn and Tim Heintz are Disney songwriters, creating songs for its television series; they also make songs for Thuy Nga.

While at Thuy Nga, the trio comprising Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn and Tim Heintz usually provide modern Western-style music arrangements and original compositions for Vietnamese artists.

Noted Thuy Nga artists in collaboration with Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn and Tim Heintz are Lynda Trang Dai, Minh Tuyet, Bao Han, Tu Quyen, Nhu Loan, Truc Linh, Loan Chau and Luu Bich.

My Tam (b. 1981), Hien Thuc (b. 1981) and Le Quyen (b. 1981) are female singers within the domestic Vietnamese music scene.

Ho Ngoc Ha (b. 1984), Pham Quynh Anh (b. 1984), Luong Bich Huu (b. 1984) and Thu Thuy (b. 1984) likewise serve as female singers within the domestic Vietnamese music scene.

1981 is a year that is associated with the Rooster, which is the Chinese zodiac having the most letters in English, in contrast to the Ox, the one having the fewest, with which 1973 is associated.

Conversely, in the Vietnamese system, 1973 is a year that is associated with the Buffalo, which uses the most letters in English (7), tied with the Rooster, with which 1981 is associated.

If the Water Buffalo is used with a space, it uses 12 letters, the most in any Vietnamese zodiac.

Plus, 1984 is a leap year; each leap year has 366 days, the most in a year.

Like the Rooster zodiac, Rat has the letter R, featuring the letter T.

Since the 1990's, some songs have instrumental intros featuring soulful vocal riffs, runs and melisma before the main melody, inspired by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.

For the last chorus of some pop songs since the 1990's, the backup singers have harmonized with the primary singer doing soul, inspired by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.

Between the first chorus and the second verse, soulful riffs, runs and melisma are used as breaks.