Nhạc đỏ is a body of patriotic songs praising the revolution and the state. It leans on march rhythms and massed choral singing, with strong, uplifting major-key melodies celebrating victory, labor, leaders and the homeland. Forces range from solo voice to full chorus, fusing Western orchestra with Vietnamese march idioms.

The genre was cultivated by the state and party in the northern Democratic Republic of Vietnam from around the 1945 August Revolution onward. 'Red music' takes its name from the red of revolution and stands as the deliberate political opposite of the South's sentimental 'yellow music.' Composers Phạm Tuyên, Đỗ Nhuận and Hoàng Vân wrote enduring songs about Điện Biên Phủ and reunification.

Listen for the bright, unsentimental major-key melodies and the rousing lift of unison and choral singing. Played against the South's nhạc vàng of the same years, it shows how music from one country could aim at exactly opposite emotions.

Phạm Tuyên's 'Như Có Bác Hồ' (1975), the victory anthem of reunification, is still sung today and is the obvious entry point.

'Như Có Bác Hồ' has become Vietnam's de facto victory song — crowds sing it in the stands every time the national football team wins.