VIETNAMESE NEW WAVE

A new era of sound and style was birthed by the flourishing Vietnamese community of Little Saigon in Orange County, California in the 1980s-90s. An entire subculture crystalized through dance halls and night clubs, independent record labels and singers (along with their diehard fans and bootleggers). The sound of Vietnamese New Wave and Disco, ChaCha and Pop were flourishing on the streets of Bolsa, in restaurants and shops, playing loudly on local TV and radio, with music videos eventually going nationwide on MTV.

The community was made up of local and overseas Vietnamese, some fresh off the boats and planes, collectively navigating a new, chaotic foreign land called the United States of America. The new kids united through the lens of synthesizers and drum machines, flashing lights and fast cars - unknowingly creating a new subculture in the process.

Take a trip back into 1989 Little Saigon, California, when the Vietnamese community came together and found solace  through the sounds of the electronic drums and neon lights. Music brings us together.