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Every Sunday morning, I wake up to slow, repetitive rhumba music with boring, simple chord progressions and overly cheesy lyrics that my parents absolutely love. Staring at the ceiling, I can hear my mom singing loudly along downstairs, exaggerating every word. Occasionally, she pauses, allowing my dad to add in some obscure facts about the specific version and recording session of the song that’s playing. For me, it’s incredibly annoying, but for them, it’s a chance to start their days with enjoyment, delight, and pride in one of their favorite musical genres.

This is Bolero, a style that refers to a type of music that was popular in Southern Vietnam from 1954 to 1975. That’s the simple explanation, but in actuality, it’s very difficult to define what Bolero actually is. Even the genre’s biggest fans don’t have a definitive answer. “It’s hard. I don’t know enough to tell you how Bolero is viewed, or should be viewed,” says Phú, a 19-year-old Bolero enthusiast. “There seems to be a blurred line between Bolero as a music genre and Bolero as a general category of music written before 1975.” My father, the owner of a large Bolero collection, couldn’t give a straightforward definition either. “The name Bolero comes from a style of music in 19th century Cuba, but Vietnamese Bolero is completely different,” he says. “In Vietnam, the term is a generalization of music from Southern Vietnam that is written in a slow tempo and has simple yet beautiful, memorable lyrics.”

Many Bolero cafés are still open in Vietnam today. One owner recalls how hard it was to express her love for the music. “In order to perform or even play any [Bolero] songs out loud, you had to write a form to request permission from the Ministry of Culture,” she says. Even then, she would have to stay vigilant. “Sometimes the band would play a particularly provocative song and I’d find myself on extremely high alert. It was as if anyone who looked at my shop might have a problem with me or try to make trouble.” Songs about Southern Vietnam soldiers—such as ‘For a Man Who Had Fallen’ (Cho một người nằm xuống), ‘I Won’t Be Home For Spring’ (Xuân Này Con Không Về)—were particularly controversial, as they were the opposing force against the current Vietnamese government. ‘Solider Love’ (Tình Lính), with its infamous lyric “I’m a ladykiller kind of solider” (“Anh là người lính đa tình”), was particularly contentious.

Since 1st of February 2021, the regulation on Bolero has been completely lifted. As a result of this new found freedom, selected songs are broadcast widely, and performances by popular contemporary Bolero artists such as Đàm Vĩnh Hưng, Lệ Quyên, Quang Lê, Phương Mỹ Chi are even streamed on national television. Đàm Vĩnh Hưng’s cover of the 1966 track ‘Love Castle’ (Lâu Đài Tình Ái) has become particularly popular, so much so that many people mistakenly think the artist wrote it himself.

Bolero music is not just visible in mainstream media, however. It can be heard in small cafés, on neighborhood loudspeakers, faintly echoing from the houses of collectors, or blasting through cheap music players attached to the vehicles of traveling vendors. It’s also played live by everyone from professionally trained musicians in music lounges to groups of friends singing and playing guitar on the street.

Bolero songs are also a staple of Vietnamese weddings. After formal ceremonies, guests often enjoy a meal accompanied by the sound old aunties and uncles wailing to the tunes of “Sixty Years of Life (Sáu Mươi Năm Cuộc Đời), “Flower Boat” (Thuyền Hoa), and “Bring Love To Homeland” (Rước Tình Về Với Quê Hương). This amateurish, spontaneous, but very intimate atmosphere is unique to Vietnamese social gatherings, especially in the countryside.

Beyond being a mere tool for social connection and celebration, today Bolero acts as a bridge between different generations in Vietnam. Its relatively recent legality is also seen as a first step towards erasing the psychological border between the North and the South that still persists in people’s minds, despite the war ending almost 50 years ago.