“Ghen Co Vy” was composed by Khac Hung and performed by pop singers Min and Erik.
English-American comedian and writer Oliver described the song as an “incredible” public information video about how to limit Covid-19’s spread through proper hygiene.
“Vietnam made a song about washing your hands to prevent coronavirus infection and it absolutely slaps! That’s a genuine club banger right there!” he remarked.
Parts of the song’s animated music video, depicting comedic images of the novel coronavirus and people wearing masks and washing their hands to prevent infection, were shown in the episode.
It also featured a clip, uploaded on Chinese video-sharing social network TikTok, showing two people, including Vietnamese dancer Quang Dang, dance to the catchy song.
The dance, part of a TikTok dance challenge, was reenacted by Oliver at the end of the episode to remind the audience to wash their hands.
The song was well-received in the comments section of Last Week Tonight’s official YouTube channel, with people praising its catchiness and asking where it came from.
Created by the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, the song is actually a parody of another popular song, also by Khac Hung, Min and Erik called “Ghen” (Jealousy). Ghen Co Vy, with “Co Vy” (Ms. Vy) a local nickname for the new coronavirus, premiered on the institute’s official YouTube channel on February 14 and on Erik and Min’s channel a few days later.
The institute said on its official website: “We hope the song could encourage the soldiers on the frontlines in the fight against Covid-19. They are the experts, doctors, nurses, medical personnel, and millions of other workers who fight the disease every day behind the scenes.”
Vietnam has recorded 16 Covid-19 infection cases so far. All of them have recovered.
The global death toll has reached 3,069, mostly in mainland China, followed by Iran (66), Italy (52), the Republic of Korea (34), and the U.S and Japan which have reported six fatal cases each.
