With its third annual event now in the books, it is considered comparable to the festivities in New York City’s Times Square. Not only is it staged on Nguyen Hue Walking Street — the most famous and crowded street, with more than 70,000 people estimated that night — it is also witnessed in millions of households throughout Vietnam via live nationwide broadcast on all of the country’s major TV networks, making it the most-watched music extravaganza.

This year, Billboard Vietnam was the official music partner of “Countdown Lights 2020,” selected for its role as the country’s top music-news outlet, a supporter of local artists, and a fast-growing presence as a strong influencer to music fans.

Billboard Vietnam used its vast resources and expertise to curate one of the best lineups the city had ever seen, combining local contemporary artists with traditional music to stay true to the theme of the event: Entertainment for every age, uniting old and new. 

The artist lineup included some of the hottest current Vietnamese names — Thanh Bùi, Sơn Tùng M-TP, Vũ Cát Tường, Ngọt, Trọng Hiếu and more — who performed with world-class musicians from the United States, under music director Michael Choi.

“Countdown Lights 2020” was free to attend, and alongside the concert, Billboard hosted a Superfans Zone, for which tickets were sold out in less than an hour. An interactive booth in the Zone used AR/VR technology to create a “Photo With the Stars” experience where fans could take a group picture with their favorite “Countdown Lights 2020” artists.

To welcome 2020 and the new decade, the theme was “Our People – Our Future – Our Home.” Billboard Vietnam explains: “In 2019, Vietnam has seen major developments as it continues to raise its profile on the world stage. There is greater recognition of Our People as a generous, warm, united and connected people. They are more aware of protecting the environment and the natural beauty of Our Home.

“Vietnam continues to envision and apply its development to build a sustainable society for Our Future together with innovation and technology. Billboard Vietnam understands the strength of joining fan communities with a common goal of preserving our home, our planet and initiated with the artists to live a green lifestyle campaign for a better Vietnam.”

The song selection and visual graphics by AR Technology on the live broadcast to all major TV channels was focused on green messaging with the goal of creating a call-to-action campaign to the community — to look back on the positive changes from the previous year, and to keep preserving the earth in the future.

By Billboard