Làng Văn: The Timeless Pulse of Vietnamese Music
Few names have endured for over four decades in an industry that rises and falls with the tides of technology and trends. For almost half a century, Làng Văn has not only survived it has become a steward of legacy. From cassette tapes to the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the company has bridged the analog and digital with heart, vision, and a dedication to preserving Vietnamese musical heritage. Today, as one of the world’s most comprehensive Vietnamese music catalogs, Làng Văn stands as a forward-thinking powerhouse writing the next chapter of the region’s music history.
A Legacy Born from Longing
The name Làng Văn, meaning “village of literature” or “village of letters,” was born from a longing for home. When its founders arrived in the US as refugees, they felt a profound yearning to preserve the culture they had left behind. That desire sparked the creation of Làng Văn not only as a label but as a cultural sanctuary where artists, storytellers, and the Vietnamese diaspora could gather, remember, and create.
Based in Westminster, California, a city that became one of the centers of post-1975 Vietnamese music. Làng Văn has long served as the backbone of Vietnamese audio and visual media. It has become a custodian of the Vietnamese sound, with an archive of tens of thousands of audio recordings, numerous videos, and the acquired catalogs of multiple labels.
Preserving Identity Through Sound
Whether the golden voices of renowned names or the rich spectrum of genres from traditional folk to modern hip hop, Làng Văn preserves identity. It has been a musical lifeline for generations of Vietnamese people in the United States and Vietnam, capturing the stories of people and carrying them into the future.
Besides its massive catalog and iconic artists, Làng Văn stands out for its roots, which are deeply personal, familial, and intertwined with the history of the Vietnamese diaspora.
The label’s origin story begins with COO Mimi Nguyễn’s parents: Lan Nguyễn and Chúc Lê. Nguyễn’s mother is from a family whose bloodline runs thick with music, enterprise, and cultural impact.
- Thanh Lan – founder of Trung Tâm Thanh Lan, one of the first Vietnamese-American record labels
- Billy “Bắc” Bui – founder of Trung Tâm Thúy Anh, known for signing iconic rising stars
From this lineage of creators and entrepreneurs, the founders of Làng Văn emerged driven by a vision of legacy and cultural preservation.
Digitizing an Empire
When Làng Văn released its first album in 1982, few could have predicted its future as one of the bedrocks of an entire industry. At the time, the Vietnamese-American music scene was a constellation of labels. Dozens of them clustered in the small but vibrant community of Westminster. Each label added a new voice to a growing community of post-migration culture.
Over the decades, as some closed and others merged, Làng Văn slowly, methodically acquired many of them. “Our goal was to ensure that no piece of the Vietnamese musical story would be lost to time,” says Nguyễn.
Today, while only a few independent labels remain, much of the collective legacy of Vietnamese music in the US has been gathered under Làng Văn’s roof forming a unified archive of cultural memory.
Evolution wasn’t easy. The company had to navigate a slow and difficult transition from physical formats to digital. In the early days, Làng Văn thrived on the sale of cassettes, VHS, CDs, and DVDs. But as technology began to outpace tradition, the shift to digital proved challenging, especially for the first-generation leadership.
The founders faced the overwhelming task of digitizing an ever-growing catalog while continuing to acquire more. That’s when their children stepped in. After completing their studies, Mimi Nguyễn and her brother Phiton Nguyễn returned to the family business with a mission to modernize.
“Seeing all the unreleased tracks and lost footage like moments frozen in time, it felt like uncovering buried treasure,” Nguyễn shares.
Reimagining the Future
Now, with the digital infrastructure firmly in place and the weight of history in its vaults, Làng Văn is once again looking forward. This time, the future isn’t about digitizing the past, it’s about reimagining it.
With a fully owned catalog and empowered by emerging technologies, the company is embracing innovation with the same boldness that defined its beginnings.
“We’re currently exploring AI as a tool for artistic reinvention,” Nguyễn explains. “It’s usually seen as a threat to creative authenticity. But we see its potential in producing fresh interpretations remixes, samples, and modern arrangements that introduce classic Vietnamese songs to younger audiences and global listeners.”
Because Làng Văn owns its entire catalog, it’s uniquely positioned to create a limitless canvas for creative reinvention.
A Legacy That Lives On
Làng Văn’s essence remains rooted in its mission: to protect, preserve, and propel Vietnamese culture through music. It stands out in an industry that often prioritizes trends over tradition.
“We’re here to protect a legacy born from displacement and diaspora,” Nguyễn concludes, “to champion voices that history might otherwise overlook, and to ensure that Vietnamese music continues to evolve without forgetting where it came from.”
Originally published by International Business Times on June 26, 2025. Written by Callum Turner. Reposted here with permission.
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