How Vietnam’s Say Hi Universe Grew Up From a Guest Cameo to a Co-Writing Credit

Two years after Alan Walker appeared as a finale-night guest on *Anh Trai Say Hi*, its successor *Tinh Hà Say Hi* is placing five international hitmakers directly into the writing room.

In December 2024, Walker appeared on the ranking-finale stage of *Anh Trai Say Hi*. Eighteen months later, *Tinh Hà Say Hi* is integrating international producers into writing sessions.

*Tinh Hà Say Hi* premiered this summer as part of DatVietVAC’s “Vũ Trụ Say Hi” (“Say Hi Universe”), bringing together 24 Vietnamese entertainment stars. The show airs Saturdays at 8 p.m. on VieON, HTV2’s Vie Channel and YouTube. Rapper-singer CAPTAIN BOY noted workdays running past 10 hours, while cast member WEAN described the season as a journey beyond limits.

For the fourth live stage, production brought in five international producers to co-write tracks. Danny Chung is a Korean-American lyricist with THEBLACKLABEL who has credits on major K-pop releases and the *KPop Demon Hunters* soundtrack on Netflix and Sony Animation, which topped the Billboard 200. FrancisGotHeat is a Grammy-nominated Vietnamese-Canadian producer who has worked with Drake, Big Sean and ZAYN. Dylan Matthew is a U.S.-based EDM and pop producer who co-built SLANDER material achieving RIAA double-platinum status. Softest Hard is a Vietnamese-American DJ and producer who works across the K-pop system. SOFTSERVEBOY, also known as Peter Chun, is a six-times multi-platinum, Berklee-trained producer working in pop and R&B.

FrancisGotHeat and Softest Hard are of Vietnamese descent. Softest Hard stated that the project led her to learn her Vietnamese name for the first time, noting that Vietnamese diaspora communities tracked the show online. Producers close to the project described the collaboration as a shared credit line.

When Walker appeared in 2024, coverage focused on a foreign star’s visit. With five producers collaborating alongside Vietnamese artists, the music can reach international audiences through the producers’ own platforms and interviews.

Show producers maintained Vietnamese identity throughout the season, incorporating the star-naming concept and the “Say Hi Universe” mythology alongside the cast explaining their culture to collaborators.

Whether *Tinh Hà Say Hi* serves as a template for international collaboration in Vietnamese entertainment formats depends on how the five producers discuss the experience in their own studios.