The first Vietnamese song to surpass one billion views on YouTube is surprisingly not a modern hit like See Tình by Hoàng Thùy Linh or the popular regional song Con gái miền Tây. Instead, this record was set by a children's song called Một con vịt (One Duck), which tells the story of a duck.
The 4-minute, 29-second animated video was uploaded by the Heo Con Channel on August 31, 2019. The video, which focuses on children's music, reached the milestone of one billion views on June 15, 2024.
Composed by Kim Duyên and first performed by four-year-old children's music icon Xuân Mai in 1998, the song has long been a staple in Vietnam. Known for its catchy melody, Một con vịt is popular in kindergartens and is often used during mealtimes to keep children entertained (and cooperative), a strategy familiar to many parents.
Interestingly, the YouTube video that has reached one billion views is not the classic version of Một con vịt that Vietnamese children loved in the 1990s and 2000s. Instead, it is a 3D animated version with imperfect visuals, robotic movements, and oddly numbered ducks.
With its catchy melody, this song has been loved by many generations of children. The music video features a white mother duck and her five yellow ducklings. In the more than four-minute video, the ducks dance, walk in the park and swim in the pond. The playful antics of the ducklings will captivate young viewers.
With its simple animation style, some may jokingly compare it to 'cheap Pixar'. The odd numbering of the ducks has even led some to compare it to Squid Game.
The song's lyrics take a straightforward, naturalistic approach, clearly describing the physical characteristics and behaviors of domestic ducks: "A duck spreads its wings / 'Quack quack quack quack,' it says / When [it] sees the pond, [it] splashes around / When back on land, [it] shakes its wings to dry off."
For many urban children, who rarely encounter live ducks outside of a fried dish on the dinner table, Một con vịt has provided a whimsical glimpse into the simple life of waterfowl in the countryside.
Một Con Vịt Joins YouTube Billion-View Club
The classic children's song Một con vịt (One Duck) has officially joined the YouTube Billion-View Club, surpassing one billion views and joining popular videos such as Despacito, Gangnam Style, and Humpty the Train on a Fruits Ride.
This success also reflects the growing popularity of children's songs on YouTube, competing with other genres and driven by repeated viewing by young audiences. For comparison, the South Korean children's song Baby Shark holds the record with 15.4 billion views, making it a global phenomenon.
Other popular children's videos have also achieved impressive views, including Johny, Johny, Yes Papa (6.9 billion), The Wheels on The Bus (6.8 billion), and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (2.2 billion) as of December 19.
