American Voices' HaviKoro program was the first American Hip Hop ever in Vietnam. HaviKoro was given ecstatic reception by huge audiences of young Vietnamese. The following are excerpted comments by the U.S. Embassy Hanoi:

The largest public performances ever planned by the Public Affairs Section succeeded in bringing the award- winning youth hip hop break dance group from Houston, HaviKoro, to Vietnam as part of our year-long commemoration of the tenth anniversary of normalization of diplomatic relations. This performing arts event is the culmination of Post's three-year efforts to bring outstanding performing arts groups and is a vivid example of how we can reach younger and broader audiences by looking to unconventional sources within America's diverse music culture. Although a striking departure from the usual classical or jazz programs of our repertoire, this program injected new enthusiasm about the United States into the general public and young audiences in a country where 60 percent of the population is under twenty-five years old.

In the past, post enlisted support from Government-affiliated performance arts organizations and established music conservatories when arranging cultural performances in Vietnam. Utilizing the sponsorship of large Vietnamese companies for the first time, PAS joined forces with the nation's leading snack food makers and bakeries, Kinh Do Foods, a film company and several American firms including Johnson and Johnson and Sheraton Hotel, to orchestrate an unprecedented cultural program with cost savings to Post. American Voices, a non-profit organization devoted to the better understanding of American culture and music, was the U.S.-side sponsor, having worked closely with us on previous projects to promote jazz and blues music.

Beginning a week before HaviKoro's arrival, PAS created a buzz about the concert, making use of press conferences, interviews and intensive publicity efforts to generate interest. Often neglected by famous singers who opt to perform in wealthier neighboring countries, Vietnam rarely has the opportunity to roll out the red carpet for foreign performers appealing to young audiences. The biggest draw this year so far has been a small concert by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary at the Hanoi Opera House, which hit more of a chord with aging expatriates rather than Vietnamese audiences.

Post's workshop the night before the gala concert aimed at exposing young music students at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music to American culture and dance. In a standing-room only crowd of 300 students, the four young men of HaviKoro, ages ranging from 18 to 29, talked about their love of dance and hip hop, channeling this passion as an alternative to drugs and crime, and described their journey from humble origins in poor neighborhoods to their current success. Their message, resonating with youth here, also received approving nods from the MCI officials in the audience.

The next night, HaviKoro lit up the stage for a crowd of more than 4000 concertgoers at a friendship concert, bringing together some of Vietnam's best and most popular pop singers and dancers, including an ethnic minority rapper and no less than four professional break dance groups. HaviKoro awed the audience with complex spin moves, rapping, dj record-scratching and comic interludes. The national television station, Vietnam Television (VTV), Hanoi Television and a Reuters film crew were on hand to capture the energy of the masses, and many major newspapers carried stories about the concert the next day. In an unusual move, VTV aired clips from the concert on its evening news two nights in row, highlighting the bilateral efforts to celebrate the tenth anniversary.

Over 4,000 people also attended the repeat performance in HCMC, while an overflow crowd watched from large video screens outside. The spaceship style stage featured huge projections of the Consulate General seal and the logo for the 10th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. The carnival atmosphere at the stadium was accentuated by youth doing spontaneous break dancing and a finale act that finished off the evening in a friendly dance-off between American and Vietnamese breakdancers. VTV's planned complete broadcast of the concert in the coming weeks is expected to reach 10 million viewers throughout the country.