Vietnam's hand-washing song, dance help ward off coronavirus panic

Hanoi (VNA) – With a fun and catchy tune, the song “Ghen Co Vy” guiding how to wash hands and its dance do not only encourage people to adopt good personal hygiene habits but also dance away their stresses from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ghen Co Vy”, which is a lyrical adaption based on the melody of the V-pop hit “Ghen” (Jealousy) by Khac Hung, is performed by the tune’s original singers Min and Erik.

It is a compound of the song’s original title, “Ghen” (Jealous), and “CoV” – Vietnamese abbreviation for coronavirus.

“Wash your hands, rub, rub, rub, rub evenly. Do not touch your eyes, nose, mouth, and limit visits to crowded places. Push away corona corona (virus)...” The lyric explains to people how to wash their hands properly and to take other measures to avoid becoming infected.

The song and dance have millions of views on Youtube and is getting even more attention on TikTok where it sparked a trending dance called the #ghencovychallenge, choreographed by Vietnamese popular dancer Quang Dang.

Since his post, hundreds of others have put their own spin on the dance, which includes swagged-out movements mimicking hand-scrubbing.

The song and dance received compliments from the US’s Billboard music magazine and the New York Times. They have been highlighted on the latest episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.

English-American comedian and writer Oliver called the song "incredible" and tried out the dance himself. "Vietnam made a song about washing your hands to prevent coronavirus infection and it absolutely slaps,” he remarked. “That’s a genuine club banger right there!"

Released in February, the song is part of a creative health communications project #EndCoV by the Ministry of Health’s National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health (NIOEH).

With a spirit of “prevention is better than cure”, the project aims to join hands with the community in building personal preventive habits and motivate the country’s frontline fighters - doctors, epidemiologists, health workers, and millions of others who are exposing themselves daily to the coronavirus.

Unlike a sterile formal public information announcement, the song conveys a positive message in a humorus and youthful way to catch public attention.

“In this long war, each person being aware of the need to protect oneself, one’s family and community is very important,” wrote Min on her Youtube channel. “What we are doing is a drop in the ocean but we believe if united, all of us can do a lot more for the community. Above all, we hope that all of us will together practice personal and community preventative habits, spread positive energy and kindness, for a better world.”

“As many people feel worried and stressed out about the pandemic, I told myself that I should create a positive music piece that can spread happiness and, at the same time, provide recommendations on preventive measures against the disease worked out by authority,” composer Khac Hung explained.

It must be something easy to memorise and audience of all ages would want to listen to it, he noted.

“Through this project, we want to give more strength and faith to the community so all of us would join hands to fight COVID-19,” he said, adding that he hopes to use music to provide comfort to frontline personnel, medics, public workers and those providing essential services during the battle against the virus./.