Korean YouTubers Active in Vietnam
Honestly Expressing Their Reactions to Local Food
Similar to 'Korean Englishman' Who Was Enthusiastic
A small restaurant in Vietnam. A Korean YouTuber receives a 'sum' fruit from a local. Despite the guide's warning that it has a slightly astringent taste, the YouTuber boldly takes a bite of the fruit, then immediately grimaces and screams.
This scene is part of a video filmed by the popular Korean YouTuber 'Han Quoc Bros (Han Quoc Brothers)', who has over 900,000 followers in Vietnam. Although Korean, he mainly operates in Vietnam, introducing Vietnamese food, cities, and culture to the world as they are, gaining enthusiastic responses locally.
Korean YouTubers Experiencing 'Real Local Culture'... Vietnam Enthralled
'Han Quoc Bros' is a YouTube channel formed by three Korean men. With about 900,000 subscribers, they are a trending influencer in Vietnam. They appear familiar with Vietnam by greeting locals warmly and introducing Korea in fluent Vietnamese, but in fact, they are pure Koreans.
The three first encountered Vietnamese culture during their university days through a Vietnamese roommate. Later, driven by vague admiration, they visited Vietnam and filmed a video eating a local dish called 'caterpillar food,' which they posted online. The video unexpectedly received great responses, leading them to pursue a career as YouTubers.
The secret to Han Quoc Bros' popularity lies in their 'authenticity.' Although there have been many YouTube videos introducing Vietnamese culture before, most only toured parts of big cities or tasted a few popular dishes. In contrast, Han Quoc Bros explore regional foods and cultures known only to locals.
They eat well-known Vietnamese noodles and pizza (banh trang nuong) but sometimes personally experience the 'real' Vietnamese rural culture that even locals find hard to handle. They explore the tallest buildings in developing Vietnamese cities and have casual chats with neighborhood market vendors or barbershop owners.
The reaction from local netizens is enthusiastic. Some fans even track Han Quoc Bros' travel routes one by one. Comments pour in such as "Finally, they came to our city," "You have to try that to truly experience Vietnamese culture," and "Always grateful for spreading true Vietnamese culture to the world."
Similar to 'Korean Englishman' Who Received Warm Responses... Also Producing Nationalistic YouTube Channels
Since 2013, the British YouTuber 'Youngguknamja' who has been active in Korea also gained popularity through a similar process. [Image source=Youngguknamja YouTube]
Han Quoc Bros' path to success resembles that of the YouTuber 'Korean Englishman' (real name Josh Carrott), who grew based in Korea. Korean Englishman also started YouTube in 2013 when Korean culture was not widely known, using authenticity as his weapon unlike typical cultural introduction videos. He gave candid evaluations of Korean food culture unfamiliar to Western eyes.
At a time when 'Hallyu' or 'K' prefixed promotional videos flooded the market but there was no way to truly know how foreigners thought of Korea, Korean Englishman served as a kind of 'barometer' for domestic netizens. Recently, some Korean YouTubers appear to be playing a similar role in Vietnam and achieving success.
Some point out that the 'nationalistic pride' culture that swept Korea in the mid-2010s is similarly being reproduced in other developing countries. In fact, in Vietnam, so-called 'nationalistic pride YouTube' channels began to emerge around 2020. Their content often claims that wealthier Asian countries like Korea and Japan secretly view Vietnam as a rival or that Korea's economy grew thanks to Vietnam.
Exterior view of the electronics manufacturing plant established by Samsung in 2013 in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam. [Image source=Samsung Electronics]
Ironically, behind Vietnam's remarkable economic leap today is a significant contribution from Korean companies. By 2023, the cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) by Korean companies in Vietnam totaled $86 billion, making Korea the largest investor by far. Many products such as Samsung Electronics' semiconductors, electronic components, and mobile phones are produced in Vietnamese factories. Additionally, Vietnam is a major market for Korean cultural and consumer goods like Hallyu content and cosmetics.
"A Rapidly Growing Country Filling Itself with Confidence"
So why does Vietnam show a 'nationalistic pride intoxication' pattern similar to Korea's past? Experts see it as a natural desire of people in growing countries to confirm their position.
Professor Eunhee Lee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies explained, "As exchanges between Vietnam and Korea increase, naturally people became curious about Korea's opinions of their country. If sophisticated Korean consumers appreciate Vietnamese culture, Vietnamese people can feel pride accordingly."
However, this pride may fade as the country's rapid growth phase ends. Professor Lee pointed out, "Once Vietnam develops a more advanced consumer culture, it will no longer need others' recognition. Korea went through a similar process." She added, "In a way, the 'nationalistic pride' during developing country stages can be interpreted as a process of filling the confidence that was previously lacking."
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