The Masked Singer Vietnam

The Masked Singer Vietnam (Vietnamese: Ca sĩ mặt nạ, lit.'masked singer') is a Vietnam reality singing competition that premiered on HTV2 - Vie Channel, Vie Giải Trí and the VieON app from July 16, 2022. This is the Vietnamese version of the South Korean television show King of Mask Singer, and is part of the Masked Singer franchise. The show is presented by Ngô Kiến Huy, with Trấn Thành, Tóc Tiên, Wowy (later Đức Phúc) and Bích Phương appearing in each episode as panelists, along with at least one guest panelist in each episode.

Format

Each season of The Masked Singer Vietnam features a group of celebrity contestants. 15 contestants will be divided into 3 groups. They will be in mascots and their identities are hidden throughout the show. Each contestant will be provided with a hint video with clues related with that mascot. The contestant then performs a song with his or her real voice. The panelists can ask the contestant for more information, and are also provided with other clues about him/her to predict who the character is. The contestant will conceal his/her voice during that time.

At the end of each first mascots' performance, the panelists write their prediction about the contestant's real name. This is kept unknown until the contestant takes off the mask (only the first name written will be considered).

At the end of the episode, the panelists and 99 audiences in the studio will vote for their favorite contestant. This is then converted to the percentage of votes for each contestant. Whoever has the lowest votes will be eliminated and have to reveal his/her real identity.

As of season 2:

• In the first round, all mascots in a group compete together. Two lowest-voted mascots from audiences will perform a battle performance, with the lowest-voted one by panelists and audiences being eliminated. Two subsequent rounds have the same rules, but with battle round eliminated and whoever has lowest votes will instead being unmasked.
• In episodes 10–12, the remaining contestants will be divided into 3 groups, with each group consisting of 3 contestants from each group. The contestant with the highest votes is safe for the next round, and the remaining 2 must perform a play-off performance and the panelists will decide who goes on to the next round.
• In episodes 13–15, the remaining contestants will perform weekly. For the semi-final night, there will be additional mascots, and no one will be eliminated, with their votes being transferred to the final.
• In the final (episode 16), only the one with the lowest votes is eliminated. The remaining 3 continued to be voted by audiences, and results will be announced at the awards ceremony.
• The mascot with the highest votes in the Top 3 wins the title, owning the "Golden Mask" trophy. Both the runner-up and third place contestants will get a medal.

In addition, the "Golden Ear" trophy is also present for the best panelist of a season. The prediction of each panelist will be announced when a contestant is eliminated. A correct prediction will give the panelist 1 point. After all contestants' identities are revealed, the panelist has a highest score will receive the "Golden Ear" trophy.

Production

Vie Channel announced in July 2022 to have bought the local franchise of King of Mask Singer. Teasers for all mascots were also announced later on. On July 6, 2022, Trấn Thành, Tóc Tiên and Wowy were announced to be the main panelists.

Talking with Thanh Niên for the show's concept, the Vie Channel representatives said: "We realize that Vietnam has many potential singers who sings very well, but it seems that they are being lost and lack opportunities to develop against the microelectronics music... If those talents have the opportunity and the stage to showcase their talent, why don't we do this to help revive professional music?".

The producers said that it took two years for them to produce and broadcast The Masked Singer Vietnam. According to the initial plan, the show would be filmed and premiered in 2021, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, it was delayed. This, nevertheless, be a time for improving the quality of the show.

The show is currently co-produced by Vie Channel and VieON.

Contestant selection

Choosing artists with each have different attributes is the first real challenge to the producers. In addition, they also tried to find artists of different ages and generations with the view to reaching more audiences. When the list of artists is complete, production begins; this takes them another half year, however, to discuss and take on the best strategy.

Theme song

The official theme song of the show is "Behind The Mask" by Châu Đăng Khoa, performed by Sofia and Red. This made the first appearance in the first episode of The Masked Singer Vietnam.

Design

Mascot and costumes

I make these mascot sets to compete against all other versions in the world, to bring it to the world and show off the talent of Vietnamese people to others, not just Asia. Those are the special points I want to give to The Masked Singer Vietnam, the quality of the product must be really delicate. Since I am a fashion person, I want everything to be beautiful. This is an artist wearing a fashion suit and a round masked head, not a mascot like any others, thus this must be more artistic and technical. With the talent of Vietnamese people and made in Vietnam to make the best of a mascot.

The mascot sets were designed by Ngô Mạnh Đông Đông. Inspired by animals, he created mascots with elaborate designs, meticulous to every detail. Each set of wings is decorated with feathers and stones. With his outstanding talent, he has created lively mascot sets, bringing to the public works of high-quality arts. Speaking about designing those special mascots, he said that he loves taking risks, upgrading himself with new challenges and he hopes to receive many compliments for his "one-of-a-kind" mascot. Despite his rich experience in jewelry making, he still finds it difficult to design mascots. He had to invite United States' experts to Vietnam to learn and research, and even had to learn non-specialist jobs.

According to the show's representative, each mascot is built according to a different story and personality, creating a new highlight of the show that no other has at that time. The mascots are also considered to be unique and more classy than the original one. Also, the mascots are made such that they can still sing normally without the need to open their mouths but can still sing. Ngô Mạnh Đông Đông also said: "The microphone placement of each mascot is also very important. [...] We have to learn very carefully about this when putting the mic in, as well as adjusting the position of it so that the artist can see and sing normally".

In order for the artists to have the most comfortable experience singing in their mascots, the producer said that they had special requirements when ordering mascot sets with the designer. "Our order was that the mascots should be beautiful, comfortable to wear in, and technically guaranteed for the artist to be able to sing, even if they are heavy or bulky. We and the designer worked very closely together, wearing the mascot over and over again with the band, and only when the technical requirements are guaranteed can the artist wear it to sing. As "The Masked Singer Vietnam" is a competition among artists, with quality first, we does not make difficulties for artists in mascot. Mascot is just an external form that creates stories for artists, and technical factors must be guaranteed to the highest such that they can perform their best in the competition." They also said that the investment for those mascot sets took them more than 1 year with a total cost up to billions dong. The mascot sets of the program are all elaborately made, designed using many expensive materials worldwide. Each mascot set is modeled many times, and they must ensure aesthetic factors and technical requirements when performing... before making a final product. After each round, more details are added to the mascot.

Alongside mascot, Ngô Kiến Huy's costume design are also gaining attraction. Vương Khang said he was surprised to Ngô Kiến Huy's different concept to his costume every week to perform alongside dancers. According to him, his costumes cost him up to 500 million dong for making every appearance being neat. The mask is also one of the elements that he takes effort to. For him, the host is a symbol of the show; so the masks play an extremely important role in it.

Stage

In each performance, the stage is staged in a different style with meticulous props to illustrate it. Every angle is also calculated to create an extreme performance with excellent visual effects, in order to make more sympathy with the audience.

Security

All contestants in The Masked Singer Vietnam are kept completely anonymous with both the audience and other staff outside the crew. They are not allowed to travel by personal vehicles and are not accompanied by any assistants or managers. Instead, a dedicated car will take them to the set and record at the scheduled time frame. They will then put on their masks and move into the waiting room, each with a separate room, labeled with each artist's name such that no one knows who they are sharing with. Those rooms only allows stylists and crews to come in to assist them with costume-related issues. They always have the companionship and supervision of the crew members whenever they go to ensure absolute confidentiality of their identities. Thảo Trang shared during her participation: "This is not just a gameshow of singing and performing, but also a test of endurance in tight costumes. Wearing this mask is a bit hard to hear, but when singing, each singer will have earphones." Mai Tiến Dũng added: "Parking is also not allowed, everyone has to pick each other up afar, walk in while covered with blankets, each has a separate room. I heard the voice and suspiciously recognize the singer, but I couldn't shake hands, each was completely isolated, and all hidden after singing". The identities of the mascot artists are kept strictly confidential by the crew and are only revealed when they take off their masks on the stage.

Music

Hoài Sa currently is the music director, and also one of the few people who know the real identities of the mascots participating in the show. According to his revelation, there's a legendary artist participating the show. Sharing when he was assigned the role of music director for the program, he said that the participants were not contestants but actually celebrities, and understands what is the strength of each person because he has worked with them before. "But, in the program, they have to sing songs that don't - make - their - name. It's a difficult problem but also exciting for me", he said, "When they practice they sing out of habits, but on stage, the aura will come in and they will have real feelings. I sit there and connect them with the orchestra, the real emotion comes from that."

Broadcasting

The Masked Singer Vietnam debuted on July 16, 2022. The first season premiered on HTV2 - Vie Channel and Vie Giải Trí every Saturday at 8:00 p.m. (GMT+7), alongside the VieON app which premiered it 30 minutes earlier. All episodes are also premiered on Vie Channel's official YouTube channel at 9:00 p.m.. The awards ceremony were live simultaneously on television, the VieON app and the producer's official YouTube channel from 10:30 p.m. on November 19, 2022.

The second season was premiered simultaneously on HTV2, VTVCab 1 and the VieON app every Friday at 9:00 p.m., also premiered on the producer's official YouTube channel. Both main performances and unmasking were aired on the same episode, except for episodes 2–6, which aired the unmasking part as a standalone part on Wednesdays. The awards ceremony was live from 10:00 p.m. on December 16, 2023.

Panelists and host

In the first season, Trấn Thành, Tóc Tiên and Wowy served as the initial panelists, while Ngô Kiến Huy being the host. For some reasons, however, Wowy only appears in the first two rounds, and Đức Phúc was then announced as an alternative. Guest panelists also appear throughout the season. In season two Đức Phúc was replaced by Bích Phương.

List of seasons

Season 1

Contestants

• A The masked singer is on Group A.
• B The masked singer is on Group B.
• C The masked singer is on Group C.
• WINNER The masked singer won first place.
• RUNNER-UP The masked singer won second place.
• THIRD PLACE The masked singer won third place.
• WIN The masked singer won their respective round and moved on to the next round.
• SAFE The masked singer was safe from elimination.
• RISK The masked singer is in the group with the lowest number of votes or must participate in the Battle Round but wasn't eliminated.
• OUT The masked singer was eliminated from the competition and unmasked upon their elimination.
• The masked singer did not perform.

Episodes

Episode 1 (July 16)

• Guest panelist: Minh Hằng
• References:
• Opening performance: "Behind The Mask" by Châu Đăng Khoa, performed by Sofia and Red.

Episode 2 (July 23)

• Guest panelist: Trúc Nhân
• References:

Episode 3 (July 30)

• Guest panelist: Hari Won
• References:

Episode 4 (August 6)

• Guest panelist: Ngọc Sơn
• Topic: First things
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Bước qua nhau" by Vũ, performed by Vũ.

Episode 5 (August 13)

• Guest panelist: Trúc Nhân
• Topic: First things
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Phải chăng em đã yêu?" by RedT, performed by Juky San.

Episode 6 (August 20)

• Guest panelist: Gil Lê
• Topic: First things
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Đổi hạnh phúc lấy cô đơn" by Nghị Martin and Song Luân, performed by Song Luân.

Episode 7 (August 27)

• Guest panelist: Trọng Hiếu
• Topic: Love
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Em vẫn tin vào tình yêu ấy" by Tú Dưa, performed by Lương Bích Hữu.

Episode 8 (September 3)

• Guest panelist: Châu Đăng Khoa
• Topic: Love
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Giúp anh trả lời những câu hỏi" by Vương Anh Tú, performed by Vương Anh Tú.

Episode 9 (September 10)

• Guest panelist: Đức Phúc
• Topic: Love
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Dừng lại vẫn kịp lúc" by Vương Anh Tú, performed by Trung Quân.

Episode 10 (September 17)

• Guest panelists: Châu Đăng Khoa and Bảo Anh
• Topic: Another universe
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Lâu lâu nhắc lại" by Đỗ Hoài Nam, performed by Hà Nhi.

Episode 11 (September 24)

• Guest panelists: Lê Hiếu và Phan Mạnh Quỳnh
• Topic: Party
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Sài Gòn yếu đuối biết dựa vào ai?" by Huỳnh Quốc Huy, performed by Tăng Phúc.

Episode 12 (October 1)

• Guest panelists: ViruSs và Hứa Kim Tuyền
• Topic: Favourites
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Ước mơ của mẹ" by Hứa Kim Tuyền, performed by Thảo Trang.

Episode 13 (October 8)

• Guest panelist: Bùi Anh Tú
• Topic: Fears
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Giữa đại lộ Đông Tây" by Hứa Kim Tuyền, performed by Uyên Linh.

Episode 14 (October 15)

• Guest panelist: Mỹ Linh
• Topic: Moments
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Người như anh" by Hùng Quân, performed by Mai Tiến Dũng.

Episode 15 – Semi-final (October 22)

• Guest panelist: Noo Phước Thịnh
• Topic: Ladies Night
• References:

• By the rules, the accompanying mascots would be unmasked along with eliminated contestant. However, no one was eliminated in this episode, so their identities are still undisclosed as of now.

Episode 16 - Final (November 5)

• Guest panelist: Lệ Quyên
• References:

• Group performance: "Dưới ánh đèn sân khấu" by Hứa Kim Tuyền, performed by Lady Mây, O Sen, Tí Nâu and Phượng Hoàng Lửa.
• Unmasking performance: "Giấc mơ trưa" by Giáng Son (music) and Nguyễn Vĩnh Tiến (melody), performed by Thùy Chi.

Episode 17 – Awards ceremony (November 19 – Live)

• This was part of The Masked Singer Vietnam – All-star Concert event taken place on November 19, 2022.
• References:

• Trấn Thành was revealed under the mascot "Kỵ Sĩ Nấm Hương (Mushroom Knight)" in Concert.
• O Sen got 5.070 votes by SMS and 145.967 votes by app, Lady Mây got 1.733 votes by SMS and 119.688 votes by app, Phượng Hoàng Lửa got 2.059 votes by SMS and 144.954 votes by app.

Season 2

Contestants

• A The masked singer is on Group A.
• B The masked singer is on Group B.
• C The masked singer is on Group C.
• WINNER The masked singer won first place.
• RUNNER-UP The masked singer won second place.
• THIRD PLACE The masked singer won third place.
• WIN The masked singer won their respective round and moved on to the next round.
• SAFE The masked singer was safe from elimination.
• RISK The masked singer is in the group with the lowest number of votes or must participate in the Battle Round but was not eliminated.
• OUT The masked singer was eliminated from the competition and unmasked upon their elimination.
• The masked singer did not perform
• (WC) This masked singer is a wildcard contestant.

Episodes

Episode 1 (August 4)

• Guest panelist: Song Luân
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Thà rằng như thế" by Nguyễn Hoài Anh, performed by Ưng Hoàng Phúc.

Episode 2 (August 11/16)

• Guest panelist: Bảo Anh
• References:

• Unmasking performances: "Em là lý do" by Phạm Đình Thái Ngân and "Chạy qua bao con phố" by Trương Thảo Nhi, performed by Phạm Đình Thái Ngân and Trương Thảo Nhi.

Episode 3 (August 18/23)

• Guess panelist: Rocker Nguyễn
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Anh cứ đi đi" by Vương Anh Tú, performed by Khánh Linh.

Episode 4 (August 25/30)

• Guest panelist: Hà Nhi
• Topic: Dream & Business
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Bức thư cuối gửi anh" by Vũ Ngọc Bích, performed by Hoàng Mỹ An.

Episode 5 (September 1/6)

• Guest panelist: Bảo Anh
• Topic: Crazy Love
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Người yêu cũ" by Phan Mạnh Quỳnh, performed by Khởi My.

Episode 6 (September 15/20)

• Guest panelist: Vũ Cát Tường
• Topic: Milestones & Numbers
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Ngắm hoa lệ rơi" by Duy Cường, performed by Châu Khải Phong.

Episode 7 (September 22)

• Guest panelist: Văn Mai Hương
• Topic: Mistakes
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Silence" by Benjamin James, performed by Vũ Thảo My.

Episode 8 (September 29)

• Guest panelist: Nhật Thủy
• Topic: Cuisine
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Đoạn kết mới" by Hoàng Dũng, performed by Hoàng Dũng.

Episode 9 (October 6)

• Guest panelist: Đạt G
• Topic: Youth
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Thương em" by Khắc Việt, performed by Dương Edward.

Episode 10 (October 13)

• Guest panelist: Myra Trần
• Topic: Once Resounding
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Dù chỉ là" by Khắc Hưng, performed by Dương Hoàng Yến.

Episode 11 (October 20)

• Guest panelist: Khắc Hưng
• Topic: Lifetime's performances
• References:

• Unmasking Performance: "Not My Only" by Mew Amazing, performed by Phượng Vū.

Episode 12 (October 27)

• Guest panelist: Quang Dũng
• Topic: A thousand pains
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Gật đầu" by Đoàn Minh Quân, performed by Nhật Thủy.

Episode 13 (November 3)

• Guest panelists: Thùy Chi & Erik
• Topic: Mind-blowing memories with fans - Fantastic
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Hãy yêu khi ta còn bên nhau" by Ngọc Anh, performed by Ngọc Anh.

Episode 14 (November 10)

• Guest panelist: Hứa Kim Tuyền
• Topic: OTP - One True Pairing
• References:

• Unmasking performance: "Nhắn gió mây rằng anh yêu em" by Đoàn Minh Vũ, performed by Hoàng Hải.

Episode 15 (November 17)

• Guest panelist: Minh Tuyết
• Topic: Convergence of quintessence
• References:

Episode 16 - Final (November 24)

• Guest panelist: Bằng Kiều
• Topic: I am extraordinary
• References:

• Group performance: "Tôi phi thường" by Bùi Công Nam, performed by HippoHappy, Cú Tây Bắc, Ong Bây Bi and Voi Bản Đôn.
• Unmasking performance: "Trái tim tan vỡ cũng không sao" by Tiên Cookie, performed by Lâm Bảo Ngọc.

Episode 17 – Awards ceremony (December 16 – Live)

• This was part of The Masked Singer Vietnam – All-star Concert event taken place on December 16, 2023.
• References:

• Via the VieON app, Voi Bản Đôn got 183.324 votes, Cú Tây Bắc got 98.219 votes and Ong Bây Bi got 122.610 votes.

Notes

External links

• on YouTube
• on Facebook