“Back to school Boom Boom Boom” is a 9-minute video that teaches children how to sing and dance to a catchy rhythm about the COVID-19 pandemic. The lyrics talk about children staying at home due to the pandemic and how together we can fight the pandemic and get the kids back in school. With simple dance steps, the tune helps the kids learn quickly and encourages them to join the dance challenge.

“Children have been staying at home for a long time. They have a lot of energy that should be released through physical activities," said Puusong’s Communications Director Ninh Quang Truong, "There have been many other dance challenges related to COVID-19 that have been popular with kids, so we decided to create this challenge. We hope that soon they will be able to perform it at school. We’ll choose some of the best dancers and make a dance video of them.” 

5^th grader Luu Tue Lam says she likes the song a lot: “I like the song’s catchy melody and positive message. It took me only one day to learn the dance steps. The instructions in the video are very easy to follow, and the dance moves are suitable for children at my age.”

2^nd grader Tran Bao Chau of Hanoi is psyched about the challenge. “I practiced dancing to the instruction video, and my mom helped me to perfect the moves and facial expression. I hope I can deliver the song’s positive message to viewers. I really wish COVID-19 would end soon so we can get back to school,” she said.

“Back to school Boom Boom Boom” is one of several contents to be found on the Puusong YouTube channel, which features original songs and animations to help children 3-6 years old learn languages and explore their surroundings. The production team comprises highly-acclaimed songwriters in the Vietnamese music scene, who themselves have children in this age range. Songwriter Van Phong is one of the co-founders of Puusong.

“I’ve worked with kids on lots of music programs, and I find it very exciting and joyful," Phong said, "I grew up with many beautiful Vietnamese children's songs and I want my kids to have the same kind of memories. But I’ve noticed that there are not many great songs for Vietnamese children these days, so I want to help fill that void.”

Songwriter Van Phong is a co-founder of Puusong. (Photo: Van Phong)

As an entertainment and education channel, Puusong’s content covers simple things in children’s lives, such as toys, animals, the Mid-Autumn festival, and the Vietnamese alphabet. Each song is 2-3 minutes long, with a catchy melody, exciting rhythm, and simple vocabulary. The team is proud that all their songs are original and copyrighted by Puusong, so they have a Vietnamese trademark on a global media platform like YouTube. They have also created friendly animated characters and recruited energetic MCs to guide young viewers through their videos.

Puusong’s experienced musicians, artists, and directors are meticulous about selecting the safest and most educational content for their viewers. It took them 5 years to agree on their direction, prepare materials and human resources, and finally present their first creative output.

Director Nguyen Kim Anh, another co-founder of Puusong, recalled the day they started filming: “We put a lot of efforts into this project, so we had really high expectations for the demo. On the first day of filming, just one awkward smile would make us reshoot everything. Our MC had to dance again and again –  at least 10 times. Normally we would shoot 7 or 8 episodes in one day, but on that first day, we could only wrap up one.”

Since its launch in late August, Puusong has been receiving increasing attention from the public, which motivates the team to continue. Songwriter Van Phong has another motivation.

“My kids are always the first to listen to my songs, and I’m glad they like them," he said, "I even let them record some songs for the channel. The feeling of seeing your kids sing songs you wrote is beyond words. It’s just pure happiness.”

Puusong's animated characters Puu and Pii. (Photo: Puusong)

Puusong plans to produce Vietnamese and English song series, dance series, and educational animations, and when their repertoire is big enough, they hope to popularize them in schools. They are also developing two animated characters named Puu and Pii to become Vietnamese children’s fictional friends so that their childhood will be filled with joy.