Meet MT Pop, The Vietnamese Dancer Who Broke The Internet
After his Indian-inspired popping performance went viral, Saigon native MT Pop is casting the global spotlight on Vietnam’s bustling street dance scene
A Vietnamese sensation
At a mixed-style dance competition in Mumbai last year, Vietnamese street dancer MT Pop worked the crowd into a frenzy when he started popping to Panjabi MC’s iconic track, ‘Mundian To Bach Ke.’
His winning performance has since become a worldwide hit, with videos across YouTube, TikTok, and more garnering over 500 million views and counting.
The moment was a multicultural masterclass. A Saigon native dishing out controlled and intricate moves, incorporating elements of Indian dance and grooving to a British musician’s song that once topped charts in Europe in the early 2000s.
But it was more than a viral moment. It represented MT Pop to a T—his life story, his journey as a dancer, and his artistic philosophy in motion.
Making it pop and work
Born Nguyễn Vũ Minh Tuấn, MT Pop started dancing in 2006. He was in his early teens then, dabbling in performances at school. It was a time when street dancing competitions and events were few and far between, and the dancers who came before him had to seek opportunities abroad to learn new techniques and bring them home to Vietnam.
“Most of what I knew back then, I learned through YouTube,” MT Pop recalls. Interestingly enough, there were certain dances and techniques that he got to execute even before knowing what they were called.
“I would just see many cool styles online or from other dancers, and I’d try to rehearse it by memory. Even without music, I’d practice a single move by myself for a long time. Or sometimes, I just get a key word or phrase, look it up online, and check out videos for me to copy.”
“We didn’t have a lot of teachers then, but we really loved dancing—we were hungry for knowledge. I think that’s what sets Vietnamese dancers apart: amid difficulties, we keep on moving forward with great energy. So we did what we could to find these opportunities to improve,” he adds.
YouTube was also a way for him to start dreaming about making it big. “I’d see dancing competitions online, and I started thinking to myself, ‘one day, I will be there on that stage.’ Or I’d see a dancer I’m inspired by, and I’d manifest: ‘I’ll dance with this guy in the future.’”
To set his dreams into motion, MT Pop knew he needed to go out into the world—joining a crew was the next logical step. So in 2009, he joined Saigon-based group X-Clown. “We knew we needed to go beyond Vietnam, learn from the best dancers, and build lasting connections. So around 2011, we started competing overseas.”
To this day, MT Pop’s still with X-Clown—suffice to say, their crew’s longevity and achievements have allowed street dance to flourish further in Saigon. Now, they’re the ones leading the next generation of performers in Vietnam—opportunities that MT Pop and his crew were scrambling for in their early days.
Body language is universal
In a fortunate twist of fate, because of that viral Panjabi MC performance, he’s now the one being watched by millions across the globe. From wanting to dance with somebody, MT Pop’s now that somebody, the role model that legions of dancers want to vibe with.
Currently, the Vietnamese sensation is traveling across Asia for Red Bull’s Dance Your Style Tour, meeting Asia’s best and emerging dancers through workshops, dance battles, and open jams. He’s covered Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and he’s ending the tour this month in Thailand.
“It has always been my goal to dance in many different communities. I always look forward to meeting other dancers, experiencing their distinct cultures, and learning their respective traditional dances,” he adds, just like how he incorporated snake whisperer gestures in his most hyped moment.
“That time, I didn’t say anything. I just moved, I just danced. But why did they go crazy? Why did they get so hyped, so inspired? They saw and understood my body language. They felt how I shared my spirit,” he reflects.
“Dance stayed with me through hard times. It pushed me, it took care of me, it helped me become who I am now. But most importantly, dance is how I want to connect with others.”
But for all his talk about the art form that he loves, one of his foremost words of advice to aspiring dancers is to enrich their lives outside the craft. “They have to learn everything around them. If they only focus on dance, they will limit themselves,” he stresses.
“Think about the music you’re dancing to. How did the producer create that beat? If you try to understand that, you can possibly enrich how you can groove to that song. Go out and explore the world, and let your new experiences influence how you dance.”
Photos courtesy Red Bull
