Saigon’s District 5 has gone wild at the opening of “Yeah1 Teen Zone”, the sister venue of the famed Yeah1.com website. Young crowds of hysterical teens dancing and shouting attended the concert and hip hop show on the stage set at the terrace café Container for this special occasion. On the boards they brandished was written “Luv You Pandas” or “I love Dexori” (a cloth shop just for teens). There was much buzz and noise before the opening in forums and chats form all the online teen community. At the entrance, a huge stair and façade was only adding to the excitement. The day after, the Yeah1.com forum was full of messages like “The grand opening was so exciting !”, “Wishing you success !”, “Thank you for opening such a center !”
“The venue definitely has the Wow factor !”, Minh Tri says, relieved. Minh Tri is the founder of Yeah1.com and manages the teen zone. “I was quite worried during the preparation. With this teen audience , you cannot make any mistake. When they don’t like something, they spread the word on the net and they don’t change their mind. They are teens and they don’t want to think twice ! They are also very emotional. But when you succeed, as we did with the opening, they definitely adopt and love you !”, Minh Tri continues.
The teen zone comprises a café, a karaoke, a cimema, teen clothing and gadgets shops, teddy bears shops, featuring styles from Japan or Korea. “The Vietnamese teenagers love Japanese mangas and Korean movies and TV series nowadays. Move over Hollywood. Despite the global taste-making power of the American entertainment industry, Vietnamese teenagers are more interested in the television shows and movies produced by their Pacific rim neighbors. From soap operas to music, video games to fashion, Japanese and South Korean pop culture is defining the style of Vietnamese youth ! Some children mimic the bands' style, with boys wearing dress shirts with thin ties, girls in leg warmers or miniskirts. Striking colors, particularly bright reds and yellows, remain popular among the the fans of Japanese fashion. Girls wear pastel-colored nails, which peep from the sleeves of their oversized shirts; large, short-handled bags and miniskirts are well-spread. The fans of South Korean style on the other hand, favor wide, baggy pants and long T-shirts that stretch to the knees”.
Minh Tri has extensive experience in bar and lounge management. But he now wants to grab the teenager clientele. “When I was working in previous bars, I notived that more and more teenagers were pouring in the outlet. And more and more cafes were opening for teenagers. I realised how potential was this segment of the population. It is very new and exciting to work with this teen population.”
Minh Tri recalls his teen days and regrets that there was nothing for them. Now he might somewhat make up with the past and give the young generation all the fun he wanted to have at their age. “When I was teenager, the only thing I needed to do is study from Monday to Saturday, from morning 6:30 to evening 9pm, in private lessons, Minh Tri says. Only had half day off on Sunday in a week. At that time, I was lacking of an independant thinking. I want to give the new generation means to express themselves in fashion, music, graphic arts. They can then be more confident and create their own style”.
