The "Korean Wave" has officially hit Vietnam, where many young people have come to fetishise Korean dress, cosmetics and even food.

Vietnamese singers mimic Korean artists

The most obvious incarnations of this trend can be found in film and music. A number of Vietnamese filmmakers have simply taken Korean movies and made their own versions. Two good examples of this are "Anh Em Nha Bac Si", (Doctor Brothers) and "Ngoi Nha Hanh Phuc (Full House).

It is also very common for Vietnamese singers to imitate the performance, singing styles and costumes of Korean acts.

All of this has translated into young Vietnamese people copying the Korean lifestyle. Vietnamese girls put on the superficial aspects of Korean actresses and singers, which they usually only see through media, doing their best to reproduce their \'unisex\' style, with dyed hair and nose rings. Boys wear their hair long and pierce their ears, in emulation of Korean actors.

Beauty tips for beauty from famous South Korean artists and singers such as Song Hye Kyo, Goo Hye Sun, Kim So Eun, Kara, Yoon A and BOA, are widely sought after on YouTube.

Cosmetic brands that are made in Korea, such as Ohui and The Face Shop, are some of the most popular.

Many girls even go to the lengths of getting plastic surgery to mimic their foreign idols.

Kim Hee Sun, Yoon Eun Hye and Choi Ji Woo are among the Korean celebrities who find the most Vietnamese lookalikes.

Korean culture has also entered into the Vietnamese idea of romance. Girls and boys try their best to reproduce love scenes they\'ve seen in Korean movies. This influence has penetrated so deep into the national psyche that it has influenced the sacred Vietnamese wedding. Young couples now often opt to take their wedding photos dressed in Korean fashion.

Korean restaurants in Hanoi, such as Sochu, Cook and Cook and Han Kanh offer young people a chance to pretend not to be Vietnamese for an hour or two.

Although the "Korean Wave" may be immensely popular and satisfying for the youth, this cultural invasion, if it continues to grow, could pose a threat to Vietnamese identity.

Actress Song Hye Kyo

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