Deeming herself 'noisy,' Nammy Mikami seamlessly aligns with the dynamic energy of the bustling Ho Chi Minh City, where she has made her home for the past seven years.

The Japanese singer and artist leads a bustling life engaging in her singing career, creating artwork, and curating exhibitions that showcase Vietnam in both Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo.

Mikami actively produces YouTube videos, offering insights into her life in Vietnam.

She exudes a dynamic, joyful energy that others can feel right from the first meeting with her.

'This is the person!'

Mikami has developed her passion for singing and dreamed of being a singer since she was in middle school.

She applied to several auditions and was rejected.

Undeterred, Mikami persisted in participating in live singing shows to enhance her skills.

What is more, she ventured to New York independently to undergo voice training.

Following this, Mikami started receiving invitations to festivals in France, Brazil, and Thailand, sparking a growing desire for a life abroad, fueled by her enduring passion for travel.

A big turning point came in 2016, when Mikami first traveled to Vietnam with a friend of hers. 

“After that trip, I fell in love with Vietnam's hot climate, lively people, and bright air, like a flower about to open, and a year later I moved there,” Mikami told Tuoi Tre News.

Mikami mentioned having visited 35 countries, yet Vietnam stood out as the only place, besides Japan, where she harbored the desire to live.

“I can't really explain why, but it might be because I fell in love with Vietnam,” she said.

“When you fall in love with someone, there are of course various reasons such as looks, personality, values, but at first I instinctively think ‘This is the person!'

“I can't really explain why I wanted to live in Vietnam, but it was similar to that feeling, and I wanted to know more about this country.”

'My love song to Vietnam'

In 2023, the song titled 'Souda! Betonamu ni ikimashou' (Let's Come to Vietnam!), composed by Nammy Mikami, secured the second-place position in a competition dedicated to creating a Vietnam-Japan friendship song.

The competition was held as part of the activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"I wrote it because I fell head over heels in love with Vietnam when I first traveled there, so this is actually my love song to Vietnam," Mikami admitted.

"I created this song in the hope that my Japanese friends who hear it would become interested in Vietnam."

According to the singer and songwriter, she is working on music that mixes Japanese and Vietnamese languages.

“I want to sublimate what I felt in Vietnam into music,” she went on to explain. 

“However, Vietnamese has different tones, which I feel is the most difficult aspect of songwriting. 

“I'm still studying Vietnamese, but I can't speak it that well, so I'll do my best to let the Vietnamese people know more about me through my music.”

Besides her music, Mikami also inspires people to visit Vietnam with her lively YouTube videos in which she leads her audiences on trips to explore Vietnamese delicacies and attractions. 

“Although the number of subscribers is not that large, the number of viewers is increasing little by little every day,” Mikami said. 

“Most of them are from Japan.

"Some only know about Vietnam from their school days when they were young, and some are unaware of how developed Vietnam is.

"When I see comments like 'I want to live in such a fascinating country!' it makes me want to boast."

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