In the 1960s and ‘70s, lured by adventure and money, Singaporean musicians went to South Vietnam to perform for American troops during the war. They were met with cheers, bullets and assault.   

Boon Lai is an author, an illustrator and a filmmaker based in Singapore. Inspired by the true accounts of the rockers who toured the Vietnam War, he created the three-book graphic novel series, The Once & Marvellous DKD. 

What Boon Lai Talked About

• 02:01 – How Boon Lai came to know of local musicians who went to Vietnam during the 1960s and ’70s
• 05:33 – When these musicians went to Vietnam
• 08:47 – Why these musicians decided to perform in the war zone
• 11:30 – How these musicians were recruited
• 15:56 – How much they were paid
• 16:44 – Nightly curfews
• 18:35 – Daily schedules of musicians
• 20:50 – Close call with bullets
• 21:53 – Musician Veronica Young’s experience in Vietnam as a woman
• 24:53 – How long Impian Bateks and other musicians played in Saigon
• 27:12 – Boon Lai’s three-year research process
• 28:58 –Boon Lai’s DKD sequel
• 29:44 – Hardest thing about creating a historical graphic novel

Transcript and Resources

• Read the transcript: biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/podcast/singapore-band-wartime-vietnam/transcript/
• Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-20/issue-1/apr-jun-2024/singapore-bands-vietnam-war/

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This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Boon Lai for coming on the show.

BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library Singapore.