DECONSTRUCTING FEMINISM AND VIETNAMESE CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE EM XINH SAY HI PROGRAM: A SEMIOTIC APPROACH

Abstract

In This paper applies three semiotic traditions—Saussure's structuralism, Peirce's triadic sign, and Barthes' two levels of meaning—to decode 16 solo performances from the finale of the Em Xinh Say Hi 2025 program. Specifically, the article analyzes the stage setup, costumes, props, lighting, music, and choreography of the performances according to their thematic clusters. The results show that the performances are not just for entertainment but also create two powerful thematic axes: (i) rebirth & autonomy, which demonstrates the female artist's ability to redefine herself after a crisis, and (ii) cultural hybridity, which reflects the fusion of local and global elements in a new expressive syntax. These two axes converge on the central theme of "The Real Aura," a myth about the independent and resilient female persona in contemporary Vietnamese mass entertainment.