On July 21, 2025, YouTube officially retired its iconic "Trending" tab, marking the end of an era for one of the platform’s most familiar features. Introduced in 2015, Trending had been a cornerstone for users seeking the latest viral content across music, games, movies, and more. Its removal signals a significant shift in how audiences discover and engage with popular videos, especially in markets like Vietnam where Trending had become a vital benchmark for musical success.
For a decade, the Trending tab served as a real-time snapshot of what captivated viewers in different regions. However, as consumption habits evolved—with users increasingly gravitating towards short-form videos, personalized recommendations, and rival platforms like TikTok—YouTube's Trending page saw a steep decline in traffic over the past five years. This diminishing relevance, coupled with criticism that the old Trending system favored large brands and traditional media accounts over independent creators, led YouTube to overhaul its approach.
The company’s solution is YouTube Charts, a specialized and personalized ranking system designed to categorize content by specific fields such as music videos, podcasts, and movie trailers. These charts are updated weekly, monthly, and tailored by region, aiming to provide a clearer, more focused view of trending content within each category. While this represents a modernization effort, the transition has sparked mixed reactions among users and artists alike.
In Vietnam, the impact of this change is particularly notable. The final day of Trending’s presence on the platform saw Phương Mỹ Chi and Khả Lâu’s mashup "Túy âm - Lục hải vi vương" holding the number one spot on the country's music trending chart after just nine days online. Phương Mỹ Chi dominated the top 10 with four performances, including "I'll be there" (a collaboration with Orange, Lamoon, and Han Sara from the show Em xinh say hi), "Vũ trụ có anh" alongside DTAP and INUS, and "Bóng phù hoa" with DTAP. Other notable entries included "Gã săn cá" by MAIQUINN, Saabirose, Lâm Bảo Ngọc, Quỳnh Anh Shyn, and Quang Hùng MasterD, and international pop sensation BlackPink’s "Jump," which secured the second spot globally and in Vietnam.
These rankings highlight how competitions such as Sing! Asia and Em xinh say hi have come to dominate the Vietnamese music scene’s trending charts, with Phương Mỹ Chi emerging as a powerhouse. Yet, despite the maintained rankings, the absence of the Trending button on individual videos has made it harder for audiences to discover what’s hot at a glance, dampening the ritualistic excitement of checking daily trends.
Experts and artists have offered varied perspectives on the shift. Musician Tuấn Cry, known for composing the hit "Bắc Bling" for Hòa Minzy, acknowledges that while Trending was not the ultimate measure of success, it played a significant role in promoting projects and helping audiences access new releases quickly. He remarked, "The biggest value of reaching the top trending is making it easier to promote projects and allowing audiences to access products faster and more directly. But people have become too dependent on chasing trending spots, ignoring greater values. Trending is both beneficial and harmful."
Looking ahead, Tuấn Cry believes the Vietnamese music market will pivot away from Trending reliance toward quality streaming platforms and more reputable, specialized music charts. "Music will be evaluated from multiple perspectives and angles more comprehensively," he said, emphasizing that the removal of Trending could reduce the obsession with fleeting trends and encourage a broader, more authentic appreciation of Vietnamese music.
Meanwhile, music critic Nguyễn Quang Long views YouTube’s new approach as better aligned with modern consumption patterns. He noted that Vietnamese music once boasted unique voices like Phó Đức Phương, Trần Tiến, Ngọc Đại, and Đức Trí, but in recent years, mainstream pop has tended to recycle similar sounds and viral keywords. "I hope YouTube Charts’ specialization and personalization will fix this trendiness and foster more distinctive and individual musical identities," he explained.
However, the new YouTube Charts system is still a work in progress. Currently, YouTube Music lacks integrated charts akin to those on other streaming platforms, and the interface is not fully synchronized. Data for regions like Vietnam remains rudimentary and estimated, limiting transparency and user experience. Users miss the immediacy and communal thrill that the Trending tab once provided, while artists lament losing a tangible accolade that helped validate their work’s popularity.
To truly succeed, YouTube will need to enhance the visibility and accessibility of these charts, integrate them seamlessly into apps like YouTube Music, and offer transparent, localized data. Balancing personalization with a sense of community will be key to rekindling the excitement that Trending once sparked among viewers and creators alike.
As the curtain falls on Trending, Vietnam’s music scene stands at a crossroads. The era of a single, catch-all trending list is over, but the promise of more nuanced, professional, and quality-focused rankings offers hope for a richer musical landscape. Whether this new model will nurture creativity and diversity remains to be seen, but it certainly marks a new chapter in how audiences discover and celebrate music in the digital age.
