Khac Hung made an appearance on the American entertainment news website after his 'hand washing song' became a surprise global hit. 

Wanting to transform his original 2017 hit "Ghen" (Jealous) into a Covid-19 public awareness anthem, Khac Hung renamed the song "Ghen Co Vy", Billboard revealed.

The original Vietnamese version has earned over 40 million views on YouTube while the English version released earlier this month garnered over two million. 

Composer Khac Hung attends a TV show in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Khac Hung.

"My intention was to send a clear message on how we could all help reduce the spread of the virus," Hung told Billboard, adding he hopes to use music to provide comfort to frontline soldiers, medics, public workers and those still providing essential services during the battle against the novel coronavirus.

Choreographer Quang Dang assisted in popularizing the song by introducing specific hand gestures and dance steps. 

"Ghen Co Vy" is the most famous Vietnamese pop song of 2020 so far, covered by press outlets around the world, Billboard stated.

Calling renowned Swedish hitmaker Max Martin his main inspiration, Hung said he is surprised by how much attention the song has gained and proud that it has brought such positivity to the global Covid-19 prevention campaign.

Last month, the song featured on "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" with an animated MV depicting comedic images of the novel coronavirus and masked characters washing their hands to prevent infection.