She was a late entrant in the thriving Cambodian rock and pop music scene of the 1960s and 70s,[1] which initially had been fostered by Head of State Norodom Sihanouk.

That scene was first influenced by French and Latin American pop records that had been imported into Cambodia,[2][3] and later by Western rock and roll and soul music via U.S. armed forces radio that had been broadcast to troops stationed nearby during the Vietnam War.

[4] Vannary was profiled in the 2015 documentary film on the history of Cambodian pop music, Don't Think I've Forgotten.

[5] According to research conducted for the film, Vannary was somewhat unusual among other female Cambodian pop singers of her time, due to her relaxed vocal style and ability to accompany herself on acoustic guitar in the mode of an American singer-songwriter.

[7] Like many of her contemporaries in Cambodian popular music, Vannary's career ended abruptly when the Khmer Rouge gained control of the country in April 1975 and forced city dwellers to become farm workers to fulfill their visions of agrarian socialism and the eradication of all foreign and western influences (including music) from Cambodian society.