Tet movies return with the word "home"
If there was a period when Vietnamese films were released in theaters at the beginning of the year, closely associated with pure humor, then by Tet 2026, many producers chose to return to exploit the theme of family - a place containing familiar but emotional conflicts.
The five films scheduled to be released include Household of the Sky, rabble!, My fathers house, a room, We go home and Scent of Pho, although different in setting and storytelling style, meet each other in one thing: The story returns home.
Heroes of the Sky by director Le Thanh Son is the earliest project to join the track and is considered a typical representative of that trend. The film revolves around the story of Ngoc - a single mother (played by Phuong Anh Dao) and her young son living in a coastal fishing village. The meeting with Hong (played by Tuan Tran) opened a warm but cautious relationship, when the past was not really over. Daily moments such as walking on the sea by plow, fishing with fishermen, immersing in the royal court festival... create a close color, true to the spirit of Tet.
Meanwhile, "My Father's House, a room" marks the return of Truong Giang as a director, producer, and actor. He transformed into a father in the Central region, working as a cook at home, delivering food, and raising children with a "specialty" of familiar firecracker fish sauce. The space of the film is compact in an old apartment with only one room, narrow in area but full of love.
Also putting family at the center, " let's go to our house" chose to tell through a trip. The film directed by Tran Dinh Hien brings together a cast of many generations such as People's Artist Kim Xuan, People's Artist Hong Van, Meritorious Artist Huu Chau, Uyen An, Doan The Vinh... Notably, the setting of Da Nang not only plays a spatial role, but becomes a "special character", accompanying the narration lines in the journey to heal and connect family members.
In another cut, Pho Scent by director Minh Beta brings the family atmosphere to the screen through the familiar culinary icon. The film brings together veteran artists such as: Meritorious Artist Xuan Hinh, Thu Trang, Thanh Thanh Hien, Quoc Tuan, Thanh Huong... Notably, Meritorious Artist Xuan Hinh acted in a movie for the first time, creating more curiosity for the audience.
Meanwhile, 0mmh! - Tran Thanhs new project - approaches the theme of family from a more modern perspective. With a diverse cast such as: Tran Thanh, Lyly, Dinh Ngoc Diep, BB Tran, Gil Le, Cris Phan, Phap Kieu... the work shows that the topic of family is no longer limited to traditional space, but is placed in the pressured contemporary life.
The fierce race and box office pressure during Tet
The 2026 Tet film race is considered an unprecedentedly fierce one, with many famous directors releasing works at the same time.
In that context, family becomes a "safe but not easy" choice. Safe because it is easy to reach the majority, but not easy because the audience increasingly demands that the story must be new enough, genuine enough and not fall into the path of tragedy. With just a superficial script or a lack of narration, the film can quickly be eliminated amid fierce competition.
The 2026 Tet film season is therefore not only a revenue race, but also a test for the storytelling ability of Vietnamese cinema. When the theme of family takes center stage, the success of films will not only be measured by the box office numbers, but also by whether the audience finds themselves, finds the emotional "home" in the stories told on screen or not.
