The Race for Vietnamese Films This National Day: Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu Leads Social Buzz, But Who Will Win at the Box Office?
The Vietnamese film race for Vietnam’s National Day (September 2) is entering its peak as Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ – Bí Ẩn Mộ Vua Đinh, Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu, and Quý Tử Vượt Giàu compete for audience attention.
According to Kompa Social Listening data, between July 20 and August 24, the three films generated 331.2K mentions and 8.7 million interactions across platforms.
If we look only at discussion volume, Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu is clearly leading the race. However, when engagement, sentiment, and discussion trends over time are taken into account, the three films reveal very different stories.
Each Film Has Its Own Social Advantage
Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu: Leading in Both Mentions and Engagement
Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu currently holds a clear advantage on social, generating 206.4K mentions, equivalent to 62.3% of total discussions across the three films. The film also leads in engagement with 5.59 million interactions, accounting for 64.2% of the total.
Notably, discussion volume surged around the film’s early screenings on August 14, reaching approximately 22K mentions per day. Discussions continued to see significant spikes in the days leading up to the official theatrical release.
This trend suggests that bringing the film to audiences early, combined with pre-release communication activities, has helped Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu achieve significant social visibility.
With a strong advantage in both mentions and engagement, Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu is currently the most dominant title in the September 2 film race on social media.
Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ: Maintaining Momentum With More Than 100K Mentions
Ranking second, Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ recorded 106.3K mentions and 2.65 million interactions, accounting for 32.1% and 30.5% of total mentions and engagement across the three films.
The gap with Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu is currently significant, but Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ has still maintained a substantial level of discussion ahead of its theatrical release.
The film has also experienced multiple spikes in discussion throughout the monitoring period, suggesting that audience interest has been sustained rather than concentrated around a single moment.
However, in terms of sentiment, Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ currently records 20% positive discussion, lower than Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu (36%) and Quý Tử Vượt Giàu (41%). This indicates that the film’s social momentum should be evaluated alongside the reactions and topics being discussed by the community.
Quý Tử Vượt Giàu: Smaller Volume, But the Most Positive Sentiment
Entering the race later, Quý Tử Vượt Giàu currently has the smallest discussion volume, with 18.5K mentions and 457.7K interactions, representing 5.6% and 5.3% of the total across the three films.
However, the film’s most notable strength lies in its discussion sentiment.
Quý Tử Vượt Giàu records 41% positive discussion, the highest among the three titles, ahead of Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu (36%) and Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ (20%).
While the film has yet to achieve broad social visibility, it has built a relatively positive conversation base. Its key challenge in the final stretch before release will be to expand discussion volume while maintaining this positive sentiment.
Before Early Screenings Comes the Media Race. After Early Screenings, the WOM Race Begins
The performance of the three films also highlights an important characteristic of film marketing.
Before early screenings, promotional activities are typically intensified to build awareness and stimulate discussion. Trailers, posters, KOL/KOC collaborations, premieres, behind-the-scenes content, experiential activities, and other activations continuously provide audiences with reasons to talk about the film.
As a result, discussion volume during this period can partly reflect each film’s media strength and ability to generate visibility.
The case of Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu is a clear example. Discussion surged around the August 14 early screenings, followed by additional spikes as the official release date approached.
However, pre-release or early-screening discussion peaks should not be considered the ultimate measure of a film’s success.
Once audiences actually leave the cinema, another source of conversation begins to play an increasingly important role: Word of Mouth (WOM).
Reviews, ratings, reactions, and personal viewing experiences become new conversation drivers that can further fuel social discussions.
A film that resonates strongly with audiences tends to maintain or further increase its discussion volume after release, as WOM expands from early viewers to broader communities. Conversely, if most of the buzz is generated by pre-release marketing activities, discussion may decline after reaching its peak.
Therefore, the discussion trend following early screenings and the official theatrical release will be an important signal to monitor, alongside total discussion volume.
331.2K Mentions, But No Winner Yet
As of August 24, the three films are leading in different areas:
Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu: leads in mentions with 206.4K and engagement with 5.59 million.
Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ: ranks second in mentions (106.3K) and engagement (2.65 million), while continuing to maintain momentum ahead of its release.
Quý Tử Vượt Giàu: leads in positive sentiment with 41%, despite having a relatively modest discussion volume.
These figures show that each film currently holds a different advantage on social media. However, there is not yet enough data to determine which film will ultimately win at the box office.
Social Listening can help brands and filmmakers understand how effectively their communication efforts are generating buzz, how audiences are responding, and how conversations are evolving over time.
But to fully evaluate a film’s success, it is essential to continue monitoring what happens after audiences actually experience the product.
The Next Stage: When Social Momentum Meets Box Office Performance
The Vietnamese film race for September 2 still has plenty of variables as all three titles approach their official theatrical releases.
In the next stage, the key questions will no longer be limited to “Which film is being talked about the most?”, but will also include:
Which film continues to gain discussion after early screenings and the official release?
What are audiences actually saying after watching the films?
How does discussion sentiment change as WOM begins to spread?
And most importantly: Will social buzz translate into box office performance?
With 331.2K mentions and 8.7 million interactions recorded ahead of the theatrical releases, the Vietnamese film race for September 2 has already had a notable start.
But the real race may only just be beginning.
Kompa will continue tracking the three films across social media to answer one key question:
Whose Social Momentum will ultimately translate into box office appeal?
Stay tuned for Kompa’s upcoming in-depth analysis of the Vietnamese film race for September 2.
