Tran Thanh tearfully pleads with the audience, "Rabbit, please!" being threatened, while Truong Giang gloats?

While the film "Tho Oi!" (Oh, Little Rabbit!) was dominating the box office during the 2026 Lunar New Year, director Tran Thanh unexpectedly posted a shocking open letter. It wasn't to celebrate the record-breaking success, but rather an urgent plea to the audience.

The box office frenzy and concerns arising from short video clips.

The 2026 Lunar New Year season witnessed a boom in the Vietnamese film market, with "Thỏ Ơi!" (Oh, Little Rabbit!) – the fifth film directed by Tran Thanh – solidifying its position as a "box office monster." Just three days after its release, the film officially surpassed 150 billion VND, leading the race for Lunar New Year films without a doubt.

However, along with the immense popularity comes a troubling problem: illegal filming and spoilers on social media platforms. On his personal page, Tran Thanh posted a lengthy message with a heartfelt tone. Instead of boasting about commercial success, he frankly confronted the reality of the film-watching etiquette of a segment of the audience.

"I beg everyone not to post the ending of the film, important plot points, or secretly recorded scenes from the theater on social media platforms. Please reserve the privacy for those who haven't been to the theater yet so they can have the most complete experience," the director urgently shared.

When cinema is about "experience" rather than just "watching for the sake of knowing"

For Tran Thanh, each film is the result of a difficult and costly journey involving hundreds of people, from scriptwriting and production to post-production, lasting for months, even years. He emphasizes that the fruits of that persistent labor are very fragile in the face of the destructive power of social media posts revealing plot twists or unintentionally leaked clips.

For a comedy-drama like "Rabbit, Oh!", unexpected emotions are the "soul" of the work. Knowing the ending beforehand not only diminishes the artistic value but also directly deprives those who come later of the right to enjoy a complete story. Tran Thanh believes that cinema is an emotional journey that needs to be preserved from the moment the lights go out until the final credits roll.

Truong Giang scored points but still lagged behind Tran Thanh.

Although Truong Giang's "My Father's House Has One Room" has approached the 60 billion VND mark (as of February 21st) — a remarkable figure for a family film — the gap is still too large when compared to his rival, Tran Thanh. While Tran Thanh reached 150 billion VND in just 3 days, "Muoi Kho's" film took much longer to achieve less than half that amount.

This disparity lies not only in the speed of revenue but also in the content. While Tran Thanh broke through with a novel T18 rating, Truong Giang's film was criticized for being safe to the point of being outdated. Many opinions suggest that the script about Mr. Thach (Truong Giang) and his son, although touching, follows a very familiar, predictable motif and lacks the explosive highlights needed to create a box office hit strong enough to compete with the popularity of "Tho Oi!".

While Tran Thanh continuously dominates the airwaves with record-breaking box office success and an urgent letter defending intellectual property, Truong Giang has chosen a more subtle approach. Despite his film "My Father's House, One Room" experiencing a decline in commercial success, the artist from Quang Nam province maintains a calm demeanor, avoiding any ostentatious displays of achievement or participation in controversial debates. This silence is considered by fans to be a display of composure and respect for his rival.

Truong Giang kicked Tran Thanh, not afraid to be compared before the Tet movie war An Dương11:11:48 09/02/2026In the midst of the Tet 2026 box office spotlight, a familiar comparison is mentioned again. But this time, Truong Giang chose to face more frankly than ever, showing an attitude that is not afraid to be compared to Tran Thanh.