Viettel 5G Ditches Homecoming Trope for Road Trip Narrative
The Friday's character-driven Tết campaign for Viettel 5G reframes Lunar New Year storytelling with a road trip narrative, reflecting dispersed modern families.
Vietnamese agency The Friday has launched "Uncle Badass," a character-driven Tết campaign for Viettel 5G that departs from traditional homecoming narratives by following an uncle who travels across Vietnam to visit family members unable to make the journey home.
The campaign unfolds as a humor-led road trip featuring everyday encounters rather than the reunion-focused storytelling typical of Lunar New Year advertising in Asia. Along the way, the uncle character plays games with middle-school students, accidentally reaches Vietnam's highest mountain, loses his belongings at the beach, and continues part of his journey wearing outfits borrowed from drag performers.
A Shift in Holiday Storytelling
The Friday's approach reframes Tết from an act of returning home to one of reaching out, reflecting modern family life that is increasingly busy and dispersed. The Ho Chi Minh-based agency stated the campaign "struck a chord with audiences who recognized their own families in the story, connected not by proximity, but by care and effort."
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The work also integrates communities rarely shown in mainstream Vietnamese holiday advertising. Drag performers from the Lô Tô scene, tattoo artists, gamers, and floating market vendors appear naturally throughout the journey, presented as everyday people encountered along the way rather than cultural statements.
This marks Viettel's first character-led campaign approach for Tết. The telecom giant previously relied on music videos and gamification for holiday marketing. ViettelPay's 2020 "Make Tet Easy Again" music video featuring artists Đen and JustaTee achieved 50 million YouTube views, while Viettel Money's 2023 gamified campaign reached 4.6 million users and won Marketing Campaign of the Year.
Viettel's Market Position During Tết
Viettel reported 13% service revenue growth during Tết Ất Tỵ 2025 compared to the previous year, though campaign-specific return on investment metrics for "Uncle Badass" remain unreported. The company also achieved 8% improved 5G network quality during the holiday period despite flat data traffic.
The telecom operator posted record revenue of $8.7 billion in 2025, maintaining its dominant position in Vietnam's telecom sector. While Viettel operates across Southeast Asian markets, its Tết campaigns focus primarily on domestic audiences.
Contrasting Approaches in Telecom Holiday Marketing
The character-driven strategy contrasts with competitor approaches in Vietnam's telecom market. MobiFone has favored celebrity-driven music videos for Tết campaigns, while other brands lean heavily on spectacle and traditional reunion themes.
The Friday emphasized that the campaign's relevance lies not in reinventing tradition but in observing it honestly as it evolves. The agency noted that "Uncle Badass" reflects how Lunar New Year is already changing rather than attempting to redefine it.
The Vietnamese advertising market shows increasing appetite for humor and inclusive representation. The Friday's integration of Lô Tô drag communities without tokenism represents a notable shift in how mainstream brands approach diverse audiences during culturally significant holidays.
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