Impressive "trending" lines from Táo Quân 2022

Amidst the tense pandemic situation, the Kitchen Gods mentioned Covid-19 in their year-end reports. Upon ascending to Heaven, the Kitchen Gods had to undergo testing to avoid infection with the novel coronavirus, and the members responded: "Why do we need to socialize? If one person gets infected, the whole group goes. You guys are already infected."

Quang Thang, playing the role of the "Heavenly Emperor," protested against the constant rapid testing. "In the mortal world, I have to take a test every two days. Look at my nostrils, aren't they like a sewer drain?" Quang Thang said. The dancers, acting as the examiners, responded: "We'll dance with all our might to protect Heaven."

The character of Traffic God, played by artist Chi Trung, has many humorous lines. "After being relieved, breathing in the smell of gasoline is like oxygen sustaining life," "Swearing at traffic is usually not beneficial," and "The travel permit is a classic invention of the gods" are some of Chi Trung's memorable quotes. He even declared: "I swear on my life that not a single citizen is dissatisfied with my travel permit."

"These days, the one who does nothing is the one most favored by their superiors" is a satirical line from the 2022 Tet Comedy Show.

"In the old days, you could do many things in a day. Now, one task takes many days, even months or years. That's the secret to survival," "If I dare to release floodwaters at 3 AM, then making a decision at 12 AM is normal," "How people live is their business, fighting the pandemic is the top priority"... these are other noteworthy satirical statements.

"For the stock market to be vibrant, it needs sharks to control it" is a quote from the Economic Daily.

"If the group can't answer, the leader is fully responsible," and "As the Jade Emperor said, when decentralizing power, you must take responsibility. You're the one who made the decision to open the gate, so you're the one responsible" are two sayings about the heavy responsibility of leadership.

The Táo Quân group also features many witty rhyming lines – a familiar trademark of the show for nearly 20 years. "His face is so intimidating, his father must be a big shot," "Teaching people to eat potatoes with the skin on, eat dogs with the fur on, eat persimmons with the seeds on," "What's the fuss about, people from Heaven? He's just arrived and already making noise, this guy is a Cao (a deity from the Heavenly Court)," "A feast must have chicken, a report must have women to be fun" are some of the humorous rhyming lines from Táo Quân 2022.

Emperor Ngoc Hoang Quoc Khanh jumped on the social media trend with the line: "I'm not enjoying this moment at all." The trend "Is bread an essential food?" which caused a stir on social media during the pandemic was also brought onto the stage.