Táo Quân 2015 was just a news segment, lacking any real highlights.

The "Year-End Gathering - Táo Quân 2015" program reviewed the most prominent events of the past year in various fields from a humorous perspective. However, this year's program was considered lackluster.

After nearly a month of rehearsals and filming, the 2015 Tet Comedy Show (Táo quân) aired on the evening of the 30th of Tet. Besides its entertainment value, one of the most appreciated aspects of the annual Tet Comedy Show is its social commentary, thanks to its critical and insightful presentation of prominent issues of the year, delivered through humor. Typically, the characters are assigned to specific industries; the industries chosen for the script, as well as the issues discussed, are usually prominent events reflecting the industry's situation and the current state of society during the year.

This year, the Táo Quân (Kitchen Gods) show has been revamped in format. The Kitchen Gods are not categorized by industry but are generally divided according to the five elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth). The problem-solving approach also doesn't follow specific, in-depth solutions, but rather reflects a broad, overarching perspective. Therefore, while audiences eagerly anticipate which industry will be targeted in Táo Quân each year, this year, all industries are relatively safe. With its broad perspective, many social and life issues are depicted, but almost none are taken as the central focus for thorough exploration in the program.

The artists who performed in the 2015 Tet Comedy Show. Photo: VFC.

Among the numerous issues discussed in the 2015 Tet Comedy Show, some prominent ones stand out, particularly those that garnered significant public attention throughout the year, such as the publishing industry. Over the past year, the publishing industry has been repeatedly found to have committed wrongdoings, causing widespread public outrage. The 2015 Tet Comedy Show satirized this issue.The law book is offensive.Because the cover featured a shirtless, muscular image of actor Cong Ly with his face superimposed on it, along with a detail related to the "victim" himself. Having played the role of "Co Dau," Cong Ly was teased by "Nam Tao" Xuan Bac, who gifted him a large frame resembling the cover image but without the face, and had Cong Ly stand inside it.

The second publishing violation mentioned in the Tet Comedy Show was the issue of the "Vietnamese Dictionary for Students" (authored by Vu Chat).incorrect contentFrom a linguistic perspective, Tao Moc (Tu Long) reacted strongly when participating in the "Who's the Assistant?" competition (a parody of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in the 2015 Tet Comedy Show) and was asked by Nam Tao if he brought any friends along. Tao Moc mentioned that in the "Vietnamese Dictionary for Students," "close friends" is the definition of the word "lover" or "boyfriend/girlfriend."

Closely related to publishing is the education sector. The "Project to Reform the Curriculum and Textbooks for General Education" was mentioned through the game "Who's the Assistant?". When asked "How much money is needed for the curriculum and textbook reform project?", Táo Thủy (Vân Dung) randomly chose a large number. As a result, the answer turned out to be the lowest number among the options. Notably, when answering, Táo Thủy sought help from a relative in the education sector, but ultimately received no assistance because the helper, after some back-and-forth questioning, announced they were "on a business trip abroad". In reality, the "Project to Reform the Curriculum and Textbooks for General Education," initially projected to cost nearly 35 trillion VND, drew public condemnation for its wastefulness, and was ultimately reduced to nearly 800 billion VND in the initial budget. In an interview, Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan stated that the figure of 35 trillion VND was only a preliminary study by experts, and that when Deputy Minister Nguyen Vinh Hien presented the project to the National Assembly Standing Committee, he was on a business trip abroad. This can be considered one of the most poignant, subtle, and biting situations in the 2015 Tet Comedy Show.

Many other issues mentioned in this year's Táo Quân (Kitchen Gods) show relate to policies, projects, and proposals from various agencies and departments, such as the "gently curving" road project and the downsizing plan that directly resulted in a reduction to only five Kitchen Gods. The issue of public housing, as well as the controversy surrounding numerous officials who refused to return their government housing after retirement, was also reflected upon. When asked, "How do the Kitchen Gods handle their government housing after retirement?", the Wood God replied, "When we are in a chair, it is just a place to sit. When we leave, the house suddenly becomes a part of our soul." Meanwhile, the Water God chose the option of "returning the government housing," explaining to the other Gods, "That's how you answer in an exam to get points; whether to return it or not is up to you."

A series of other issues of the year, such as airport monopolies with exorbitant prices, constantly bursting water pipes, Le Roi becoming a social media phenomenon... and more generally, issues like counterfeit food processing, bribery, gifts, and citizens being harassed by authorities, also appeared in this year's Tet Comedy Show. In the scene about Le Roi, the Wood God Tu Long crawled on the ground and "spelled out" the song "My Heart Will Go On" with a lisp and asked the South Star Xuan Bac to upload it online to become famous. The Earth God Chi Trung, while talking about real estate, sang a parody of "Khong Phai Dang Vua Dau" - a hit song by Son Tung MTP. Chi Tai, in his skit "Thank God, the Kitchen God is Here" (a parody of "Thank God, You're Here"), also caused laughter by performing a parody of Son Tung's song "Chac Ai Do Se Ve".

This year, the "Apples" (characters in the show) continued to demonstrate their modernity, using popular internet slang like "perfectly cooked like mom's cooking," "moms, don't worry," "no need to worry," "just say it" (instead of "stop it")... The "Apples" also enjoyed taking photos and posting them on Facebook, using selfie sticks... They even got to participate in a reality TV game show.

Overall, the content of the 2015 Tet Comedy Show closely reflected the general spirit of social life over the past year. The script was also considered to have many innovations. The biggest innovation was changing the format of the Heavenly Officials' reports on earthly affairs; instead of presenting their reports sequentially, they were given a game to demonstrate their knowledge, aiming to find an assistant with sufficient heart and talent for the Jade Emperor, thereby recreating the issues of the year. However, this year's program was also criticized for lacking sharpness. Immediately after the 2015 Tet Comedy Show aired, many viewers felt the program was bland, lacking impactful situations, details, and dialogue. Maintaining a safe, non-intense approach to any particular issue, as in previous years, the Tet Comedy Show simply became a "news summary" of the year without any significant highlights. Furthermore, because it wasn't divided by industry, many areas were not mentioned, such as the prominent healthcare issue of the past year.

The classification of the Kitchen Gods according to the elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth does not clearly show the nature of each God. The Water God speaks about public debt issues, while the Wood God addresses traffic safety issues... The Metal God is almost silent, and the Fire God, Quang Thang, is involved in administrative matters...

The 2015 Tet Comedy Show, broadcast on New Year's Eve, was shortened to just two hours from its original recording time of nearly four hours. This resulted in a more concise and focused presentation, especially considering the script lacked dramatic climaxes and highlights. The cut segments contained less substance and information, primarily consisting of humorous situations and comedic interactions between the actors.

According to VNE