Điểm tuần: Nhìn lại năm 2025 qua những từ khóa đáng suy ngẫm | VTV24

Key Concepts

• Tôm hùm bông: A euphemism used in a karaoke establishment to disguise illegal services like "bóng cười" (laughing gas) and "múa lửa" (fire dancing).
• Bóng cười (Laughing gas): A service offered in karaoke, priced around 3 to 3.5 million VND per tank.
• Múa lửa (Fire dancing): Another service offered, priced around 2.5 million VND per performance.
• Six7: Dictionary.com's "Word of the Year" for 2025, originating from a rap song and popularized by youth as a nonsensical response or joke.
• Brainrot: Oxford's "Word of the Year" for 2024, referring to the degradation of cognitive abilities due to excessive consumption of short, meaningless online content.
• Ragebait: Oxford's "Word of the Year" for 2025, describing content specifically designed to provoke anger and encourage engagement through negative emotions.
• AI Slop: Macquarie Dictionary's term for low-quality, soulless content generated by AI, contributing to digital waste and confusion between real and fake.
• Parasocial: Cambridge Dictionary's term for a one-sided relationship, often between a fan and a celebrity or an individual and an AI chatbot, characterized by a perceived intimacy that is not reciprocated.
• Password of the Year: Refers to the most common passwords, highlighting security vulnerabilities.
• Google Insearch: Google's annual year-end search trend summary, reflecting public interest.
• Mưa đỏ (Red Rain): The most searched film in Vietnam in 2025, a historical drama about the Battle of Quảng Trị, grossing over 700 billion VND.
• Bắc Ninh: The most searched song in Vietnam in 2025, a patriotic song celebrating the culture and people of Bắc Ninh province.
• Concert quốc gia (National Concert): A term used by young people to refer to major national parades and ceremonies, such as the 50th anniversary of the Southern Liberation and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the nation.
• A80: A keyword related to the 80th anniversary of the founding of the nation, indicating public interest in national holidays.

The Hidden Meanings Behind Viral Keywords

The segment begins by highlighting how seemingly nonsensical viral keywords often have deeper, sometimes illicit, stories behind them. An example is the term "tôm hùm bông" ( bông lobster), which gained traction online. However, it was revealed to be a cover for illegal services at a Hanoi karaoke bar. The establishment used this term to disguise the sale of "bóng cười" (laughing gas) and "múa lửa" (fire dancing). The owner admitted that "tôm hùm bông" was a euphemism to conceal illicit activities, with "bóng cười" costing between 3 to 3.5 million VND per tank and "múa lửa" around 2.5 million VND per performance. This illustrates how everyday language can be manipulated to obscure illegal operations.

The "Word of the Year" Phenomenon and Societal Reflections

The program then shifts to the annual tradition of dictionaries selecting a "Word of the Year," arguing that these choices reflect profound societal messages.

Six7: The Rise of Meaninglessness

Dictionary.com selected "Six7" as its "Word of the Year" for 2025. This term, pronounced "six seven," originated from a rap song and became popular among American youth. Children, exposed through short videos, began mimicking the phrase and using it as a nonsensical answer to questions, often as a form of playful defiance towards adults. Dictionary.com data shows a significant increase in its usage, with a six-fold rise by October compared to the previous year. The program posits that the selection of a meaningless word like "Six7" as "Word of the Year" carries a message of "meaninglessness" itself.

Brainrot: The Cognitive Cost of Digital Consumption

This leads to the concept of "Brainrot," which Oxford Dictionary named its "Word of the Year" for 2024. "Brainrot" describes the cognitive decline resulting from excessive consumption of short, often valueless, content recommended by social media algorithms. This phenomenon fuels meaningless trends, with "Six7" being cited as an example. The message behind "Brainrot" is that while such content may seem harmless, its impact is significant, leading to eroded concentration, emotional dysregulation, and the sacrifice of time for learning and family in favor of fleeting digital amusement.

Ragebait: The Amplification of Anger

Following "Brainrot," Oxford Dictionary announced "Ragebait" as its 2025 "Word of the Year." "Ragebait" refers to content deliberately created to provoke anger and drive engagement. It is not intended for informative discussion or debate but rather to elicit strong negative reactions, encouraging users to comment and share out of frustration. An example given is a video falsely claiming that eating instant noodles daily increases height. The intention is for viewers to react with outrage, thereby boosting the content's visibility. The selection of "Ragebait" reflects the pervasive nature of negativity on social media, where negative emotions spread faster than positive ones. The program suggests that the creators of social media algorithms and content creators who exploit them are the true "artists" of this "art of anger."

Diverse "Words of the Year" and Their Implications

The segment further explores other "Words of the Year" from different dictionaries, each offering a unique perspective on contemporary issues:

• AI Slop (Macquarie Dictionary): This term describes low-quality, uninspired content generated by AI. It contributes to a "digital waste" problem, polluting the online space and making it difficult to distinguish between authentic and AI-generated material.
• Parasocial (Cambridge Dictionary): This term defines a one-sided relationship, typically between an individual and a celebrity or an AI chatbot. It involves an intense, albeit one-sided, sense of intimacy where the individual knows a great deal about the public figure, but the figure remains unaware of the individual. This can lead to unrealistic expectations, uncritical defense of the figure, or personal disappointment. Furthermore, these virtual connections can weaken real-world relationships. The term also extends to the perceived closeness between humans and AI chatbots.

The Paradox of Passwords

The discussion then shifts to "Password of the Year," highlighting a critical aspect of cybersecurity. NordPass's ranking of the most common passwords in Vietnam revealed "123456" as the top password, followed by "123456789" and "12345678." This is presented as ironic, given the advancements in cybersecurity like multi-factor authentication, biometrics, and AI-powered defenses. The fact that the most common password globally, and in Vietnam, is a simple numerical sequence, akin to what a first-grader could guess, underscores a significant vulnerability in personal digital security. The analogy used is having a lock on one's home that a child can easily open, despite discussions about online safety.

Google Trends: Reflecting National Pride and Cultural Interests

Finally, the program turns to Google's year-end search trends, specifically "Google Insearch," as a gauge of public interest.

National Pride as a Top Trend

A positive signal for young Vietnamese people is that "national pride" emerged as the number one search trend in Vietnam for 2025. This indicates a growing sense of patriotism and interest in national identity.

"Mưa đỏ" Dominates Film Searches

In the category of most searched films in Vietnam for 2025, "Mưa đỏ" (Red Rain) secured the top spot. This historical drama, depicting the intense 81-day battle in Quảng Trị, surpassed popular international series like "Squid Game." The film's success is attributed to its record-breaking box office performance, grossing over 700 billion VND.

"Bắc Ninh" Captures Hearts in Music

The most searched song in Vietnam was "Bắc Ninh." Described as a love letter to the homeland, the song and its accompanying music video are praised for their aesthetic appeal and for showcasing the cultural beauty and people of the Bắc Ninh province, known for its "quan họ" folk singing.

"National Concerts" Highlighted in Search Trends

Interestingly, the top searched item in the "events" category was not a music festival but what young people refer to as "concerts quốc gia" (national concerts). This term encompasses major national parades and ceremonies, specifically the 50th anniversary of the Southern Liberation and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the nation. The keyword "A80" also ranked high in Google searches, further demonstrating the public's significant interest in these national celebrations. The segment concludes by emphasizing that these events represent moments of national unity and pride, where every Vietnamese person embodies the spirit of the nation's flag.