Vietnamese internet users made waves this year, with notable trends marking 2024's digital culture as diverse and dynamic. Google recently released its annual "Year in Search" report, highlighting the top search terms and topics reflecting what intrigued the Vietnamese online audience over the past year. Among the list, entertainment and local culture featuring highly engaging content captured considerable attention.
The standout searches of the year prominently included the entertainment hits ‘Anh trai say hi’ and ‘Anh trai vượt ngàn chông gai,’ which topped the charts as the most searched topics within the entertainment category. These shows not only entertained but also sparked significant discussions across social platforms, establishing themselves as cultural phenomena.
Addressing the trend of increasing interest from Vietnamese netizens, the focus diverged onto the innovative sphere of artificial intelligence, mirroring global patterns. Google’s report categorized the various themes searched throughout the year, which included AI tools, travel destinations, entertainment highlights, and domestic skills.
While sports dominated the global searches, reflecting Vietnam's love for major international events, local interest turned to domestic tourism as more viewers explored local wonders. According to the report, commonly searched travel spots included Vĩnh Hy, Hội An, and Cồn Sơn. This surge accompanied the preferences for international travel trends, with keywords such as ‘Malaysia’ and ‘Europe’ surfacing prominently.
Events such as the Euro 2024 and Asian Cup captured fanatics' interests, with sports reigning supreme among the top searched topics. The Euro, hosted across multiple European nations, received acclaim within available search results, with notable keywords placing it second among overall interests. Not only did the Asian Cup follow closely as the third most sought-after term, but social media conversations also hinted at the excitement surrounding the Olympic qualifiers and other international tournaments.
Concern for global climate issues surged; the keywords surrounding ‘Tiến trình biến đổi khí hậu’ or ‘climate change process’ secured the fourth spot, displaying acute awareness among the Vietnamese people about global environmental challenges particularly heightened by events like Typhoon Yagi, which had devastating impacts on the region.
On the sweeter side of the trend, 'trà sữa trân châu,' or bubble tea, emerged as number seven, cherished not merely as the drink of choice but as part of the vibrant street culture. Concurrently, the Paralympic Games, celebrated as the eighth most searched topic, marked the social consciousness of inclusivity and recognition for athletes with disabilities.
Moving onto cinema, the local film industry found its way to the spotlight as trends raised eyebrows about home-grown productions. The Vietnamese film titled ‘Mai’ stirred discussions thanks to its unique storyline, earning it recognition among movie enthusiasts. Despite international blockbusters dominating the cinematic searches, local storytelling struck chords of intrigue for filmgoers.
This year's search trends not only covered entertainment and sporting events but showcased the heightened value placed upon personal development skills. Technical skills like negotiation and leadership emerged as focal points among younger generations, reflecting the societal shift toward comprehensive education and professional growth.
Google's report also highlighted how user interests gravitated toward practical information. Searches for cooking tutorials, such as ‘cách làm kẹo chip chip’ and ‘cách làm căn cước công dân cho trẻ,’ indicated growing curiosity around culinary skills and important family documentation, ignited by recent reforms to child ID registration processes.
Another exciting aspect is the foray of technology trends, where the launch of the iPhone 16 sparked curiosity, triggering search spikes of 322%. Users also explored platforms like Canva and TikTok extensively, illustrating preferences steering toward creative applications providing utility for both learning and entertainment.
Vinyl records echoed nostalgia, blending seamlessly with innovations coming from AI tools like Gemini and Capcut, trending alongside educational platforms like Scratch, VNedu, and IOE which recorded substantial growth indicating pronounced academic interest among students.
This year's year's end has painted an enlightening picture of Vietnamese internet habits, as users strived to balance between entertainment, education, environmental curiosity, and travel exploration, creating quite the engaging mosaic reflective of 2024.
Google's Year in Search effectively captures the sentiments of Vietnamese netizens, providing glimpses of their explorative nature and cultural engagement throughout the year. From trending shows and sports events to culinary experiments and technological advances, each element serves as a testimony of the growing dynamism saturiating the digital atmosphere of Vietnam, enriching its cultural fabric.
With 2024 drawing to a close, these search trends carve out pathways for upcoming discussions, explorations, and creativity, engaging users to tap more deeply than before, and look forward to what the digital future may hold.
