TV taping «Mái ấm gia đình Việt» (Vietnamese Family Home)

   For three days an open-air stage on the Nha Trang seafront becomes the place where 18 children from Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong and Dak Lak — orphans, kids with disabilities, kids from families barely holding on — tell their story on national television and leave with support that covers a whole school year. Nobody fences the audience off: the crowd on the square is part of the shot.

   The crew tapes six episodes here. Each one follows one child and a celebrity partner through physical challenges that turn into real help for the family, cut with short documentary films about how that child actually lives — the part that regularly silences both the crew and the square. Local donors come up to the stage and hand over gifts in person.

   Who you will see across the three taping days:

• — Hosts: Meritorious Artists Dai Nghia (Đại Nghĩa) and Oc Thanh Van (Ốc Thanh Vân), plus MCs Duong Hong Phuc, Thanh Thao, Thai Vu and Huynh Lap.
• — Guests: singers Tung Duong (Tùng Dương), Truong Quynh Anh, Quan A.P, Thanh Dat, Bui Duy Ngoc and CARA; actors Tran Ngoc Vang and Thuy Anh; beauty queen Le Hoang Phuong with runners-up Nguyen Quynh Anh and Lam Bich Tuyen; MC Vinh Phu.
• — The 18 children themselves — primary and secondary school pupils nominated by provincial education authorities and visited at home by the production team.

   It works for families with kids, for teenagers who want to see TV faces up close, and for anyone who would rather give in person than transfer money to a stranger's account. The square sits right on Tran Phu, the beachfront strip, so it is an easy walk from most central hotels.

   This is the show's second visit to Khanh Hoa. The first, in February 2024, was taped at Tran Nhan Tong secondary school in Dien Khanh — also six episodes, also 18 children. In four years on air the programme has travelled to more than 28 provinces and cities and helped 564 families with prizes worth close to 19 billion VND.

   The show is produced by Bee Comm together with HCMC Television and backed by Hoa Sen Group; episodes air on Fridays at 20:00 on HTV7. Preparations in Khanh Hoa have been coordinated since May with the provincial departments of culture and education, the provincial police and the Youth Union.

   No tickets are sold and the square stays open to everyone. Call times for each taping session are fixed close to the dates, so if you want to catch a full episode, ask the organizers when the audience is expected to gather.

   To nominate a child in difficulty, write to [email protected]; applications need confirmation from the local authority.

   Bring water, arrive early for a spot near the stage, and expect an evening that turns out to be far less about television than it looks.