The "older brothers" are still hot.

"Brother Says Hi" and "Brother Overcomes a Thousand Obstacles" are still hot after nearly two years of dominating the market.

The second night of the "Brother Says Hi" Season 2 concert took place at My Dinh Stadium on March 16th - Photo: Organizing Committee

On October 19, 2024, two concerts, "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" and "Brother Says Hi, " took place on the same day in Ho Chi Minh City, creating a sensation and pushing the domestic concert market to an unprecedented peak.

Two programs, two different models, and both have loyal audiences. One is a remake of a foreign show, the other is "the first of its kind created and organized by Vietnamese people, for Vietnamese people, and because of Vietnamese people." And after almost two years, both still maintain their appeal.

After nearly two years of dominating the domestic performance market, both "Anh trai say hi" and "Anh trai vượt ngàn chông gai" are predicted to continue dominating Vietnamese showbiz in the summer of 2026.

The Brothers continue to dominate summer 2026

The first season of "Brother Says Hi" seemed to have ended after the announcement of the "final night" was made twice: once on the night of the 6th at My Dinh Stadium last May, and again on the nights of the 7th and 8th in Las Vegas (USA) two months later.

But in the true spirit of "the show must go on," the first season has just announced that the show will take place on April 18th in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the producers, advance tickets sold out quickly after the system opened on March 19th, further demonstrating the appeal of this "purely Vietnamese" format.

Meanwhile, in the same year, 2025, they continued to release " Em xinh say hi," the female version of "Anh trai say hi." Season 2 just had a successful second night in Hanoi a few days ago. In the comments under the posts, viewers are "demanding" a third night in Ho Chi Minh City immediately.

Despite the success of the first season of "Brothers Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles " with its dazzling eight-night show, the producers decided not to make a second season in 2025, instead focusing on two new shows: "The All-Round Rookie " and "Haha Family" . "Haha Family" will feature the return of some familiar "Brothers Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles".

Alongside these are the "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles+" concerts: the Y Concert, which took place late last year in Hanoi and lasted 10 hours, bringing together artists from the ecosystem of the three aforementioned programs, along with "Beautiful Sister" from before, and the Gai home concert held on April 26th in Hung Yen .

Notably, after a one-year hiatus, the producers have confirmed the return of "Brotherhood Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" Season 2 this year, along with the mystery of "33+", sparking much discussion about the list of participating artists.

The "Cosmic Duet" performance with a live band made its debut on the "Brother Says Hi 2025" stage, as well as in the entire "say hi" universe to date - Photo: Organizers

The weight of the "universe"

In an interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper , director Viet Tu stated that the two "older brother" programs have become the "flagship" of Vietnam's performing arts industry.

It's not without reason that Viet Tu made that assessment. Although smaller-scale events dominate, the "Brother" concert series, with tens of thousands of people attending each night, has reached record levels, far surpassing previous standards and continues to lead the market.

No concert in Vietnam has previously had such a long-lasting impact (mid-2024, extending into 2025, and continuing into this year). This is coupled with the explosion of the domestic entertainment industry, from reality TV content to large-scale live concerts, all professionally invested in, maximizing the exploitation of IP and sustainable value chains.

This has generated impressive economic indicators as well as deep brand sentiment, transforming concert attendance – a form of cultural and entertainment consumption – from a need considered a "luxury" into something more mainstream and familiar.

The show "Brothers Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" has announced its second season, but no specific details have been revealed yet. The image shows the contestants from season 1 of "Brothers Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" - Photo: Organizers.

With strong, youthful, and generous fandoms (HiDad, HiMom, Gai con) who love hands-on experiences, both brands have proven that Vietnamese people are creative and capable enough to produce high-quality entertainment products.

Not only does it enhance domestic competitiveness, but it also helps Vietnam move out of its "backward zone," gradually positioning itself as one of the new and attractive entertainment destinations in the region, which is also a way to promote the national image.

However, after this period of rapid but necessary growth, the "universe" needs to calmly reflect in order to develop further strategies, transforming those somewhat exhilarating successes into a sustainable market, maintaining optimistic indicators and turning them into a truly industrialized economy.

Many strong fandoms have emerged - Photo: Organizing Committee

Tens of thousands of spectators flocked to the Y Concert late last year - Photo: DAU DUNG

Currently, both seasons of "Brotherhood" are successful franchises; even with more shows, it's believed they will still attract large audiences due to the strong fanbase and the fact that Vietnamese audiences still prefer large-scale, spectacular concerts.

Of course, maximizing the product lifecycle to maximize profits and brand value is necessary. But in terms of contributing new value to the market, the shows are starting to feel boring, repetitive, and even perceived as primarily a way to "exploit fans."

Therefore, investing appropriately and constantly innovating in format to always maintain freshness and appeal remains crucial.

Besides game shows and concerts, both have released music documentaries in theaters: "Brother Says Hi: The Villain Creates the Hero" (grossing over 15 billion VND) and "Rain of Fire - Brother Overcomes a Thousand Obstacles" (grossing over 12 billion VND), completing the brand's ecosystem. Pictured is day 8 of "Brother Overcomes a Thousand Obstacles" - Photo: Organizers

A flop? What exactly is a flop?

Many online opinions suggest that season 2 of "Brother Says Hi" was a "flop," meaning it didn't achieve the expected success, despite significant investment and attention. However, what constitutes a flop requires a flexible and comprehensive perspective.

Compared to season 1, "Brotherhood of 2025" might be running out of steam; this trend will likely repeat itself in the upcoming season 2 of "Brotherhood of Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles." The question of whether a first season becomes a blockbuster, while a subsequent season cools down or even fails, is a difficult one for any producer.

The "Brother Says Hi" Season 2 didn't have the same effect as Season 1, but calling it a flop wouldn't be fair to them - Photo: Organizers

When the initial curiosity fades, the format becomes unoriginal... and the most noteworthy artists are almost entirely concentrated in the first season, the success of season 1 casts too large a shadow over subsequent seasons.

However, the next "newcomers" to the "Brother Say Hi" universe are still showing their destructive power. The brothers are still achieving good results in terms of discussion, digital music (over 23 billion listens and views across all platforms) along with tens of millions of comments and interactions.

Regarding the concerts, while season 2 may not have filled the venue and ticket sales have been slower, considering the pressure to overcome challenges and survive, the efforts to innovate in the script, and the overall market conditions, saying season 2 flopped isn't entirely fair; in many aspects, it still deserves encouragement.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cac-anh-trai-van-hot-20260321091725988.htm