“Gia Dinh Haha” Episode 19: Bare Hands on the Fiery Pan and the Journey of Sowing Words in Ban Lien

When Hands "Turn to Iron" on the Fiery Pan

While drying tea, Ms. Thong made the members worry when she calmly stirred the fresh tea leaves with her bare hands in the glowing-hot cast-iron pan.

"It's not hot yet," "Doing it so much has calloused them" – her lighthearted response to the members' concern made Youngest Brother Khanh exclaim in full admiration: "Your hands are truly extraordinary!" To achieve the delicious and fragrant Shan Tuyet tea leaves, Ms. Thong had to temper her hands to gradually get used to the heat, accepting the roughness to preserve the finest flavor.

Ms. Thong is stirring tea with her bare hands

That diligence was also wrapped up in the fragrant and sticky five-color sticky rice steamer the next morning. To give the sticky rice a beautiful purple color from magenta leaves, Ms. Thong had to stay awake until 2 AM to pick the leaves, boil the water, and soak the glutinous rice. The image of her staying up late and waking up early, meticulously preparing each portion of sticky rice to treat the guests, represents the heart of a mother and an older sister in the family: always wanting to offer the best and most complete things to the returning "relatives" from afar.

"Planting Trees is Hard, Planting People is Even Harder"

Episode 19 features not only the aroma of tea but also the salty taste of sweat from the teachers stationed in the village. The journey alongside students of the Tay, Hmong, and Nung ethnic groups... dressed in traditional costumes with distinct colors and patterns, going up to the forest together to plant trees, created a brilliantly multi-colored picture amidst the green forest. From there, stories about the teaching profession in this area were unfolded.

Amidst the rolling mountains and forests, Jun Pham's exclamation, "Planting trees is hard, planting people is even harder" served as a token of appreciation and gratitude for the wholehearted dedication of the teachers here. Some female teachers must overcome 30km of steep passes every day, or native children of Lao Cai who, after finishing their studies in the city, still return to dedicate themselves to their village. The green saplings being cultivated today are symbols of the fierce belief in the future that the teachers are sowing day by day.

"Gia Dinh Haha" and the students planting trees

The Custom of "Dung Lon" (Pig Sharing) - A Clever Economic Equation

Alongside cultural features, the custom of "dung lon" in Ban Lien offers an interesting perspective on practical economic thinking. Contrary to the misconception of self-sufficiency, Jun Pham quickly realized that this is actually a highly civilized form of "group buying": "Whenever a household raises pigs to the point of consumption, they take one, butcher it, and divide it equally among other households." Ms. Thong also affirmed regarding this custom: "However many households share the meat, they multiply it by the market price and then split the cost to pay." This method not only helps locals meet their need for fresh food but also tightens neighborhood bonds through mini-markets right within the village.

Ms. Thong shares about the custom of "dung lon."

The story by the fire continued to reveal the deep culinary beliefs of the Tay people through the dish of smoked meat (thit gac bep). According to Ms. Thong, this is an "immutable" dish every spring, so important that "even a struggling household must borrow money to buy 4-5 kilograms of meat to prepare, only then does it feel like Tet." The meticulousness in preparation – having to marinate with spices for fully 3 nights before hanging – shows the host's absolute respect for traditional flavors. The atmosphere became even more lively when Duy Khanh humorously likened the carefully preserved strips of meat from last winter to a "retro culinary" style, bringing crisp laughter to the whole family.

With only one episode left, the special journey in Ban Lien will come to a close. But before saying goodbye, episode 19 of "Gia Dinh Haha" managed to capture the lingering reluctance to part, fully wrapped up in the hurried slumbers together as if wanting to hold back time from passing.

When Content Transcends the Screen to Touch the Heart

Concurrently with the airing of episode 19, the program received more positive signals from the community as the project “Gia Dinh Haha - For a Happy Vietnam” was officially honored in the Top 5 Inspiring CSR Projects at the WeChoice Awards 2025. This is a project initiated by the Center for Natural Resources and Environment Communication - Ministry of Agriculture and Environment - with the goal of planting over 20,000 new trees and supporting sustainable livelihoods. Simultaneously, Ms. Vang Thi Thong – the character accompanying the artists in Ban Lien – was also honored in the Inspiring Character category. These results not only affirm the program's pervasive influence on television but also demonstrate the practical effectiveness of the model combining entertainment media with social welfare values, contributing to creating positive and sustainable impacts for the community.

The kind journey of “Gia Dinh Haha” excellently achieved a "double" award win

“Gia Dinh HaHa – Special Stage” broadcasts every Saturday at 20:00 on VTV3, 20:30 on the YeaH1 Show YouTube channel, and is officially available on MangoPlus.