THREADS OF JOY: COCA-COLA VIETNAM WEAVES TET INTO A TAPESTRY OF TOGETHERNESS

Coca-Cola Vietnam’s Tet short film celebrates Lunar New Year through the metaphor of weaving, highlighting the beauty of shared meals, laughter, and generational bonds. Inspired by Vietnam’s rich textile heritage, the film captures the essence of reunion, renewal, and hope, extending wishes of joy and new beginnings across cultures.  

Lunar New Year is more than a date on the calendar. It is a season of reunion, renewal, and hope, celebrated across cultures and felt in every home. In Vietnam, this celebration takes the form of Tet, a festival that is both deeply traditional and vibrantly modern, a time when families gather, stories are retold, and the threads of heritage are woven into the fabric of everyday life. This year, Coca-Cola Vietnam has chosen to honour Tet through a short film that finds beauty in every thread of the holiday, drawing inspiration from the country’s rich weaving heritage.  

The film is not just a commercial gesture; it is a cultural statement. Weaving, in Vietnam, is more than craft. It is memory, continuity, and artistry. Each thread carries meaning, each pattern tells a story, and each woven piece is a testament to patience and care. By using weaving as its central metaphor, Coca-Cola Vietnam situates Tet within a larger narrative of interconnectedness. Just as threads come together to form a fabric, so too do families, friends, and communities come together to form the living tapestry of Tet.  

The short film unfolds with moments that are instantly recognisable to anyone who has experienced Lunar New Year in any part of the world. A shared meal, steaming bowls of food passed around a crowded table, the burst of laughter that follows a playful remark, the quiet smile exchanged between generations—all these moments are woven together to create a portrait of Tet that is both intimate and universal. The film does not rely on grand spectacle; instead, it finds beauty in the everyday, reminding viewers that the essence of Tet lies not in extravagance but in togetherness.  

Coca-Cola’s choice to highlight weaving is particularly resonant in Vietnam, where textile traditions are deeply rooted in local culture. From the brocade patterns of ethnic minorities to the silk weaving villages that have thrived for centuries, weaving is a practice that embodies resilience and artistry. It is a reminder that culture is not static but dynamic, passed down through generations and adapted to new contexts. By aligning Tet with weaving, the film suggests that the holiday itself is a living tradition, one that continues to evolve while holding fast to its core values of family, love, and renewal.  

The film’s narrative is simple yet profound. It begins with threads—literal and metaphorical—coming together. These threads transform into scenes of family gatherings, moments of joy, and gestures of kindness. The weaving motif is not just visual; it is emotional, binding together the fragments of daily life into a coherent whole. The message is clear: Tet is not about isolated moments but about the connections that make those moments meaningful.  

What makes the film particularly compelling is its universality. While it is rooted in Vietnamese culture, its themes resonate across borders. Lunar New Year is celebrated in many countries, from China to Korea, from Singapore to Malaysia, and each culture has its own rituals and traditions. Yet the underlying values—reunion, renewal, hope—are shared. Coca-Cola Vietnam’s film acknowledges this universality, extending its wishes beyond Vietnam to anyone who celebrates Lunar New Year. “Wherever you celebrate, we wish you a Lunar New Year filled with joy, love, and new beginnings,” the film concludes, offering a message that transcends geography.  

In doing so, Coca-Cola positions itself not merely as a brand but as a participant in cultural storytelling. The company has long associated itself with moments of happiness and togetherness, from its iconic holiday campaigns to its localised celebrations. This Tet film continues that tradition, but with a distinctly Vietnamese flavour. It is not about imposing a global narrative but about embracing a local one, amplifying it, and sharing it with the world.  

The timing of the film is significant. In a world that often feels fragmented, the idea of weaving together threads of connection carries particular weight. Tet, as a season of renewal, offers an opportunity to reflect on the past year and to look forward with hope. Coca-Cola’s film captures this spirit, reminding viewers that even in times of uncertainty, the bonds of family and community remain strong.  

The film also reflects a broader trend in brand storytelling: the move towards authenticity and cultural resonance. Audiences today are not satisfied with generic messages; they seek narratives that reflect their lived experiences and cultural contexts. By grounding its Tet campaign in Vietnam’s weaving heritage, Coca-Cola demonstrates an understanding of this shift. It is not simply selling a product; it is participating in a cultural moment, offering a story that feels both genuine and meaningful.  

Ultimately, the film is a celebration of Tet as a tapestry of moments. Each smile, each laugh, each shared meal is a thread, and together they form a fabric that is both beautiful and enduring. Coca-Cola Vietnam’s Tet short film reminds us that the true beauty of Lunar New Year lies not in the rituals themselves but in the connections they foster. It is a season when generations come together, when traditions are renewed, and when hope is woven into the fabric of daily life.  

As the Lunar New Year approaches, the film’s message resonates far beyond Vietnam. Whether celebrated with firecrackers in Beijing, with rice cakes in Seoul, or with lanterns in Singapore, Lunar New Year is a time when cultures converge on the same values: joy, love, and new beginnings. Coca-Cola Vietnam’s Tet film captures this spirit with elegance and warmth, offering a reminder that wherever we are, we are all part of the same tapestry.  

In the end, Tet is not just a holiday. It is a weaving of lives, a renewal of bonds, and a celebration of hope. Coca-Cola Vietnam’s film captures this truth with simplicity and grace, inviting us all to see the beauty in every thread.