First broadcast on VTV3 in 2014, Dad, Where Are We Going? went through several seasons and became a firm favorite with viewers across the country. Recalling the early days of production, editor Lai Phuong Thao shared: “At that time, making a program about young children was something very new. When the Korean experts told us about the size of their crew, realized it was a huge undertaking. However, the VTV team sat down to plan again, and we even proposed a crew size larger than what the Korean experts had imagined. They were surprised by how bold and committed the Vietnamese team was”.
Director Nguyen Nam revealed that the initial plan for Dad, Where Are We Going? was just 15 episodes long. However, as the show received tremendous love from the audience, the production team decided to extend it to 26episodes, and then to 52.
“After four years on air, it became a one-of-a-kind reality show in terms of duration and remained a favorite among viewers”, said Nam.
One of the biggest challenges for the production team at that time was that 90% of the staff did not have children and were mostly still single. “That meant we didn’t have much experience working with kids”, editor Phuong Thao recalled. “Besides filming days, we had to spend a lot of time playing with the children. There was even one time when five editors and four kids took a coach trip to visit little Bom’s maternal grandparents in Dong Thap. It was truly a strange and memorable experience. I never imagined that I would make friends with children who were only 5 or 6 years old. Through activities like that, we could better understand how children think”.
Actor Manh Truong noted that the Dad, Where Are We Going? crew worked at a nonstop pace, with very few days off. “Many people thought the crew had it rough, but the love for the show was even greater at the time”, added director Nguyen Nam. “Everyone was excited to be part of the journey with the father-and-child pairs”.
“There’s one thing we’re quite proud of”, editor Phuong Thao continued, “Right after the first season aired, several father-child pairs who had initially declined the invitation expressed regret and wished to join. Dad, Where Are We Going? opened up new ways of thinking about content development. After that, VTV in general and VFC in particular collaborated with more partners from Japan, South Korea and the US. It was challenging, but also an extremely valuable opportunity for the production team to grow”.
