Tự Long

Tự Long

Appeared in

– Gala cười (Laugh Gala – one of VTV’s Lunar New Year special shows)
– Gặp nhau cuối năm (Year-end Gathering – one of VTV’s Lunar New Year Eve special shows)
Quảng Trường Những Giấc Mơ (The Square of Dreams – VTV3’s 25th anniversary special)

As a contestant

Appearance

– 2007 Lunar New Year (First Parody Run)
– December 30, 2014 (Real Run)
– February 18, 2015 (Lunar New Year Eve – Second Parody Run)
– April 2, 2021 (VTV3’s 25th anniversary – Third Parody Run)

– 2007 Lunar New Year (First Parody Run)- December 30, 2014 (Real Run)- February 18, 2015 (Lunar New Year Eve – Second Parody Run)- April 2, 2021 (VTV3’s 25th anniversary – Third Parody Run)

Money won

Unknown Prize (First Parody Run; not awarded in real life)
₫14.000.000 (Real Run)
₫0 (Second Parody Run; not awarded in real life)
Unknown Prize (Third Parody Run; not awarded in real life)

Tự Long (full name Vũ Tự Long), a Chèo artist from Vietnam Chèo Theater and one of the most famous Vietnamese comedians, appeared on Ai Là Triệu Phú (2015 New Year and 10th Anniversary Special) and won ₫14.000.000. Before his real run in 2014, he appeared as a contestant in Ai Là Triệu Phú as a part of 2007 Laugh Gala show. In 2015, he appeared again in another parody of Ai Là Triệu Phú called Ai Là Trợ Lý (Who is the Sidekick?) as a part of Gặp nhau cuối năm (Year-end Gathering, another VTV’s Lunar New Year special show) under the name Táo Mộc (Wood), said to be coming from Đồng Kỵ, Bắc Ninh and won absolutely nothing after answering the 2nd question wrong.

Six years later, he appeared on another parody, called Ai Là Tỷ Phú (Who is the Billionaire?) as part of VTV3’s 25th anniversary special, Quảng Trường Những Giấc Mơ (The Square of Dreams). He answered all two questions of the show correctly and won the fictional top prize of ₫1,000,000,000 , but was unable to have the cheque because the klaxon had called time before the host gave it to him.

Tự Long’s First Parody Run

Before he appeared as a contestant in his parody run, he had a short conversation with the host Đức Hải (Laugh Gala host) about his personal stories and the show (followed with a skit). Although the game was just like the Ai Là Triệu Phú, host Đức Hải didn’t say the name “Ai Là Triệu Phú” during the full run (probably the show didn’t want to make an uncopyright show, although some cues from the real show were still used).

Note: The questions that he was asked were sent by the Laugh Gala show viewers. At first, everyone thought that the questions were about him, but actually, after the show’s main cue was played, his Q&A part became an Ai Là Triệu Phú parody run.

1,000,000₫ (Question 1) – Not Timed
If you had to choose, what would you choose?
“50:50” lifeline used.
• A: Career

• B: Love

• C: Family

• D: Friends

He was confused about this question and found it really hard to answer this question, because he felt everything in the options were important with him and everyone. He couldn’t answer this question correctly, so host Đức Hải suggested him 3 lifelines (3 main lifelines of the show). After host Đức Hải reading the lifelines, Tự Long said that he felt those lifelines were in a Vietnamese gameshow that he watched. This also made the entire studio laughed. As he didn’t know the question, he decided to use his ’50:50′ – which eliminated B and D. His ’50:50′ even made him more confused, as it didn’t eliminate any of 2 options he was confusing (B & D). After that, he decided to lock in C, as he thought family is more important with him.

After he locked in: Host Đức Hải provided him some stats: 40% of the audiences didn’t agree with his answer, 40% of the audiences agreed with his answer, the other 20% were “too scared to answer this question”. And 40% of the audiences who agreed with his answer was right, he won 1,000,000₫.

Note: This question was sent by an audience named Duy Hùng.

??? (Question 2) – Not Timed
How many peach blossom trees were chopped and sold in Nhat Tan Peach Blossom Village in 2007 Lunar New Year?
“Phone-A-Friend” lifeline used.
• A: 1555

• B: 2555

• C: 3555

• D: 9555

He said that he bought peach blossom tree for his family every year, but he wasn’t expected about counting the peach blossoms so he was confused with this question. He also confused with the options ’cause the number was jump from 3555 (C) to 9555 (D). And he wasn’t good at Math, so he decided to call his friend – Xuân Bắc with the ‘Phone-A-Friend’ lifeline. After reading the question, Xuân Bắc didn’t give him the answer. Instead of that, Xuân Bắc asked him some personal things (and maybe some silly questions). As a result, Xuân Bắc didn’t give him the answer in time. When he almost gave him the final decision, Xuân Bắc surprisingly appeared in the studio (with some trouble with the security). After that, host Đức Hải invited Xuân Bắc into the studio and an another small conversation was made. Coincidentally, after the conversation was ended, the game was ended too, and the show went into an another skit as Xuân Bắc was a comedian performing in the show. The correct answer of this question was unknown.

Tự Long’s Real Run

Before his run, he was on the audience row, and when host Lại Văn Sâm asked for next played, he raised his hand and asked the host to play. He even sang a Chèo sentence as a present to the entire studio, made a whole studio laughed.

200,000₫ (1 of 15) – Not timed
Finish the following saying: “Bới lông tìm….”
• A: Chấy (lice)

• B: Rận (lice, 2nd meaning)

• C: Vết (stain)

• D: Ve (mites)

The correct answer has the meaning “To take pains in picking holes in other’s coats” in English.

400,000₫ (2 of 15) – Not timed
Quy Nhơn city is in which province?
• A: An Giang

• B: Bình Định

• C: Bạc Liêu

• D: Kiên Giang

600,000₫ (3 of 15) – Not timed
Which of the following is a idiom?
• A: Một mặt hai lời

• B: Hai mặt chín lời

• C: Ba mặt một lời

• D: Bốn mặt sáu lời

The correct answer has the meaning “In presence of a witness” in English.

1,000,000₫ (4 of 15) – Not timed
Which of the following numbers is divisible by 3?
• A: 7

• B: 17

• C: 27

• D: 37

2,000,000₫ (5 of 15) – Not timed
Who is comedian Xuân Bắc’s wife?
• A: Cẩm chướng (Carnations)

• B: Tuylip

• C: Mào gà (Celosia argentea var)

• D: Hồng Nhung (Rose)

A prank question on which the host jokingly said that if Tự Long answer this question incorrectly then he and Xuân Bắc would drift apart. As they have been best friends for 18 years, he definitely knew the correct answer to this question which was D.

3,000,000₫ (6 of 15) – Not timed
Cả Tam is the artist famous in which kind of art?
’50:50′ and ‘Three of the Audiences’ lifelines used.
• A: Rowing

• B: Cairojess

• C: Tuồng

• D: Quan họ

He was confused between A and C so he used ’50;50′ and though C was eliminated, he still wasn’t sure about option A so he used his ‘Three of the Audiences’ lifeline. All 3 audiences (including Xuân Bắc) suggested option A. Xuân Bắc, prior to giving the answer, warned him if Tự Long didn’t trust him, they would “no longer be friends and they would never act together on the same stage”. which made the entire studio laugh. Tự Long went with the 3 audience members and won 3,000,000₫.

6,000,000₫ (7 of 15) – Not timed

‘Till the recording time, what is the most valued England Premier League player?
‘Ask the Audience’ lifeline used.
• A: Fernando Torres

• B: Di Maria

• C: Mangala

• D: A. Sanchez

Ask the Audience Results: A: 5% • B: 93% • C: 0% • D: 2%

He thought that all these players were valuable, therefore he wasn’t certain of the correct answer. He decided to ask the audience whose assistance won Tự Long 6,000,000₫.

Note: From the 2015 – 2016 season, Di Maria has left Manchester United to play for Paris Saint-Germain.

10,000,000₫ (8 of 15) – Not timed
Edo is the old name of which Japanese city?
‘Phone-A-Friend’ lifeline used.
• A: Kobe

• B: Kyoto

• C: Osaka

• D: Tokyo

He didn’t know this question so he phoned Xuân Bắc’s dad – Nguyễn Nhật Thăng – for help. Mr. Thăng only managed to guess Kobe at the last second, which made Tự Long doubtful. In the end, he decided to go against his “dad” and locked in Tokyo which was correct.

14,000,000₫ (9 of 15) – Not timed
How many strings are there in a Russian balalaika?
• A: 3

• B: 4

• C: 5

• D: 6

22,000,000₫ (10 of 15) – Not timed
What is the first world biosphere reserve in Vietnam authenticated by UNESCO?
• A: Cat Ba Islands

• B: Ca Mau Cape

• C: Can Gio Mangroves

• D: Cu Lao Cham

Tự Long said that he had only been to Cat Ba and Can Gio and though he wanted to risk 12,000,000₫ for a check, he changed his mind a few seconds later. He would have guessed A, but the correct answer was C.

Total prize money: 14,000,000₫

Tự Long’s Second Parody Run

“Who is the Sidekick?” (a part of 2015 Year-end Gathering) is a gameshow made as Ngọc Hoàng’s (performed by Quốc Khánh) request to find for him the third sidekick in the zenith along with Nam Tào and Bắc Đẩu. In this game, he was Táo Mộc (a character in 2015 Year-end Gathering) – one of 5 contestants playing in this game.

Fastest Finger First

This is a special thing in “Who is the Sidekick?”, because the Fastest Finger First will not be played with the computers and all contestants read out loud their answer one by one.

The first Fastest Finger First question was “Translate this sentence from Thai into Vietnamese”. After 4 other contestants answered incorrectly, the host Xuân Bắc (as Nam Tào in “Year-end Gathering”) asked if Táo Mộc (Tự Long) had the answer. Táo Mộc asked in an angry mood: “This sentence is meaningless, I will not answer!” (“Câu này vô nghĩa, tôi không trả lời!”). Coincidentally, that sentence was correct, Táo Mộc made it to the “Hot Seat” (with the time of 10.34 seconds, according to Nam Tào)

Táo Mộc’s Run to be Ngọc Hoàng’s Sidekick

As the show didn’t use any chair, so there was no Hot Seat in the entire show. So Táo Mộc stood next to Nam Tào to play. Nam Tào asked Táo Mộc if he went with any friend, but Táo Mộc was angry, because he thought everyone would think he would do something illegal and this question would make him lose the chace to be Ngọc Hoàng’s sidekick. As a result, Nam Tào ended the question about Táo Mộc’s friend. And this is more hilarious: When Nam Tào was reading the rules, Táo Mộc interrupted him by reading the rest of the rule to show that Táo Mộc understood the rules. When he said he was ready, the show was going to go in a break, but everyone disagreed, so Nam Tào let his run begin.

??? (Question 1) – Not Timed
“Soft curves” is the phrase to be said about what?
’50:50′ lifeline used.
• A: Bắc Đẩu (performed by Công Lý)

• B: Mantis

• C: Lamppost

• D: Newlymade road

He was confused with A and C, although the traffic light was “curved” in the bulb, but not “soft”. He decided to use his ’50:50′, although Táo Hỏa (performed by Quang Thắng) laughed at him. Surprisingly, ’50:50′ eliminated both 2 options he was confusing. He lost some moments to think about 2 remaining options, as the mantis are “soft” and “curved”, but the roads might be “soft” and “curved” too. Nam Tào gave him a clue: This is a 2-kilometer road, in the city and matches 2 crossroads. As he thought the workers would only make “curved” roads in the countryside, and the city roads must be straight to save money of citizens. But he also thought that if the city roads are made “curved”, then the workers have to be a really misterous reason. And hilariously, he decided to make his final answer: “Walk away”. But he realized that this was the first question as he had nothing to lose, and he was so stressful, so he decided to continue playing. Finally, he made D as his final answer. Interestingly, it was correct.

Note: D was correct because in Vietnam, some city roads were bended followed by the authorities’ request to make “a soft curve”. This question also represents for one of the biggest problems in Vietnam in 2014.

??? (Question 2) – Not Timed
Going straight in the road when there is a red traffic light is only for …?
‘Three of the Audience’ and ‘Ask the Audience’ lifeline used.
• A: Buses

• B: Ambulances

• C: Lowbrows

• D: Flat chest people

Ask the Audience Results: A: 25% • B: 25% • C: 25% • D: 25%

He confused with all the options, ’cause when he stood in the crossroads, a lot of vehicles crossed the road when there was a red traffic light, but he can’t know “who is the lowbrow, who is the flat chest person”. He also thought that the ambulances couldn’t cross the road ’cause Vietnam always have traffic jam, and not all the buses stopped when there was a red traffic light. He decided to use the fusion “Three of the Audiences” and “Ask tha Audience” lifeline (In this case, he will take the advice from 4 remaining contestants). Hilariously, 4 remaining contestants advised him 4 different options (which mean the “Three of the Audiences” lifeline was useless and wasted, and making the audience result of Ask the Audience was 25% in all 4 answers). He said that, 4 remaining contestants made him more difficult to answer this question. After that, he thought that according to the rule, flat chest people couldn’t go on the road. Finally, he locked in C, which surprised Nam Tào, because he researched the option D very carefully. The reason he locked in C is: Two months before the show, he remembered that he saw a banner which is written: “Going straight in the road when there is a red traffic light is only for lowbrows”. Unfortunately, it was an incorrect answer, he went home with nothing and lost the chance to be Ngọc Hoàng’s sidekick.

Note: This is Ngọc Hoàng’s question to ask Táo Mộc.

Tự Long’s Third Parody Run

“Who is a Billionaire?” is a parody show appeared on The Square of Dreams aired on April 2, 2021. In this show, he is the first and only contestant. Because they know Tự Long is working in Chèo, so the show played that music instead the WWTBAM one, but the host Đinh Tiến Dũng said that was a mistake, and told him that after the channel had enough money to increase the top prize, the first person they want to invite was him. To win a fictional ₫1,000,000,000, he had to answer only 2 questions instead of 15.

₫0 (1 of 2) – Not Timed
How many performer joined the program “Weekend Gathering” and “Year-end Gathering”?
“Phone-a-Friend” lifeline used
• A: 444

• B: 555

• C: 666

• D: Uncountable

He called Quang Thắng, one of his friend. But he just sang a song that almost out of time, while Tự Long was still urging him to give an answer before time’s up. And then phone call just cut after saying “Well done, bye-bye!”, made him bewildered. He had no choice, but when the moment he said “Getting a question like this, who can countable?” the host confirmed that D was the final answer. And suprisingly, that was the correct answer. He hadn’t won any money yet, but next question was the last one and it had a value of a fictional ₫1,000,000,000.

Fictional ₫1,000,000,000 (2 of 2) – Not Timed
After 25 years of establishment and development, in the future VTV3 will develop in which orientation?
“Ask Two Experts” lifeline used
• A: Entertainment

• B: Education

• C: Broadcasting sales

• D: Dreaming

Note: This question required him to fill all 4 answers instead of answer a multiple choice question.
The two experts in his run were Xuân Nghị and Lâm Vỹ Dạ. Both of them sang a song which was more than 30 seconds of the lifeline, but because they were singing so the host just cut the call after the song was finished. After that, Tự Long answered 3 of 4 answers (A to C), and the fourth one (D) was answered after thinking by singing a song about the development and dreaming. The host said both answers were correct, and Tự Long was become a billionaire. Unfortunately, the klaxon called time before the host could sign a cheque, so he just won nothing.

Gallery

Tự Long in Laugh Gala 2007 (Gala Cười)

Tự Long in Ai Là Triệu Phú (10th Anniversary)

Tự Long and Xuân Bắc in ‘Who is the Sidekick?’ (Ai là trợ lý)

Tự Long and Đinh Tiến Dũng in The Square of Dreams

Trivia

• Tự Long is the most recurring contestant (and celebrity) of Ai Là Triệu Phú, with 4 appearances in total. (3 as a fictional contestant and 1 as an actual contestant)
• Coincidentally, all three of his fictional runs were aired during each of the actual show’s three graphical eras:
  • His first run was aired during the show’s Classic graphical era, although this run did not feature said graphics.
  • His second run was aired during the show’s Rave graphical era.
  • His third run was aired during the show’s Olga van den Brandt graphical era.
• Xuân Bắc – another famous comedian in Vietnam and Tự Long’s best friend as well – appeared in all 3 times he appeared as an Ai Là Triệu Phú contestant (His companion in his real run, his Phone-a-Friend friend in his first parody run, and the host on his second parody run).
  • Xuân Bắc later became a contestant on the actual show in 2021 and won ₫40,000,000. His run was aired three days before Tự Long’s third parody run.
• In all of his parody runs, the WWTBAM themes were not used in order like they are on the real show.
• The “Ai là trợ lý?” (Who is the Sidekick?) logo was designed based on Ai Là Triệu Phú’s (at the time) Rave logo.
• The time limit of the Phone-A-Friend lifeline (in the first two parody runs) was said to last for 30 seconds, but in reality, it lasted for a minute.
  • It lasted for 30 seconds in the third parody run. The concept of exceeding a lifeline’s time limit was instead given to the Ask Two Experts lifeline. The host said that he could have ended the lifeline after the 30-second limit but wasn’t able to because of the song the two experts were singing.
• On “Ai là trợ lý?”, the Three of the Audience and Ask the Audience was fused as the Audience lifeline, due to the audience who helped Táo Mộc answer the second question was four FFF contestants, and when they decided different answer, each answers had 25% audience rate.
• He’s one of captain of Tôi Yêu Thể Thao (Vietnamese version of A Question of Sport)
• He is one of three celebrity contestants on the very first episode of gameshow Ai Trúng Số Độc Đắc (Vietnamese version of Have You Got The Balls?) in 2013. Later that year, he replaced Lương Mạnh Hải as the second host of this gameshow, and hosted until the show was axed in 2015.

Sources