Highlights From Facebook IRL Event: Trends, Insights, And Excitement In HCMC

On May 10th, Meta rolled out the red carpet for its Facebook In Real Life (Facebook IRL) event, giving young people in Ho Chi Minh City a free pass to the action.

Living up to its name, the event brought Meta’s “multiverse” into the real world, featuring cool content creation workshops and interactive booths from Threads, Messenger, Reels Studio, and more, leaving attendees buzzing with excitement.

Meta’s Multiverse by the Numbers

In just two days, the event drew in over 2,400 participants, including 200 content creators and industry heavyweights who shared tons of valuable insights. The event was powered by sponsors like Natural Mineral Water La Vie, VinFast, Xanh SM, Nutriboost and Oreo.

A standout moment at Facebook IRL was the appearance of Loredana Crisan, Vice President of Meta’s Messenger. She enthusiastically shared the latest social media trends and how Meta is rolling out new Messenger features to elevate user experience, engaging over 100 creators.

This being her third visit to Vietnam, Crisan expressed her ongoing amazement at the warmth of the people. She noted that Vietnamese users’ feedback on product improvements inspires Meta to continue innovating and creating features that cater to their vast user base.

Also making an appearance was Tran Nhat Hoang, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. He emphasized that events like Facebook IRL play a crucial role in building comprehensive strategic partnerships between Vietnam and the United States, promoting Vietnam on the global stage.

“We’re beyond excited to bring Facebook IRL to Vietnam. This is the first time this flagship event was held outside the United States,” said Khoi Le, Country Director at Meta.

Revealing 3 Social Media Trends from Meta’s Global VP of Messenger

At the Facebook IRL event, Loredana Crisan unveiled three major trends that are drawing young people to Meta’s platforms:

Connection

Crisan highlighted Facebook’s new Watch Together feature, which lets users co-watch and comment on Reels they enjoy together, bringing people closer through shared experiences.

Community

Meta’s new Broadcast Channel feature empowers creators to share freely with their fan community. Creators can invite thousands of fans into a single chat group to broadcast their daily lives, saving time and fostering deep connections. This feature is a favorite among celebrities for its efficiency and engagement.

Conversation

Young users want seamless information exchange, but Messenger has faced limitations with low-quality images and small file sizes.

Crisan noted that feedback on this issue was crucial. She and her team at Messenger enhanced the feature to allow HD image sharing and larger file transfers, making Messenger much more convenient for work and daily communication.

Building Personal Brands with Châu Bùi, Minh Tú, and H’Hen Niê

Have you noticed how each content creator’s Facebook and Instagram account evokes unique feelings?

Different platforms can be leveraged to build a personal brand. For example, Instagram, optimized for visuals, suits lifestyle content with aesthetically pleasing layouts.

How do you start building a personal brand on social media? To answer this, Facebook IRL hosted an engaging session with top content creators: Fashionista Châu Bùi, Supermodel Minh Tú, and Miss H’Hen Niê, led by host Tun Phạm.

The three guests shared their secrets to creating unique personas for their channels.

For instance, Châu Bùi’s Instagram features bold, edgy fashion reels, attracting a fashion-forward community. Her Facebook, however, is more lifestyle-oriented, cheerful, and relatable. When partnering with brands, Châu strategically aligns each platform with the brand’s character.

Minh Tú shared her approach to creating effective branded content. She prefers long-term collaborations with brands, building a close relationship over the years, which leads to higher-quality content.

To create viral content on Meta platforms, H’Hen Niê opts for an authentic approach. With over 2.2 million followers on Facebook, she shares raw, everyday moments on her stories and reels, connecting with fans like a close friend. This genuine content boosts her engagement and trendability on Facebook.

From the enriching activities at Facebook IRL, young people in Ho Chi Minh City had the opportunity to connect with peers who share similar interests. The event became a hub for forming new groups and discovering values important to the young generation.