Vietnamese TikToker goes viral by staring at camera

Since posting his first video on TikTok on September 17, Tran Anh Tan has got 7.4 million likes and more than 500,000 followers, with many of his videos getting millions of views.

In short videos he posts on his account, anhtrantan, whether he is lying on a hammock or sitting up, he does only one thing: looks straight at the camera while a Vietnamese song plays in the background.

There are no visual effects or interesting stories, some of the videos are shot in poor lighting, yet he has become an indisputable star. One video of him lying on a hammock has got 36.6 million views and innumerable comments.

Lying on a hammock or sitting up, Tan always looks at the camera while a Vietnamese song plays in the background. Photo courtesy of anhtrantan TikTok account.

"I try hard to edit my videos but get only a few viewers, but you only need to look at the screen and blink your eyes to get millions; this is interesting," a young commenter said.

Several Vietnamese celebrities and international TikTokers have tried to copy him by posting videos of themselves staring at the camera with some background music.

Many admit they have no idea why his videos have become a craze.

International publications like Asia One in Singapore and NextShark in the U.S. have headlined the phenomenon, saying he "has proven yet again that not trying too hard sometimes works best on social media."

Earlier So Y Tiet, who claims to be a buffalo herder in the central Binh Dinh Province, became famous on TikTok after American rapper Snoop Dogg and singer Chris Brown reposted his TikTok singing clips on their official Instagram accounts.

TikTok has soared in popularity in Vietnam with 10 million users as of August and millions of short clips uploaded on the platform.