"I don't know the main character's name. I don't know the show's title. But I just couldn't stop watching." Le Minh Anh, a 20-year-old university student, sat at a cafe in Hanoi on Monday and said she mindlessly watches Chinese microdramas whenever she has free time. She started with just a few Facebook videos, but the clips ended on cliffhangers, prompting her to install a dedicated app and repeatedly purchase new episodes. These microdramas — low-budget serials told in minute-long vertical episodes — typically run for 40 to 70 installments. They deliver instant gratification through intense plotlines involving power struggles within wealthy families, family secrets, extramarital affairs and revenge. The format is rapidly becoming part of everyday viewing habits in Vietnam and the Philippines, bypassing deep-seated anti-China sentiment fueled by historical and South China Sea territorial disputes. Chinese platforms dominate the regional app marketplace, with DramaBox, ReelShort and FreeReels recording 290 million, 272 million and 230 million global downloads, respectively. Producti