When a small gesture after a refreshing drink becomes a daily source of excitement
A year ago, a quiet neighborhood in An Giang Province was abuzz with the story of a young café owner who unexpectedly won VND 50 million in cash simply by drinking a bottle of Number 1 Energy Drink.
A year later, the story is still being talked about.
Now that the “Peel and Win Instantly” promotion has returned this summer—with the grand prize doubled to VND 100 million—many residents in the neighborhood have once again begun testing their luck by peeling labels and entering codes after every drink.
“I Thought Someone Was Pranking Me”
On a sweltering summer afternoon, the electric fan inside a small roadside café spun relentlessly, yet it could do little to dispel the oppressive heat outside.
In a corner of the café, Lê Thị Ngọc Trang cradled her child in one arm while deftly serving drinks to customers with the other.
The modest shop sits alongside a rural road in Vĩnh Gia Commune, An Giang Province. There is no large signboard, no eye-catching neon lighting—just a handful of plastic tables and chairs, a refrigerator stocked with beverages, and the steady stream of travelers stopping in to escape the midday heat.
“Some days, business is good, some days it isn’t. There are plenty of days when I’m completely exhausted,” Trang said.
Amid the many drinks she sells, her personal favorite remains Number 1 Energy Drink.
“Number 1 is my go-to drink. It tastes great, quenches my thirst, and helps me stay alert. I drink it every day to keep my energy up and get through the day at the shop.”
Regular customers all remember the young café owner with the ever-present smile.
What few of them know, however, is that just one year ago this quiet little shop became the center of excitement for days after an unexpected phone call changed everything.
Last summer, after finishing her usual bottle of Number 1 Energy Drink, Trang casually peeled off the label, retrieved the promotional code, and sent it in—something she had come to do simply for fun.
“I must have submitted nearly 20 codes before that. I always assumed I’d never be the lucky one,” she recalled.
Then one day, her phone rang unexpectedly.
The caller informed her that she had won the First Prize—VND 50 million in cash—from Number 1’s summer promotion.
“At first I thought it was a scam, so I kept asking them to repeat it. I checked my messages and even visited the website before I finally believed it was real,” Trang said with a laugh.
News of the young café owner’s windfall spread quickly.
Relatives stopped by to congratulate her. Regular customers came in asking for details. The small neighborhood suddenly felt livelier than usual.
“Some neighbors literally ran over and asked, ‘Is it true? Did you really win?’” she said, laughing again.
At just 21 years old, Trang does not spend much time talking about grand ambitions.
So when she received the VND 50 million prize, her first thought was not about buying a new phone or treating herself.
“I used all of it to buy more inventory for the shop,” she said matter-of-factly.
Soon, the shelves in her café became noticeably fuller.
Alongside Number 1 Energy Drink, she began stocking additional products such as Không Độ Green Tea, Dr Thanh Herbal Tea, and various other beverages.
When Everyday Moments Become Opportunities
This summer, the “Peel and Win Instantly” promotion from Number 1 Energy Drink, Dr Thanh Herbal Tea, and Không Độ Green Tea is offering more than 500,000 prizes in the form of mobile phone top-up cards worth between VND 10,000 and VND 50,000, awarded continuously every day.
To date, more than 60,000 prizes have already been claimed, while hundreds of thousands more remain available nationwide.
Participation is simple.
There is no need to download an app or create an account. After purchasing a promotional product, consumers simply peel off the label, retrieve the code, and either enter it on the campaign website or send it via SMS to the designated hotline. Results are available almost instantly.
In addition, every valid code automatically qualifies for grand-prize drawings featuring three Special Prizes worth VND 100 million each, along with dozens of First Prizes worth VND 10 million.
The livestream drawings for the Special Prize winners are scheduled for June 4, July 20, and September 4, and will be broadcast publicly on the official fan pages of Dr Thanh Herbal Tea, Zero Degree Green Tea, and Number 1 Energy Drink.
For many participants, however, the greatest thrill comes from the moment they enter a code and discover the result almost immediately on their phone.
Perhaps what makes the promotion resonate is not merely the possibility of winning a large prize, but the very real feeling that good fortune can arrive for ordinary people.
It could be a factory worker racing to meet deadlines during a shift.
A driver stopping at a roadside café beneath the midday sun.
Or a small-town shop owner in the Mekong Delta, balancing business, family responsibilities, and the daily effort of keeping her shop open.
And that is why, in that little neighborhood in western Vietnam, many people now hold onto a bottle label for a few extra seconds before throwing it away.
Because, just maybe, luck might come knocking once again.