OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIETNAMESE CINEMA TO BREAK THROUGH

Politburo Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture has opened up a new space for long-term strategic development, serving as an important “lever” for Vietnamese cinema to undergo a powerful transformation.

Huge potential for Vietnamese cinema

As Vietnam’s cultural industries continue to develop, cinema is emerging as a sector with enormous potential, not only generating significant economic value but also playing an important role in promoting the country’s image and enhancing its soft power.

In recent years, Vietnamese cinema has witnessed remarkable growth in both market size and production quality. According to figures recently released by CGV Vietnam, 2025 was considered a particularly vibrant period for the industry, with box-office revenue reaching a record high of nearly 5.6 trillion VND (213.7 million USD) and more than 70 million tickets sold, representing respective increases of 24% and 29% compared with 2024. Compared with the pre-COVID-19 period in 2019, the revenue rose by more than 35%. This impressive growth demonstrates that Vietnamese cinema has not only recovered rapidly but has also entered a period of strong expansion.

The report also showed that between 2023 and 2025, the country's annual box-office revenue growth exceeded 20%.

Notably, last year, Vietnamese films rose to dominate the domestic market, accounting for as much as 62% of all films released in cinemas and serving as the driver of revenue and profits for domestic cinema chains.

Industry experts said Vietnamese cinema is undergoing a clear shift from quantity to quality, and from dependence on foreign films to mastery over the domestic market.

This breakthrough has also been reflected in the growing number of films surpassing the 100-billion-VND mark in box-office revenue, creating important “boosts” for the market. In just the first three months of 2026, the market recorded as many as six productions earning more than 100 billion VND each.

Among them, Hoang Tuan Cuong’s "Blood Paradise" (release date: December 31, 2025) became the first Vietnamese film of the year to reach the mark, achieving the milestone just 12 days after its theatrical release, with total revenue of approximately 126 billion VND. "Bunny!!" by Tran Thanh generated around 450 billion VND; "A Room Called Home" by Truong Giang earned approximately 110 billion VND; "A Gift From Heaven" by Le Thanh Son brought in around 103 billion VND; and Mai Tai Phen’s "Tai" recorded more than 113 billion VND in box-office revenue. Director Pom Nguyen’s "The Corpse 2" also crossed the 100-billion-VND mark after just one week in cinemas, demonstrating the growing appeal of domestic films.

The fact that six films have each surpassed 100 billion VND reflects positive changes in Vietnamese cinema as audiences are becoming increasingly open to domestic productions and willing to support work with quality and compelling content. These figures also demonstrate the growing maturity of Vietnamese filmmakers in production thinking, release strategies, and their ability to understand market tastes. The simultaneous success of multiple films has helped raise the overall standard while strengthening investor confidence in the profitability potential of cinema.

However, box-office success does not necessarily mean that every production has received positive reviews. Some films on the list have continued to face mixed opinions over their scripts. Nevertheless, viewed as a whole, that numerous films have surpassed the 100-billion-VND threshold remains an encouraging signal for the development of Vietnamese cinema.

Beyond its economic value, cinema is also an important channel for conveying Vietnamese cultural and historical values and telling stories about the Vietnamese people. Stories about families, society, and national identity, expressed through the language of cinema, have helped shape aesthetic tastes, enrich people’s spiritual life, and strengthened cultural identity within the community. At the same time, cinema generates spillover effects across a range of other sectors, including tourism, services, and communications, thereby contributing to cross-sectoral economic growth.

Amid deepening international integration, a thriving film industry not only generates revenue but also helps position the country’s image on the international stage, affirming Vietnam’s standing as a dynamic and creative cultural destination.

A key cultural industry

Politburo Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture clearly sets the goal of developing Vietnamese cinema as part of the broader cultural industries, toward building an advanced film industry deeply imbued with national identity, competitive within the region, and gradually reaching global audiences.

Under the resolution, cinema is expected to make a positive contribution to economic growth, among the cultural industries making up around 7% of GDP by 2030. It is also set to play an important role in spreading cultural values and enhancing national soft power.

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Dr Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA), said one aspect of Resolution 80 that she particularly values is its emphasis on and elevation of the importance of national identity. This is not merely an ideological affirmation but also a strategic orientation for cultural industries, including cinema.

In filmmaking, national identity is not simply a source of creative material; it is also a factor that creates competitiveness. Stories imbued with the depth of Vietnam’s history, culture, and people are the “key” to the cinema sector to win over domestic audiences and gradually reach international markets.

Lan also noted that Resolution 80 reaffirms culture as the spiritual foundation of society, highlighting culture as an internal resource – an important one for the country’s fast and sustainable development. At the same time, it places cultural development in close connection with proactive international integration. This is also the direction that many organisations, including the VFDA, have been consistently pursuing.

Amid globalisation, Vietnamese cinema is facing not only intense competition in terms of cultural soft power but also the profound impact of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), she went on, adding that proactive international integration, expanded international cooperation, and stronger competitiveness are therefore inevitable requirements.

Resolution 80 places particular emphasis on the relationship between culture and the market. For the first time, culture is positioned in a very close relationship with the economy and the market. When discussing cultural industries, including cinema, the market must be part of the conversation. Without a market, it is impossible to build a cultural industry. A film can truly survive only when it is brought to the market, embraced by audiences, and generates revenue that can be reinvested in further production and reproduction.

The VFDA President stressed that an encouraging aspect of the resolution is that it not only sets guiding viewpoints but also provides a concrete system of measures, with a clear roadmap through to 2030. This creates confidence and motivation for organisations and agencies operating in the cinema sector. Activities such as the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF), cinema promotion and publicity programmes, and efforts to introduce Vietnamese locations to international filmmakers are being actively implemented although most of them still rely on private resources.

Lan said the issuance of Resolution 80 has generated enthusiasm among people working in culture, literature, and the arts, providing a firm cornerstone for development orientations and helping cultural and artistic practitioners see more clearly that their activities are encouraged by the State.

In her view, if the institutional framework is further improved, “bottlenecks” are minimised, and mechanisms suited to the laws of development are established, Vietnamese cinema will have an even greater opportunity to make a powerful breakthrough in the years ahead./.