Vietnamese cinema is experiencing its most dynamic period in many years. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Record-breaking revenue and a surge in local productions have propelled Vietnamese cinema into a new era of growth, even as filmmakers face an increasingly unforgiving battle for audiences, screening slots and long-term sustainability.

Việt Nam’s film industry is entering a period of rapid growth, with box-office revenue surpassing VNĐ3 trillion (US$114 million) and the number of domestic releases rising at an unprecedented pace.

Yet behind the buoyant ticket sales lies fierce competition over screening slots, content quality and the ability to integrate into the international market.

Vietnamese cinema is experiencing its most dynamic period in many years.

Total revenue from domestic films exceeded VNĐ3 trillion in 2025, marking the first time Vietnamese productions outperformed foreign titles in the home market.

Films such as Mưa đỏ (Red Rain), Địa đạo: Mặt trời trong bóng tối (Tunnel: The Sun in the Darkness) and Tử chiến trên không (Airborne Death Match) not only generated impressive earnings but also sparked significant public discussion, reflecting a notable shift in how Vietnamese filmmakers engage audiences.

According to Đặng Trần Cường, director general of the Department of Cinema under the culture ministry, the milestone demonstrates the growing maturity of Vietnamese filmmaking in several respects, from production thinking and the ability to explore historical and cultural themes to changing audience behaviour.

Viewers are now actively choosing Vietnamese films from their opening days rather than automatically favouring foreign releases, as was often the case in the past.

However, Cường cautioned that strong box-office performance does not necessarily equate to sustainable development.

In his view, 2025 is “not yet the industry’s most glorious year”, as behind the blockbuster successes remain numerous projects that suffered heavy losses, with some earning only a few hundred million đồng before disappearing from cinemas.

This reality highlights the growing polarisation of the market.

While a handful of productions become box-office phenomena, the majority struggle to attract audiences.

'Winner-takes-most'

Industry observers say Vietnamese cinema is entering a “winner-takes-most” phase, in which revenue is concentrated among a small number of projects backed by compelling content, strong marketing strategies and significant distribution advantages.

Competitive pressure is set to intensify as the number of domestic releases continues to rise.

Around 55 Vietnamese films were released in 2025, but the figure is expected to increase to between 70 and 80 in 2026, meaning that five to six local productions could be competing directly for audiences each month.

Against this backdrop, distributors and cinema chains are wielding increasing influence.

Nguyễn Trọng Khoa, head of the Digital Film Production Department at RMIT University Việt Nam, noted that companies that both finance productions and own cinema networks, such as CJ CGV and Galaxy Studio, play a decisive role in determining a film’s commercial prospects.

“For films financed by major companies themselves, this is clearly a significant advantage. If the marketing campaign, content or word-of-mouth response is strong, cinema chains can keep these films in prime screening slots for longer,” Khoa said.

From an economic perspective, Trương Phan Kiều Anh, a lecturer in Multimedia Communications within RMIT Việt Nam’s Foundation Studies programme, argued that the situation reflects the inherently high-risk nature of the film industry.

“Filmmaking is an expensive business, and investors naturally do not want to take unnecessary risks,” she said.

As a result, commercially oriented projects featuring well-known stars or strong financial backing often enjoy greater access to screening slots.

Independent films and debut projects, by contrast, frequently face limited screenings, less favourable showtimes and the risk of being removed from cinemas quickly if opening-week revenues fall short of expectations.

Industry experts warn that this trend may inadvertently create imbalances within the cinematic ecosystem, making it difficult for artistically ambitious works to reach wider audiences.

Vietnamese audiences are becoming increasingly discerning when it comes to domestic productions. — VNA/VNS Photo

Audience shift

The distribution landscape is not the only aspect undergoing transformation.

Vietnamese audiences themselves are becoming increasingly discerning when it comes to domestic productions.

Film critic Nguyễn Phong Việt observed that the mindset of watching films simply to “support Vietnamese products” has largely disappeared.

Audiences today are willing to judge local productions against international blockbusters on equal terms, comparing screenplays, technical quality and the overall cinematic experience.

This shift places considerable pressure on producers but also serves as a positive catalyst, forcing the industry to professionalise at a faster pace.

Journalist and film critic Lê Hồng Lâm said direct competition with Hollywood blockbusters leaves Vietnamese filmmakers with little choice but to invest more seriously in storytelling and narrative structure.

In an era when audiences have countless entertainment options, he argued, only films with emotional depth and a distinctive cinematic language can achieve lasting success.

From a historical perspective, Lâm noted that Vietnamese cinema has already produced many classics rich in artistic value, including Cánh đồng hoang (The Abandoned Field: Free Fire Zone), Mẹ vắng nhà (Mother Away from Home) and Đời cát (Sandy Lives).

The task facing today’s filmmakers, he said, is therefore not to create an entirely new cinema tradition but to inherit and reinterpret that cultural depth through more contemporary forms of storytelling.

Recent box-office data also indicate that audiences are increasingly drawn to films exploring history, indigenous culture and complex psychological themes.

The success of Địa đạo: Mặt trời trong bóng tối and several folk-horror productions suggests that cultural identity is emerging as a new competitive advantage for Vietnamese cinema.

Global ambitions

Alongside intensifying domestic competition, the industry is also expanding its international integration strategy.

The Việt Nam Film Development Association (VFDA) has stepped up efforts to promote Vietnamese films in the United States, France, South Korea and at major international film festivals in order to attract investment, expand co-production opportunities and integrate Vietnamese productions more deeply into the global film value chain.

According to Ngô Phương Lan, chairwoman of the VFDA, cinema is not merely an entertainment industry but also a powerful instrument for cultural promotion and national soft power.

Current international outreach initiatives are expected to help Vietnamese cinema broaden its market reach, raise production standards and increase opportunities to connect with global audiences.

Nevertheless, industry experts argue that genuine transformation will require more than a series of short-lived box-office successes.

The key challenges remain script quality, workforce development, support mechanisms for independent productions and greater transparency within the distribution system.

The VNĐ3 trillion revenue milestone has opened up significant opportunities for Vietnamese cinema, but it has also placed the industry before its most rigorous test yet.

As audiences become more demanding and international competition intensifies, only films with a distinctive identity, strong storytelling and professional production practices are likely to endure over the long term. — VNS