The transformation of Vietnamese games

In the flow of creative industries, many Vietnamese developers are choosing to use the language of games to tell Vietnamese stories. From folk games to online game projects inspired by history, literature, cuisine… the domestic game industry is showing a change.

A space displaying Vietnamese games at the National Achievements Exhibition.

The first products have made their mark, and at the same time set requirements on policies, resources and standards for integration and sustainable development.

Effective cultural promotion channel

Along with cinema, fashion, architecture, performing arts… games are considered one of the cultural industries with great economic potential and strong influence. Exploiting, creating and applying traditional cultural values ​​into games not only creates entertainment products, but also helps preserve and promote national identity in a more intimate and attractive way.

According to statistics in 2024, Vietnam's gaming industry revenue reached 13,663 billion VND (equivalent to 525 million USD), an increase of 8.8% over the previous year, with a growth rate 2.5 times higher than the world average. Vietnamese gaming products attracted 5.7 billion downloads from abroad, with revenue from international users reaching more than 2,000 billion VND. Vietnam is currently among the top 5 countries with the highest gaming revenue globally.

Besides the growth in scale, the notable point is the trend of incorporating Vietnamese cultural elements into game content. Products such as Phuc ma Ngu su by Lac Bird Group, an action game set in the Ly Dynasty that combines legendary elements and folk characters, show the efforts of domestic game makers to find their own identity.

Lac Bird Art Director Dang Bao Hue shared: "We not only recreate familiar architectural or landscape images, but also want to delve into the spiritual life of Vietnamese people to bring players feelings of closeness and pride."

According to statistics in 2024, the revenue of the Vietnamese gaming industry reached 13,663 billion VND (equivalent to 525 million USD), an increase of 8.8% compared to the previous year, with a growth rate 2.5 times higher than the world average. Vietnamese gaming products attracted 5.7 billion downloads from abroad, with revenue from international users reaching more than 2,000 billion VND. Vietnam is currently among the top 5 countries with the highest gaming revenue globally.

According to Lac Bird General Director Hoang Bao Long, after a period of "hot" development focusing on technology, the Vietnamese gaming industry is moving to a new phase of associating products with cultural, historical and national identity values. That is what arouses the interest and creative responsibility of young people, who are contributing to shaping the new face of this industry.

Previously, the game Run Away from Prosperity developed by Tran Tuan Hiep (2001) and Pham Duy Phuc (1999) was also the pride of the Vietnamese gaming community, bringing a unique and impressive journey of discovery of Vietnamese culture and landmarks...

Mr. Nguyen Thien Toan, founder of Ngu Hanh Games - a unit specializing in creating Vietnamese cultural board games, said: "Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia already have board games that represent cultural characteristics. We want the world to know a beautiful, rich Vietnam, so we chose to create board games based on folk culture and traditional arts."

Up to now, the unit has 10 product lines, notably Hoi Pho, Len Mam, Sang Den, Thien Menh...; released in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hungary, Poland, Italy and many other countries. Many experts say that the market is converging enough factors to develop cultural games. According to lecturer Phan Thanh Duy (Game Design, RMIT Vietnam), today's youth not only have entertainment needs but also want to learn deeply about national history and culture, this is an opportunity to form a niche market for educational-cultural games.

Sustainable direction for pure Vietnamese games

According to the Strategy for Development of Vietnam's Cultural Industries to 2020, with a vision to 2030 approved by the Prime Minister, software and entertainment games are identified as one of the key economic service sectors, meeting domestic and export cultural consumption needs, creating more jobs and contributing to promoting the image of the country and people of Vietnam.

“The appeal of the game lies in its ability to naturally incorporate cultural elements, from national costumes, customs, practices, beautiful homeland scenery to historical knowledge. When tradition and modernity are harmoniously combined, the game will become an effective bridge between generations.”

Director of the Department of Performing Arts Nguyen Xuan Bac

In the talk show “Vietnamese Games - From Cultural Identity to Global Aspiration” held in Hanoi, Deputy Director of the Copyright Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Le Minh Tuan commented: “The fact that games are recognized as one of the 12 cultural industries shows a clear change in social awareness”. He emphasized the importance of copyright protection, because protecting creativity is the driving force for Vietnamese developers to confidently create products with their own unique characteristics.

Director of the Department of Performing Arts Nguyen Xuan Bac said: “The appeal of the game lies in its ability to naturally incorporate cultural elements, from national costumes, customs, practices, beautiful homeland scenery to historical knowledge. When tradition and modernity are harmoniously combined, the game will become an effective bridge between generations.”

Director of the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information Le Quang Tu Do said: “According to Statista's report, the revenue of the Vietnamese game market could reach 2.42 billion USD by 2029, with an average growth rate of nearly 10% per year. The Vietnamese game industry has surpassed the position of a foreign outsourcing specialist to develop domestic products, with a lot of room for development.”

Currently, the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information in coordination with the Copyright Office is researching the inclusion of online video games and electronic sports in the Strategy for the Development of Vietnam's Cultural Industries to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

However, in reality, there are still many challenges. The advantage of cheap labor helps Vietnam attract many cooperation projects, but most domestic enterprises still operate on a small scale, lacking support policies, especially regarding taxes. Most small and medium-sized studios mainly produce simple entertainment games at low cost, relying on luck.

Meanwhile, games inspired by history or recreating cultural identity require large investments, thorough research processes, and highly qualified personnel to achieve accuracy and precision. In-depth training in the game industry at educational institutions is also new and limited. Experts believe that to turn the potential of Vietnamese identity games into a long-term competitive advantage, there needs to be identification policies, financial support, official data sources, and specialized training programs. This requires close coordination between managers, creative units, and the cultural research community.

Cultural institutions can play a role in providing authentic documents on history, customs, and arts, helping developers transform them into vivid and attractive content. At the same time, preferential policies on tax, communication, and investment funds for cultural game projects are indispensable.

In the context of deep integration and the explosion of mass entertainment such as music festivals, reality shows, new technology platforms... preserving and spreading Vietnamese identity in the gaming world is not only a creative direction but also a way to affirm the position of national culture in the digital age. When properly invested, respecting the origin and having an export strategy, Vietnamese games will become a bridge to bring values ​​such as history, language, culture, and art closer to international friends, while creating sustainable careers and economic values.

HAI LAM

Source: https://nhandan.vn/buoc-chuyen-minh-cua-game-viet-post920111.html