To make culture a money-maker

Báo Đại Đoàn Kết•15/03/2024

Fans packed My Dinh Stadium ( Hanoi ) to watch the K-pop group Black Pink perform in July 2023. Photo source: TPO.

The year 2023 witnessed the arrival of many international artists in Vietnam, creating music events that attracted huge audiences. For example, in March, the South Korean group Super Junior held a concert with over 15,000 attendees at the Military Zone 7 Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City; in June, the Seen Festival was held in Hoi An, Quang Nam; in October, Westlife – the boy band – brought their The Wild Dreams Tour to Ho Chi Minh City; in November, the Wow-K Music Festival; in December, Hozo in Ho Chi Minh City; Charlie Puth and Maroon 5 also performed at the 8Wonder music festivals in Nha Trang and Phu Quoc; and on December 20th, Katy Perry performed in Hanoi for the first time at the Vinfuture Awards ceremony…

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Looking back at the boom in concerts in Vietnam and the flourishing of the country's film industry, it shows that Vietnam has great potential for its entertainment industries to more strongly exploit audience demand, while also adapting to meet the tastes of domestic music and film...

In particular, Black Pink's concert took place over two nights, July 29th and 30th, 2023. Prior to this, no event organizing company had managed to bring top-tier international artists at the peak of their careers to Vietnam in this way. The Born Pink concert, part of Black Pink's world tour, attracted over 67,000 attendees and was considered an unexpected success, with estimated revenue of 335 billion VND (approximately 14.1 million USD) for the two nights, comparable to other Asian countries. According to data from the Hanoi Department of Tourism, total revenue from tourists during the two nights of Black Pink's concerts reached approximately 630 billion VND. The Born Pink event was a cultural "explosion," a powerful testament that culture is not just about entertainment but is also a driving force for economic development. This means the cultural sector is generating revenue.

It's not just international concerts that generate massive audience numbers. At the beginning of 2024, we witnessed Vietnam Television's "Spring Flower Song" program, a highly emotional artistic space, a "feast" of sound and light. The program's grand scale was achieved through meticulous attention to detail and investment in the music and advanced staging techniques. The program generated significant advertising revenue, and if organized as an outdoor concert, the audience numbers would likely rival those of international artists.

The domestic film industry has experienced a boom thanks to several films released in theaters. For example, Tran Thanh's film "Mai" became a box office sensation and achieved its highest revenue ever, surpassing 500 billion VND...

Developing culture and cultural services is a method to transform soft resources into cultural products and services on the market, creating economic resources for reinvestment; making culture more deeply ingrained in the public, truly becoming a dynamic pillar in the development of the market economy.

Previously, many people viewed culture as a separate discipline, something sacred that needed to be revered rather than commercialized. However, the explosion of concerts by international artists in Vietnam and the recent cinematic phenomenon have given us a more concrete, vivid, and profound understanding of the economic challenges facing the cultural industry, recognizing that culture is a driving force for economic development. A talented artist, an idol for a large segment of the public, can also create a "cultural-economic model." For example, Taylor Swift – the "country music princess" of America, named on Time magazine's Person of the Year list in 2023.

Swift rose to prominence with the Eras Tour – the biggest tour in history, surpassing the $1 billion mark in revenue for the first time. She's being discussed as a global economic phenomenon and a "savior" of the US economy, potentially boosting it by nearly $4.6 billion. According to Melbourne Mayor Sally Capp, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour alone contributed $790 million (approximately 19.4 trillion VND) to the Australian economy. The first night of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert in Singapore on March 2nd attracted over 50,000 attendees, including several Vietnamese artists and fans who spent significant amounts to fully immerse themselves in the concert. Swift's name has now become Swiftonomics – the Taylor Swift economy.

Looking back at the boom in concerts in Vietnam and the flourishing of the country's film industry, it shows that Vietnam has great potential for its entertainment industries to more strongly exploit audience demand, while also adapting to meet domestic music and film tastes. It also clearly demonstrates the creative capacity and production technology of some cultural industries such as music and film, which have been gradually standardized and upgraded. The inherent strength within the cultural workforce and the cultural power within each individual are helping Vietnamese culture to make positive and memorable strides.

This also provides a solid foundation for further progress in areas that are establishing themselves as "leading sectors" in promoting the development of the cultural industry in the coming period.

However, along with the talent of each artist, support from the policy framework is an extremely important factor in nurturing and developing talent, especially in the fields of music and film.

Vietnam has a young population structure, with 25.2% of the population under 15 years old, 70.7% in the working age group, and 4.1% over 65 years old. This young population structure offers many economic and cultural benefits. The young population has high consumer demand, creating a large market for cultural products and services. This is a great opportunity, and it would be a great pity if the cultural sector missed it. Although further improvements are needed, the State has initially established mechanisms to encourage the development of cultural talent. The remaining challenge depends on the persistent creative efforts and dedication of artists and the support staff in the production process of cultural industries.

We believe that with the recent "explosions" in concerts and film, we will learn many valuable lessons, discover strategies for attracting world-renowned artists to Vietnam, and create a boost for our national cultural industry, leading to more "Mai," "Dao, pho, and piano" performances, rather than just "luck."

The goal is for national culture to not be a purely spiritual, non-productive, non-profit field, not a field that only "spends money," but a field that directly brings economic benefits and high added value through the diversification of cultural products linked to production and tourism, promoting sustainable economic growth.

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