Bringing Vietnamese culture into games.

Along with products such as design, film, fashion, performing arts, fine arts, and photography, software and entertainment games are a cultural industry showing strong growth potential. In particular, the exploitation, creation, and application of traditional cultural values ​​into games have made these products both representative of national identity and an effective channel for promoting Vietnamese culture to the world.

A view of the discussion session "When Vietnamese culture inspires game creators." Photo: Thuy Trang

As part of the Vietnam Games and Gifts Culture Festival 2025 with the theme "The Quintessence of Vietnamese Creativity," the discussion session "When Vietnamese Essence Inspires Game Creators," recently held at the Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, delved into the journey of incorporating traditional culture into game design, from aspirations and vision to ideation and implementation.

Vietnamese cultural imprint

The discussion provided a space for the game start-up community, board game developers, and cultural experts to exchange ideas, share experiences, and find ways to nurture sustainable creativity rooted in Vietnamese culture.

Emphasizing the importance of culture in products, Mr. Luu Trong Nhan, Founder of Chat Viet Explorians, said: “When culture is realized through product types such as games or gifts, it becomes closer to the public… We always believe that a product has a life of its own. When a product comes into contact with people and is experienced by them, that product will have its own story.”

Only by stemming from and applying cultural elements can Vietnamese games define their identity and spread core values ​​– intangible values ​​that are difficult to quantify through revenue figures. So, what is the path for Vietnamese games to convey the images, identity, and roots of Vietnam to the world ? Young Vietnamese game creators have shown relentless efforts in incorporating the cultural values, history, language, customs, architecture, beliefs, and more of the nation into their games.

Mr. Nguyen Thien Toan, Founder of Ngu Hanh Games - a company specializing in creating board games and incorporating Vietnamese culture into games - said: "The company's achievement over the years has been bringing Vietnamese culture to countries such as Japan, South Korea, Hungary, and many other countries around the world through games. From there, international friends have come to know the beautiful and culturally rich country of Vietnam."

Speaking about how he got involved in creating games with cultural elements, Toan shared: “Like many young people today, I also really like board games. After researching, we realized that Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia already have board games about their national cultures. At that time, if you searched for Vietnam on major international board game websites, you would only find content about war and suffering. We thought that Vietnamese culture is beautiful, and we should show it to the world. From there, we decided to establish a studio specializing in creating board games about Vietnamese culture.”

Sang Den is a game product with a theme inspired by the traditional Vietnamese opera art of Hat Boi.

Michael Orion, founder of Rolling Wizards Studio and creator of the games "Sáng Đèn" and "Thiên Can Địa Chi," said: Half of his family is Vietnamese. He and his wife agreed to teach their children about Vietnamese culture, but it's difficult to access in the US, so he chose to teach them through games. Upon returning to Vietnam, he began producing games incorporating traditional cultural elements. His initial creations proved appealing, motivating him and his colleagues to continue researching and creating to bring Vietnamese culture to the world. To create games that are not only engaging but also distinctly Vietnamese, in-depth research into the culture is necessary, identifying unique characteristics from folk games, historical figures, and traditional art forms.

In the gaming industry, products born from the creative spirit of youth blended with traditional cultural values ​​will create a vibrant and engaging cultural product, thereby connecting culture with the younger generation and contributing to the promotion of Vietnamese culture.

A new direction for Vietnam's cultural industry.

After 6 years of operation, Ngũ Hành Games' games, which incorporate traditional cultural values, are now available and sought after on major board game websites.

These games are produced and distributed by Ngu Hanh Games.

“The success of these products lies in the door opened by cultural ‘keys’ – the inherent strength of each nation. It’s when foreigners, after playing the game, exclaim, ‘I never imagined Vietnam could be so beautiful and attractive; I will visit Vietnam someday soon!’” – Mr. Nguyen Thien Toan enthusiastically shared.

Representatives from Ngu Hanh Games cited examples: When reading Japanese comics, we can understand Japanese culture; when watching American films, we gain a better understanding of American popular culture. These are characteristics, "personalities," and they are conveyed through the way creators produce their products. However, in Vietnam, not many creators have reached that level. Therefore, creators need to be more valued and given the freedom to incorporate their unique, Vietnamese essence into their products.

The successes of Vietnamese game creators and producers in their aspiration to bring Vietnamese culture to the world also show positive signs from this cultural industry. In Decision No. 1755/QD-TTg dated September 8, 2016, of the Prime Minister approving the Strategy for the Development of Vietnam's Cultural Industries to 2020, with a vision to 2030, software and entertainment games – one of Vietnam's cultural industries – are identified as important service industries, developing significantly in both quality and quantity. This will contribute positively to economic growth and job creation through the production of increasingly diverse, high-quality cultural products and services, meeting the creative, enjoyment, and consumption needs of people domestically and for export; and contributing to promoting the image of Vietnam and its people.

Games are not just for watching, they are for experiencing, so incorporating culture into games will create curiosity among users and inspire them to proactively learn about Vietnamese culture and traditions.

Mr. MICHAEL ORION, Founder of Rolling Wizards Studio, creator of the games Sáng Đèn and Thiên Can Địa Chi.

From a purely consumer market, Vietnam has gradually formed a game innovation ecosystem that is constantly growing and developing. This shows that the gaming sector has vast potential for growth, and if the creativity of young people is harnessed and combined with national spirit, it can create unique and attractive cultural industrial products that are globally appealing and deeply imbued with the essence of Vietnam.

Thuy Trang - Phuong Uyen

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/van-hoa/202509/dua-van-hoa-viet-vao-game-fb91628/