Vietnamese Games: Copyright & Identity

VHO - The gaming industry is emerging as one of the key drivers of Vietnam's cultural and creative economy. Not only does it generate trillions of dong in revenue, but the Vietnamese gaming industry also contributes to promoting technological innovation, expanding the digital content market, developing a young creative workforce, and shaping Vietnam's position on the global digital economy map.

However, to fully exploit this potential, the Vietnamese gaming industry needs to be properly recognized for its role and have appropriate and sustainable development policies.

A booth displaying in-game items at the Vietnam GameVerse 2025 event. Photo: Hai Yen

It's not just a form of entertainment.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Decision No. 2486/QD-TTg approving the Strategy for the Development of Vietnam's Cultural Industries until 2030, with a vision to 2045. In the strategy, software and entertainment games are identified as one of the 10 key cultural industries. These industries are oriented towards synchronized development, based on mechanisms for protecting intellectual property rights, strongly applying science and technology , and meeting the increasingly high cultural enjoyment needs of the people, while also aligning with the trend of international integration.

In the gaming industry, thanks to its outstanding growth rate, Vietnam is emerging as one of the most vibrant gaming markets in Southeast Asia. According to data from TikTok and Sensor Tower, the gaming industry in Vietnam is increasingly asserting its role as one of the key sectors of the digital economy . Revenue is projected to reach US$1.66 billion in 2025 and continue to maintain a growth rate of 9.77% annually, aiming for US$2.42 billion by 2029.

Furthermore, not only has the Vietnamese gaming industry focused on "outsourcing" for international projects, but it has also made its mark with numerous globally acclaimed "made in Vietnam" products such as Flappy Bird , Axie Infinity , and Magic Tiles . Thanks to its strong growth rate, the Vietnamese market is increasingly becoming an attractive destination for major players in the gaming industry from the US, China, and South Korea. Many leading corporations such as Garena (Sea Group), Tencent, Riot Games, Webzen, and Roblox Corporation have established partnerships with businesses like VNG , Gamota, and VTC Game to bring their products to Vietnamese players. Notably, Riot Games (USA), the developer of League of Legends and Valorant , has partnered with VNG to publish and operate these games in Vietnam.

According to Deputy Director of the Copyright Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Le Minh Tuan, the identification of software and entertainment games as one of the top 10 cultural industries in the strategy shows a clear shift in social awareness. “The gaming sector worldwide and in Vietnam is converging on conditions for strong development. Games are not just a form of entertainment but are becoming an important creative economic sector, contributing to digital economic growth, technological innovation, and creating jobs for millions of young workers,” Mr. Le Minh Tuan stated.

At GameVerse 2025, VTC Mobile Director Tran Thi Thanh Hang affirmed that the Vietnamese gaming industry is undergoing a strong transformation, becoming a thriving industry. “I see that young people come to gaming events not only to play games but also with a spirit of learning, clearly demonstrating their career aspirations and desire to explore new perspectives on esports, AI, or how Vietnamese culture is recreated through games,” Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Hang shared.

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A long-term and sustainable solution.

However, along its development path, the Vietnamese gaming industry still faces many challenges. The potential, strengths, and rapid development of the gaming sector today are also raising many new issues in copyright protection, especially in the internet and digital platforms for this highly creative activity.

According to many experts, the situation regarding game copyright infringement is quite complex and requires coordinated efforts to address it. Current game copyright infringement issues mainly involve the widespread distribution of cracked and modified game versions; violations on livestreaming and short video platforms; the use of hacks/cheats and security breaches; operating illegal servers; and releasing games without permission.

These practices cause significant damage to businesses, affect user rights, and distort the competitive environment of the gaming industry. Therefore, sharing monitoring models, violation detection technologies, and international cooperation mechanisms is absolutely essential.

In light of the above situation, Deputy Director of the Copyright Office Le Minh Tuan stated that the gaming industry needs the cooperation of regulatory agencies, businesses, game creators, individual users, and copyright protection organizations in building a modern legal framework, effectively protecting copyrights, and raising public awareness.

Beyond just copyright issues, cultural identity in Vietnamese games is also a decisive factor in the success or failure of a title. Looking back at the development of Vietnamese games over the past time, Nguyen Ngoc Bao, General Director of VTC Multimedia Corporation, commented that the cultural element in Vietnamese games is still not truly prominent.

According to him, in the past, Vietnamese culture in games was not given much attention, mostly just localizing products developed by foreign countries. But as domestic production capacity grows stronger, it is time to systematically incorporate Vietnamese culture into games, thereby creating unique values ​​and contributing to spreading the country's cultural heritage to the world," said Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao also believes that, in order to create high-quality game products with a distinctly Vietnamese identity, it is necessary to mobilize the participation of artisans, scientists, and research schools and institutes to ensure that the research process is conducted systematically and scientifically. If done superficially, it is very easy to distort the original value and cause the Vietnamese cultural identity to gradually fade.

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The gaming industry is opening up significant potential for the development of the cultural industry and creative economy in Vietnam. Not only does it generate revenue and high-quality jobs, but it also contributes to spreading cultural values ​​and promoting innovation and development in many related fields.

However, to fully exploit the benefits this industry offers, Vietnam needs to implement a comprehensive set of long-term and sustainable solutions. From policies and human resources to the creative environment and supporting ecosystem, all elements must be developed harmoniously to create a foundation for the game industry to thrive.

When those conditions are met, gaming can absolutely become one of the new driving forces contributing to the strong growth of Vietnam's cultural industry in the digital age.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/nhip-song-so/game-viet-ban-quyen-ban-sac-205523.html