The success of recent major music programs such as "Fatherland in the Heart", "V Fest - Vietnam Today", "Proud to be Vietnamese", "Rock Concert - Heart of Vietnam"... has shown the strong potential of Vietnam's cultural industry.
Widespread
The image of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holding a lightstick, mingling with 20,000 young audiences at "V Fest - Vietnam Today", recently organized by Vietnam Television, has become a symbol of the country's leaders' companionship with contemporary culture and art.
In front of more than 20,000 spectators, the Prime Minister emphasized the message: The Government is building a target program on cultural development, building cultural industries, entertainment industries... so that people can enjoy a civilized and modern culture. At the same time, contributing to internationalization, bringing a culture imbued with national identity to the world ; so that artists can live, devote themselves to art, for the enjoyment of the people, for the benefit of the nation and people.
That message not only encourages the spirit but also demonstrates the strategic vision of the Party and State in orienting the cultural industry in general, and the entertainment sector in particular, to become an industry with important contributions to the country's development in the new period.
Audience excited at the premiere of the concert film "Fatherland in the Heart" in Hanoi (Photo: THUY THUY)
Meanwhile, the concert "Fatherland in the Heart" organized by Nhan Dan Newspaper is not only an art program but also becomes a cultural phenomenon, awakening and spreading patriotism and national pride through modern musical language. This is a vivid proof of the new vitality of Vietnam's cultural industry - where traditional art blends with technology and media, creating products that are not only beautiful in form but also profound in emotion, touching the hearts of millions of people, especially the youth.
From an explosive concert night with 50,000 spectators at My Dinh National Stadium, "Fatherland in the Heart" has been upgraded to a 120-minute concert film, recounting the emotional preparation journey in a delicate and moving cinematic language. In the digital space, the program has reached over 1 billion views, topped the trend for many consecutive weeks, recorded over 20 million interactions and 70,000 posts using the official hashtag.
It is this strong influence that has created a solid public foundation, bringing the work officially to theaters with a warm reception. The harmonious connection between theater - cinema - digital platform not only prolongs the life cycle of the work but also significantly increases social and economic value, contributing to shaping a modern, sustainable and unique cultural industrial ecosystem.
Journalist Le Quoc Minh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association - commented: "Programs like "Fatherland in the Heart" are proof of the pioneering role of media agencies in creating cultural and spiritual spaces that have a profound influence on all classes of people."
Forming a value chain
The recent explosion of large-scale concerts is a strong affirmation of the potential of Vietnam's cultural industry.
Tens of thousands of audiences are willing to spend money to experience well-invested programs. This shows a new trend of "cultural consumption": the public increasingly appreciates and is willing to spend money to enjoy high-quality artistic products. Major programs have gone beyond the scope of regular performances to become important cultural products, contributing to promoting the creative economy and enriching the spiritual life of society.
Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son, full-time delegate of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society, emphasized: If organized professionally and harmoniously combined with related services, "national concerts" can completely become a driving force for sustainable development of the cultural industry. They are not only entertainment events but also become valuable cultural products, meeting the increasingly high spiritual needs of the people, while stimulating tourism, services, communications, creating more jobs...
Premiere of the concert film “Fatherland in the Heart” in Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City is considered the largest performing arts center in the South. Despite having a large audience, a large market, and a dynamic socialized stage, the city still lacks a true performing arts industry market.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has dozens of stages and theaters, from public to socialized. There are still hundreds of performances every week, but most of them operate in the "sell tickets - perform" style; they have not yet built a value chain such as: ideas, scripts, production, performance, digitalization, commercialization, export...
Meanwhile, many Asian performing arts industries have viewed a play not as a "show", but as a "product unit" with a long life cycle. People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc commented: "For a long time, we have been doing theatre with more passion than with a production mindset. What is lacking is not the talent of the actors, but the way to organize the work to attract the audience from many angles, not just on stage".
According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai, Vietnamese theater, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, is not considered a cultural production industry, but is still confined to the performance service model. Meanwhile, in the world, theater is a performing industry, capable of regenerating value many times.
Many insiders believe that Ho Chi Minh City needs to soon research and form an ecosystem of "creative performing industry", including: Professional rehearsal and staging space; digital recording studio; theater post-production center; creative residence area for young artists. From here, theatrical works are created according to industrial processes, not just based on the inspiration of artists.
Meritorious Artist Le Thien acknowledged: "In order for artists to make a living from their profession, we must create conditions for them to work professionally. We cannot force artists to keep the passion alive when there is a lack of infrastructure and a stable creative environment around them."
The performing arts market in Ho Chi Minh City currently lacks the presence of real investors. Many businesses only play the role of event sponsors, and rarely participate deeply in the production chain. Therefore, it is necessary to soon have a mechanism to encourage businesses to invest long-term in plays; consider performances as "long-term exploitation projects" rather than short-term, seasonal activities.
"If there were no cultural enterprises, there would be no cultural industry. Currently, enterprises still do not really consider theater as an investment field because of the lack of environment, policies and lack of confidence in the market" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai worries.
Focus on performance space
In addition to the elements of program content, works, people, and markets, to develop the cultural industry, another important element is "performance space". Without this space, all other strategies will find it difficult to go far.
Many theaters in Ho Chi Minh City are now degraded or built with an old mindset, no longer suitable for contemporary performance requirements. The sound and lighting systems are outdated, the stage lacks the ability to change, the backstage space is cramped, and cannot accommodate new types of performances such as musicals, ballets, and multimedia stages.
Meanwhile, modern performing arts is not only acting but also a synthesis of technology, design, technique, aesthetics... An outdated space will narrow the creative thinking of the artist. People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc frankly said: "Without a standard stage, the director cannot stage a standard production. A standard theater greatly determines the quality of artistic thinking. If this limitation is not overcome, the Ho Chi Minh City stage can only revolve around the old way of doing things."
Many artists confide that when performance space has become a barrier to creativity over the years, many directors and producers have had to "shrink their dreams" due to infrastructure conditions. Many scripts have been written but cannot be staged to their full potential due to lack of suitable performance space.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai, the performance space is part of the stage language. If the space does not allow creativity, art will be confined within an old framework. Then we will only repeat the past.
If Ho Chi Minh City wants to become the center of the performing industry in the region, the performance space must approach international standards. This performance space not only has a stage and seats, but also an exhibition area, an exchange room, an experience area... The performance space must be a cultural destination in the creative tourism ecosystem.
According to Decision 2486/2025 of the Prime Minister, the goal is that by 2030, Vietnam's cultural industries will achieve an average growth rate of about 10%/year and contribute 7% of the country's GDP. Particularly, the performing arts industry will strive for an average growth rate of 7%/year by 2030.
The orientation for the performing arts industry that Decision 2486/2025 sets out is to prioritize the development of contemporary music and some traditional art forms, in accordance with market demand. In addition, improve the quality, quantity and scale of music and art performances, especially music festivals, gradually building a brand in the region and the world. By 2030, form a public community that loves civilized art; artists are responsible for their profession, have a sense of responsibility for creative products to honor Vietnamese cultural values...
Strengthening connectivity with the Mekong Delta
Experts say that Ho Chi Minh City needs to strengthen its connection with the Mekong Delta in the performance field. Cai luong, don ca tai tu, Khmer folk theater... in the Mekong Delta are artistic quintessence that cannot be found anywhere else.
Theater audiences now do not just sit in theaters. If they do not step into the digital space, the theater will shrink itself. Therefore, it is necessary to soon build tour routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta, linking art with river cultural tourism; recording high-quality plays to broadcast on digital platforms...
(To be continued)
(*) See Lao Dong Newspaper from the November 21 issue
Source: https://nld.com.vn/hien-ke-giai-phap-phat-trien-cong-nghiep-van-hoa-nang-tam-nghe-thuat-bieu-dien-196251125214745749.htm
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