Following its merger with the former Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces, Ho Chi Minh City expanded its development space, elevated its status, and became a multi-centered megacity. In the context of the successful conclusion of the first Ho Chi Minh City Party Congress (2025-2030 term), citizens expect the city to continue its strong development in the new era.
As a megacity, Ho Chi Minh City is a major cultural and commercial gateway, possessing significant potential for the development of the film industry (Photo: Nam Anh).
In the cultural sector, the First Congress of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee identified " tourism and cultural industries" as one of the five important pillars for the development of the new megacity. Among these, film is considered one of the city's "leading" cultural sectors.
In particular, with Ho Chi Minh City recently recognized as a Creative City for cinema within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), the film market here is opening up many opportunities for strong breakthroughs, rising to become a developing film center in the region.
The vitality of Ho Chi Minh City's film industry.
Looking back at history, for decades, Ho Chi Minh City has been the cradle of Vietnamese cinema. In 1898, the Eden Cinema was established in Saigon (the old name of Ho Chi Minh City), becoming the first cinema in Vietnam. Throughout its formation and development, cinema has truthfully reflected the people, life, and the process of innovation, integration, and development of Ho Chi Minh City.
Films depicting the period from 1945 to 1975, produced by revolutionary cinema in South Vietnam, have been loved by generations of audiences, such as: "Rising Wind," "The Monsoon Season," "The Wild Field," "The Upside Down Card Game," "Saigon Commando," etc. These are all films that leave a deep mark, reflecting the tenacious struggle of the nation for independence and freedom.
Later, many films continued to reflect the city's transformation in the post-liberation period, such as: The National Day, Saigon in the early days of liberation, Saigon Rain, Saigon through the eyes of foreigners, Our city, The Last Sin, The Bitter Taste of Love...
The film "The Wild Field" is one of 50 outstanding works of art from Ho Chi Minh City, selected on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reunification of the country (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025) (Photo: Archival material).
After 1986, and especially from the 1990s onwards, Ho Chi Minh City's film industry continuously developed strongly, leaving a strong mark on the process of film socialization. The dynamism, market access, and socialized capital sources helped the city build a vibrant filmmaking environment.
Many films were not only successful commercially, but also created a generation of beloved actors and actresses such as Ly Hung, Le Cong Tuan Anh, Diem Huong, Viet Trinh…
Entering the 2000s, private film companies made significant contributions, creating a leap forward for the Ho Chi Minh City film market. From the initial milestone of " Dancing Girl" (directed by Le Hoang, grossing 12 billion VND in 2003) to a series of commercial films grossing hundreds of billions of VND in recent times such as " Mrs. Nu's House," "The Godfather," "Mai," "Flip Face 7: One Wish," "Red Rain," etc., Ho Chi Minh City's film industry has risen to become a leading important market for the Vietnamese film industry.
Tran Thanh's film "Mai" set a box office record during Tet 2024 (Photo: Provided by the film crew).
In 2024, the film industry in Ho Chi Minh City generated approximately US$500 million (around VND 13,151 billion), accounting for nearly 40% of the national market share. According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports this year, the city's film industry currently comprises 935 businesses with 9,294 employees, contributing 0.43% of the city's GRDP (Gross Regional Product).
Ho Chi Minh City's cinema market is also expanding rapidly. The city currently has 10 cinema chains, 52 cinema complexes, 295 screening rooms, and 184 professional art and creative spaces. Among these, five leading companies hold 98% of the Vietnamese film market share.
According to the Department of Culture and Tourism, the state-owned and private film studios and technical equipment relatively meet the requirements for filmmaking. The abundant and diverse supply of imported films allows city audiences to quickly access many new and famous films from world cinema.
Thanks to the strong development of the film industry's business and labor market, Ho Chi Minh City produces many feature films annually, with diverse themes. Besides commercial feature films, Ho Chi Minh City's film industry also boasts numerous documentaries, documentary works, and art films that compete internationally.
The vibrant pace of Ho Chi Minh City's film industry contributes to reflecting the depth of the people's souls and their strong aspirations for progress, as well as the city's modern, open, and humane image; at the same time, it helps promote the city's identity, inviting tourists to explore, experience, and develop tourism.
What will Ho Chi Minh City do after being awarded the title of "City of Cinema"?
Becoming a UNESCO Creative City for Cinema (or simply Cinema City) is a proud milestone, not only for Ho Chi Minh City but also for the Vietnamese film industry. It is seen as proof of Vietnam's development and integration in the field of culture and arts. With this title, Ho Chi Minh City also becomes the first Cinema City in Southeast Asia.
Recently, the 24th Vietnam Film Festival, held in Ho Chi Minh City from November 21-25, was an event that affirmed the city's pioneering role in connecting, honoring, and spreading the creative values of Vietnamese cinema to international friends.
Speaking at the ceremony to receive the Certificate of Recognition as a Cinema City at the opening of the Film Festival, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc remarked that this prestigious title is not the destination, but rather the starting point, placing greater responsibilities on the city's shoulders.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc shared this at the ceremony to receive the Certificate recognizing the title of "City of Cinema" on November 21 (Photo: Organizing Committee).
According to the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the city's leaders deeply understand that joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network means the city must work together with global members to promote sustainable development based on culture and creativity. Ho Chi Minh City aspires to affirm its position as the country's film center and as an active and responsible member of the global Creative Cities Network.
Recognizing the significant opportunities presented by its title as the "City of Cinema," experts believe that, as a megacity and a gateway for trade and culture nationwide, Ho Chi Minh City's film industry needs to seize its advantages, share experiences, and connect with other localities. Through this, the goal is to transform Ho Chi Minh City into a dynamic, efficient, and regionally significant film production center; making cinema a leading sector within the cultural industry that makes a substantial contribution to the economy.
In recent times, the Ho Chi Minh City authorities have also taken initial concrete actions, demonstrating a strong commitment after being honored as the City of Cinema.
At the 24th Vietnam Film Festival, Ho Chi Minh City launched the Ho Chi Minh City Handbook - A Destination for Film Production. Designed to international standards, the handbook provides practical information for foreign film crews, facilitating access and work opportunities for both domestic and international film crews in Ho Chi Minh City.
Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Tran Thi Dieu Thuy affirmed that the city is actively building a comprehensive film system, from production and distribution to human resource training, infrastructure development, location exploitation, and filmmaking support services.
The Department of Culture and Tourism added that the city aims to place culture at the center of its development policy, using a creative approach to art as the main element to enhance aesthetic taste and awareness among the people.
Several initiatives have been launched, such as "Bringing Cinema into the School Environment" or the "Colors of Cinema" project, which aim to spread a creative cultural lifestyle and create opportunities for the younger generation to become leaders in the creative field. The city will also establish a center to support the development of cinema, with the purpose of gathering film industry data, connecting with the national film system, and implementing specific administrative procedures.
Furthermore, the city's management also aims to make the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (HIFF) an annual film event, affirming its position and prestige in the domestic and international film industry.
Audiences welcome director Victor Vũ and producer Đinh Ngọc Diệp on the red carpet at the closing ceremony of the 24th Vietnam Film Festival, held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 25 (Photo: Organizing Committee).
Associate Professor Bui Hoai Son - a member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society - told reporters that the title of "Cinema City" reflects that Ho Chi Minh City possesses all the elements of a creative city in cinema: a large filmmaking community, the largest film market in the country, thriving creative spaces, a skilled team of artists and technicians, and especially an open, dynamic "urban spirit" ready for innovation.
According to Mr. Bui Hoai Son, Ho Chi Minh City possesses natural resources and a creative ecosystem, serving as the "heart" of Vietnam's film industry with numerous film studios, special effects companies, sound recording studios, distribution units, and many startups. With the springboard of its UNESCO designation, Ho Chi Minh City will have the opportunity to connect with 350 global creative cities, including many "film capitals."
From there, international film crews will have easier access to Ho Chi Minh City, attracting investment capital, film tourism , and creating more high-quality jobs. More broadly, the UNESCO designation will also help the city attract businesses, training schools, investment funds, and major cultural organizations.
Furthermore, the title of "Cinema City" for Ho Chi Minh City sends a strong message to the whole country: Vietnam can absolutely become a strong cultural industry nation if it places creativity at the center of its development strategy.
Associate Professor Bui Hoai Son emphasized that in the Strategy for the Development of Vietnam's Cultural Industries to 2030, with a vision to 2045 (referred to as Strategy 2486), cinema is considered one of the 10 key cultural industries. It is precisely at this point that Ho Chi Minh City becoming a UNESCO Cinema City serves as "living proof," demonstrating that Vietnam is fully capable of realizing the goals of Strategy 2486.
"Bottlenecks" and challenges that need to be overcome.
Alongside the positive signs, opportunities, and potential, Ho Chi Minh City still needs to confront some existing challenges.
Experts believe that, in order to bridge the gap between accolades and capabilities, and to realize the goal of making film a key sector in the cultural industry development strategy, Ho Chi Minh City needs to decisively address "bottlenecks" such as: lack of preferential mechanisms for businesses; lack of infrastructure meeting international standards...
Experts contributed many ideas at the workshop held within the framework of the 24th Vietnam Film Festival (Photo: Organizing Committee).
At the recent workshop on "Current Situation and Solutions for Attracting Film Crews to Localities" within the framework of the 24th Vietnam Film Festival, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong - Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts - stated that the film industry in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Vietnamese cinema in general need to remove institutional bottlenecks.
Ms. Phuong noted that Ho Chi Minh City has always been at the forefront of finding ways to remove bottlenecks. In the future, Ho Chi Minh City needs to establish a specific policy package for the film industry, which will then unlock resources. Furthermore, she suggested that Ho Chi Minh City should cultivate a "film-loving gene," helping this love of cinema spread to all its residents. Once it possesses this soft power, Ho Chi Minh City's film industry will create a spectacular transformation.
Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Film Association, Duong Cam Thuy, suggested that the city should have a policy of levying low taxes on Vietnamese films and offer preferential interest rates for filmmakers to borrow capital.
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Bui Hoai Son frankly acknowledged that if the film industry is to develop without tax incentives, businesses will face many difficulties. In the context of limited public resources, Professor Bui Hoai Son believes that the State needs to create a favorable environment to attract private resources.
"Tunnels: The Sun in the Darkness" is the first privately funded Vietnam War film, not using state budget funds (Photo: Galaxy).
Speaking with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper, Dr. Ha Thanh Van stated that investment capital has been a long-standing challenge for the film industry. To create high-quality, high-grossing films, in addition to a strong team of directors, actors, and crew, significant investment is needed. However, in reality, many filmmakers, especially young filmmakers, face difficulties in accessing funding.
According to Dr. Ha Thanh Van, in recent years, Ho Chi Minh City has not attracted investment from large foreign entertainment corporations in cooperating to develop the film market. She believes that Ho Chi Minh City needs more practical and attractive solutions to encourage investors to invest in the film industry and share the risks for film businesses.
Sharing concerns about encouraging investment capital, producer Hang Trinh suggested that Ho Chi Minh City should have a policy of preferential interest rates on loans for filmmakers. This is very common abroad, but it is still very new in Vietnam.
"We also hope for tax reduction policies for eligible film projects to attract more international investment. At the same time, we hope to simplify the loan application process to receive international capital and create conditions for foreign investors to invest and recover their capital quickly," said producer Hang Trinh.
A scene from the film "A Tourist's Guide to Love" was filmed in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Netflix).
Regarding administrative bottlenecks, artist Quyen Linh - Vice President of the Vietnam Film Association, and member of the Executive Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Film Association - shared with reporters his concerns about how to concretize support for domestic and foreign film crews coming to Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the artist, if there were policies to support international film crews coming to film in Ho Chi Minh City, the city's cultural and tourism image would be promoted to the world. Artist Quyen Linh hopes that Ho Chi Minh City will be more flexible in granting permits, censorship, and international cooperation.
"Filmmaking is a unique industry, requiring specific policies. Many international film crews want to shoot films in Ho Chi Minh City, but there still seem to be some procedural difficulties. I hope for a more flexible mechanism to open up broader opportunities, so that the film industry can fully exploit its potential and make a significant contribution to the economy," artist Quyen Linh stated.
Regarding infrastructure, the scarcity of professional, high-quality film studios in Ho Chi Minh City remains a major headache for filmmakers. After Ho Chi Minh City became a film city, experts emphasized that film infrastructure needs to keep pace with growth, requiring projects to attract investment and effectively utilize modern facilities and infrastructure to support the development of the film industry.
Many experts have expressed their desire to have film service complexes in Ho Chi Minh City because the idea of combining film studios with tourism has great potential to generate economic revenue.
"Ho Chi Minh City should refer to and learn from the idea of combining film studios with tourism from countries like China, Thailand, and South Korea. This model creates efficiency for economic development and benefits all parties. However, to have a large, professional film studio, one private entity alone is not enough; it's still a story of collaboration among many parties," director Do Quoc Trung shared.
Director Tran Thanh at the start of filming for the 2026 Tet movie "Tho Oi" (Oh, Rabbit) (Photo: Provided by the film crew).
In particular, experts believe that for Ho Chi Minh City to develop its film industry, in addition to mobilizing capital, improving infrastructure, creating favorable conditions for filmmaking, and perfecting legal mechanisms and administrative procedures, the film industry in Ho Chi Minh City still needs to focus on the most crucial aspect: human resource development.
High-quality human resources are the foundation for Ho Chi Minh City to develop into a professional film city in the future.
Speaking with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper , director Phan Gia Nhat Linh said that with Ho Chi Minh City joining the UCCN network, the city's film market will open up many opportunities for international cooperation and attract many projects and investment funds. However, he hopes the city will have more activities, policies, and concrete support for young people in the film industry.
"Film resources are a very important issue. If the city had more educational policies, youth support funds, short-term training courses and exchanges, and opportunities for young people to interact with foreign experts, then human resources would be further developed."
Furthermore, I hope that the authorities will have more policies to support young filmmakers. For example, regarding censorship. Many young people make short films and want to showcase them, but they lack the funds to go through the censorship process. Sometimes, the censorship fees are even higher than the production costs. Young filmmakers also lack legal representation, so if the authorities have policies specifically for short films, more opportunities will open up," said director Phan Gia Nhật Linh.
Since its launch in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network has become a global platform connecting and promoting human-centered urban development models, while encouraging cultural collaboration, creative exchange, and sustainable development among cities.
To date, Vietnam has several localities that are members of UCCN: Hanoi (design sector, 2019), Hoi An (handicrafts and folk art sector, 2023), Da Lat (music sector, 2023), and Ho Chi Minh City (film sector).
Dantri.com.vn
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/hien-ke-tao-gen-yeu-dien-anh-lan-toa-o-tphcm-mo-duong-giac-mo-ty-usd-20251210154058054.htm
![[Photo] The Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Committee are introduced at the Congress.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F1200x675%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2026%2F01%2F23%2F1769156522913_11.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
![[Photo] The Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Committee are introduced at the Congress.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F402x226%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2026%2F01%2F23%2F1769156522913_11.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
![[Infographic] Biography of General Secretary To Lam](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F402x226%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2026%2F01%2F23%2F1769157067116_w_20260123152655.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
Comment (0)