When a film, a music video, or an artistic icon touches the public's emotions, the destination behind it is no longer just a landscape, but becomes a space of memories, experiences, and aspirations for discovery . This is also an important suggestion for Vietnam's cultural industry to create "strong enough stories," helping Vietnamese heritage, landmarks, and identity enter the market with lasting appeal.
Lands straight out of the movies.
Asian audiences are going crazy over the South Korean film *The King's Warden* directed by Jang Hang-jun. The film broke box office records in South Korea, grossing $107 million, but even more noteworthy is its effect outside of theaters: the remote Cheongnyeongpo region, associated with the story of the exiled king in history, has suddenly become a sought-after destination. A successful film has attracted a new wave of visitors, transforming a seemingly unfamiliar location into a cultural experience.
This is not an isolated phenomenon. For a long time, the "seventh art" has had the ability to awaken vast territories: The Lord of the Rings drew tourists to the "Hobbit village" in New Zealand; Crash Landing on You turned Jeju Island, Taean, or the village of Iseltwald on Lake Brienz, Switzerland, into destinations for fans... When a film scene touches the public's emotions, the background is no longer just a backdrop; it becomes a memory, a place viewers want to visit to reconnect with the story they once felt.
In Vietnam, this effect has also appeared many times. After Kong: Skull Island in 2017, Ninh Binh welcomed a large number of tourists; the limestone mountain ranges, Van Long lagoon, and Hoa Lu region appeared on screen with a majestic and unique beauty, enough to pique the curiosity of both international and Vietnamese tourists. Before that, Pao's Story helped bring Ha Giang closer to the audience, and then "Pao's home" became a familiar stop. In 2015, I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass opened up a poetic way of referring to Phu Yen: "The land of yellow flowers on green grass" - a phrase that has lived on in the memories of young people for a long time.
But the effects of films often have a short lifespan. Ninh Binh, despite preserving the clusters of indigenous huts from the Kong movie to serve tourists, will eventually have to let them fade away over time. Even the most popular film can fade into memory after a few years if the locality doesn't quickly transform its initial impact into a meaningful tourism product.
In 2025, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day, the success of the Cu Chi Tunnels added to the appeal of the Cu Chi historical site; the "Red Rain" event also brought many tourists to Quang Tri Ancient Citadel, seeking to rediscover the traces of the fierce war years.
Unfortunately, the desire to preserve the ancient citadel battlefield setting for tourism could not be realized. Looking at China, the Hengdian Film Studios in Zhejiang alone have created attractive experiential tours, making tourists willing to spend money. This lesson shows that culture can attract tourism, but retaining it requires more than just a fleeting trend.
Let each destination have its own story.
The effects of films, music, music videos, and other mass entertainment products demonstrate a noteworthy direction in the development of the cultural industry. With Vietnam aiming for an average annual growth rate of approximately 10% in the cultural industries by 2030, contributing around 7% to GDP, the story is no longer about producing a successful film or artistic product. The bigger question is how each cultural product can expand economic opportunities, boost tourism, enhance the value of heritage, and contribute to promoting the national image.
In fact, some localities have already started to follow this direction. Many provinces and cities proactively invite artists and creative teams to film music videos at scenic spots and unique cultural spaces. After Bond's music video in Ha Long Bay, Dragon Eye Island became more widely known to the public. When MONO released their music video "Open Your Eye," images of the Eye of God Mountain, also known as the Hole-in-the-Mountain in Cao Bang, quickly created a wave of searches and check-ins... These examples show the widespread influence of popular culture can quickly pave the way for tourism, especially among young people.
But these effects are still quite isolated. A music video usually only stays popular digitally for a few months. A beautiful scene might spark temporary curiosity, but it's difficult to retain tourists if there isn't a compelling experience, service, story, and organization behind it. Today's public is swept up in trends very quickly, and then forgets just as quickly. Therefore, the challenge for the culture and tourism industry is to maintain a sufficiently strong, consistent, and attractive creative flow to continuously nurture the desire for exploration.
To achieve that, Vietnam needs its own "narrative universe." This is a treasure trove of material from history, legends, heritage, famous people, customs, traditional crafts, and contemporary life; selected and developed into books, films, photographs, music videos, performances, experiential tours, digital products, and more.
Each story must be rooted in a specific place, heritage, or symbol, so that when the public appreciates the cultural product, they have a reason to seek out the location in real life. Beautiful scenery may make people pause, but it is the story that makes them want to stay, to understand, and to share.
Of course, creating a product with sufficient reach requires systematic investment. It can't just rely on a few beautiful shots, some famous faces, or short-term promotional campaigns. The product must have artistic quality, commercial potential, language that resonates with the public, and effectively utilize digital platforms and social media. International collaboration is also crucial, especially when localities want to promote their image beyond their borders. Working with capable producers, artists, and teams will make the product more appealing and increase its chances of reaching a wider market.
But that appeal only has lasting value when it is transformed into concrete tourism products, with experiences, services, and storytelling that resonate with today's audience. The key is for localities to become "co-authors" in each plan.
If each place has a different perspective, following trends without coordination, the effect will quickly fade. It's also not advisable to spread yourself too thin, promoting every beautiful place you see. Instead, select images, events, and spaces with high symbolic value, that are timely, tell the right story, and target the right audience. Today's tourists don't just visit a beautiful place; they visit because there's something to tell, something to remember, and something to take home as part of their experience.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/nghe-thuat/khi-san-pham-van-hoa-danh-thuc-diem-den-227325.html
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