What is Vietnamese cinema still lacking if it wants a "Vietnamese Doraemon"?

In the summer of 2026, thousands of families will once again flock to cinemas to enjoy the beloved animated film Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle Under the Sea.

Báo Dân Việt•01/06/2026

In the summer of 2026, thousands of families flocked to theaters to enjoy the animated film Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle Under the Sea . Just days after its release, the film quickly surpassed 100 billion VND in revenue in Vietnam, becoming the first international film to achieve this milestone in 2026. This also marks the second consecutive year that the Doraemon brand has dominated the summer box office, following the success of Doraemon: Nobita and the Adventure into the World in the Picture Book, which reached 100 billion VND in 2025.

Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle Under the Sea. Photo: Producer

These telling statistics show that children have never turned their backs on movie theaters. However, amidst the dominance of international animated brands, Vietnamese cinema is still facing a long-standing gap: the lack of films specifically for children.

Young audiences still go to the cinema, but where are the Vietnamese films for children?

2025 is considered a memorable milestone for Vietnamese cinema, with total market revenue reaching approximately 5,600 billion VND, over 70 million tickets sold, and Vietnamese films accounting for over 60% of the market share. High-grossing films are constantly emerging, production scale is increasing, and audiences are gradually developing a preference for domestic films. However, amidst this optimistic growth picture, children's films remain a relatively obscure segment.

Looking at recent release schedules, it's easy to see that the box office is primarily dominated by horror, comedy, psychological dramas, or films aimed at adult audiences. Meanwhile, the number of Vietnamese films truly aimed at children each year remains negligible.

Speaking to Dan Viet newspaper, Meritorious Artist, director, and painter Trinh Lam Tung believes that one of the important reasons lies in how the market perceives young audiences. He argues that children in Vietnam are often seen as a secondary or passive audience group. Meanwhile, in many developed film industries, this is a target audience that receives strategic investment to cultivate film appreciation habits and nurture future generations of viewers.

In reality, making films for children has never been an easy task. A children's film not only needs to appeal to young children but also be compelling enough to convince parents to buy tickets. This means that the requirements for script, art direction, special effects, sound, and emotional experience are much more stringent. According to Trinh Lam Tung, children's films also struggle to create the same widespread impact as horror films or genres for adults, while the investment costs are usually significantly higher.

To create a "Vietnamese Doraemon," we need the mindset of an industry.

However, while it might be argued that children are no longer interested in movie theaters, the market is proving otherwise. The continued success of foreign animated films shows that the demand for entertainment among young audiences remains very high. A more thought-provoking question is: when children are willing to pay to see foreign films, is the real reason on the part of the audience?

According to director Trinh Lam Tung, what Vietnamese cinema lacks is not simply technology or investment capital, but a long-term development mindset. He believes that animation and children's films need to be viewed as a genuine cultural industry, rather than just isolated projects.

This is also a concern that People's Artist Pham Ngoc Tuan – who has been involved with Vietnamese animation for many years – has shared on numerous occasions. According to him, Vietnamese animation has not yet been able to develop into a true industry because it lacks a sustainable ecosystem of characters and brands. The greatest value of animation lies not only in box office revenue but also in its ability to create IPs (intellectual property) that can be expanded to comics, games, toys, education , and many other cultural fields.

This is also the fundamental difference between Vietnamese animation and the world's leading entertainment industries. Doraemon's success doesn't just come from film. Behind that brand are decades of synchronized development from manga, anime, television, to film and commercial products, creating childhood memories for many generations of viewers. Meanwhile, Vietnamese cinema often places pressure on each film to achieve immediate success from its first release.

People's Artist Pham Ngoc Tuan also once expressed concern about the future of Vietnamese animation, arguing that many young people possess skills, enthusiasm, and passion, but find it difficult to stay in the profession long-term if the industry is not strong enough to create sustainable development opportunities.

It's worth noting that Vietnam is not lacking in creative material. We possess a treasure trove of history, legends, fairy tales, folklore, and countless stories that resonate with children's lives. According to director Trinh Lam Tung, Vietnamese films need to tell stories that foreign films cannot – stories deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture, reflecting the lives, souls, and emotions of Vietnamese children.

It could be said that Vietnamese cinema hasn't completely neglected young audiences. However, it's clear that this demographic hasn't received the investment commensurate with its role and potential.

Ultimately, a film industry that wants to develop sustainably cannot focus solely on winning over today's audience, but must also nurture tomorrow's audience.

Source: https://danviet.vn/muon-co-doraemon-viet-nam-dien-anh-viet-con-thieu-dieu-gi-d1431230.html