Vietnam's entertainment industry dreams of reaching out to the world

(PLVN) - Currently, the Vietnamese cultural entertainment industry is in a period of strong growth after many years of preparing the foundation. In just the last 2-3 years, "made in Vietnam" entertainment programs have been professionally organized, always sold out and have image and technical quality approaching international shows. But despite the great strides, observers still assess that the Vietnamese entertainment market is in its early stages and there is still much to do to "turn into a dragon".

Báo Pháp Luật Việt Nam•06/12/2025

Vietnamese music on the way to international

On November 25, according to information from the Vietnam Music Copyright Protection Center (VCPMC), Vietnam is among the Top 50 countries with the highest music copyright revenue globally and the Top 10 countries with the highest digital revenue in the Asia- Pacific region. Previously, the International Confederation of Societies of Composers and Lyricists (CISAC) officially released the Global Collections Report 2025, a comprehensive analysis of copyright revenue data for 2024 from a network of 228 collective management organizations in over 111 countries and territories. According to CISAC's 2025 global copyright revenue report, Vietnam is in the Top 10 countries with the highest digital revenue in the Asia-Pacific region, with total digital revenue reaching 12 million Euros in 2024, ranking 8th in the region in terms of copyright revenue from digital, surpassing markets such as Taiwan (China) and Thailand.

From this figure, it can be seen that, in addition to the fact that the Vietnam Music Copyright Protection Center has found its own direction and has appropriate solutions to optimize revenue in the context of global digital transformation, it is also necessary to recognize the success of Vietnamese music in the world. In other words, Vietnamese music has really spread strongly in the global environment, especially the online environment (Vietnam's digital revenue growth rate reached +15.7%, in which the digital proportion (Digital Weight) reached 86.6%, among the highest in the region, showing that Vietnam's copyright revenue depends mainly on the digital sector, according to VCPMC).

For their part, Vietnamese artists, in parallel with investing in major domestic art programs, have boldly brought shows and concerts abroad, realizing the aspiration of spreading Vietnamese music to the world . For example, with the dream of bringing Vietnamese music around the world, over the past year, singer Ha Anh Tuan with the live concert project "Sketch a Rose", 100% pure Vietnamese, has been successfully held on magnificent and iconic stages around the world. First was the Esplanade Durian Theater (Singapore) then the Sydney Opera House (Australia) to the Global City stage (Vietnam). Notably, on October 18, 2025, "Sketch a Rose" took place successfully in the "sanctuary" Dolby Theatre (USA) - where the annual Oscar awards ceremony is held and gathers the world's top famous faces. In front of more than 3,400 spectators, singer Ha Anh Tuan sang passionately and proudly through nearly 30 Vietnamese songs newly arranged with the orchestra and guests.

2025 is also the year that singer My Linh boldly carried out the first Asian tour of her career called "My Linh Hello Tour 2025". The first destination is Yokohama (Japan) on September 14, 2025 and then Seoul (Korea) on October 11, 2025. Young singers bringing Vietnamese music to the world can mention the 2 concert nights "Museum of Regret" in Melbourne and Sydney (Australia) by Vu on November 5 and 8, 2025, attracting more than 3,500 spectators; singer Van Mai Huong with the live show "Huong - Live in Tokyo" in Japan in April 2024 with about 1,000 spectators...

Production units have also boldly brought successful concerts in Vietnam abroad. One example is the concert "Anh trai say hi" held on July 26 and 27, 2025 on the PH Live stage at Planet Hollywood - a famous stage located in the heart of Las Vegas Strip (USA), which used to be the venue for regular concerts of international stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera...

It can be said that Vietnamese music in particular and Vietnamese culture in general, imbued with “Vietnamese character”, are becoming a bridge between Vietnam and the world. Each success of a program is an opportunity for Vietnamese culture to gradually realize its dream of asserting its position in the international market.

Current status of Vietnam's cultural entertainment industry

The ancients have a saying: “Know yourself, know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.” If Vietnamese culture wants to realize its dream of asserting its position in the international market, it is necessary to look directly at the current state of the Vietnamese cultural entertainment industry.

According to many cultural experts, the Vietnamese cultural entertainment industry is currently in a period of strong growth after many years of preparing the foundation. The above examples have partly proven that. The Vietnamese Government and experts have begun to recognize this as a potential spearhead economic sector. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2025 was assigned to develop a project on developing the entertainment industry to submit to the Prime Minister and on November 14, 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Decision No. 2486/QD-TTg approving the Strategy for developing Vietnam's cultural industries to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

The program “Anh trai say hi” successfully held a concert in Las Vegas (USA). (Source: Concert organizers)

This move can be considered the beginning, the “dawn” of the Vietnamese cultural entertainment industry, because two decades ago, the concept of “cultural and entertainment industry” was not yet clearly defined in Vietnam. In the 2000s, music shows and game shows sold very few tickets, artists lived mainly on brand sponsorship and running events, and audiences did not have the habit of buying tickets to enjoy art.

However, the current context has changed fundamentally. Vietnamese audiences, especially urban youth, are willing to pay for high-quality entertainment experiences, from million-dollar concert tickets to IMAX movie tickets... Increased income and living standards have led to an increased demand for cultural enjoyment. This is the reason why private entertainment companies have emerged strongly, organizing dense events to satisfy the "thirst" for entertainment. Media and entertainment companies have contributed to creating a more professional and creative environment for young artists and producers in Vietnam.

In addition, national-scale projects are also being invested in. In early October 2025, the Hanoi People's Committee started the Hanoi Opera House and thematic cultural and art park project in Tay Ho Ward. The Hanoi Opera House is expected to be a world-class art project, connecting world culture with Vietnamese culture and bringing Vietnamese culture to the world.

Despite the great strides, observers still assess that the Vietnamese entertainment market is in its early stages and there is still much to do to “turn into a dragon”. In an interview with the media, director Viet Tu said that in order to build a real entertainment industry, Vietnam needs a systematic strategy for training specialized human resources for this industry.

Currently, the number of people who truly understand and apply international standards in Vietnamese entertainment can be counted on one hand. Many important steps such as copyright management and intellectual property of artists, which were previously overlooked, are now being paid attention to. This is very urgent, because a sustainable entertainment industry requires artists and creators to be able to live and get rich from their own intellectual products, instead of running shows every day to make a temporary living. Only when artists own intellectual property (songs, scripts, brand characters, etc.) and exploit the value, will they have enough resources to invest in high-quality artistic products.

Lessons from K-pop: K-pop is not an accidental success, but was planned from the beginning to conquer foreign audiences, forming a unique style that is considered a separate music genre in the world. Experts believe that referring to successful models is necessary, but cannot be mechanically copied. Instead, Vietnam can focus on its own strengths: promoting local cultural materials in composition, developing stars with unique musical personalities and their own stories. At the same time, focus on building a global fan community through social networks and foreign tours.

Back to the story of Ha Anh Tuan and My Linh. To perform a purely Vietnamese show abroad is not an easy journey. With "My Linh Xin Chao Tour 2025", the Xin Chao Entertainment crew said they spent many months planning, surveying a series of large theaters, checking sound - lighting, security, seating... before finding a suitable space. Along with that was the process of negotiating, preparing documents, proving ability to bring diva My Linh to stand on the stage of a prestigious theater at each stop. From stage design, lighting, mix to the entire production process, all were carried out by the Vietnamese team. The hours of diligent practice were an effort for international audiences to experience a complete night of music.

The journey of “Sketch a Rose” is similar. General director Cao Trung Hieu said that the crew wants to “bring Vietnamese music to iconic theaters around the world with 100% Vietnamese materials”. To have a “dream” performance space for more than 40 artists, they had to transport nearly 100 packages of equipment and props from Vietnam, even bringing fresh roses from home to cover the stage…

From the above example, we can draw the core lesson that national identity is the “key” for Vietnamese culture to be recognized and respected in the international arena. The biggest challenge is to develop the entertainment industry without sacrificing national cultural identity, because only when maintaining identity, Vietnam can be recognized globally. At the same time, we still learn the management and technology quintessence of developed entertainment industries to improve professionalism. The smooth combination of Vietnam's "uniqueness" and the international "commonness" will determine the Vietnamese cultural entertainment industry in the coming years.

According to the Global Soft Power Index 2025 report, Vietnam ranked 60/100 in terms of “Culture & Heritage”, up 2 places, proving that Vietnamese cultural imprint is spreading around the world. On the positive side, both the public and private sectors are joining in developing the cultural entertainment industry. The State has issued resolutions to support the cultural industry, creating a more open environment for content management and censorship, while the private sector is encouraged to be the main driving force. As stated by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hanoi Opera House and thematic cultural and artistic park project: “The project is a vivid demonstration of the implementation of Resolution No. 68/NQ-TW of the Politburo on private economic development, considering the private economy as the most important driving force of economic development, diversifying resources and investment forms using social resources to serve the interests of all people”.

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