Developing Vietnam's cultural industry: A journey of connecting ...

The cultural industry is not just about creating entertainment products.

It is also a strategy to develop national soft power, turning culture into an economic driving force and national pride.

From music , cinema to theatre, more and more Vietnamese artists are cleverly incorporating traditional cultural elements into their products. However, to maintain cultural identity while ensuring commercial viability, they face a big challenge: balancing profit and social responsibility.

Spreading national spirit

Recently, the music production group DTAP was awarded a certificate of merit by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, recognizing its efforts to spread national spirit through the album "Made in Vietnam".

Departing from Ho Chi Minh City on August 19 and ending in Hanoi on September 2, "Vietnam Pride Journey" is a cross-Vietnam music campaign of DTAP, organized by VMAS Company in coordination with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. The journey hopes to recreate the image of a "musical troupe" - bringing music closer to the people, telling stories about history, paying tribute to previous generations and arousing national pride.

The program "Brother overcoming thousands of obstacles" uses traditional cultural elements to create highlights. Photo: DUC THANH

The troupe traveled through 8 provinces and cities along the Ho Chi Minh trail such as Dak Lak, Da Nang, Hue, Quang Tri, Nghe An, Phu Tho, bringing performances to places associated with history and culture, typically Nghinh Phong Tower (Dak Lak), Han River Park (Da Nang), Nghinh Luong Dinh (Hue) or Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square (Hanoi). In particular, the performance night on September 2nd at the Hanoi leg welcomed more than 15,000 spectators.

Hoa Minzy and her crew created the "Bac Bling" fever on social networks (Photo provided by the character)

Throughout the journey, DTAP not only took on the role of organizer, but also directly brought to life musical stages rich in identity, combining Vietnamese folk materials with contemporary musical language. Songs such as "Made in Vietnam", "My House Has a Flag", and many new arrangements for classic songs such as "Noi Vong Tay Lon", "Len Dang", "Nhu Co Bac Trong Ngay Dai Thang" were created specifically for the journey, becoming artistic highlights, contributing to spreading the message of national pride.

The album "Made in Vietnam" marks an important turning point in DTAP's career, the crystallization of a 6-year journey of exploring and researching Vietnamese culture. Works such as "Made in Vietnam", "My House Has a Flag", "Nam Quoc Son Ha" and "Ho Vuong Minh" have been performed in many national-scale programs and spread widely on digital music platforms and social networks.

The album's success not only affirms DTAP's unique creative identity, but also reflects the development of contemporary Vietnamese music, where traditional values ​​are continued with a youthful, innovative and integrated spirit, contributing to the sustainable development of Vietnam's cultural industry. When artists see heritage as a source of inspiration, not a burden, and technology becomes a means, not a threat, the path to preserving identity will not only stop at "preservation" but will move towards sustainable creation. That brings success to a series of artists such as Hoa Minzy with personal products, Duc Phuc at the Intervision 2025 playground that just took place in Russia, Phuong My Chi and DTAP at Sing!Asia 2025, Double 2T, SOOBIN, ST Son Thach, Jun Pham...

Contemporary art is therefore not only a product of the present, but also a way for Vietnamese culture to continue to dialogue, adapt and affirm its position in an ever-changing world. From Phuong My Chi's folk remixes imbued with Vietnamese breath, Duc Phuc's MVs imbued with the culture of his homeland, to the film "Red Rain" based on national history - all show the effort to "preserve the Vietnamese soul" in contemporary products. However, behind each work is a costly and risky journey.

Preserving heritage in the language of the times

In the first half of 2025, the Vietnamese music industry witnessed the "Bac Bling" fever on social networks. Hoa Minzy and her team cleverly introduced the beauty of culture and beliefs, the people of Bac Ninh through musical creativity, attracting even audiences who do not follow Vpop. The MV "Bac Bling" with an investment of 8 billion VND, reached more than 22 million views after more than 6 days of release and quickly took the Top 1 Trending in the music category. Hoa Minzy said the most important thing is to bring the audience quality music products, carefully invested. "When making music products with folk elements, I always invest carefully from costumes, props to mixing and mixing. That is how I preserve heritage in the language of my time" - singer Hoa Minzy confided.

The units producing the art programs to welcome A50 and A80 all shared the same opinion: "We choose Vietnamese folk music and cultural images not only to honor tradition, but also to create a unique mark. That is a sustainable value in the context of a saturated entertainment market". CEO Ngo Van Hanh (producer of the live concert "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai") affirmed: "Cultural products with national identity not only generate revenue but also position Vietnamese brands in the eyes of international friends. Investing in traditional values ​​is investing in the national image". CEO Ngo Van Hanh's comments were confirmed by 8 performances that were always imbued with cultural colors, even setting a Guinness World Record for the largest number of people wearing Ao Dai.

Producer Kim Thanh Thao, who has invested in many film projects related to folk culture, expressed: "No one makes a film about traditional culture without wanting to spread Vietnamese values. However, for the product to truly exist, the producer must have a methodical financial strategy, understand the market and dare to accept risks."

A representative of The 1st Management, the management unit of many young singers pursuing contemporary folk style, said: "Audiences love traditional culture, but they also need something new. Therefore, the investment cost for a MV with folk elements is often twice as high as that of a normal product."

The cultural industry does not stop at creating entertainment products. It is also a strategy to develop national soft power, where culture becomes an economic driving force and national pride. "If we consider investing in culture as investing in the future, then each film, song, and play with Vietnamese identity today is the foundation for Vietnam's strength tomorrow" - director Kawai Tuan Anh affirmed.

(to be continued)

"Currently, many contemporary artists have been looking for a way to reconcile traditional elements and modern spirit. Preserving cultural identity through contemporary art is a journey connecting the past and the future, in which tradition is not framed but is reborn in the language of the new era.

In South Korea, the UK and France, the cultural industry is considered a key economic sector. These countries have preferential tax policies, creative support funds and their own financial mechanisms for products with indigenous cultural values. South Korea invests billions of dollars in K-pop, movies, and video games - industries that not only bring in huge revenues but also promote the country's soft power. In the UK, film or art projects serving heritage preservation are exempt from taxes; while France maintains many funding funds for national cultural creation. These policies show that: if artists want to create products with strong identities, they must have a solid financial foundation and be protected by a flexible mechanism.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/phat-trien-cong-nghiep-van-hoa-viet-nam-hanh-trinh-ket-noi-qua-khu-va-tuong-lai-196251115193844202.htm