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| Outdoor film screenings within the framework of the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival attracted many viewers - Photo: Provided by the Organizing Committee |
From operational management to cultural market creation.
In recent years, Ho Chi Minh City has proactively changed its approach, no longer viewing culture solely as a career sector. The city recognizes culture as both a spiritual value and an endogenous resource and driving force for growth. This perspective aligns with the spirit of Resolution 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture, which emphasizes the need for innovative thinking in development, viewing investment in culture as an investment in sustainable development.
This shift is reflected in clearer plans and targets. In September 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issued a plan to implement the " Development of Ho Chi Minh City's Cultural Industry until 2030" project for the 2024-2025 period. Ho Chi Minh City selected eight areas to focus on developing, including film, performing arts, fine arts, photography, exhibitions, advertising, cultural tourism, and fashion.
Culture is no longer confined to the realm of individual events but is connected to tourism, services, the night-time economy , and public spaces to create a value chain. A prime example is the first Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival in 2024. Besides film screenings and awards ceremonies, the festival also includes a Project Market, a Script Incubator, workshops, professional classes, and filmmaker networking activities. This is organized according to the logic of a film ecosystem, where the film festival becomes a meeting point for creativity, training, investment, and distribution.
Similarly, with HOZO, music is organized as an open festival, creating an additional cultural meeting point for the public and gradually forming a unique brand for Ho Chi Minh City. The event brings together domestic and international artists, connecting performances, exchanges, and cultural consumption, thereby contributing to positioning the image of a dynamic city capable of organizing large-scale cultural activities. In this, the State plays a facilitating role, creating conditions for artists, businesses, investors, event organizers, and the public to participate together.
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| The HOZO music festival is organized as an open festival, creating an additional cultural meeting point for the public and gradually building a unique brand for Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Provided by the Organizing Committee |
Using culture as a driver of growth.
While administrative management focuses on operational control, development governance focuses on value creation. In Ho Chi Minh City, this is concretized by three pillars: institutions, infrastructure, and markets.
The city has determined that it must shift from an approach of "managing cultural activities" to "creating a cultural market," viewing investment in culture as an investment in long-term growth. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Cultural Industry Development Plan until 2030, the city aims for the industry's revenue to reach approximately 148,000 billion VND by 2030, contributing about 7-8% to the city's GRDP.
These figures show that culture is being viewed as an economic sector, rather than just an activity serving spiritual life. When culture has growth targets, a focus area, and a specific implementation plan, the approach must also change. Culture cannot rely solely on budgets or mass movements; it needs to be invested in, operated, and evaluated as a sector capable of creating value.
Alongside this is investment in infrastructure and creative spaces. The Phu Tho Circus and Multipurpose Performance Hall is one example. In April 2026, the facility will open to the public for tours and performances, showcasing a modern, multipurpose art space. This shows that Ho Chi Minh City views cultural infrastructure as a foundation for creating products, bringing audiences back to the stage, and expanding its capacity to organize large-scale events.
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| The Ton Duc Thang Museum in Ho Chi Minh City attracts the public with its innovative exhibition style and interactive screen system that makes information easy to access. Photo: Thanh Lam |
Many museums, historical sites, and cultural spaces are shifting towards digitalization, enhancing the public experience. In August 2024, the Ho Chi Minh Museum - Ho Chi Minh City branch signed an agreement to implement a project to digitize its museum space, aiming to build a digital visitor experience that allows viewers to access artifacts and exhibition spaces even without physically visiting the museum.
By 2025-2026, this trend will continue to expand. Several historical sites in Ho Chi Minh City will begin experimenting with digital maps, QR codes, and automated narration. The Ho Chi Minh City Cultural Space program on a digital platform will also be implemented to bring documents, books, and cultural content closer to the people. Technology helps expand the audience, extend the lifespan of cultural products, and create more data for managing, promoting, and educating about heritage. This is a crucial step for Ho Chi Minh City to shift from short-term event-based approaches to building cultural assets with long-term exploitability.
Ho Chi Minh City has officially joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of cinema, marking a step forward in its international integration mindset. This designation places Ho Chi Minh City within an international cooperation network, while also requiring the city to continue improving its filmmaking infrastructure, film crew support services, human resource training, film festival organization, and production and distribution connections. In other words, culture no longer stands alone, but becomes an integral part of urban competitiveness.
Based on the strategies, projects, and events already implemented, Ho Chi Minh City has the foundation to integrate culture more deeply into urban life. These movements will be even more meaningful when they continue to open opportunities for professionals, create more choices for the public, and form sustainable cultural hubs. This is also the spirit of development governance: creating conditions for a film to have more opportunities to reach the market, a theater to have more audiences, a museum to have new experiences, and a festival to become an annual event. When connected with tourism, technology, services, and daily life, culture will gain more vitality to nurture its identity and create value for the city.
Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/tphcm-mo-duong-cho-kinh-te-van-hoa-1021237.html
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