After just over a week of release, “The Search for Ambergris” has risen to become the most talked about name in the Vietnamese film market. After a long period of stagnation for Vietnamese films, the appearance of the debut work from director Duong Minh Chien - the man behind many viral projects of ActionC group - has created a strong “push”.
According to statistics from Box Office Vietnam, the theater ticket revenue of the action-comedy film “The Search for Ambergris” as of 10 a.m. on November 28 was 160.1 billion VND. Over the weekend, the film earned more than 40 billion VND, with about 430,000 tickets sold in over 11,500 screenings. “The Search for Ambergris” has become one of the domestic productions with the most impressive growth rate in 2025.
Not following the popular themes that are currently favored by producers and market filmmakers such as horror and paranormal, "The Search for Ambergris" chooses a comedy and action theme with elements of indigenous folk culture.
“The Search for Ambergris” is set in the fishing village of An Hai - where the livelihood, life and spiritual beliefs of the residents are closely tied to the sea. The film opens with a familiar yet strange incident: the village’s sacred treasure, a block of Ambergris symbolizing the protection of the Fisherman, is suddenly stolen. In Vietnamese cultural life, Ambergris is not unfamiliar: it is a precious wax substance excreted by sperm whales - associated with many East Asian legends and considered a lucky, sacred object. It is this mystery that makes folk material become an attractive plot.
Three characters Tam (Quang Tuan), Hoang (Tran Minh Hoang) and Tuan (Ma Ran Do) are caught up in a circle of suspicion. And following them is the unexpected but charming appearance of Ut Linh - a straightforward, clever fish seller played by Nguyen Thao. In the journey to find the treasure, the film opens up the world of customs - beliefs - life of the residents of the coastal village, meticulously constructed, true to Vietnam but still new enough to create curiosity for the audience.
Most of the film's duration in "Searching for Ambergris" takes place in familiar cultural spaces: village communal houses, Fisherman's Shrines, fish markets, boats, and small roads along the coast. The highlight of the film crew is not to turn culture into something that plays the role of illustration or background, but to let it "breathe" naturally in each frame.
In the film, the Whale Festival ritual is recreated at the village communal house, both solemn and bustling, in the true spirit of a sea festival: colorful flags, drum beats, singing in harmony with the sea breeze. The film does not exaggerate, nor does it “just do it for the sake of it”; every detail is carefully selected to preserve the sacredness and humanistic beauty of traditional beliefs.
One of the most surprising aspects of “The Search for Ambergris” is the way the crew used traditional music . “Ly Keo Chai” - a familiar folk song - was incorporated into the film in a subtle, timely and emotional way.
The song, with its cheerful and lively 3/5 rhythm and lyrics evoking images of ocean waves and small boats struggling with the wind, has breathed into the action scenes a deeply Vietnamese energy, with the pride of seafarers: small but resilient, hard-working but always keeping a free spirit. When placed in chase scenes, scuffles or climaxes of the film, the song brings a strong resonance effect that is both strange and familiar.
The person in charge of the music, musician Cao Ba Hung, shared: “When participating in the project, I simply respected the original spirit of this work and immersed myself in that emotional flow, largely thanks to the suggestions and creative direction of director Duong Minh Chien. Vietnamese music is very natural and close. As long as you truly love and understand the story of the work, no matter who you are, where you are, any Vietnamese person can feel and express well the soul of those melodies.”
Musician Cao Ba Hung affirmed that he himself was very proud when he heard Ly Keo Chai resound in this film: “Seeing a folk song that I contributed to resound in the middle of a well-crafted cinematic story, it feels like both tradition and modernity are blending together. More importantly, all of those things were combined very smoothly and naturally by the film production crew. I really appreciate the way the production crew placed the song at the right time and place, so that the music is not only the background, but also becomes an important emotional flow, even those scenes become the most valuable parts of the film”.
He described “The Search for Ambergris” as a film that is “truly pleasing to the eye, very carefully made and has depth”. This artist further analyzed: “The film exploits very well the life, culture and spirit of the coastal people - both depicting traditional identity and conveying many positive messages, carrying many values about morality and patriotism of the Vietnamese people”.
Interestingly, after the film was released, Lang Ong Nam Hai (formerly Binh Thuan, now Lam Dong) - the main filming location - saw a surge in visitors. From a local cultural space, Lang Ong suddenly became a cultural tourist destination, showing the remarkable influence of the film.
Surpassing the 155 billion VND mark, “The Search for Ambrosia” has shown that Vietnamese films can completely conquer audiences with purely Vietnamese stories, from folk materials to modern life. The success of the film lies not only in revenue, but also in arousing public interest in long-standing cultural values: village communal houses, Ong Tomb, Ong Greeting ceremony, Ambrosia, folk songs…
For a debut film at the national box office, this number is not only an achievement for the production team, but also shows that Vietnamese audiences are always willing to support works that honor cultural identity, as long as the story is told sincerely and closely. The film's success lies in many factors, but perhaps the most prominent is the way the crew chose to put the sea culture material in the center, to build a story that is both new and close.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/truy-tim-long-dien-huong-gay-bat-ngo-voi-doanh-thu-155-ty-dong-post926485.html
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