Vietnam invites famous American directors to attend event promoting film tourism

At a press conference on the morning of September 16th, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong assessed that this is a key tourism promotion event taking place at the end of September 2024 in San Francisco and Hollywood, California, USA, with the theme "Vietnam – A New Destination for World Cinema".

The event aims to open up new opportunities to promote the image of Vietnam, its people, and culture through cinema; to introduce Vietnam not only as an ideal destination for tourists , but also as an attractive place for leading filmmakers, film directors, and actors from around the world.

This confirms that Vietnam has locations that can become famous film sets, both in terms of natural landscapes and diverse cultural identity. Through films shot in Vietnam, international audiences not only have the opportunity to experience the beauty of Vietnam's nature, culture, and people in the most vivid and intimate way, but also to boost tourism.

Tam Coc - Bich Dong, a destination in Ninh Binh, became famous after being chosen as a film setting. Photo: Tran Tuan Viet

The program is expected to attract over 450 guests, including representatives from government agencies, regulatory bodies, businesspeople, investors, the Motion Picture Association of America, producers, studio executives, directors, set designers, Hollywood stars, marketing partners, media outlets, KOLs, bloggers, and more.

On the Vietnamese side, leaders from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, several localities with tourism and film cooperation relations with the United States (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ninh Binh, Quang Binh), major tourism corporations, and film businesses (production logistics, set design, film production, film distribution, etc.) will attend the event.

At the press conference, the U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam, Mr. Marc E. Knapper, highlighted the significant economic benefits that the film industry brings, from production to distribution.

"We hope and encourage more American filmmakers to come to Vietnam and choose Vietnam as a filming location, so that future generations of Americans can learn about and appreciate the natural beauty and rich, diverse culture of Vietnam."

"Hopefully, American filmmakers will discover filming locations that could become iconic landmarks of Vietnam, sought-after tourist destinations, generating revenue for local businesses and enhancing the presence and attractiveness of many beautiful destinations in Vietnam," the ambassador emphasized.

According to Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, out of nearly 1,000 partners interested in the Vietnam tourism and film promotion event in Hollywood, the best quality partners in the film industry will be selected, and approximately 500 delegates will attend the seminar introducing the potential of Vietnamese tourism and film, which will take place within the framework of the event.

Notably, at this workshop, the organizers invited renowned American directors to share their experiences making films in Vietnam. These included Phillip Noyce, director of "The Quiet American"; Jordan Vogt-Roberts, director of "Kong: Skull Island"; Leann Emmert, Production Director of "Kong: Skull Island"; Lori Balton, Production Director of "Shang Chi"; and Justin Booth, Executive Producer of "The Challenge"...

Welcoming the 'blockbuster' film crew: Immediate effect, tourist numbers increase by 200%.

Destinations that serve as settings in films always become instantly attractive tourist destinations. However, while Thailand hosts around 100 film crews each year, Vietnam receives a much smaller number, fewer than two hands.

Businesses pooled money to invite American film producers to promote tourism in Vietnam.

Vietnam will encourage filmmakers, especially major American studios, to participate in film productions in Vietnam, with specific support policies. The event's budget is approximately 10 billion VND, entirely funded by corporate contributions.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/viet-nam-moi-cac-dao-dien-my-noi-tieng-du-su-kien-xuc-tien-du-lich-dien-anh-2322734.html