News
Where does Vietnamese cinema stand on the global stage?
Lê Hồng Lâm
18/06/2026
22:45
The Vietnamese film industry is a rare market in Asia that has seen spectacular growth post-pandemic and boasts one of the highest localization rates in the world.
Gia tài của ngoại của điện ảnh Thái Lan không chỉ ăn khách mà còn được Oscar chọn - Ảnh: ĐPCC
However, this development hides a paradox: a film industry that can win on its home turf while remaining absent from the global map.
In 2025, with a total revenue reaching 5.593 trillion VND (approximately 215 million USD), the Vietnamese film market surpassed Thailand to rise to the 2nd position in Southeast Asia, trailing only Indonesia (over 300 million USD). On a global scale, the Vietnamese film market currently ranks between 20th and 25th.
Even so, in terms of international standing, Vietnamese cinema still lags far behind Thailand, which is the best exporter in the region. In 2025, the film How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies became a phenomenon across Southeast Asia and China, selling distribution rights to 129 international markets and grossing 73 million USD globally. The film also made the Oscar "shortlist." Meanwhile, the highest-grossing Vietnamese films internationally (Mai and Rabbit Hole by Tran Thanh) earned approximately 1.5 to 2 million USD, primarily serving the overseas Vietnamese community.
Ròm là phim hiếm hoi vừa có doanh thu khá cao (64 tỉ đồng) vừa đoạt giải ở liên hoan phim danh giá Busan - Ảnh: ĐPCC
Strong at home, weak abroad
Looking from within, the Vietnamese film industry is undergoing a period of unprecedented strong growth: box office revenues are consistently setting records, domestic films hold absolute dominance at home, and the number of new projects is increasing at a dizzying pace. But looking from the outside, on the world cinema map, Vietnam's presence remains quite faint. Vietnamese films rarely appear in official categories at A-list film festivals, and it is even rarer for them to create enough buzz to break into the international market.
One of the core reasons for this paradox lies in how the Vietnamese film market operates. As the domestic box office grows rapidly, most producers tend to prioritize projects with quick return-on-investment potential, catering to mass tastes and maximizing the "golden release windows" of the year.
In other words, Vietnamese cinema is developing in terms of market breadth but still lacks the depth to create a sustainable mark on the global film map. Over the past few years, a number of Vietnamese films have reached A-list international film festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, or top-tier Asian festivals like Busan and Tokyo, garnering some awards for debut films by young directors.
From domestic gridlock to global limitations
The recent phenomenon of "five Vietnamese films crowding the holiday season and causing a gridlock" is a clear manifestation of a market that is structurally immature—where production and distribution decisions remain short-term, lack regulation, and have almost no unified strategy.
This very operational approach is also the reason why it is difficult for Vietnamese cinema to step out into the world. When the entire film production system is designed to maximize domestic revenue in a short time, all other factors—from script development and in-depth investment to international distribution strategies—become secondary.
Clearly, the global limitation of Vietnamese cinema does not lie in a lack of talent or stories, but in the structure of the domestic market itself.
A visible manifestation is the massive, sudden explosion of certain "hit" film genres. As soon as a few works succeed, the entire market immediately follows that formula, shortening production time as much as possible to "ride the wave."
Today, Vietnamese cinema stands at a challenging crossroads: continue to maximize the rapidly growing domestic market or invest in a long-term strategy to reach the world? These two paths are not mutually exclusive; the issue is how to connect them.
Because ultimately, a film industry only truly matures when it not only conquers domestic audiences but can also tell its stories to the world in a way the world wants to listen. Only then will Vietnamese cinema have a position on the global map.
Share:
RELATED NEWS
