Dawn of Vietnam’s entertainment industry

In the 2000s, the concept of a 'cultural and entertainment industry' had yet to take shape and was rarely mentioned. Ticketed shows and artist albums were not truly vibrant or commercially active.

Back then, a common question was simply: 'How can we create a show as spectacular as those on MTV or like the ones we glimpsed through tapes and CDs?'

At that time, we could not yet imagine the immense power and influence that culture and entertainment would eventually have on all aspects of life – from the economy and consumer trends to even politics, as we now witness.

Following that was a phase of backward development in the entertainment market. Artists and producers relied primarily on brand sponsorships for income, audiences lacked the habit of buying tickets, and shows were not commercially viable. There was no organized ticket distribution system – just a network of favors and freebies.

Creators lived off basic fees instead of owning valuable intellectual property or copyright assets. They also lacked awareness of how crucial these assets could be.

In the past two to three years, domestically produced entertainment programs have become professionally organized, consistently sold out, and visually on par with international concerts. In fact, their success has generated impressive business metrics for accompanying brands.

Issues once considered distant – like copyright, intellectual property, and especially policies on cultural and entertainment industries – have now become essential, shaped by the government's vision and planning.

Even so, Vietnam's entertainment market is still in its early stages.

To truly build an entertainment industry, we need a well-planned strategy for training people specifically for this unique sector.

Without qualified professionals, global integration will face significant challenges.

Currently, amid the excitement, we often speak of 'international standards and quality,' but the number of individuals in our entertainment market who genuinely understand and can apply those standards is almost countable on one hand.

It is also vital to affirm that for an entertainment industry to thrive, artists – and more broadly, entertainment content creators – must be able to make a living and build wealth through their intellectual property and copyright assets, instead of exhausting themselves with daily gigs just to earn an income.

We also need nationally recognized intellectual property assets within the cultural and entertainment industry – such as annual multimedia cultural and music festivals – to attract global tourists. This is something countries with more developed cultural industries, like Singapore or Thailand, are doing very well despite starting later than others.

From the perspective of an insider, especially in the context of the recently issued Resolution No. 68, I believe this project should prioritize the private sector. These businesses must be empowered and given mechanisms to become the driving force behind bringing this proposal to life.

The implementation of the proposal, particularly the use of public funds, must be tied to specific, measurable performance indicators (KPIs) and individual accountability.

Beyond the government's practical policies for cultural and entertainment industry development, a comprehensive vision is also needed for the regulatory and censorship framework.

Currently, music and cinema are the two areas with the greatest potential for Vietnam to tap into opportunities similar to those seen in South Korea, China, Thailand, or Japan.

And to achieve this, Vietnam must be persistent and systematic, because the countries mentioned have also gone through long processes of learning, developing, and making sacrifices.

Finally, and most importantly, the challenge is to develop the economy without sacrificing national cultural identity. This is something we must learn from those very countries. Only by preserving our identity can we be recognized globally.

* The Vietnamese original of this article was authored by Viet Tu, a famed show director in Vietnam.