Vietnamese action-thriller on human trafficking, cross-border scams eyes historic box office record

With its current box office performance, “Trai Buon Nguoi” (The Journey of Heroes) is poised to overtake “Tho oi!!” (Bunnie!!) by Tran Thanh to become Vietnam’s highest-grossing film of 2026.

According to Box Office Vietnam, “The Journey of Heroes” officially crossed the VND400 billion mark after nearly three weeks in theaters.

The film continues to dominate the box office, with around 5,000 screenings a day. Its box office revenue has also far outstripped that of other films released around the same time.

Tran Thanh's "Tho Oi!!" officially ended its theatrical run in late April, wrapping up weeks of box office dominance with over VND449 billion ($17.7 million) in total revenue.

With few major changes expected at the box office next weekend, "The Journey of Heroes" is set to maintain its lead.

The achievement puts “The Journey of Heroes” in seventh place on the list of the highest-grossing Vietnamese films of all time, behind “Mua Do” (Red Rain), Mai, “Lat Mat 7: Mot Dieu Uoc” (Face Off 7: One Wish)), “Nha Ba Nu” (The House of No Man), Tho ơi!! And “Bo Gia” (Dad, I'm Sorry).

"Inspired by real people and circumstances"

"The Journey of Heroes" focuses on the dangers lurking behind seemingly attractive job offers promising easy work and high pay, which can expose job seekers to serious risks when they fail to verify the information.

The film follows Ny, played by Steven Nguyen, who sets out to rescue his younger sister after she falls victim to a cross-border scam operation.

His search leads him to a compound where numerous victims are held, controlled and exploited as they struggle to survive.

Director Toni Duong Bao Anh said that although the story and characters are fictional, many details were inspired by real people and circumstances.

“The Journey of Heroes” is praised as it effectively depicts the brutal hidden realities while warning audiences about scams disguised as lucrative employment opportunities.

Its biggest weakness, however, lies in its conventional portrayal of the antagonists.

The ringleaders are depicted mainly through scenes of shouting, beatings and violence, without the cunning and sophistication needed to give these characters greater depth and menace.

The film also falls short in its depiction of human trafficking operations involving high technology.

The storyline strains credibility when impoverished victims with little education, abducted just a day earlier, are shown using sophisticated deepfake technology to carry out international scams the following day.