Vietnam on Screen: A Regional Voice - A Global Reach

Mr. Pham Quang Hieu - Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Japan and PhD. Ngo Phuong Lan - Chairwoman of VFDA

Opening remarks by Dr. Ngô Phương Lan (Chairwoman of VFDA and Director of the Da Nang Asia Film Festival - DANAFF) highlighted the fact that the workshop serves as a forum for discussing how Vietnamese cinema can connect with Asian film industries, especially in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Thanks to its unique geographic position - being at the intersection of these two regions - and its rich cultural receptivity, Vietnamese cinema is increasingly asserting its role as a bridge, disseminator and influencer within the Asian film community.

“VFDA is attending the 38th TIFF with a much larger scale and richer set of activities than in 2019 and 2022. Through its series of film-promotion activities at TIFF, VFDA wishes to continue promoting Vietnamese cinema in key international markets and major film festivals.”, PhD. Ngo Phuong Lan emphasized.

“VFDA is attending the 38th TIFF with a much larger scale and richer set of activities than in 2019 and 2022. Through its series of film-promotion activities at TIFF, VFDA wishes to continue promoting Vietnamese cinema in key international markets and major film festivals.”, PhD. Ngo Phuong Lan emphasized.

Domestic Production Environment: Three Positive Changes

The seminar outlined a comprehensive overview of the development of Vietnamese cinema. Speakers emphasised that “co-operation” is the inevitable key to reaching out to the world, while pointing out positive changes in the domestic film-production environment.

From a practical perspective, producer Lương Công Hiếu (General Director of Galaxy Entertainment & Education Co., Member of VFDA Standing Committee) said that over the past five years film production in Vietnam has become much more favourable. He emphasised that “the three factors that create this significant change” are: filming permits directly supported by the authorities; favourable support policies - film crews of 100-200 people arriving in localities are often granted free access to tourist sites, monuments and protected areas, and provided detailed guidance on regulations to facilitate filming; and finally, security from the authorities during filming, at no cost.

From the perspective of state management, Ms. Lý Phương Dung, Vice-Chairwoman of VFDA and former Deputy Director of the Vietnam Cinema Department, shared that film-development policies are being realised in practice, aligned with global trends. Production collaborations between Vietnamese film organisations and overseas entities no longer require special licensing. Foreign organisations and individuals who wish to come to Vietnam to film and use its settings can proactively register and submit applications via the online public-service portal.

Ms. Dung also noted that Vietnam’s current limitations include: there is no tax-refund policy for foreign film producers, and there is yet no national studio that meets the technical-facility standards of an international studio.

Local Authorities Commit to Comprehensive Support for Film Crews

At the workshop, leaders from the localities of Đà Nẵng City and Quảng Ninh Province introduced film-crew-attraction policies. Mr. Nguyễn Hồng Dương, Member of the Standing Committee and Head of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department, stated that his province is at the forefront of implementing an online “one-stop” mechanism and is ready to have a single focal point to support all procedures for film crews. Quảng Ninh commits to supporting exemptions or reductions of costs at state-managed locations, and to introducing service infrastructure at the lowest possible cost. Regarding digital infrastructure, the province has 5G coverage, internet access, and is ready to share a digital cultural-tourism-image data warehouse.

Ms. Nguyễn Thị Anh Thi, Vice Chairwoman of Da Nang City People’s Committee, affirmed the goal of building DANAFF into an “Asian cinema bridge”, promoting the entire film-industry value chain. Đà Nẵng seeks international cooperation with cities such as Fukuoka and Tokyo (Japan) to exchange experts, co-organise film-screenings, and learn from organisational experience. Ms. Thi said that in the near future, Đà Nẵng City will build a film centre, establish a film-set and has assigned the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to develop the plan.

Japan - Vietnam Film-Production Cooperation with Global Influence

From an international perspective, Japanese policymakers and Japanese film-makers repeatedly cited “co-operation” at the workshop. Indonesian producer Yulia Evina Bhara, co-producer of the Vietnamese film Don’t Cry Butterfly, affirmed that the future of Asian cinema lies in collaboration. She argued that this co-operation stems not only from funding from support funds, but also from the creative spirit and the opening of distribution opportunities among countries.

Director Bùi Thạc Chuyên, whose film Tunnels is participating at TIFF this year, stated that attending international film festivals is only the first step. The further goal is to bring films to an international audience, and this is the story of building a national brand. He noted that when Vietnam has greater economic and cultural presence abroad, then Vietnamese cinema will truly “go international”.

Ms. Megumi Kose, Executive Director of the Fukuoka Film Commission, shared Fukuoka’s experience and opened the way for future cooperation between the Fukuoka Film Commission and VFDA for joint development.

In her remarks at the seminar, Ms. Seiko Noda expressed hope that film-exchange activities between Vietnam and Japan will help strengthen the friendship ties and cultural-historical understanding between the two peoples. She also opened the possibility of co-producing films with global reach, and voiced a wish that one day, at the Oscars, Vietnamese and Japanese films would sit side by side as “friendly rivals” - competing together, progressing together.

Ambassador Phạm Quang Hiệu emphasised that linking film-festival activities with the cooperation forums at the workshop contributes to building a creative network, expanding the space for dialogue and promoting the sustainable development of the regional film industry. He affirmed that cinema is not just an art form, but also a nation’s soft power; contributing to tourism, investment, cultural exchange and tightening the friendship between the peoples of Vietnam and Japan.