Do it again must know how

Since the beginning of 2025, there have been more than 10 new Vietnamese TV series aired, of which about 1/3 are remakes. The most prominent is "My Father, the One Who Stays", adapted from "In the Name of the Family" (China). The film created a strong media effect and topped the rating charts for many consecutive months.

This attraction reminds the public of the "golden" period of remake films about 5-6 years ago with works such as "The Judge", "The Taste of Love", "Living with Mother-in-law", "Broken Rice, Whole Rice"... These films all made their mark, even winning many major domestic awards. However, the common point is that they are all carefully Vietnamized, integrating Vietnamese cultural, psychological, and social elements into the content.

Some successful works have a large degree of editing compared to the original. For example, "The Judge" changed up to 60% of the script, "The Apple Blossom" took nearly a month to write just the first 2 episodes to transform Korean culture into Vietnamese...

The movie “My Father, the One Who Stays” is considered one of the successful “remake” TV series. (Photo provided by the producer)

With "My Father, the One Who Stays", director Vu Truong Khoa affirmed that he only took the four stories from the original, the rest was deeply exploited by the screenwriter with Vietnamese cultural elements. In particular, the character of Mr. Binh - a retired Cheo artist, was built with a strong national identity and moved people with many Cheo and Van singing scenes.

However, not all remakes are successful. Some films such as "Journey of Justice", "Descendants of the Sun", "My First Love", "King of Baking"... are considered forced, off-key, and even "destroy" the original because of inappropriate storytelling and unconvincing acting.

Screenwriter Trinh Khanh Ha (film "The Taste of Love") commented: "A successful remake film is due to the original work being good, but an unsuccessful remake film is a complete destruction of the original work."

Filmmaking experts also warn that if remakes are abused, the already scarce Vietnamese script market will become even more dependent, leading to a situation where producers choose safe options, actors chase after famous roles, and screenwriters just "rehash" according to a ready-made formula.

Recent reality shows that the remake film genre is slowing down, giving way to works with a strong Vietnamese character such as "Di Giua Troi Ruc Rot", "Sinh Tu", "Me Bien", "Cuoc Doi Van Dep Sao"... Although not perfect, these films have demonstrated efforts to create their own scripts and exploit Vietnamese culture and people.

It is time for Vietnamese films to invest deeply in scripts, elevate the status of screenwriters, and go their own way, instead of always chasing after the shadow of foreign films. Only then can Vietnamese television develop sustainably and leave a lasting mark.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/lam-lai-cung-phai-biet-cach-3366375.html