Entertainment Industry Development: National Strategy Needed to Not Miss Golden Opportunities

The Government has just assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to urgently develop a project on the entertainment industry and report to the Prime Minister this May.

Say Hi Brother is one of the notable domestic entertainment products in recent years - Photo: NSX

The move shows that the State is paying attention to and recognizing the contribution of this sector to the overall development of the country. This is the first time there has been a macro-level project related to the "entertainment industry".

Previously, at the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly in early May, the Prime Minister stated: "Promote the development of cultural industry, develop a project to develop the entertainment industry. Effectively implement the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025 - 2035".

This project is not simply a response to practical needs, but also demonstrates the Government's proactive thinking and long-term vision in placing entertainment in the right strategic position - as a spearhead industry of the knowledge-based economy era, associated with cultural identity and national soft power.

National Assembly Delegate Bui Hoai Son

There is no complete entertainment industry.

Associate ProfessorDr. Bui Hoai Son - a full-time National Assembly delegate at the National Assembly's Culture and Social Affairs Committee - shared with Tuoi Tre that Vietnam "currently has the constituent elements but has not yet formed a complete entertainment industry".

He gave examples of some domestic entertainment products that attract millions of consumers both domestically and internationally, showing the great potential of the Vietnamese entertainment industry: the movies Nha Ba Nu, Mai, Lat Mat 7, the game Flappy Bird or programs such as Rap Viet, Anh Trai Say Hi, Anh Trai Vuon Ngan Chong Gai, Chi Dep Dap Gio...

"However, these products develop mostly spontaneously, without adequate support in terms of policies, resources, human resource training or value chain connections to form a true industry," he said.

With 25 years of experience in television, director Vu Thanh Vinh - CEO of Khang Media Company - commented that the Vietnamese entertainment industry has been in its infancy for a long time, but to what extent it needs to be clearly defined and planned according to a development roadmap.

He shared: "For a long time, the concept of "entertainment" has been limited to bringing joy, happiness, and regenerating labor... Recently, in many meetings I attended, people always mentioned the target numbers they earn through entertainment programs."

Director Viet Tu believes that "if we can maintain this momentum and go in the right direction, Vietnam is just on the way to forming an entertainment industry." "Currently, our entertainment market is small, mainly domestic, and not attractive to foreign investors," he assessed.

"We need a strong enough ecosystem to elevate and develop sustainably," said Mr. Bui Hoai Son.

To be an industry, entertainment must have scale, process, quantity and measurement according to truly scientific criteria. We cannot speak emotionally.

Director Vu Thanh Vinh

Flappy Bird - the Vietnamese game that once "captivated the world" - Photo: DUC THIEN

What is the entertainment industry?

According to Mr. Bui Hoai Son, "cultural industry" is a broad concept, covering all areas of production, distribution and consumption of products/services with cultural and creative values.

The "entertainment industry" is part of the cultural industry, focusing on highly entertaining fields such as music, movies, television, games, shows, events, digital content platforms...

The main goal of the entertainment industry is to create emotional experiences, attract viewers, listeners, and players with elements such as fun, drama, emotion, surprise, creativity, etc.

See love by Hoang Thuy Linh is one of the musical products that has reached the world.

"If the cultural industry focuses on identity, spiritual values ​​and cultural depth, the entertainment industry focuses on attracting, popularizing and consuming the masses. The cultural industry is the foundation, and the entertainment industry is the spearhead in exploiting those values ​​in an attractive, modern way, suitable to the tastes of the contemporary public," Mr. Son said.

According to Mr. Son, this distinction helps us more clearly define the role and development method of each field.

For Vietnam today, investing in the entertainment industry is a fast and effective way for the cultural industry to truly break through and become a driving force for economic, cultural and social development in the digital age.

From left to right, from top to bottom: National Assembly Representative Bui Hoai Son, director Viet Tu, Vu Thanh Vinh, founder Nguyen Tien Huy - Photo: NVCC

Golden time

Mr. Bui Hoai Son expressed that the entertainment industry project was set in a very special context: Vietnam is entering a new development phase with the aspiration to become a high-income developed country by 2045.

"To achieve that goal, in addition to traditional economic pillars, it is necessary to more effectively exploit high value-added, creative industries, of which the entertainment industry is a prominent one," he said.

Mr. Son added that the global context is shifting strongly towards a creative economy, where the value of ideas, emotions and experiences become key commodities.

Developed countries in the world such as South Korea, the US, and the UK have proven that the entertainment industry not only generates huge revenues but is also an effective soft power tool to shape the national image in the international arena. The success of K-pop, Hollywood, music festivals, and global digital entertainment platforms is a clear testament to that.

This is also a time when technological changes - especially the popularity of digital platforms and social networks - have fundamentally changed the way people, especially young people, access, consume and create entertainment products.

"Without a clear national strategy, we will lose the golden opportunity to elevate the entertainment industry to a new economic and cultural spearhead. The Government's decision to develop the entertainment industry at this time is a strategic and urgent step," said National Assembly delegate Bui Hoai Son.

Tran Thanh's Mai is one of the box office hits of recent times - Photo: DPCC

Director Viet Tu said this move shows that the Government has seen the importance of the cultural and entertainment industries in the overall development of the country.

"The importance here lies not only in measuring economic indicators but also in the influence of Vietnamese culture on the global market," he said.

According to Mr. Viet Tu, Vietnam has a cultural and entertainment industry that develops much slower than the region and the world. This project is very important to the cultural and entertainment market, "coming at the right time when we have enough resources in all aspects to realize it".

Mr. Nguyen Tien Huy - former CEO and founder of Hiker Games, a company considered a "legend of the Vietnamese gaming industry" with the goal of conquering the international market with highly difficult games and creating lifetime products associated with Vietnamese history - expressed:

"I have certain expectations that the Government's project will really help the entertainment industry in general and the gaming industry in particular develop. I hope this project can help create excellent Vietnamese novels, comics, films and games that are successful both commercially and artistically."

South Korea: When entertainment is more than just entertainment

"Hallyuwood" is a term for the Korean entertainment industry, with the word Hallyu being a portmanteau of the word "wood" in Hollywood.

According to Behalf Korea , the Korean content industry (K-Content, including K-pop, K-drama, movies, video games, and webtoons) leads the cultural industry with a value of 79 billion USD in 2023, expected to increase to 86.4 billion USD in 2026.

These staggering numbers show that entertainment is not just entertainment but also a vital economic driver.

A report by Allied Market Research shows that the K-pop event market alone (including concerts - the backbone and biggest revenue generator of K-pop, fan meetings, fansigns, other performances...) is expected to reach $20 billion in revenue by 2031.

The "K-pop merchandise industry" including albums, lightsticks, clothing and souvenirs featuring or related to idols has become a multi-billion dollar market.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phat-trien-cong-nghiep-giai-tri-can-chien-luoc-quoc-gia-de-khong-lo-co-hoi-vang-20250516084734383.htm