Forty years of Đổi Mới (Renewal) have brought about profound transformations in every area of society. Among them, cinema stands out as the medium that most vividly reflects the changes in the nation and people of Việt Nam.

Transitioning from a State-subsidised system to a State-managed market economy, and from a relatively closed creative environment to deep international integration, Vietnamese cinema has made remarkable strides. 

From works that harbour the essence of the early Renewal period to the robust expansion of the film market, the emergence of private film studios and increasingly prominent successes at international film festivals, Vietnamese cinema has progressively shaped a diverse, dynamic and more integrated identity.

Việt Nam rediscovered

Associate Professor Dr Hoàng Cẩm Giang from Việt Nam National University Hà Nội highlighted one of the most notable changes in Vietnamese cinema during the Renewal period: its changing approach to war.

"While pre-Renewal films often portrayed war in epic terms, emphasising the community and heroic figures, post-war cinema gradually turned its attention to individual lives, personal experiences and wounds that continued long after the war had ended," she said.

Jérôme Baron, Artistic Director of the Festival des 3 Continents, agreed. He noted that, after the Renewal years, Vietnamese cinema increasingly approached war and its aftermath as a human, social and moral experience, turning its attention to ordinary lives and the ambiguities of everyday existence. 

Films such as Truyện cổ tích cho tuổi 17 (A Fairy Tale for 17-Year-Olds, 1988), Cô gái trên sông (The Girl of the River, 1987) and Gánh xiếc rong (The Itinerant Circus, 1988) reflected this emerging shift in perspective. 

“The gaze shifts from collective destiny to individual experience without ever losing sight of the social structures that shape it,” he said. 

Renewal not only transformed what Việt Nam chose to look at, but also how it chose to see and represent itself. In the 1980s, Việt Nam was probably one of the most visible countries in the world, yet, paradoxically, it remained one of the least truly seen. For Western audiences, Việt Nam existed primarily through images produced by Hollywood, which are fundamentally American representations of the war. 

"Việt Nam appeared as a historical backdrop, a traumatised landscape or a stage upon which America's own moral crisis unfolded," Baron said. 

For Baron, the significance of these films went beyond the stories they told. They marked a deeper shift in representation: Việt Nam was no longer merely the object of an outside gaze, but increasingly became the subject of its own cinematic vision.

"They remind us that no country should be condemned to exist only through images produced by others. After spending decades as the object of the world's narratives, Việt Nam gradually became once again the subject of its own images," he said.

The many faces of cinema 

Journalist Đoàn Minh Tuấn described Renewal as the turning point that transformed Vietnamese cinema from a State-subsidised cultural institution into a market-oriented industry. 

Before the 90s, most films were produced by State studios, such as the Vietnam Feature Film Studio and Giải Phóng (Liberation) Film Studio. Cinema primarily served ideological and social purposes, with production funded by the State and films screened through mobile cinemas.

As subsidies were gradually reduced after the Renewal years, studios were forced to seek new sources of funding. Private investment and co-productions emerged, while audience demand and box office performance became central to filmmaking. 

"The industry increasingly operated according to the market, fundamentally changing not only how films were financed and promoted, but also the stories they told," Tuấn said. 

Film critic Mai Anh Tuấn noted that this transformation led to an unprecedented diversification of Vietnamese cinema. Once dominated by war dramas and revolutionary epics, the industry expanded to include action, horror, romance, comedy, historical, musical and biographical films. 

The emergence of new genres reflected both filmmakers' willingness to experiment with cinematic language and technology, and a growing awareness that genre was essential to both artistic expression and commercial success.

Associate Professor Dr Phạm Xuân Thạch from Việt Nam National University Hà Nội saw the rise of commercial cinema as one of the most visible outcomes of this transition. 

Gái Nhảy (Bar Girls) marked a symbolic shift from the subsidy era to a market-driven industry, while films such as Mùa Len Trâu (The Buffalo Boy) and Dòng Máu Anh Hùng (The Rebel) demonstrated that Vietnamese cinema could embrace both commercial appeal and personal artistic vision.

Thạch also noted that the transformation of Vietnamese cinema after the Renewal period paved the way for the emergence of directors such as Đặng Nhật Minh, Bùi Thạc Chuyên and Phan Đăng Di, each developing a distinct auteur voice.

"Generational change is not simply a matter of age, but of shifting social and cultural contexts that reshape how filmmakers understand the world and construct cinematic narratives," Thạch said.

Renewal also accelerated international integration. Vietnamese filmmakers increasingly participated in international film festivals, entered foreign co-productions and adopted digital filmmaking, CGI and modern editing technologies. 

At the same time, audiences evolved from passive viewers within a State-supported system into consumers whose preferences directly shaped the industry. Today, Vietnamese filmmakers face the challenge of balancing artistic ambition with commercial viability while competing with Hollywood, Korean cinema and global streaming platforms.

Reaching further 

Looking ahead, filmmakers and scholars also stressed the need for stronger foundations to ensure the sustainable development of Vietnamese cinema and Asian cinema more broadly in a new era.

Director Bùi Thạc Chuyên pointed to Malaysia as an example, where domestic cinema is supported through rebate mechanisms as well as direct grants and loans administered by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia and other relevant agencies. He said he hopes Việt Nam can develop a more effective support system to strengthen the country's film industry.

Meanwhile, Giang emphasised the importance of micro-narratives in bringing forward the overlooked voices of history that have often been obscured by dominant artistic and popular discourse. Giving these stories greater space can offer audiences a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of reality, she argued.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông said that cinema is more than an art form; it is also a powerful vehicle for promoting Việt Nam's image, people and culture to the world.

"Through cinema, Vietnamese stories are reaching increasingly wider international audiences, helping to enhance the country's standing and cultural soft power," he said.

Recent policy developments have also created new momentum for the industry. Resolution 80-NQ/TW, issued by the Politburo on January 7, focuses on the development of Vietnamese culture. Resolution 28/2026/QH16, adopted by the National Assembly on April 24, along with subsequent Government decrees, have strengthened the policy framework for attracting investment into the film industry.

Đông said that, from a State management perspective, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism views cinema as a convergence of culture, technology and the creative industries. 

The ministry plans to further refine the institutional framework, foster a more favourable environment for creativity, strengthen cooperation among the State, businesses and artists, and help Vietnamese cinema integrate more deeply into the global film value chain.

"In the years to come, Vietnamese cinema must continue to find answers to major questions: how to create works of high ideological and artistic value that still conquer the commercial market, how to tell Vietnamese stories using a modern cinematic language that resonates globally, and how to effectively harness new technological achievements while preserving the identity and humanistic values of cinematic art," he said. VNS