Culture is no longer viewed primarily through the lens of preservation or as a purely spiritual activity. Instead, it is positioned in an organic relationship with the economy, the market, and cultural industries, recognizing cultural products as a development resource and a key component of national “soft power”, thereby opening up new spaces for the growth of cultural industries.
This provides an important political and ideological foundation for cultural sectors, including cinema, to confidently renew their thinking, shifting from fragmented, short-term approaches toward a model of sustainable development.
Notably, the Resolution lays the groundwork for promoting socialization, attracting non-state resources, and strengthening public-private partnerships, thereby enhancing investment efficiency and the competitiveness of cultural products.
The strategic nature of the Resolution also situates cultural development within the context of international integration - emphasizing proactive integration. This is likewise the direction that I personally, as well as the Vietnam Film Development Association, are striving to pursue.
Scene from the film Red Rain
For cinema, this orientation helps to clearly affirm the role of film in telling Vietnam’s story to the world, contributing to national image-building, while creating momentum for focused and strategic investment that aligns artistic creativity with social and economic effectiveness.
Without such proactivity, it would be impossible to seize opportunities for cooperation to present a compelling image of Vietnam and its people in general, and Vietnamese cinema in particular, to the world, while also bringing the essence of global culture and cinema to Vietnamese audiences.
Resolution No. 80 demonstrates the Party’s strategic, long-term, and timely vision for the revitalization and development of Vietnamese culture.
I am particularly encouraged that the Resolution sets out very specific objectives and solutions, and that in translating these into real life it places emphasis on the decisive factors of people and institutions. It is essential to build a corps of cultural managers with innovative thinking, a strong understanding of practice, and sufficient capacity to implement policies effectively.
At the same time, the Resolution needs to be promptly translated into concrete and feasible programs and action plans, with priority given to completing the legal framework for cultural industries and investing in the development of high-quality creative human resources.
However, to develop culture and link it with the growth of cultural industries and the market, appropriate public–private cooperation mechanisms, aligned with the principles of sustainable development, are required.
At present, public-private cooperation remains a major “bottleneck”. In cinema, this is most clearly seen in the relationship between distributors, cinema operators, and film producers.
From an institutional perspective, policies must continue to be refined in a transparent, effective, and predictable manner in order to build confidence among both domestic and international investors.
Tax incentives, the establishment of film development support funds, policies to attract international film productions, and the protection of copyright and related rights are all key factors in unlocking social resources. At the same time, greater attention must be paid to investing in human resources that are closely linked to practice and aligned with international standards.
The goal of establishing between five and ten national brands in cultural industries by 2030, with cinema as one of the central pillars, demands strong innovation in mindset, working methods, and implementation mechanisms.
Cinema needs to be viewed and developed as an ecosystem, rather than being limited to the production of individual films.
Building national cinema brands should not rely solely on box-office revenues or awards, but also on cultural identity, artistic quality, and the capacity to convey Vietnamese culture to the world.
The establishment and development of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) represents a concrete model contributing to the realization of the objectives set out in Resolution No. 80. With the spirit of “Bridging Asia to the World”, replacing “Bridging Asia” from the previous three editions, DANAFF is not merely a film event but aspires to become a cultural-cinematic brand capable of attracting film industries from around the world. Through this, it aims to enhance the position of Vietnamese cinema, promote international cooperation, develop the market, and nurture creative human resources.
When brands such as DANAFF are clearly positioned, consistently invested in, and sustainably developed, Vietnamese cinema will gain a stronger foundation to become one of the pillars of the cultural industry, making a tangible contribution to the country’s overall development goals.
PhD Ngo Phuong Lan - Tuổi Trẻ