Vietnam's tourism marketing through cinema

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will run a program to promote Vietnam tourism and cinema in the US from September 23 to 25 under the theme "Vietnam - New Destination for Global Cinema", with the aim of promoting Vietnam's destinations and potential filming locations, attracting Hollywood studios to Vietnam to shoot high-profile films, and bringing in more international tourists.

The 2017 movie Kong: Skull Islands, directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, was shot in various locations throughout Vietnam, including Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh, Van Long Natural Reserve and Trang An Complex in Ninh Binh, and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh.

Speaking at a recent conference in Hanoi entitled "Vietnam - New Destination for Global Cinema", Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said that the country's tourism products must have prominent cultural markings. Of the twelve cultural industries identified, film and tourism are considered the two most important, and the combination of the two will be a major force for economic growth.

He also reiterated the ministry's determination to focus on the development of cinema and the need to link cinema with tourism. The effectiveness of this linkage has been demonstrated in practice through collaborative events and programs, where filmmakers signed agreements with the authorities and helped promote local tourism and attract visitors.

"When it comes to promoting and attracting tourists through film production, the power of cinema becomes evident - not only an art field but also a cultural field. If we know how to tap into this power, it will have a tremendous impact on the promotion and introduction of tourism," Hung stressed.

A Tourist's Guide to Love (2023) is a foreign film shot in Vietnam after the Covid-19 pandemic, introducing a series of beautiful landscapes of Ha Giang, Hanoi, Danang, Quang Nam, and Ho Chi Minh City.

At a recent online conference on "Vietnam - New Destination for Global Cinema", Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Authority, said that cinema is a particularly important field in social life. 

In countries with developed film industries, such as the US, China, Japan, India, France, Korea, the UK, and Italy, movies have a wide distribution and a huge audience at home and abroad. Hollywood blockbusters can reach audiences around the world and generate billions of dollars in revenue.

Khanh cited many countries that have become global tourist magnets thanks to movies. In 2001, after the release of The Lord of the Rings series, New Zealand saw a 50% increase in international visitors.

The scenery of Ninh Binh Province in the movie of Kong: Skull Islands

In the United Kingdom, the Harry Potter series caused the number of foreign visitors to its filming locations to increase by 230% between 2011 and 2014. Scenic landmarks in Croatia, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and other countries featured in the Game of Thrones series have also become tourist attractions.

Compared to other countries, Vietnam is rich in natural, environmental, and cultural resources. According to the World Economic Forum, Vietnam's natural and cultural resources are ranked 26th and 28th in the world, respectively. Khanh confirmed that the country's resources are ideal for the development of film-induced tourism. This is evidenced by the success of international films shot in Vietnam.

The Swallow Cave in Quang Binh province in the Hollywood production Pan (2015). Photo: Oxalis Adventure

Bui Van Manh, Director of the Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, cited how Indochine (1992), several scenes of which were filmed in Tam Coc - Bich Dong in the province, propelled the location from little-known destination to on the radar of many international tourists, especially French nationals.

However, Manh raised the issue of how to provide maximum support to film crews and the need to plan an overall strategy from central to local policies and mechanisms.

Meanwhile, Ngo Phuong Lan, Head of the Vietnam Film Development Association, addressed the issue of linking tourism and the film industry. She believed that when a movie is being made, it is not a good idea for the cast or the travel industry to touristicize the production or promote travel by any means.

Saigon served as the setting for the movie L'Amant/The Lover (1992) by French director Jean-Jacques Annaud.

"Because a cinematic work must first have value in order to be widely distributed and thus promote the place and the destinations. Both parties would unintentionally miss the target if we touristicize the work: the film won't be a hit or encourage travel," Lan clarified.

Foreign filmmakers like Vietnam's landscapes and settings for their diversity, originality, and novelty, said Nguyen Chau A, CEO of Oxalis Adventure, which has supported Hollywood film crews such as those making Pan (2015) or Kong: Skull Islands (2017), TV shows such as Good Morning America, or the BBC documentary series Planet Earth III. 

The S-shaped country can become a fresher destination compared to neighbors like Thailand or the Philippines, whose locations are too familiar to movie studios.

He added that foreign filmmakers hope Vietnam will further facilitate the licensing of film projects, provide support in terms of security, order, and confidentiality protection during filming, as well as preferential tax policies (VAT, PIT). They also expect Vietnam to have more production and logistics companies to serve international film crews more professionally and transparently.