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Vietnam PM laments foreign content dominating local film, television

The Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, told a conference last week it was ‘gut-wrenching seeing foreign films on TV every time I turn it on’, VN Express is reporting.

  • The PM said 70 percent of films on TV and at the movies are foreign (no primary source cited);
  • Specifically, he mentioned a lack of ‘significant works that reflect the nation’s socio-economic progress’.
  • Industry representative, Ngo Thi Bich Hanh, CEO of BHD, said intricate bureaucratic procedures were a key hurdle;
  • She also advocated for cheaper land rents, easier access to loans, and harsher penalties for intellectual property violations.

Vietnam’s film and television production is heavily regulated by the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC). Scripts need to be reviewed and creators need approval to export their products–the MIC essentially uses these mechanisms to manage Vietnam’s image both at home and abroad. 

Of note, in 2021 producers of the Vietnamese film Vi (Taste) were fined VND 35 million (US$1,500) for entering the film in the Berlin International Film Festival without first receiving approval from the MIC.

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