Yesterday afternoon, Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang met with business leaders and artists in the cultural sector at a gathering organized by the city’s People’s Committee.
Also present were Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Cuong of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee; Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports Tran The Thuan, and Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies Truong Minh Huy Vu.
Fresh engine of HCMC's growth
A report from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports shows the city leads the nation in cultural industry development, employing about 97,000 workers across more than 17,670 businesses. Between 2010 and 2019, the sector’s output more than doubled, rising from VND36 trillion (US$1.39 billion) to VND84,000 billion and contributing nearly 3.9 percent to the city’s GRDP. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, its share of GRDP in 2020 remained at 3.54 percent, surpassing the national benchmark.
Ho Chi Minh City is also one of the pioneering localities nationwide to approve and implement the plan for the development of the city's cultural industry until 2030. The city has identified film, performing arts, advertising, cultural tourism, fine arts, photography - exhibitions, fashion, television - radio and digital content as key areas. Notably, Ho Chi Minh City has been officially designated a UNESCO Creative City of Film, creating a foundation for the cultural industry to become a driving force for socio-economic development in the coming period.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has many favorable conditions for the development of the cultural industry, such as a significant amount of public assets after the reorganization of administrative units, and the recent construction of new public parks, said Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang. This could be a source of cultural space serving the community, where cultural startups can use to introduce their new products.
Addressing the meeting, Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang praised the efforts and contributions of artists and businesses that have brought tangible cultural achievements to the city in recent years. He emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City has a tradition and a ‘genetic code’ in cultural work, clearly reflected across generations. The city’s environment holds great potential and ample room for cultural development. According to him, developing the cultural industry in Ho Chi Minh City is both a necessity and a goal to be pursued, as it represents not only economic growth but also the spiritual foundation of its people and the city itself.
Feedback from artists and businesses operating in the cultural sector has, to a certain extent, helped city leaders identify what needs to be done to foster the development of culture and the cultural industry in Ho Chi Minh City, enhance the city’s image and standing, and steadily improve cultural products, while continuing the city’s rich cultural traditions.
Ho Chi Minh City currently enjoys many favorable conditions for developing its cultural industry. These include a significant pool of public assets made available after the reorganization of administrative units, as well as the recent development of new public parks. Such spaces can serve as cultural venues for the community and provide platforms where cultural startups can introduce their new products. A typical example is the four villas located in Park No. 1 on Ly Thai To Street in Vuon Lai Ward, which could be fully utilized as venues for activities, exhibitions, and the presentation of new cultural products and ideas.
The city has rolled out various loan support packages. However, for businesses in the cultural sector, the conditions for accessing these loans remain very challenging, particularly requirements related to business efficiency and capital recovery. For this reason, the city’s approach is to call on financially capable organizations to jointly support investment in the cultural industry. The city will act as a partner, accompanying investors and creating the most favorable conditions to ensure that investment processes are smooth and secure. To achieve this, municipal departments and agencies must ensure that no administrative obstacles arise within their authority and that transparency and fairness are upheld for all businesses.
Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang
Long-term strategy for the cultural industry
To ensure the cultural industry makes a meaningful contribution to the city’s development, many organizations in the sector used the meeting to highlight the need for stronger infrastructure and facilities to host outstanding cultural events capable of generating significant revenue.
Bui Viet Ha, Director of External Relations and Public Relations at Yeah1 Group, noted that while Vietnamese youth once mainly followed international idols, the trend has now begun to reverse. About two months ago, during the program Anh trai vuot ngan chong gai (Brother overcoming a thousand obstacles), organizers recorded strong interest from foreign fans, including Korean audiences eager to meet Vietnamese artists. However, she also raised concerns that Vietnam still lacks professional venues with a capacity of 50,000 to 100,000 spectators for large-scale music festivals while using major urban areas is only a temporary solution and does not meet international standards for hosting world-class events.
Sharing concerns about institutions and infrastructure, Dinh Ba Thanh, Chairman of DatViet VAC, expressed that, in addition to having cultural institutions and infrastructure for large-scale events, the city needs to focus on building a cultural industry center and then joint venture with major cultural industry centers around the world such as Seoul (South Korea) or Los Angeles (USA).
In addition, procedural issues are also a concern for businesses and cultural workers. Nguyen Hoang Hai, Content Director of CGV, said that every time they shoot a film, to find a suitable film studio, businesses have to travel to many provinces, wasting time and money. According to Director Nguyen Hoang Hai, if Ho Chi Minh City had a film studio of about 100-150 hectares, it could be used for multiple functions such as film production, welcoming tourists, and developing cultural products.
Cooperation must balance all parties’ interests
Regarding investment in the cultural industry, especially in the film sector, according to Director Nguyen Hoang Hai, this is always a very difficult process because film production is considered extremely risky. Domestic capital is facing difficulties for many reasons, while foreign capital is hampered by numerous procedures.
For example, for business cooperation contracts, the application process alone can take about six months, as it must go through many departments, such as the Department of Planning and Investment and the Department of Culture and Sports. Some businesses have to set up companies abroad, while domestic companies only act as subcontractors to "circumvent" regulations.
Designer Trung Dinh and Phan Anh, CEO of VMAS Group (V-MAS), expressed the need for more supportive policies so that businesses and individuals working in the cultural sector can access preferential capital to resume operations and invest in long-term projects such as producing albums and small and medium-sized music programs.
Addressing the issue, Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang recognized the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises in the cultural sector and pledged that the city would work to develop supportive policies. He added candidly that while the city is committed to offering maximum support, businesses and cultural workers must also prove the feasibility of their projects.
At the meeting, Hoang Quoc Viet, Chairman of Vietsoftpro Joint Stock Company, highlighted the lack of digitalized cultural and heritage experience spaces in Ho Chi Minh City. He noted that while the city is lively at night, museums close early, missing opportunities that other countries have tapped through night tours.
Even in Vietnam, Hanoi has successfully attracted visitors with evening tours at the Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison. Chairman Hoang Quoc Viet revealed plans to invest in night tours in Con Dao, blending historical and cultural narratives, and to launch the “Ho Chi Minh City 360” digital platform, offering tourists paid virtual experiences of the city.
Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang assessed these as noteworthy ideas and requested the enterprise to promptly develop a specific budget, prioritizing the project in Con Dao. The city Secretary emphasized that cooperation must ensure a balance of interests between all parties. Investment incentives and tax policies related to culture will be considered by the city within the overall framework.
