Movies including “Dao, Pho and Piano” (Peach Blossom, Pho and Piano), “Dia Dao: Mat Troi Trong Bong Toi” (Tunnels: Sun in the Dark), and “Mua do” (Red Rain) achieved box office success. The genre is experiencing a powerful resurgence.
From the story, the way of making strategic marketing, each component has been executed with professionalism, contributing to clearly changing the audience's perspective, bringing them closer to the pages of history with fresh emotions.
Not a miracle
Nguyen Thanh Truc, an audience member, said that some films are not just to be watched—they are meant to be etched into the heart. “Mua do” (Red Rain) is a blood-stained epic, where every drop of rain falling on the Quang Tri Citadel seems to merge with the crimson sacrifice of young men barely eighteen or twenty.
Earlier, at the film’s premiere in Hanoi, Colonel Nguyen Van Hoi, Head of the Liaison Committee of K3 Tam Dao Battalion, one of the few survivors who returned from the battlefield, stated that the film brought back to life the 81 days and nights he and his companions fought to defend the Quang Tri Citadel. He never imagined that, 50 years later, he would be able to watch a film about that battle. He was there and lived it, and yet he still couldn’t hold back his tears.
Following heartfelt posts that garnered hundreds of comments and thousands of likes on social media, the film "Mua Do" (Red Rain) has truly become a box office sensation. Film "Mua Do" (Red Rain) has grossed more than VND100 billion (US$3.8 million) in ticket sales within just three days of its release and surpassed VND200 billion (US$7.6 million) by August 28, merely eight days into its official run, setting a new benchmark for a historical, revolutionary war film in Vietnam.
The success of films like "Mua Do" (Red Rain) and “Dia Dao: Mat Troi Trong Bong Toi” (Tunnels: Sun in the Dark) is no stroke of luck; it stems, first and foremost, from intrinsic strengths. Both works are the product of decades-long creative gestation.
“Dia Dao: Mat Troi Trong Bong Toi” (Tunnels: Sun in the Dark) underwent a full year of pre-production, followed by another 12 months of filming. Meanwhile, Red Rain was three years in the making, with its 81-day shoot carried out entirely under harsh weather conditions, including rain and floods, at times so severe the crew feared they could not go on.
With significant investment poured into film settings, costumes, military equipment, and post-production, the films deliver a visual and emotional experience powerful enough to draw audiences back into cinemas. The result is not just visually striking scenes but sequences that transport viewers straight into the harrowing battles of the past, amidst falling bombs, blazing gunfire, and an atmosphere thick with the scent of death yet still imbued with an unwavering spirit of optimism.
The image of a soldier in the film “Mua do” (Red Rain) willingly becoming a “human torch” rather than surrendering stands as a powerful testament to that enduring spirit. Each historical story and every character offer the audience a deeply immersive experience. What makes the film especially moving are the vivid, humanizing details, such as fear in the face of death, the spark of young love, gnawing hunger, and the gut-wrenching anguish of a mother caught on opposite sides of the battlefield. These moments breathe life into history, not just as facts, but as lived emotion.
Power of Resonance
Encouragingly, the recent success of historical and war-revolutionary films has been a chain reaction. The movie, “Dao, Pho and Piano” (Peach Blossom, Pho and Piano), released during the 2024 Lunar New Year, sparked unexpected curiosity, with many viewers lining up to buy tickets. Though its box office earnings of over VND20 billion (US$760,000) were modest, they marked a significant leap forward.
Then came “Dia Dao: Mat Troi Trong Bong Toi” (Tunnels: Sun in the Dark) and “Mua do” (Red Rain), both demonstrating a clear rise in quality, backed by professional production values and well-executed marketing strategies. Their success is no stroke of luck; it is the outcome of deliberate, sustained effort.
Another noteworthy highlight is the emerging model of public–private collaboration. “Mua do” (Red Rain) was the result of a strategic partnership between the People's Army Cinema and Galaxy Studio, while “Dia Dao: Mat Troi Trong Bong Toi” (Tunnels: Sun in the Dark) received crucial support from the Ministry of National Defense and other relevant state agencies.
Coming up next, the film “Tu chien tren khong” (Deadly Dogfight in the Skies) continues the trajectory of public-private film collaboration between the People's Public Security Cinema and Galaxy Group. This partnership strikes a careful balance between key factors, including sufficient investment resources, historical and technical accuracy, and the high artistic standards expected of contemporary cinema.
But there is also a special resonance that is the contribution of living witnesses. Colonel Kieu Thanh Thuy, executive producer of “Mua do” (Red Rain), revealed that the film crew made a bold decision to invite war veterans to take part in the filming process.
In one particularly haunting scene, a battlefield surgery bunker amid the chaos of bombings, the image of a soldier with both legs amputated lying on a hospital bed was not portrayed by an actor but by an actual veteran who had once fought in Quang Tri. His presence brought an authenticity that no script or performance could ever replicate.
In ‘Dia Dao: Mat Troi Trong Bong Toi” (Tunnels: Sun in the Dark), the character of Tu Dap was inspired by Hero of the People's Armed Forces To Van Duc, who lived and fought in Cu Chi, witnessing fierce years of battles and contributing to the heroic history of this region.
In “Tu chien tren khong” (Deadly Dogfight in the Skies), the flight captains, navigators, and flight attendants who were aboard the commercial airliner hijacked nearly 50 years ago also took part in the production as advisers.
At this time, Vietnamese cinema still needs many more works to truly reclaim the stature of historical and war-revolutionary films. Yet, after years of dormancy, the genre has undeniably awakened, not only revived but also reenergized, and is now finding its place within a vibrant and increasingly dynamic market landscape.
Whether this cinematic genre will continue to flourish depends not only on filmmakers and producers but most crucially on collective support from the wider community. At the heart of it all lies the audience, whose engagement and encouragement will ultimately determine the genre’s future. With that support, Vietnamese cinema will be empowered to tell more chapters of the nation's history with greater depth, artistry, and emotional power.
Hero of the People's Armed Forces, Lieutenant Tran Trong Can, said that he believed that stories of war would never fade from the hearts of the younger generation. He hoped that they would take these stories as inspiring examples to strive for excellence in life and in their respective fields of work.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Tran Nam Chung, Director of the People's Public Security Cinema, the People's Public Security Cinema chose the hijacking theme because it had never been explored before in Vietnamese cinema. These are ordinary people who became heroes by protecting the safety of the public in exceptionally dangerous circumstances. He hoped the film would bring audiences a fresh spiritual experience and a new emotional perspective on the theme of safeguarding the nation’s skies.
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