The meeting was held by the HCMC Party Committee’s Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission at Thieng Lieng Hamlet in Thanh An Island Commune as the second-quarter thematic seminar for 2026 under the theme “Developing HCMC’s Cinema Associated with Promoting HCMC’s Cultural, Historical, and Tourism Values.”
Delivering her remarks at the seminar, Deputy Head Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission firmly emphasized that this particular cinema-focused gathering holds profound significance, arriving right after HCMC was officially inscribed as a Global Creative City in the cinematic field in late 2025.
Notably, it’s entirely evident that the city’s cinematic landscape is determinedly transitioning from a purely artistic pursuit into a fully-fledged cultural industry. The most pressing dilemma on the table is how to steer the cinematic sector’s development in the right direction, maintaining perfect lockstep with the firmly established objectives.
Deputy Head Thanh Thuy posited that while numerous films have successfully captivated audiences, local productions still desperately need to continuously elevate their overall quality to confidently step out onto the unforgiving international market.
“The most pivotal element is figuring out how to successfully build a robust brand for Vietnamese cinema, because, at the end of the day, a strong brand is the ultimate factor that firmly affirms our position when entering the market,” she emphatically stressed.
During the rigorous discussion, the burning question of how to properly support young filmmakers throughout their arduous professional journey reportedly garnered tremendous attention.
For actor Quyen Linh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Cinema Association, the current landscape clearly reveals a glaring gap. He argued that alongside its existing strengths, the city’s cinema still starkly lacks robust support mechanisms specifically tailored to foster the subsequent generation.
The Vice Chairman proposed that the city genuinely needs to explore establishing an HCMC Cinema Fund or a similar support mechanism to seamlessly exploit social resources, heavily back projects boasting stellar concepts, and create favorable conditions for young creators to roll out their masterpieces.
Agreeing with that, People’s Artist My Uyen asserted that the municipal authorities don’t necessarily have to outright bankroll the entire production budget. She pointed out that such preliminary backing acts as a foundational springboard, instilling the requisite confidence for filmmakers to continuously mobilize further social resources. The most crucial aspect is to help brilliant ideas genuinely materialize.
Representing the youth demographic, director Nghia KAO explicitly suggested that beyond the narrative of capital sources or cinematic support funds, what the younger cohort currently needs is a crystal-clear information and guidance framework so they can effortlessly access and execute film projects strictly according to regulations.
In the midst of the lively debate, various participants also actively advised that the city desperately needs to establish a dedicated Cinema Council to guide filmmakers through complicated procedures and policy frameworks. Additionally, they underscored the absolute necessity of constructing specialized film studios and resolving intricate puzzles surrounding distribution channels and the screening ratios dedicated specifically to Vietnamese movies.
Delivering her concluding remarks, Deputy Head Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy affirmed that the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, alongside the HCMC Department of Culture and Sports and the HCMC Cinema Association, will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the ranks of artists and cinematic professionals.
This profound alliance aims to vigorously cultivate the city’s cinematic foundation to expand in the direction of a cultural industry, gradually elevating its prestigious standing on both the regional and global cinematic maps.
At the thematic seminar, participating delegates were also treated to a comprehensive tour of several community-based tourism models across the Thieng Lieng Hamlet, where they intently listened to detailed presentations covering the locality’s cultural and tourism evolution.
