Promoting tourism through cinema is not new in the world. This combination has really brought practical results in terms of profits from film screenings, contributing to promoting the national image and culture of many countries. In Vietnam, this is still a fairly new field, with great potential and exploitation is still in its early stages. Therefore, it is necessary to soon have appropriate policies and investments to improve the effectiveness of developing tourism brands through cinematographic works, contributing positively to attracting more international tourists to Vietnam.
Research and practice show that Vietnam has a lot of potential to promote tourism through cinema, because our country has countless beautiful landscapes from North to South, many attractive historical sites, unique cultural heritages throughout the regions, enough to serve as backgrounds for many films. Experience from many countries shows that tourism and cinema working together to develop will bring about very effective dual benefits.
Koh Phi Phi (Thailand) was once chosen as the setting for Leonardo DiCaprio's movie The Beach.
Thanks to popular, world-famous movies, filming locations have become attractive tourist destinations, bringing benefits to that country, which is no longer a new thing. We can mention the case of Vietnam's neighbor, Cambodia, which is known to the world more thanks to the movie "Tomb Raider" starring actress Angela Jolie, which was filmed here. Koh Phi Phi archipelago in Phuket (Thailand) has become an attractive destination for foreign tourists... since the movie "Mission Impossible" became a hit. The most successful is probably New Zealand with the "Lord of the Rings" series directed by Peter Jackson. Starting in 2001, when the first part of the film was released, New Zealand suddenly became a "star" on the world tourism map. According to a 2013 international visitor survey of this country, 14% of tourists answered that the "Lord of the Rings" film was a factor in their decision to travel to New Zealand.
Landscape at Sandfly Bay, near Dunedin, New Zealand.
In Asia, it is impossible not to mention Korea. Having appeared in a series of popular Korean TV series such as "Dae Jang Geum", "The Four Gods", "Secret Garden" or "Boys Over Flowers", Jeju Island is the top choice for tourists when traveling to Korea. Located 63 km south of Seoul, Nami Island is known through the movie "Winter Sonata" which has attracted a large number of tourists every year. According to statistics, the success of this movie has brought Korea 3,000 billion won (2.27 billion USD), of which 840 billion won is for tourism, 20 billion won from photo books of Bae Yong Joon (the main actor) and 10 billion won from calendars with his image. After the effect of "Winter Sonata", the Korean government has identified cinema and television as the "golden egg" industry for the country to develop its economy and tourism. The Korean film "Parasite" has been a huge success at the world's most prestigious international film festivals. Since December 2019, the Seoul city government has introduced a tour to explore the filming locations of the film on the Seoul tourism website, attracting more than 60,000 visits. After that, the city continued to plan to form a tour connecting the filming locations of other works by director Bong Joon-ho such as: "Monster of the Han River"...
The lyrical and poetic beauty of Nami Island (Korea).
According to research by Dr. Doan Manh Cuong, Department of Culture and Education, Office of the National Assembly, in the past 20 years, when the wave of Korean films flooded into our country, it was easy to see that Vietnamese people also tended to choose the land of Kim Chi to go abroad. Statistics from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam show that in recent times, the number of Vietnamese visitors to Korea has increased significantly. Many people enjoy watching Korean TV dramas. That shows that the influence of films in promoting the image of a country is very important. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam shared its experience, the connection between cinema and tourism is highly valued by Korean authorities. Because, TV dramas and films exported abroad have helped tourists around the world know about Korea. Thanks to the movies, the tourist itinerary of international tourists to Korea always includes places like Jeju Island, Nami Island, Lotte World Park, Abai Ferry Terminal... which are all places that appear in the movies "Stairway to Heaven", "Autumn in My Heart", "Winter Sonata", "Dae Jang Geum", "Itaewon Class"...
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Cinema (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) shared: In 2015, the film “I see yellow flowers on green grass” was released, earning 80 billion VND, setting a box office record in Vietnam at the time of its release. After that, Phu Yen, the land chosen as the main setting in the film, became a destination for many tourists, the number of tourists to Phu Yen increased by 30% compared to before.
After the movie “I see yellow flowers on green grass” was released, the number of tourists to Phu Yen increased by 30% compared to before.
Ha Giang - the land at the head of the country in the movie "Pao's Story" with majestic mountains, poetic rivers, warm and friendly people has become an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists. Sung La village, Dong Van district has become an indispensable tourist destination for tourists when coming to Ha Giang. The movie "Mat Biec" with the ancient capital of Hue as the main setting is not only highly appreciated for its art, creating record box office revenue at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, estimated at 172 billion VND. "Mat Biec" also promotes tourism in Hue; many scenes in the movie have become attractive destinations for visitors, especially Ha Cang village, Quang Phu commune.
Filming locations of many films after completion have become attractive tourist attractions for domestic and foreign tourists. The development of tourism products through film products has been effective and vivid in practice, demonstrating the important contribution of cinema in promoting the country, Vietnamese people as well as the development of Vietnamese tourism. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, reality has proven that promoting a place through cinema always brings unexpected and powerful effects. Decades ago, many foreign films were filmed in Vietnam, surprising audiences around the world, because the image of the country and Vietnamese people was beautifully portrayed on film. These include films such as "The Lover" (L'Amant, 1991), "Indochine" (Indochine, 1992) of French cinema; “The Quiet American” (The Quiet American, 2002)… After these films were released worldwide, the locations in Vietnam chosen as the film's setting attracted many tourists from all over the world, especially Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province.
The film set of "Kong: Skull Island" when it was still operating to serve visitors.
After the release of the Hollywood blockbuster “Kong: Skull Island”, a series of locations that were used as filming locations have become new tourist destinations, attracting visitors to the Trang An World Heritage Complex (Ninh Binh) and five other scenic spots including Trang An, Van Long, Tam Coc (Ninh Binh); Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh) and Phong Nha (Quang Binh). It can also be said that the locations in the film have contributed to creating a craze among tourists visiting the film’s filming locations at the above scenic spots. This shows that when a famous film, in addition to its artistic value, is also associated with a location that was filmed in a region or an address, it becomes a destination for cinema and tourism.
Ha Long Bay - natural wonder of the world.
Most recently, on April 21, Netflix (a streaming service that allows members to watch TV shows and movies on devices with internet connection) broadcast the movie "A tourist's guide to love". This is the first international film project to be filmed in Vietnam since the COVID-19 pandemic, and also the first American film to be filmed entirely in Vietnam with real settings, not in a studio, using special effects. In the film, many famous landscapes and places familiar to tourists in Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Nam, Hanoi, Ha Giang... appeared vividly and poetically. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong highly appreciated Netflix's efforts in contributing to promoting the image, beauty and culture of Vietnam to international friends. He said that this will be a premise for Netflix as well as international filmmakers to have more ideas to produce films in Vietnam.
Natural masterpiece in the middle of the Ha Giang Stone Plateau.
Deputy Director General of the General Department of Tourism Ha Van Sieu said that film activities have had a positive impact on many tourist destinations. Both Vietnam and the world have witnessed successful films that have helped filming locations shine as attractive destinations. Conversely, tourism is also a condition that inspires films. A place with beautiful, unique scenery can greatly enhance a film. The relationship between tourism and cinema is mutual, creating new values with the contribution of artists...
In May 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will coordinate with the People's Committee of Khanh Hoa province to conduct a series of events to implement the program of linking to develop Vietnam's tourism brand through cinema. These are considered strong and practical steps on the journey to realize the dream of building Nha Trang into a cinema city of Vietnam. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong stated: Cinema is a key art industry, one of the 13 key points to be implemented when developing the cultural industry in culture. Cinema is currently the leading industry in development, both in quantity and quality. This is the only industry that has exceeded the plans set for 2018, surpassing the revenue mark of 4,000 billion VND before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The beautiful coastal city of Nha Trang is on the journey to realize its dream of becoming a film city of Vietnam.
Vietnamese cinema is internationally assessed as having one of the highest annual growth rates in the world. There were Vietnamese cinema works in the past that dreamed of reaching 100 billion VND in revenue, but now many films have surpassed this figure. Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong cited two films by Tran Thanh ("Bo Gia" and "Nha Ba Nu"), one earning 500 billion VND, the other exceeding 400 billion VND. Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong shared that cinema is a bridge closely linked to international integration, an art form that has achieved the most important results when integrating internationally. It can be said that Korea with the KPop trend, fashion, tourism... all have their starting point from cinema, they aim to bring cinema abroad to create soft power to promote domestic brands. This is the direction that most countries follow. Based on this direction, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism sees that linking Vietnam's cinema brand with tourism is important.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will coordinate to organize a conference in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa at the end of May 2023 to create a forum to connect Vietnamese tourism and cinema brands in the development process. This is also one of the 12 key programs of the Ministry to be implemented in 2023. It can be said that this is the first time the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has mentioned the connection between these two fields to directly promote brands of goods, hotels, and other tourism products associated with cinema. Guests are representatives of the Vietnam Tourism Association, large tourism businesses, relevant agencies, ministries, departments, sectors, film producers, banks, resorts, etc. will attend the conference. Within the framework of this event, there will be a Vietnam Tourism - Cinema Forum to inform about new policies related to tourism and cinema; share Korea's experience in bringing tourism brands into cinema as well as the reverse impact of cinema on tourism. At another forum, businesses, investors, and brands will directly work and propose policies to develop tourism brands through cinema. Along with that, there will be activities to visit and experience destinations such as filming locations in Khanh Hoa; film weeks, music festivals...
With its long white sand beaches, Nha Trang has been listed among the most beautiful bays in the world.
Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong said that this is the first time the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has aimed to combine cinema - one of the fastest growing industries in Vietnam in recent years - with tourism. This is the most powerful method to promote Vietnamese brands, including tourism brands. He said that based on the development of cinema as well as its spread to the world, combining cinema with tourism will contribute positively to attracting more tourists to our country. Through cinema, international tourists will know Vietnam - a safe, friendly and attractive destination. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Cinema (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) shared that Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province has its own unique beauty, converging all the elements that make up the impressive cinematic scenes that are hard to fade on the once famous films of Vietnamese cinema. Right after the country's reunification, Nha Trang has always been an ideal destination for filmmakers. The film "Confession before dawn" (1979) by Director, People's Artist Pham Ky Nam was the first film to be shot almost entirely in Nha Trang with actors The Anh, Le Van, Tran Tien... The film's story is full of emotions on the backdrop of the beautiful and poetic city of Nha Trang, the land of poplar trees once in the hearts of tourists. Next, the film "Returning to the windy sand" (1981) by Director, People's Artist Huy Thanh, made the audience unforgettable with the images of artists Huong Xuan and Tran Vinh on the white sand fields in Cam Ranh.
Dam Bay mangrove forest, Nha Trang Bay, Khanh Hoa province seen from above.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha stated that it can be seen that Nha Trang has always been a land that filmmakers have always loved and devoted to creating; preserving priceless film footage, images that will last forever with time about the beauty of the land, sky, sea, sand and people. Nha Trang Bay is one of the most beautiful bays in the world, a gift from nature to this land. Nha Trang beach has created countless beautiful film footages that have been engraved in the hearts of many generations of movie lovers, who have loved Nha Trang - a coastal city since the 80s - 90s of the 20th century. The coastal city of Nha Trang now has many charming resorts; has returned to the screen with "Beautiful Every Centimeter" (2009), "Brilliant Kisses" (2010), "Beauty Scheme" (2013); "That Boy" (2014) ... Modern films by a young, dynamic generation of filmmakers have contributed to bringing the audience a different image of Nha Trang. The Vietnam Cinema Association has chosen Nha Trang as the place to present the Kite Awards in 2022, with the main theme "Bringing sea breeze for kites to fly high" which has impressed the public; contributing to stimulating tourism, increasing the connection between cinema and tourism. From 2023, the Kite Awards will take place at That Theater, contributing to building the image, brand, and developing tourism in Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa through cinema. This is in line with the orientation of becoming a film city in the future of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa... According to the Department of Culture and Sports of Khanh Hoa province, each Kite Awards held in Nha Trang will be a time when the image of nature and people of the locality will be widely communicated and promoted domestically and internationally. Nha Trang will be a place where many famous artists in the fields of art gather, creating influence to support the locality to promote tourism...
The General Department of Tourism believes that choosing a location to hold a film event is extremely important, contributing to creating attractiveness for domestic tourism. The promotion program of the General Department of Tourism should include an introduction to Vietnam's film activities and tourist destinations that can be associated with film. Organizing farm trips for producers and surveying the context in Vietnam before major film activities is also a useful way to promote both tourism and film. On average, each tourist to Vietnam spends about 1,000 - 2,000 USD, but film crews may spend more, so the tourism industry needs to consider this as a target group of tourists that needs attention and promotion... The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognizes the importance of film in promoting the country's image; the benefits brought by the film industry and has initially had appropriate policies and investments to implement the national film development strategy. The initial connection between cinema and tourism in Khanh Hoa will be a stepping stone to create a breakthrough in local economic and social development, contributing to the development of national cinema and tourism in the future... Article: Thanh Giang Photo: VNA - Vietnam Pictorial - VNA distributed; Video: Vnews Editor: Ha Phuong Presentation: Ha Nguyen
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