Those who have been Korean movie lovers must admit that they have creative scripts, skilled production teams, and good marketing campaigns. The gritty realism mixed with romantic details create a "trend" which is also a big plus point for Korean films in the eyes of Vietnamese audiences.

A still from global megahit "Squid Game". Photo courtesy of Netflix

Binge-watching through the night

Up to now, Nguyen Thi Thuy, a resident in Hanoi's My Dinh district, has not seen the Korean movie "Squid Game" that has stormed the world. However, this survival drama television series is something she've heard non stop for the past two years, through her second grade son, 6-year-old daughter and the neighbors in her apartment.

"My kids have never watched the movie but hearing stories from friends around, and the cut scene clips can be seen on Facebook, Tik Tok, or Youtube so they know all about it. There's a time my two children and 3 or 4 neighbor's children play the Red Light Green Light game every day at the hallway," she shared.

At first, Thuy couldn't explain how the children could be so familiar with it while she was sure they hadn't seen it. Then she noticed that not only her own kids but many other children were also fascinated with this Netflix Korean hit series.

Going down to the playground, she immediately saw that the movie became a topic that attracted children more than anything. They, many as young as 5-7 years old, gathered to discuss the content and scenes in the film. They also played the movie's survival game such as Red Light, Green Light; Marbles Shooting or even singing its soundtrack," said Thuy.

The Korean movie craze in Vietnam is not only from "Squid Game", but has been going on for many years. The Vietnamese cinema-lovers, especially the young Vietnamese generation, is "addicted to K-pop and Korean movies" is an ongoing reality.

On weekends, Vu Tuyet Nga, a resident of Hanoi's Ha Dong district, often binge-watches her favourite Korean movies. According to the Gen Z girl, the characters, images, details, lines, and content of Korean films touch her as well as the fans.

“I have always dreamed of having a successful, rich, self-reliant life, having beautiful love stories, despite going through hardships but always having a happy ending. True, pure love stories are portrayed by famous actors. That is the main reason why it attract me as well as a large number of young audiences," Nga shared.

Vietnam is also a country in the group of countries that use social networks the most in the world. In the context of films shifting to release on online platforms, Vietnam is definitely a lucrative market in Asia, which Korean entertainment cannot ignore.

With great potentials, Vietnam becomes a profitable market. CGV, the largest multiplex cinema chain in Korea, with a wide cinema system throughout major cities in Vietnam, is promoting the introduction of Korean films to Vietnamese audiences.

The proof is the record number of VND 73 billion (USD 3 million) after more than a week of screening at local box offices of military comedy "6/45", or many other Korean films such as "Peninsula" or "Parasite" which earned a massive profit in Vietnamese market.

In 2020, the hit series “Crash Landing on You” was also well received by the Vietnamese audience.

A poster of Korean series "Crash Landing On You".

In-depth Development

According to Sim Sang Joon, director of the Vietnam - RoK Cultural Exchange Center (KCCC), the Republic of Korea is in a golden period with the brilliant development of movies and TV series with many successful works won numerous great prizes. Most recently, "Parasite" has snapped up four Academy Awards -- becoming the first non-English-language film to take home best picture honors at the 2020 Oscars or "Squid Game" has been awarded two historic win at the 74th Annual Emmy Awards.

"In my opinion, Korea has a special geographical position, where the convergence of world cultures from Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Protestantism. Different cultures, after being accepted by people for a while, became more creative, developed with more depth, creating quintessence, including movies and TV shows," said Dr. Sim Sang Joon.

According to him, the success of Korean films is also thanks to the experience accumulated over many years by its creative team. Korean people also have very high standards for all works of art so producers and artists have to build new plotlines and unique scripts that attract viewers.

They exploit all kinds of genres, from movies about survival, family love, elite world, among others. Their bold and unique diversity helps them conquer audiences outside of Asia. Therefore, after losing their competitive edge since the wave of tragic movies such as "Winter Sonata" or "Autumn in my heart" had died down, Korean movie industry always overcome and create new, more attractive trends to conquer the audience. It can be said that Korean filmmakers are always leading the trend, not following them, he said.

"I think the biggest strength of Korean movies is the detailed characterization of emotions. This helps the audience easily access and understand the story," Joon stressed.

Sim Sang Joon, director of the Vietnam - RoK Cultural Exchange Center (KCCC).

Korean film business is also geared towards the international market. In addition, a change in the media environment offers opportunities for success. Korean producers also try to appeal to a much broader audience groups, targeting different age groups. Along with that, focusing on expanding film distribution.

The RoK's government considers the entertainment industry a key driver for the future national economy and is heavily investing in films and series from the national budget. One of its main goals is to become the world's leading exporter and importer of entertainment and media.

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