Cultural industry: form and influence
As the country’s largest economic and cultural center, Ho Chi Minh City is making great efforts to make culture a new engine of development. From the Cultural Industry Development Strategy for 2020-2035 to the Cultural Industry Development Project to 2030, Ho Chi Minh City has demonstrated its determination to build an advanced, integrated and creative culture that is harmoniously linked to urban economic development. This is the basis for the cultural industry to become a pioneering industry and strengthen the image of Ho Chi Minh City on the creative map of the region and the world.
In the past five years, efforts to develop the cultural industry in Ho Chi Minh City have left many traces and provided impetus for a breakthrough. A number of arts programs with Ho Chi Minh City’s own brand have appeared more and more frequently: the Ho Chi Minh City International Music Festival (Ho Do), two seasons of Vietnam Music Week, the GENfest Music Festival (Multisensory Music Portal)… Ho Chi Minh City has also become the destination of many major national and international music programs, such as: B. Westlife’s The Wild Dreams at Thong Nhat Stadium; Guitar legend Steve Vai’s Inviolate World Tour at Nguyen Du Stadium (first stop in Southeast Asia); BridgeFest 2023…
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen The Dung, former rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture, commented: “Ho Chi Minh City offers numerous advantages for the development of cultural products, services, cultural and creative industries across the country. The city concentrates all resources on development (including cultural resources) and strives to become a cultural center of Southeast Asia by 2030 and an attractive one by 2045 “To become a global destination with distinctive cultural development.”
The film industry is considered a key sector in the cultural industry development plan and contributes to completing the accession documents to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Ho Chi Minh City is currently the country’s film center and is characterized by strong socialization over the past two decades. The city has about 40% of the country’s film market (Hanoi about 30%) and has dozens of dynamic film studios and private production facilities that create tens of thousands of jobs.
In parallel with organizing events and developing creative industries, Ho Chi Minh City pays special attention to establishing and expanding modern cultural institutions to meet the entertainment needs of the population while creating a creative space for artists. The city is implementing the construction of the Ho Chi Minh City Symphony, Music and Ballet Theater in the new Thu Thiem urban area with over 1,700 seats; the opening of the Phu Tho circus and multi-purpose theater with an area of 10.000 m² a total investment of VND 1.395 billion with numerous international standard equipment; the modernization of the Ho Chi Minh City General Scientific Library into a digital library and the digitization of approximately 6 million pages of digital documents. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City has developed an information portal system that networks the entire public library system and is connected to the library through 22 website branches; expanded the possibility of searching for information via the information portal for the municipality; strengthened connections between university and school libraries; Promoted the collection and digitization of ancient, rare and indigenous documents…
These steps show that Ho Chi Minh City is not only setting simple economic goals, but also positioning its identity, brand and soft power, reinforcing the belief that culture can become the driving force for the city to reach regional and global levels.
Groundbreaking restructuring in sport
Ho Chi Minh City is considered one of the country’s leading sports centers. At the Conference of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to Review the First Six Months of the Year and Allocation of Tasks for the Last Six Months of 2025, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Nam Nhan shared his views on the development of physical education and sports in the city in the new conditions: from the post-merger organizational structure to the modern one Management model for grassroots sports networks.
Ho Chi Minh City is facing a strategic vision: it wants to become a “super sports center” in the country and thus contribute to the development of Vietnamese sports in the new era. This is also one of the goals of sports development mentioned in the policy report of the 4th Congress of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City (term 2025-2030). Accordingly, investments should be made in improving services, the city should be developed into an important sports center in the country and sufficient conditions should be created for the organization of regional and global sports events and activities.
Groundbreaking international sporting events (such as the international athletics competitions, the marathon, the “Golden Racket” table tennis tournament) and current activities (such as the International Martial Arts Festival, the “Vietnam Open” badminton tournament or the Vietnam Dancesport Festival) have given new impetus to the sports industry in the city named after Uncle Ho. These events not only attract athletes from many countries, but also generate high revenues from sponsorship contracts, sports products and services, and attract international tourists, contributing to a significant increase in city revenues. For example, the 2024 Teqball World Cup was hosted by Ho Chi Minh City for the first time – an international sporting event with a huge impact. According to statistics from the organizing committee, this event reached 470 million potential customers worldwide, an increase of 400% compared to the previous year, and was broadcast by media in 74 countries – a record for Teqball. Total media value reached $2.1 million, an increase of over 200% compared to the previous event in Bangkok, Thailand. These figures not only reflect media impact, but also clearly demonstrate the economic value that an international sporting event can bring to Ho Chi Minh City.
According to Dr. Ly Dai Nghia, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Training and Competition Center, major sporting events in Ho Chi Minh City bring significant economic benefits by promoting sports tourism. Ho Chi Minh City can seize the opportunity to develop more in the areas of sports tourism, water sports industry and supporting services. In addition, supporting industries such as advertising, media, retail and medical services, and sports rehabilitation can develop rapidly, contributing to the enrichment of the city’s sports economy.
From cultural industries to sports, Ho Chi Minh City clearly shows its determination to restructure and comprehensively modernize to become a creative, dynamic and integrated “super city”. The parallel investments in new industries, modern cultural and sports infrastructure and a system of measures to promote socialization have given the city a sustainable direction. This is not only a preparation for the future of a knowledge-based economy, but also reaffirms the identity and “soft power” of Ho Chi Minh City – the country’s leading economic, cultural and sports center, which aims to become a creative center of Southeast Asia by 2030 and a global tourist destination by 2045, thus realizing the international ambitions of a young and dynamic “super city”.
Ms. NGUYEN THI THANH THUY, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City:
Space and market for creative community
In addition to organizing brand-promoting events, Ho Chi Minh City is also a market that attracts literary and artistic activities. New creative spatial models not only reflect the diversity of cultural and artistic approaches, but also contribute significantly to the development of local creative communities, thereby spreading their influence regionally and internationally.
Mr. NGUYEN NAM NHAN, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City:
Sport for social and economic value
After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City will have more resources, institutions and the necessary strength to build a modern, unique sports center with nationwide appeal. This is a step in line with the vision of the Vietnamese sports industry for the coming period: the shift from the “sports for medals” model to “sports for social and economic values” and the move towards Olympic, professionalized and modernized sports.
NGUYEN ANH – THIEN THANH
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