Ecosystem of historical cinema
As of early April 2026, the movie "Under the Shadow" (English title: The King's Warden) became a box office miracle with revenue exceeding 150 billion won (about 95.7-96 million USD), attracting more than 16 million views, breaking many box office records.
Under the Shadow" premiered in Vietnam on April 10 and received a "rain" of praise from critics. Cinema critic Le Hong Lam said that Vietnamese filmmakers can learn a lot from the Korean way of making historical films, in which "Under the Shadow" is a typical example.
For a long time, when mentioning historical costume films, the mindset of Vietnamese filmmakers is mainly... wary. Making historical films is expensive, as director Bui Tuan Dung said, "the cost for settings - costumes is countless". But the biggest difficulty, according to Vietnamese filmmakers, is the lack of scripts, the lack of historical documents about dynasties in Vietnam.
However, "Under the Shadow" - a film that brought in revenue of 96 million USD (as of early April 2026), equivalent to more than 2,500 billion VND - was conceived with a script from only 2 lines of records in official history.
According to Korean newspapers, the historical record only has 2 lines mentioning the relationship between young King Danjong and the character Eom Heung Do revolving around Eom Heung Do secretly finding the body of the deposed king and burying it, despite the ban.
And director Jang Hang Jun said: "We have to fill all the gaps between those words.
Efforts to fill the gap between the two main historical lines have brought viewers an emotional fictional historical film.
Under the Shadow" is set in 1457 under the Joseon Dynasty, the film is based on a true historical event about King Danjong. The young king ascended the throne at the age of 12, was deposed by his uncle at the age of 15 and died in exile in the mountains at the age of 17.
The film does not delve into court wars or schemes to overthrow the dynasty. The work focuses on the time when young King Danjong was exiled in poor, remote Cheongnyeongpo, three sides of which are rivers, with only boat access.
Under the Shadow" focuses on exploiting the fate of people when pushed into extreme circumstances and how they maintain their dignity.
The excellent acting of the cast, plus the close details about the emotions, transformation, and sacrifice of each character in the face of the tragic developments of the times - touched the hearts of the audience.
Films based on true historical stories are still considered unattractive, audiences know the outcome in advance. As director "Under the Shadow of the House" said, the story of King Danjong - known to every student in Korea, the young king ascended the throne early, was deposed, exiled and died at the age of 17.
However, by recounting vivid and emotional fictional details, "Under the Lower Light" still broke records, attracting more than 16 million views, setting a revenue record.
More than just a high-grossing historical film, "Under the Shadow" also created a wave of tourists flocking to historical sites associated with the story of the young king Danjong being exiled. The film was filmed in Cheongnyeongpo, Yeongwol district, Gangwon province.
Korean newspapers reported that the Yeongwol government, Cheongnyeongpo area, had to close early for many days due to a sudden increase in the number of visitors. Authorities said that visitors arriving after 4 pm may be restricted from entering due to overcrowding.
Under the Shadow" is currently released in some countries, including Vietnam. On its first day in Vietnamese cinemas, the film grossed more than 4 billion VND. Many Vietnamese audiences after watching the film searched for history about King Danjong to read.
The economic value of a historical film project is not only in revenue, but also in the "ecosystem" that the film creates, including local tourism, spreading culture - the national story to the world.
History is a priceless resource
Resolution 80-NQ/TW on cultural development emphasizes the task of spreading the beauty of national cultural identity to the world.
The cultural industry becomes different when it has the mission of bringing "Vietnamese stories", "Vietnamese style", "Vietnamese dreams", "Vietnamese people", "Vietnamese personality"...into the world.
History and national culture have become the foundation, the love, the pride, and at the same time a priceless resource for cultural industries such as cinema, music, cultural tourism...
How to exploit the national historical story to reach the emotions of international audiences - that is the difficult problem for Vietnamese filmmakers.
Talking to Lao Dong reporters about the topic of cultural industry, Mr. Suk Jin Young - who used to hold the position of Director of the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam said: "The stories about the Joseon Dynasty are characteristic of Korean history, if the film only takes materials about this dynasty, it will be very difficult to receive sympathy and love from international audiences. Therefore, filmmakers must generalize, must add details and materials about topics that any nation or country is interested in, which can be love, ambition, conspiracy and betrayal...".
Currently, Vietnamese cinema is placing expectations on 2 film projects with historical themes, "The Last Queen" and "Guardians - The Mystery of King Dinh's Tomb".
The Last Empress" builds a script based on anecdotes about the 10-year period of living in the forbidden city of Empress Nam Phuong and Emperor Bao Dai. The film recreates historical anecdotes with ups and downs in royal marriage life.
The Last Empress" recounts the time from when Empress Nam Phuong was attached to Emperor Bao Dai until they left Hue Citadel - leaving behind golden years, starting a quiet life.
Sharing the filming day, Mr. Hoang Viet Trung - Director of the Hue Ancient Citadel Relic Preservation Center said: "... If the film is successful, it is not only the achievement of the crew alone, but also a new mark for Hue city on the screen.
The Last Queen" is mainly filmed at Kien Trung Palace, Thai Hoa Palace, Dien Tho Palace, Truong Sanh Palace, Thai Binh Lau... If the film is successful and creates a box office fever, it will simultaneously create a wave of tourism pouring into Hue capital.
The movie "Ho Linh Trang Si - Mystery of King Dinh's Tomb" is also a legendary film that is awaited to be released in 2026. The film is based on a script revolving around the story of 7 warriors escorting 100 coffins of King Dinh Tien Hoang to mislead the enemy.
The film is invested in action and martial arts scenes. "Ho Linh Trang Si - Mystery of King Dinh's Tomb" is mainly filmed in famous landmarks of Ninh Binh such as Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, Trang An... The film is expected to be released in theaters around the second quarter of 2026, if it creates attraction, "Ho Linh Trang Si - Mystery of King Dinh's Tomb" will also bring revenue to historical landmarks of Ninh Binh.
Historical material, mysterious anecdotes – or court wars of a distant era – are expected to bring a breath of fresh air to Vietnamese cinema.
As critics say, what the film tells about is not as important as "how to tell it". The way the story is told creates emotions, touches the hearts of millions of viewers - that is the most necessary thing for Vietnamese historical films today.
