Vietnam becomes a destination for international stars
In early September 2026, Ho Chi Minh City became a stopover for the stars of the movie "Hope: The Dead Zone". Director Na Hong Jin, along with Hwang Jung Min, Jo In Sung and Jung Ho Yeon, had two days to meet with the press, media and audiences in Ho Chi Minh City.
The simultaneous appearance of three famous Korean actors extends the list of international artists directly coming to Vietnam to promote films in the past year.
At the end of July 2025, Jung Il Woo came to Ho Chi Minh City to promote "Mang me di bo". The actor attended the launch event, met with the media and audiences. The Vietnam-Korea cooperation project then achieved revenue of about 171 billion VND according to Box Office Vietnam data.
By the end of September 2025, Lee Kwang Soo and his Korean crew will come to Vietnam to promote "Tay anh giữ một vì sao". The actor has two weeks to participate in promotional activities and cinetours in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Also in September 2025, Hua Quang Han and Vien Le Lam came to Ho Chi Minh City to introduce "Your Year, My Day". The actor's trip created a big effect in the Chinese film fan community in Vietnam.
A month later, Thai star Nadech Kugimiya and the cast of "Tee Yod 3: Astral Devils" were present in Ho Chi Minh City to promote the film and interact with audiences. The work then grossed about 82 billion VND at the Vietnamese box office.
Previously, two Thai actors JJ Krissanapoom, Pure Duangjai and director Lee Thongkham also came to Ho Chi Minh City to promote "Ghost Bride".
The frequency of international film crews appearing shows that Vietnam is receiving more attention in the promotion and distribution strategy of many Asian film projects.
The Vietnamese film market is still a fertile land
Vietnam's attractiveness comes first of all from the scale and growth rate of the film market.
According to data released by CGV Vietnam, in 2025, ticket sales reached nearly 5,600 billion VND with more than 70 million tickets sold, an increase of 24% and 29% respectively compared to 2024. Compared to 2019 - the time before the COVID-19 epidemic - ticket sales in 2025 increased by more than 35%.
In the period 2023-2025, the market maintained revenue growth of over 20%/year. This is an important basis that makes Vietnam a market of interest to film producers and distributors in the region.
Besides the revenue growth rate, the population size of nearly 100 million people creates a large potential audience. Many Korean, Thai, and Chinese stars also have a fan community in Vietnam before their films are released.
The star's direct appearance can create a series of images, videos and discussions on social networks. This effect helps the film reach a large audience in a short time, especially before and during the first days of release.
However, inviting international stars to Vietnam does not mean the film is definitely successful. The reality of the 2025 box office shows a large differentiation.
According to Box Office Vietnam data quoted by the media, "Mang me di bo" reached about 171 billion VND. "Tee Yod 3: Demons eat the gut" grossed about 82 billion VND.
Meanwhile, "Tay anh giữ một vì sao" starring Lee Kwang Soo only grossed about 11.7 billion VND. "Cô dâu ma" reached 11.3 billion VND, while "Năm của anh, ngày của em" starring Xu Guanghan stopped at about 3.8 billion VND.
The revenue gap shows that the popularity of the actor may help the film attract attention but is not enough to convince the audience to buy tickets. The quality of the work, the story and the level of suitability to viewer's taste are still decisive factors for the long run at the box office.
However, with a large audience size, rapidly increasing box office revenue and a large fan community of Asian stars, Vietnam is becoming a market that many international producers want to access directly.
