As part of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival 2025 held in early July, the film Love in Vietnam officially premiered, marking a new beginning for leveraging Vietnam’s tourism through Bollywood cinema - one of the world’s largest film industries.

The film showcases captivating scenes from Da Nang, Da Lat, Ninh Binh, Cao Bang, Ha Long Bay, and more, with 75% of the filming done in Vietnam.

According to statistics, Vietnam welcomed 501,000 Indian visitors in 2024, nearly three times more than in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. In just the first six months of this year, 337,500 Indian tourists visited Vietnam, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year.

Speaking at a recent meeting with leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, director Rahul Bali, the lead producer of Love in Vietnam, shared his impressions: “Vietnam is a beautiful country with stunning nature, friendly people, and rich cuisine. Filming here was an emotionally moving experience.” In August 2025, a new Bollywood project titled Silaa is set to begin filming in Vietnam. It will be the first Indian movie to feature scenes in Son Doong - the world's largest cave - along with other renowned destinations like Ha Long, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, and Da Nang.

The allure of the “seventh art” has proven to be an effective draw for travelers. Many global destinations have risen to prominence thanks to the popularity of famous films.

In Vietnam, the synergy between tourism and cinema has become increasingly apparent. For example, after the release of the film Indochine, several locations such as Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh), Thai Hoa Palace, Tu Duc Tomb (Hue), and Tam Coc-Bich Dong (Ninh Binh) began attracting more European tourists. More notably, the blockbuster Kong: Skull Island elevated destinations like Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Tam Coc, and Van Long into shining stars on Vietnam’s tourism map.

A survey by Booking.com revealed that up to 55% of Vietnamese Gen Z travelers are willing to visit a specific scenic site they saw in a movie or TV show.

Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, emphasized that cinema is an effective communication tool to promote the country’s image, culture, and people. It helps attract high-quality tourists and elevates Vietnam’s national tourism brand. In recent times, the tourism sector has taken concrete actions to implement a strategy of promoting tourism through cinema. These include the Vietnam tourism-cinema promotion program in the United States in September 2024; the seminar “Vietnam - A dynamic Asian market and a new destination for international film crews”; and the Vietnam Film Night at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 in France.

To establish Vietnam as a leading destination on the global tourism-cinema map, the Authority is focusing on connecting tourism with film production. Efforts include creating a favorable legal framework, enhancing the film production support ecosystem, promoting public-private and international partnerships, and utilizing movie-featured locations for tourism marketing.

Cinema is being recognized as a strategic communication channel to spread the image of Vietnam’s people, culture, and landscapes, thereby attracting high-spending tourists and enhancing the nation’s tourism brand.

According to many experts, to attract more major international film crews, Vietnam must not only offer location scouting support, service provider connections, and ensure safety and security, but also adopt more flexible, transparent, and streamlined licensing processes. Additionally, preferential tax and fee policies for film crews are recommended.

The tourism industry is also planning to organize tourism-cinema promotion forums in India, starting with a roadshow in major cities where many Bollywood filmmakers are based, scheduled for September 2025.

PV