Many illegal and unlicensed games provided across the border into Vietnam have been removed from Apple and Google app stores.

Vietnam’s gaming market is surging in popularity with 4.2 billion downloads in recent years. Yet, as the global gaming industry aims for $2.2 trillion by 2030, Vietnamese developers must overcome significant barriers to capture more market share.

Vietnam has introduced stringent measures under Decree 147 to regulate online gaming, including banning casino-style and card-based games to protect players and curb negative social impacts.

Vietnam’s new regulation compels Google and Apple to enforce game licensing rules, addressing years of unfair competition in the gaming industry.

The government has issued Decree 147/2024 on the management, supply and use of the internet and information on the internet under which games with images of playing cards won’t be licensed.

Local publishers estimate gaming revenue at $4.5 billion, but cross-border companies claim the lion’s share, highlighting the need for clearer policy and domestic support.

Vietnam's game development sector is growing rapidly but still struggles to tap into the global market, which is forecast to be worth $2.2 trillion by 2030.

With a young population and ability to access to new technologies, Vietnam is emerging to become an important destination for the world’s leading game companies from Japan, the Republic of Korea, China and North American countries.

The game industry in Vietnam has recorded strong progress recently, and authorities are moving to tap into its substantial potential.

The government did not include gaming in the list of business fields subject to luxury tax, but considered it as an industry with great potential. Training is the key to develop the gaming industry.

Revenues from games and applications in Vietnam are expected to reach US$2.7 billion by 2026.

“Last year, we dreamed of having $1 billion worth of revenue from the game industry. This year, we need to join hands to turn the dream into reality,” said director of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information Le Quang Tu Do.

Despite many prejudices and limitations of management policies, the gaming industry is shooting for one billion of US dollars in revenue, contributing to encouraging investment and developing domestic and international markets.

Many Vietnamese game distributors have complained that they are treated unequally with foreign platforms. Steam, for example, has issued 100,000 unlicensed games in the Vietnamese market.

With the emergence of university-level courses focusing solely on the gaming industry in recent years, Vietnam is looking forward to a growth boost in the industry for digital economy development in the near future.

The game industry in Vietnam is considered lucrative, but it is facing a number of difficulties that need to be addressed at the soonest in order to level up to its full potential.

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) plans to establish a ‘Game Hub’ to connect game makers and will organize short- and long-term training courses as part of a gaming industry development strategy.

Vietnam's gaming industry generated over $600 million in revenue in 2022 and is positioning itself as a major player in the Southeast Asian market.

A blog dedicated to exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and other trending technologies in the 21st century has said Vietnam is consolidating its role in the development of electronic games worldwide.