[기조강연2] 베트남에서의 K-콘텐츠의 과거, 현재, 미래

The Past, Present, and Future of K-Content in Vietnam

In this article, I discuss the past, present, and future of K-content in Vietnam, presupposing the shift in discourse from ‘Korean Wave’ to ‘K-content’ and its implications. Korean Wave(Hallyu) researchers generally agree that the Korean Wave in Vietnam began in the late 1990s, with dramas playing a leading role. Since the late 1990s, Korean films have also been steadily entering Vietnam. The remarkable phenomena related to the acceptance of Korean films in Vietnam are ‘joint production’ and ‘remake’. The Korean Wave in Vietnam has spread further through K-pop. It can be seen that the index of ‘K’ was more prominently recognized in the process of enjoying K-POP. The recognition-proliferation of the ‘K’ indicator is an important opportunity in discussing the history of ‘K-content’ in Vietnam. The size of Vietnamese content market is expanding due to the high proportion of the young population and the growth of the IT industry. Despite the impact of COVID-19, the Vietnamese film market is showing remarkable resilience. In the recent growth of Vietnamese films, film joint projects between Korea and Vietnam are being actively promoted. In the case of <Mang Me Di Bo>, which was released in August 2025, it was produced with an original screenplay, and the Korean production team conducted in-depth research on the people, lifestyle, and culture of Vietnam to complete an original story that contained Vietnamese sentiments. In the ‘Remake’, which has been the traditional method of film cooperation between Korea and Vietnam, meaningful changes have recently appeared. <Dieu Uoc Cuoi Cung>, a remake of the Korean film <The Great Wish(위대한 소원)>, reinterprets the dialogue and setting to suit the local audience’s sentiments. When discussing the future of K-POP in Vietnam, we can discuss the expandability of K-POP content. K-POP is affecting the overall entertainment industry in Vietnam beyond the POP landscape in Vietnam. Performances can be considered a barometer for gauging the future of K-POP in Vietnam. As experienced through the controversy surrounding Black Pink’s <Bon Pink: World Tour Hanoi>, it can be seen that in-depth understanding of the historical and cultural elements and political and social issues of the host country should be accompanied in the process of planning the K-POP performance. In conclusion, it is necessary to reflect deeply on the task of ‘localization’ or ‘Vietnamization’ in determining the direction of K-content practice in Vietnam. In attempting to forecast the future of K-content in Vietnam, it is required to adapt K-content to Vietnamese environmental language, social and cultural context through appropriate Vietnamization.