Vietnam has solidified its position as Southeast Asia’s leading buyer of international television formats, with Vietnam currently accounting for 33% of the region’s unscripted format purchases, according to data presented at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest.
“If you’re in the format business, Vietnam is definitely worth your attention,” said Nguyen Tran, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Manager at K7 Media, during his presentation “Navigating Vietnam’s Film and TV Market: Trends and Insights” at TCCF.
The session shed light on the rapidly evolving entertainment landscape in this country of 109 million people. There, streaming platforms are experiencing explosive growth while traditional pay TV continues to decline. In the first half of 2025, streaming subscribers jumped 33% to 70 million, while pay TV subscribers fell from 22 million to 16.5 million.
“In Vietnam, social media is not just an adjunct; it is at the core of how audiences discover, consume and engage with content,” Nguyen explained. She cited a Vietnamese actor’s Best Actor win at Taiwan’s Golden Chong Awards in October, with thousands of exchanges circulating on Facebook from young audience members who were unaware of the award.
Approximately 85% of imports in unscripted formats come from other Asian markets, with South Korea leading the way at 35%, followed by China at 30%, Japan at 15%, and Thailand at 10%. “Formats originating from China are proliferating,” Nguyen emphasized. Talent shows account for 30% of unscripted adaptations, with Vietnam quickly adapting Mango TV’s Sisters Who Make Waves and its male spin-off Call Me by Fire, both produced by Yeah1 for VTV3.
In scripted format, South Korea accounts for 55% of the market, followed by China and Taiwan with 18% each. “What’s particularly important to note here is that many local buyers give Chinese dramas the same importance as Korean dramas,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen pointed out that Taiwanese dramas have nostalgic value in Vietnam, recalling that “Taiwanese dramas were very popular” in the early 2000s. However, “Today, Taiwanese series are perceived to be pitched towards an older Housewives audience, sustained primarily by long-running family series.”
Nevertheless, significant opportunities exist. “We recognized the demand for Taiwanese dramas beyond these long-running family series, especially among younger viewers,” Nguyen said, noting that “Someday or One Day” has gained “strong traction on social media in Vietnam.” Several Taiwanese dramas are in the top 10 on Netflix Vietnam, including “The Only One” and “The Victim’s Game.”
Vietnam’s film sector has maintained steady growth of 10% year-on-year since the 2010s, expanding from nearly 90 screens in 2010 to more than 1,200 screens today. The largest chain is CJ CGV, a Korean company. She highlighted the historical war film “Red Rain,” which was released in September and “immediately became the highest-grossing film in the country,” noting that the film brought grandparents to theaters and brought “new audience growth.”
Vietnam’s television ecosystem includes free-to-air networks, pay TV services such as VTVcab and K+, and joint ventures with Canal+ France such as SCTV. Local VOD platforms include FPT Play, VieON, and TV360, which compete with Netflix, WeTV, and iQiyi. Production companies VFC and M&T Pictures by DatVietVAC have emerged as key players.
“Co-production is common in Vietnam. Format adaptations often go beyond simple buy-sell transactions, especially with Korean companies,” Nguyen said. She pointed to opportunities in production services, noting that more than 60% of local studios participate in global VFX and animation projects.
Vietnam recorded a GDP growth rate of 7.09%, with a target of 8.3-8.5% for 2025. The country will be recognized as Southeast Asia’s strongest economy in the first quarter of 2025, according to McKinsey & Company.
Nguyen characterized Vietnam as “one of the major markets in Southeast Asia that cannot be ignored,” saying its large population, growing economy and increasingly sophisticated audience are driving demand for premium domestic and international content across multiple platforms.
