Vietnamese Animation: Breaking through with identity

For many years, Vietnam’s animation industry largely operated behind the scenes of the global entertainment market, contributing technical expertise to projects from the United States, Japan and Europe.

Today, however, a new generation of Vietnamese creators is seeking a different path.

Rather than remaining a silent link in the outsourcing chain, many studios and young artists are beginning to develop original works shaped by Vietnamese perspectives, cultural nuances and personal storytelling voices.

This transformation marks more than a creative shift. It reflects a growing effort to define Vietnam’s place within the global cultural and creative industries through stories told by Vietnamese people themselves.

The journey of self-positioning

For decades, Vietnam’s animation industry was largely known as one link in the outsourcing chain for major film markets such as the United States and Japan.

Vietnam has never lacked skilled artists with technical abilities approaching international standards, yet the name “Vietnam” itself has remained faint on the global creative map.

Mr. Hà Huy Hoàng, Art Director of DeeDee Animation Studio, observes that today’s Vietnamese animators often resemble “sponges”: quick to absorb creative influences from Japanese styles to the individuality of Western storytelling, but still struggling to discover a distinct voice of their own.

Some popular Vietnamese animated films. (Photo: Lê Thảo)

The current period is seen as a turning point where the younger generation of creators is no longer satisfied with simply working on commission.

They aspire to create original intellectual properties that carry personal and national identity.

However, instead of shouting grandiose slogans, units like DeeDee Animation Studio are choosing to work from the inside out, focusing on the essence of creation itself.

As Mr. Huy Hoàng puts it: “We do not expect immediate, spectacular success. We choose to work like people lighting the spark: our task is to ignite a flame from our own passion. Whether that spark grows into a powerful flame depends on the era and the audience.”

Mr. Hà Huy Hoàng (Art director of DeeDee Animation Studio) shares insights from his experience in the animation industry. (Photo: Đỗ Quyên)

The challenge of telling Vietnamese stories through animation does not lie in forcedly cramming traditional symbols into every frame.

According to DeeDee Animation Studio’s Art Director, identity is not an obligation but a natural reflection. When filmmakers are Vietnamese - nurtured by the Vietnamese soul, the national spirit will naturally permeate their creative thinking, character behavior, and the rhythm of the film itself.

This marks a transition from an “imitation” mindset to a mindset of inner understanding.

Ms. Trần Thị Ngọc (21, a student at the University of Commerce) shares this point from the audience’s perspective: “What excites me most about Vietnamese animation right now is the desire to see Vietnamese people tell their own stories.

That sense of closeness does not come only from decorative symbols, but sometimes just a small detail in the setting or an honest way of storytelling is enough for audiences to find resonance.”

Student Trần Thị Ngọc shares her perspective as a viewer. (Photo: Lê Thảo)

Raising professional standards and aspiring to conquer the world

For a story rooted in local identity to travel far, sincerity alone is not enough. It must also be conveyed through a professional cinematic language that meets international standards.

Mr. Hà Huy Hoàng points out that young audiences today are highly demanding because they have grown up with the finest productions from industry giants such as Disney and Pixar.

Therefore, the core goal for Vietnamese studios like DeeDee Animation Studio have set themselves is to elevate professional techniques to a convincing level.

Every animator constantly strives to achieve fluid movement and cinematic visual storytelling that can stand alongside more developed industries.

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Raising professional standards, in this sense, is the most important “passport” for Vietnamese animation in order to confidently enter the global stage without asking for "favoritism" or “leniency” simply because it is “local".

In fact, it has been proven that when quality reaches a certain maturity, language and cultural barriers begin to fade.

At international film festivals and forums, works carrying a Vietnamese spirit have started receiving appreciative nods from audiences across continents.

Silka, a viewer from Belgium, shared her reaction after watching “Jelly’s Bean” by DeeDee Animation Studio: “Although I do not watch much animation anymore as an adult, this film was truly captivating. I was especially impressed by its humane message. This is a unique story with its own identity that doesn't remind me of any other country’s style. I believe such high quality content like this absolutely has the potential to reach wider international audiences, especially for children in countries like Belgium".

The response of a viewer from a country with a long animation tradition such as Belgium is itself a small but meaningful sign of its potential to connect across borders.

Ms. Silka from Belgium expresses her interest in the Vietnamese animated film. (Photo: Đỗ Quyên)

Although the journey toward defining a distinctive identity still faces many obstacles from social preconceptions to economic constraints, the steps taken by DeeDee Animation Studio and a number of digital content creators have begun to kindle belief in a new position for Vietnam on the global creative industry map.

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