The history of the animation industry in Vietnam — the oldest communist country in the world by 2019, much like its political status quo, had been a one-man-game for several decades.
The decades-long one-man-game
The first animated film ever produced in Vietnam, which title is translated into “Damn You Fox!”, is released during the Vietnam war in 1942. The story of its production is an incredible story, especially during that historical period.
The initial production techniques were inherited from the Soviet, which has its influence beyond the technicality. For decades, animation productions in Vietnam had their priority purpose of propaganda. Regardless, it was a promising, hopeful beginning for the art of animation in Vietnam.

However, for decades after that, animation in Vietnam did not have much diversity. Most animation production in Vietnam during that period was from the state-owned animation studio in Hanoi. Due to the lack of competition, it had stagnated for quite a long time.
The non-improving animation production quality in Vietnam came into light during the late 90s and early 2000s, when the cable introduced Cartoon Network and Disney Channel. Being compared to the world’s industry leaders, Vietnamese animation exposed its weakness. If you ask any Vietnamese during that time, its own country’s animation productions aren’t something for them to be proud of.
And that’s why most people in Vietnam don’t have much faith in its own country’s animation productions, making it more challenging to get awareness and fundings for today's’ projects.
Positive changes in recent years
However, in recent years, things have been more positive, especially with the emergence of independent animation studios, such as Colory Studio or Red Cat Motion. The level of production has also increased significantly.
And we have the internet to thank for. With the demand for video content on social media for advertising, marketing, and branding, there have been progressively more opportunities for the animation studios to grow, not only in terms of production quality but also in building the public’s trust.

Recently, the short animated film ‘Broken Being: Prequel’ produced by DeeDee Animation Studio using the 2D animation style, has acquired some positive feedbacks from the public. It was cited as “the first animated film in Vietnam that aims at the adult audience”.
The film has also achieved awards and officially featured in several international film festivals, making it a refreshing new improvement for the animation industry in Vietnam.
However, the novelty will eventually wear off. And like many other animation studios here, DeeDee has a lot to prove, in order to revolutionize the industry.
What awaits in the future?
It is no doubt that despite some positive improvement, the animation industry in Vietnam still has a lot of rooms to grow. Will the next decade sees a new chapter of Vietnamese animation? Time will tell.