The first Vietnam Film Festival was held from August 18 to August 25, 1970, in Hanoi following an issue of Vietnamese Ministry of Culture with the purpose of "encouraging the development of the national cinema". For each festival, there are several juries of 7 to 11 members for different categories of
feature film,
direct-to-video,
animated film and
documentary film. The most prestigious prize of the festival is the
Golden Lotus (Bông sen vàng) following by the Silver Lotus and the Jury Prize.
1970–1975 period During this period, film festivals were organized in a simple manner due to an
ongoing war at the time. The first festival was held in 1970 with the criterion of summarizing four years of
resistance against the US (1965–1969). The second festival in 1973 was just in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Cinema. In addition to awarding awards to films produced after the first festival, the organizers also opened an award system for
films produced before 1965.
1976–1985 period The
1977 film festival in
Ho Chi Minh City was the first festival after the
Reunification Day. From then until the
7th festival in 1985, the country struggled with economic difficulties. However, the film industry is still supported by the State. The film "
When the Tenth Month Comes" directed by
Đặng Nhật Minh emerged as a phenomenon, winning many domestic and international awards.
1986–1999 period This is the
Renovated Era of the country with many economic and cultural reforms. During this period, feature films were no longer supported by the State as much as before, overwhelmed in number by the emerging direct-to-video feature film line. With the common theme of couple's love, the cast of young and beautiful actors, this type of film, although not of high artistic value, attracts a large number of fans. The film festival officially opened an award system for this type of film in 1990. Its heat peaked in 1993 but quickly faded into the past and was replaced by
television series.
2000–2013 period The film industry during this period received many new trends with the participation of private studios. The number of feature films produced is higher than before, but the quality is often not high. The industry's
human resources are in a struggle between old and new ways of thinking. Film festivals of this period received a lot of criticism in their organization for that reason.
2014–present The number of films produced during this period increased steadily over the years and the quality gradually improved. Film festivals are also more organized. Direct-to-video feature films were officially removed from the festival in 2017 by the organizers to focus entirely on the cinematic element. The festivals are held regularly every two years, alternating with the
Hanoi International Film Festival. ==Programme==