Blackpink stormed Hanoi at My Dinh stadium on the nights of July 29 and 30, helping the capital city attract more than 170,000 tourists and earn some 630 billion VND (26.42 million USD). (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) – A two-day concert by the girl band Blackpink from the Republic of Korea (RoK) has generated great revenue for Hanoi and raises the question on how to optimize such international shows to promote Vietnam’s image of a great city to host international events.
The municipal Department of Tourism reported that during the concert on July 29-30, Hanoi lured more than 170,000 tourists and pocketed 630 billion VND (26.42 million USD), up over 25% in both the number of visitors and revenue as compared with normal events.
Apart from the tangible benefits, such events would benefit the country more once they are optimized in the right way.
In this regard, Associate Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son, permanent member of the National Assembly’s Committee on Culture and Education, granted an interview to VietnamPlus e-newspaper of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
Unlocking potential of Vietnam’s art market
Reporter: How do you comment on the demand and spending power for music and entertainment services of Vietnamese audience following the Blackpink effect?
Bui Hoai Son: The Blackpink effect in Hanoi has demonstrated the great attraction of the girl band, as well as a diverse musical taste of Hanoians in particular and Vietnamese in general, and the great interest in international music.
Despite the high ticket prices, a portion of the audience was still willing to pay to indulge in the high-quality and memorable musical experience. This demand also reflects the potential of the Vietnamese art market. If we have enough quality products and focus more on the entertainment industry, we will have the opportunity to explore and promote Vietnamese cultural and artistic values, like the Blackpink shows.
Reporter: How would Vietnam benefit from performances by international stars?
Bui Hoai Son: We witnessed the immense attraction of Blackpink in Vietnam. Hotels were fully booked, flight tickets were sold out, the stadium was packed, and even social media platforms were tinted with the group's pink colour. Hanoi also benefited much from the concert, both economically and in terms of branding.
Vietnam has drawn many valuable lessons from the Blackpink concert. (Photo: VietnamPlus) The two-night concert brought with it numerous lessons on the market and how to promote the image of Hanoi and Vietnam through such events. Blackpink's presence in Vietnam even captured international attention. This not only creates an opportunity to promote the capital's integration into the global music arena, but also helps enhance the reputation of the domestic entertainment industry once it is utilised effectively.
Looking into Vietnam’s case
Reporter: Through the Blackpink event, what can organising units in Vietnam learn from, especially in terms of copyright and professionalism in international cooperation?
Bui Hoai Son: We will undoubtedly learn a great deal from this event to quickly integrate into the global entertainment industry, foster the country's soft power and spread its influence on various socio-economic sectors.
Blackpink ignites Vietnamese fans. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Firstly, it is clear that organizing units need to thoroughly and professionally prepare in every aspect, from stage setup, sound, lighting and security, to customer service and event management. Professionalism is the decisive factor for the success of a major event.
Apart from activities directly related to music groups, local organizers should pay attention to external factors, while promoting the image and tourism and culture potential.
Collaboration with artists and foreign organizers should also be built on the basis of trustworthy relations. Building trust and reliable partnerships in information sharing, financing, and event management is also crucial.
Through the Blackpink event, we learned another lesson regarding copyright issues. Copyright holds significance in the development of cultural industries. Respecting copyright is respecting international "rules of the game." Only through this can we integrate into the world. Organizing units should ensure that copyright-related procedures are meticulously completed and handled, avoiding last-minute complications that could lead to legal issues.
Reporter: What should Vietnam’s cultural industry learn from its RoK counterpart?
Bui Hoai Son: We can learn how to create high-quality and creative entertainment services, invest in improving the capabilities of artists and music bands, and build the image and brand to attract the attention of both domestic and foreign audiences.
The RoK’s entertainment industry can also provide experience in efficient management and marketing, and rapid and effective promotion through media and social networks. Promoting tourism by optimizing the attraction of the entertainment industry is another aspect that Vietnam can learn from the country.
However, during the learning curve, we still need to preserve and promote our traditional culture. The diversity and uniqueness of Vietnamese culture is also crucial to attracting tourists with distinctive experience.
Reporter: Thanks to its investment in the cultural industry, which began 50 years ago, the RoK has reaped admirable achievements. Vietnam has also issued relevant policies and strategies since 2016, yet a range of barriers remain. What do you think about this?
Bui Hoai Son: Developing cultural industries is a complex process that requires long-term investment, consensus, and solid cultural infrastructure.
Associate Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son, permanent member of the NA Committee on Culture and Education. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Although Vietnam has adopted policies and strategies on cultural industry development since 2016, we are still facing certain obstacles and challenges.
One of the obstacles lies with the inadequate awareness of the public, especially among a contingent of leaders, about the role and position of cultural industries in national socio-economic development. This has challenged the prioritization of mechanisms, policies, and resources to cultural industry development.
We haven’t yet offered specific incentives in terms of tax, land, public-private partnership, and public asset management in the cultural industry. In other words, the cultural industry has yet to receive optimal conditions to grow.
Other barriers relate to resources, covering financing and cultural infrastructure, including material facilities, management system over artists and works, copyright protection regulations and financial support for cultural activities.
Hanoi audience in black and pink outfits to welcome Blackpink. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Regarding human resources, I believe that we need a diverse education and training system that caters to professional training needs in culture, cinema, music, arts, and creation. To develop the domestic cultural industry, we also need to invest in and nurture artists, and cultural and artistic managers at home. This will encourage innovations and the production of diverse and high-quality content, meeting the increasing demand of the domestic audience and gradually expanding to regional and international markets.
Reporter: The news of Blackpink coming to Vietnam has thrilled fans, but the concert has encountered some "controversies", notably the "nine-dash line" on the map of the website of the show’s organizer. What should State management agencies learn from this incident?
Bui Hoai Son: We have closely supervised the licensing and approval of art programmes. The Government’s Decree No. 144/2020/ND-CP on art performances has proven effective.
However, to better the work, management agencies need to regularly inspect, monitor, and assess the operations of event organizing companies and related artists to prevent potential violations.
The popularisation of regulations regarding national sovereignty through cultural and artistic products will raise the awareness of the public, event organizing companies, and relevant parties.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Information and Communications, and local management agencies should ensure that the broadcast or screened content are in line with legal regulations.
Amid the IT explosion, content control remains a challenge due to the numerous sources of information abroad. Therefore, more efforts are required from both management agencies and society, especially the online community./.
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