Question 1: What are the most popular types of films in your country?

Well, watching movies is a popular form of entertainment for everyone in my country, especially young people. There are various kinds of movies but some surveys have showed that young people and children tend to have more interest in action films and superhero movies while adults like to watch romantic comedies or historical ones.

Question 2: What are the differences between watching a film in the cinema and watching a film at home?

I think watching a film in the cinema is much better and the experience is more exciting than watching it at home. A wider screen and special sound system used in the cinema really make image and sound quality much better. 

I personally like to watch films at home. I wouldn’t like it if someone sitting next to me yelled every time the hero punched the villain. I prefer the quiet atmosphere of my home to the commotion inside the cinema theatre. Also, many home entertainment systems are now capable of producing high-quality sounds and pictures.

Questions 3: Do you think cinemas will close in the future?

Due to the improvements on the quality of stereos and visual effects such as the advent of 3-D TV, people start to watch films at home more than before. To some extent, I think this will have a negative impact on the turnouts at cinemas. However, I think people would continue to enjoy outings to cinemas as going to cinemas can be deemed as social events, which cannot be substituted by watching films at home.

Theatre

Question 1: How important is the theatre in your country’s history?

I’m proud to say that theater has played a very important role in Vietnamese cultural life. As long influenced by Asian drama, especially Chinese, theater in my country encompasses both traditional and modern forms. The principal traditional forms are the popular “cheo” and the classical “tuong/ hat boi”. The modern forms include “cai luong” and spoken plays (“kich noi”). There is also a regional aspect to Vietnam’s theater. Specifically, performances of tuong/ hat boi and spoken plays are found throughout the country while cheo is found mainly in the north and cai luong in the south. Although the Y and Z generations are now more inclined to go to the cinema, our actors and actresses have always tried their best to preserve these forms of drama and still have a lot of loyal audiences. 

Question 2: How strong a tradition is it today in your country to go to the theatre?

Well, it’s still a much stronger trend in my country for people to go to the theatre and enjoy movies and dramas. Sadly, this trend is declining day by day. The middle-aged and the elderly like to go to the theatre, but most of the theatres are situated in the cities so those who live in the countryside do not have the opportunity to get a taste of it. Moreover, the young people are becoming more mobile phone oriented, and so watching movies or videos online tends to overshadow live performances.  

Question 3: Do you think the theater should be run as a business or as a public service? 

Actually, it’s a highly controversial topic. I consider the theater as a way to express art, so it needs to be supported by both the private and public sectors. Surely it’s the duty of the government to protect culture and provide fair access to those who might be interested in it, especially children and young generation. Therefore, even during hard financial times, policymakers always find a way to continue support various art forms that benefit both the government and citizens. On the other hand, many private sponsors and companies can contribute to theatres to stimulate their activities, attract tourists, retain a high-quality workforce and stabilize property values. Besides, some individual philanthropists offer financial assistance to theatre people who are so poor or face hardships in their life. Their condition should be improved; otherwise, theatre will not continue as it is and we are going to lose a prominent culture soon. Overall, I think the theatre should be run as a public service with support given by private businesses.