HCMC – Vietnam has classified the gaming sector as one of six priority cultural industries for investment in 2025-2030, a move aimed at boosting digital content development and expanding Vietnamese games into global markets.
The policy direction was announced at the Vietnam Game Forum, held in HCMC on May 8 as part of Vietnam GameVerse 2026, reported chinhphu.vn. The event attracted more than 300 representatives from government agencies, game developers, publishers, and technology firms.
Regulators said tax incentives for historical and cultural game projects would support investment in creative products and overseas expansion.
Industry participants said Vietnam has favorable conditions for game development, citing a young workforce, competitive production costs, and strong domestic market growth.
Data from GameGeek showed Vietnam recorded around 4.9 billion mobile game downloads last year, ranking second globally. The country has about 210 active game studios, mainly in Hanoi and HCMC.
More than 27,000 new games were launched last year, mostly in hybrid, casual, and puzzle categories.
Representatives from Google Play said Vietnam’s gaming and app downloads reached about 8.5 billion last year, up 39% from a year earlier, while publisher revenue surged 69%.
Technology firms at the forum said the market is shifting from user growth toward product quality and sustainable value creation. The gaming industry is estimated to generate more than 500,000 jobs in Vietnam.
Artificial intelligence was also a key topic at the forum. Experts from Google and ByteDance said AI could shorten code review time, support the development of interactive 3D characters, and speed up production of promotional videos.
Speakers at the event also called for greater investment in product development, workforce training, and support systems to strengthen the industry’s international competitiveness.
