Vietnamese comics
The term Viet comics was firstly introduced by Floral Age Bimonthly (Bán nguyệt san Tuổi Hoa) magazine in 1960 in Saigon.
Instead, due to long-standing influence of Chinese Confucianism, Vietnamese comics at the time often had educational contents with lessons about morality.
From 1992, Japanese manga, such as Doraemon, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball, dominated Vietnam’s comic market.
[8] Besides that, modern truyện tranh are also heavily influenced by the style of Japanese manga, American comics, Chinese manhua, and Korean manhwa.
Two most entrusted Vietnamese platforms are Comicola and POPS Comic:[14][15][16] Khánh Dương, founder of Comicola and the creator of comi.mobi, the first Vietnamese comic reading app in Vietnam, stated that:[19] "They [the South Korean government] see manhwa as part of its strategy to enhance Korea's cultural power in the world.
[35][36][37] Luân Lý - Giáo Khoa Thư, written by Trần Trọng Kim, presented issues of moral and ethical education for young people.
Although many of the books' content was no longer suitable with current educational perspectives, a lot of its lessons was "still very rich in humanistic values, preserving and inheriting the traditional ethics of the nation.
Xã Xệ and Lý Toét were fictional satirical duo which became popular in sketches through the columns of the Vietnamese newspapers in Tonkin from the 1930s to the 1940s, written by Nhất Linh and Nguyễn Gia Trí and published by Tự-Lực văn-đoàn.
Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký, known in English as the Diary of a cricket, was a popular novel written by Tô Hoài.
The story revolved around the adventures of two sisters named Bi and Bo, along with Kim Quy, a golden turtle possessing many magical powers.
The story revolved around the lives of twin sisters Mai Mơ and Chi Li, along with their close friends, at the Úm Ba La magic school.
It was the best-selling Vietnamese series for ten consecutive years until the record was broken by Thần đồng Đất Việt.
With plot set in the Later Lê dynasty, Thần đồng Đất Việt introduced Vietnamese history and culture while stayed entertaining.
[53][54][55] In 2013, an adapted series was published, naming "Thần đồng đất Việt: Hoàng Sa – Trường Sa" (Vietnamese Child Prodigies: Paracels – Spratly), which served as "a new communication strategy to convey messages of patriotism and knowledge about the country’s sea and island sovereignty to the young generations.” The book received support from local readers and the Navy High Command (Bộ Tư lệnh Hải quân), but was opposed by Chinese press.
[56][57] Comics that mostly target teenagers and adults, with styles influenced by Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and Chinese manhua.
[2][5][6][59] “Đất Rồng”, known in English as the “Dragon Land”, was a Vietnamese manga-influenced comic and a joint project of various authors from the Dimensional Art (3D Hanoi) Group.
The plot was about a modern-day girl who suddenly lost consciousness and recalled the memory of a village-head’s daughter during the Trần dynasty.
[62][63] “Địa Ngục Môn”, known in English as the “Gateway to Underworld”, was written by Can Tiểu Hy (Phan Cao Hà My).
Hopefully this will be a bridge between young people and literature.“Mùa Hè Bất Tận”, known in English as the “Eternal Summer”, was written by Lâm Hoàng Trúc.
[59][74][75] “Lớp Học Mật Ngữ” (literally means “Class of the Secret Language”) was a joint project of various authors from the B.R.O group.
[5][18][86] On February 24, 2019, the third Comics Day was launched in Ho Chi Minh City with a special visit from Nguyễn Hùng Lân, author of the once-famous Hero Hesman.
[20][87][88] For two days in 2020, from November 28 to 29, Comicola and Acecook Việt Nam organized the “Vietnam - Japan Comic Fes” (VJCF) in Ho Chi Minh City.
The new POPS Comic Awards were meant to encourage artists to submit their work in exchange for potential cash prize.
The event also had the presence of Noboru Kaneko, a famous Japanese actor who played the role of Gao Red in Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger.
[96][97][98][99] Since 2018, an anime convention named Color Fiesta has been organized annually in Ho Chi Minh City with cosplays, artist booths, and Vtuber meetups.
