The capital city of Hanoi has just inaugurated its most modern cinema complex that meets international standards. Megastar Media JV Vietnam and Phuong Nam Cultural Joint Stock Company decided to pour US$5 million into the multi-functional Megastar Cineplex which has eight separate movie screens and houses more than 1,100 seats, providing further choice for moviegoers in addition to the existing 12 cinemas in Hanoi.

The complex is located on the sixth floor of the Hanoi Vincom trade centre – one of the most bustling trade centres in the capital city - to capitalise on shoppers and audiences’ demands for shopping and entertainment activities.

In the first phase of the project, the complex will screen subtitled films to ensure the ultimate quality of original sound. Ian Riches, a consultant from Megastar in charge of building and managing cinema complexes in Hanoi said Megastar is considering the dubbing technique for films in the second phase.

The inauguration of a modern multi-functional cine complex in Hanoi signals the recovery of the fledgling cinema industry in Vietnam, which was overshadowed by the blossoming of the home video technology during the last more than 10 years. Many cinemas had closed down and were turned into restaurants, bars and discotheques.

Several years ago, the well-equipped National Cinema Centre was built in Hanoi to cater for the diverse tastes of moviegoers. After its initial success, many cinemas were upgraded and restored in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, particularly with the participation of private film studios. However, movie connoisseurs were not satisfied because they had little choice out of the limited range of provided films.

In addition, cinemas are struggling very hard against the rampant piracy of videotapes on the market. Vietnam has signed the UN Berne Convention and cultural managers have vowed to crack down on pirated tapes. But, like a chronic disease, there has been no effective remedy yet for piracy, as Vietnamese moviegoers’ habits remain unchanged.

Enghee Lim, Megastar director general, said he hopes that genuine moviegoers will go to the movie to enjoy broad-screen films with surround sound and the exciting atmosphere. As part of its strategy, he said Megastar Cineplex will select prize winning films and debut features for the first time in Asia and other continents across the world, as well as selected Vietnamese films for screening.

The Vietnamese film Chuyen cua Pao (Pao’s story) which recently won the 2005 Golden Kite prize was selected for screening during the complex’s first debut week on April 27.

Megastar Media JV Vietnam plans to build seven similar cineplexes in Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Bien Hoa and other regions.  

To gain the lion’s share of the market, Thien Ngan company has co-operated with Warner Bros to build its first cinema complex, which is expected to be put into operation later this year or early next year. The move shows that Vietnam’s cinema industry is thriving and audiences will have more choice of cinemas with better services.