Vietnam War film 'Red Rain' breaks box office records

By Mai Nhat September 3, 2025 | 01:47 am PT

War film “Mua Do” (Red Rain) has grossed over VND400 billion (US$15 million) in 12 days in theaters, becoming the fastest to do so.

It reached the milestone on Tuesday. On Monday, it earned more than VND55 billion, breaking the single-day revenue record for a Vietnamese film previously held by "Mai." It has sold more than 4.45 million tickets, with over 5,500 screenings nationwide each day.

Dang Thai Huyen, the movie’s director, has become the first woman director to hit the VND300 billion and VND400 billion milestones at the box office.

A scene in the movie Mua Do (Red Rain). Photo courtesy of the movie production team

An early scene in "Mua Do" depicts soldiers from the north of Vietnam marching toward the Quang Tri Citadel battlefield in central Vietnam. Photo courtesy of the production team

The company predicted that with few major competitors in the coming weeks, the film could surpass "Mai" (VND551 billion) to become the highest grossing Vietnamese film of all time. Nguyen Hoang Hai, chief content officer at CGV Vietnam, said the success of "Mua Do" marks a turning point for the industry.

"This box office [success] is well deserved, reflecting the production team’s dedication." The film depicts the Second Battle of Quang Tri in the Vietnam War in 1972.

Scriptwriter Chu Lai focuses on the lives of a squad of soldiers from different regions. The main character, Cuong, a martial arts-trained conservatory student, gives up the opportunity to study abroad to enlist. Under the leadership of Ta, he and his squadmates, Binh, Tu, Hai, and Sen, battle side by side, overcoming their different backgrounds and personalities.

Produced on a large scale, the film was shot on a 50-hectare set built along the Thach Han River in Quang Tri. The production employed advanced equipment, including up to seven cameras for major battle scenes. While the budget has not been disclosed, industry observers estimate it was in the hundreds of billions of dong.

In recent years revolutionary war films have attracted growing audiences. Phi Tien Son’s "Dao, Pho va Piano" (Peach Blossoms, Pho, and Piano) released in early 2024 grossed nearly VND21 billion. In April this year Bui Thac Chuyen’s "Dia Dao" (The Tunnel) about soldiers in the Cu Chi Tunnels in HCMC earned VND172 billion.