After seven years of building a dedicated online following, Vietnamese comic artist Trần Tuấn Dũng’s character Én—a charmingly silly blue bird—has amassed nearly a million fans, demonstrating the growing appetite for domestic creative content in Vietnam.
| Cover of the comic “Here is a Swallow”. |
A Blue Bird Takes Flight: Vietnam’s Comic Scene Soars
Table of Contents
The success of characters like Én signals a shift towards supporting locally-made entertainment.
- Én’s popularity highlights the increasing support for Vietnamese creative products, particularly among young audiences.
- Despite success, the Vietnamese animation industry faces challenges including limited investment and a small domestic market.
- Dũng prioritizes character personality and world-building as key to lasting appeal, rather than chasing fleeting trends.
- The artist plans to expand Én into a broader content ecosystem encompassing comics, videos, and merchandise.
Dũng, who previously enjoyed creating humorous content, drew inspiration from “funny-silly” characters in films and animations when conceiving Én. His goal was to craft a character defined by a unique personality, unpredictable reactions, and a touch of playful irreverence designed to elicit genuine laughter.
From Digital Pages to Tangible Products
The Én fan page’s growth over the past seven years isn’t just a matter of numbers for Dũng. He emphasizes that he’s more proud of the fact that his characters are remembered for both their distinctive appearance and their memorable personalities. The artist recognizes a turning point when Én began appearing on merchandise like T-shirts, bags, and keychains, viewing it as a way to both raise brand awareness and add value.
“The good news is that the Vietnamese public, especially young people, are increasingly supporting domestic creative products,” Dũng shared. “Personalities like Én, Thỏ Bảy Màu (Seven Colored Rabbit) and Quỳnh Aka are gradually building their own creative community, helping to make the Vietnamese content market more dynamic.”
Challenges Facing Vietnamese Animation
While the future looks bright, Dũng acknowledges significant hurdles remain on the path from successful comic characters to professional animation films. The primary obstacle is the relatively small domestic market, coupled with the substantial costs associated with high-quality animation, which often deters potential investors. Vietnam, he notes, is still in the early stages of developing this industry.
Dũng initially approached animated episodes of Én intuitively and experimentally, valuing the freedom, playfulness, and personal touch this allowed. He intends to adopt a more consistent and logical approach moving forward, expanding Én into a comprehensive content ecosystem encompassing comics, videos, and commercial products.
A Vicious Cycle of Underfunding
From an industry perspective, Dũng points to a lack of investment capital as the biggest impediment to growth in Vietnam’s comics and animation sectors. Most artists are forced to rely on their own funds due to limited financial resources, making it difficult to sustain creative work or hire staff. Studios, in turn, lack the capital to invest in technology and staff training, hindering the development of outstanding products. This creates a cycle where a stagnant market discourages investors.
Despite these difficulties, Dũng remains optimistic, continuing to draw daily and create new works, diligently maintaining the unique world of his blue bird. He affirms: “For a character to last, they need personality and a world of their own. Chasing trends may be fun, but only a story and an identity of their own will ensure that viewers will remember them forever.”
Dũng’s immediate goal is simple: “I just want people to think of the name Én no longer as an ordinary bird, but as a fictional blue character named Én.” He envisions Én becoming a “Vietnamese animation icon,” believing this requires well-developed characters, compelling content, national and international accessibility, and a diverse product ecosystem. He believes that consistent exposure and the embodiment of Vietnamese cultural elements will naturally lead to wider cultural dissemination.
