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Blackpink during their concerts in Hanoi at My Dinh National Stadium. Photo from Blackpink’s Twitter |
Held on July 29-30, marking the global sensation’s first-ever concert in Vietnam and the conclusion of their Born Pink world tour, Blackpink Hanoi’s concerts are considered by many to be more than just an entertainment event.
The show helps promote the name of Vietnam to more people around the world.
“The show has set many records, including international attention for Vietnam,” said communications expert Nguyen Dinh Thanh. “This group [Blackpink] has tens of millions of fans worldwide who follow and keep up to date with the activities of its members.”
And because of that, he adds, when Blackpink members mention Vietnam on their social media accounts or when the media reports their whereabouts in the country, people around the world know more about Vietnam. and may want to visit or host future events. In Vietnam.
General manager Lee Weon Suk of Daehong Communications, a South Korean marketing solutions company, agrees with the idea, saying Vietnam’s image has been promoted through the broadcasts.
“The hotel Blackpink stayed in Vietnam, the dishes they liked cakeor the ‘See Tinh’ dance they performed,” he said. “Images of the girl group enjoying or showcasing Vietnamese cultural elements have spread on the internet and show the world the unique charms of Vietnam.”
These serve to promote Vietnam’s reputation to people all over the world, led by a celebrity considered by many to be a role model. Therefore, he predicts that many people will visit Vietnam in the future to try what the group members enjoyed during their stay in Vietnam.
The concerts also show global entertainment agencies how promising the Vietnamese market is for upcoming arts and cultural events.
According to Thanh, another record set by both Blackpink shows is the number of attendees. With around 67,000 people attending the two-night show, according to the People’s Committee of Hanoi, the show was the biggest music event ever held in Vietnam in terms of audience.
As the director of a company that fills the gap to invite South Korean artists to Vietnam, Lee adds another insight that Vietnam’s potential in the eyes of major international entertainment agencies is significant.
“I have never seen such a successful event [in Vietnam]”, he says. “Even the South Korean media have been impressed by the purchasing power of Vietnamese audiences, especially those viewers who belong to Generation Z.”
With 67,000 people buying tickets that cost between 1.2 and 9.8 million VND (about 51 to 414 dollars), Lee says Blackpink’s concerts in Hanoi have changed the prejudices of South Korean entertainment agencies on the low willingness of the Vietnamese public to spend their money on entertainment and cultural events.
“Major entertainment agencies in South Korea have started to see Vietnam as a potential and probably profitable market,” he says.
These views are consistent with the claims of tourism expert Phan Dinh Hue, who says the event proves Vietnam’s capabilities to hold such international events, as well as political, economic and social stability. These are the facets event organizers often look at when deciding if they should and can stage their events in a marketplace.
“Vietnam proved to relevant international players that the country was chosen to be a stopover in the group’s world tour thanks to its strengths,” he said.
The impact of the fair on tourism is another essential aspect.
Hue adds that the event boosted the performance of the tourism industry in the post-Covid scene, which was not yet as good as expected, when domestic travelers flocked to Hanoi to watch the shows, as did the international tourists.
Indeed, online travel booking platform booking.com saw a 300% increase over last year in the number of searches for accommodation in Hanoi during the seven days around the concerts between July 26 and August 1st.
Vietnam, the United States, Thailand, South Korea and Australia were the five countries that had the most residents looking for it.
An estimated 2.38 million visitors visited Hanoi in July, an increase of 21.4 percent over the same period last year. Most of them would have come for the Blackpink shows.
Hanoi’s Ministry of Tourism announced on Saturday that the city had pocketed some VND 630 billion from tourist spending on two days of concerts.
With the Tourism Authority of Thailand reporting that the same concert in Bangkok earlier this year helped the country attract between $20 million and $30 million in tourists, as well as recent studies on the subject of music tourism, it is an opportunity that should be properly seized.
Because of these advantages, experts have suggested that Vietnamese authorities be more flexible in their policies regarding arts and cultural events involving foreign artists.
“Various organs of authority, including local foreign affairs departments, the Ministry of Public Security and local culture and information departments, are currently involved in the licensing application process for this type of events,” Hue said.
He adds that Vietnamese authorities often ask event organizers to list detailed information about the event, which is sometimes seen as an inconvenience as organizers may want to keep it confidential.
In fact, the concerts of Blackpink Hanoi have encountered some difficulties before the shows, including problems regarding the payment of royalties, which even made observers doubt their possibility.
To solve this challenge, Thanh suggests that the authorities form a specialized team to help the organizers of these events, especially those that can be considered unique opportunities.
“Otherwise, we will lose the chance to organize such events in Thailand or Singapore,” he explains. “These are not the best markets [in the region] for artistic and cultural activities for no reason.”
He adds that establishing good relationships with international event organizers is a good solution, as they are the ones who will offer global artists in which markets to organize their shows.
These suggestions should probably be given serious thought right now, especially after the global girl group had their world tour in Hanoi and made many good influences.
“Many marketers like us consider inviting K-pop stars to Vietnam after seeing the impact of Blackpink shows in Hanoi,” Lee reveals.
“Vietnam will be able to attract more events in the future, not limited to those organized only by South Korean agencies, but also global stars or major American entertainment agencies.”
