Abstract

Amidst the landscape of cultural globalization, Hollywood serves as a pivotal force in the global diffusion of U.S. cultural values. This study investigates the impact of Hollywood on the Vietnamese cinematic sphere between 2000 and 2024. Specifically, it seeks to answer how soft power mechanisms have enabled Hollywood to mold audience tastes and film content in Vietnam, and how this dynamic has subsequently influenced the evolution of Vietnamese cinema. Integrating qualitative methodologies with descriptive statistical analysis, and drawing upon representative cinematic case studies from both the U.S. and Vietnam, this study identifies four core elements constituting the transmission mechanism of American values: (1) evoking empathy; (2) inspiring individual empowerment; (3) facilitating value reconstruction within the Vietnamese cultural context; and (4) minimizing the politicization of content. The findings reveal that Hollywood maintains its dominance through globalized content and distribution networks, while Vietnamese filmmakers simultaneously adopt and adapt these exogenous elements, thereby forging a 'hybrid' cinematic identity. Ultimately, this paper contributes empirical data on the Vietnamese film market over a 24 - year period and proposes a four - element analytical framework as a reference for future research on soft power and cultural localization.