Film ratings and film rating criteria according to the latest regulations in Vietnam

Film ratings in Vietnam

Film ratings in Vietnam determined according to the rating criteria defined in Article 3 of Circular 05/2023/TT-BVHTTDL are arranged in ascending order as follows:

- P rated: Eligible for dissemination to viewers of all ages;

- K rated: Eligible for dissemination to viewers under 13 years old, provided that they are with their parents or guardians;

- T13 rated (13+): Eligible for dissemination to viewers from 13 years old or older;

- T16 rated (16+): Eligible for dissemination to viewers from 16 years old or older;

- T18 rated (18+): Eligible for dissemination to viewers from 18 years old or older;

- C rated: Prohibited from dissemination.

Film ratings and film rating criteria according to the latest regulations in Vietnam (Internet image)

Film rating criteria in Vietnam

- Films shall be rated according to the following criteria:

+ Theme and content;

+ Violence;

+ Nudity and sex;

+ Drugs, stimulants and addictive substances;

+ Horror;

+ Vulgar language;

+ Dangerous and easily imitable behavior.

- Film rating as per Article 2 Circular 05/2023/TT-BVHTTDL shall adhere to the following principles:

+ Children and other vulnerable viewers must be protected from content that is inappropriate or likely to have negative impacts;

+ Film rating must be based on the manner of expression; specific situations and contexts; interactivity; frequency; duration; level of detail of images, sound, lighting, and dialogue; and the level of impact on viewers, in which the importance of the context and the level of impact on viewers and listeners are priority factors in rating a film;

+ A film is rated at a lower level when:

++ Its content is depicted verbally rather than visually;

++ The images of the film have a low level of impact.

+ A film is rated at a more stringent level when its content:

++ Contains more details, including close-ups and slow motion;

++ Uses highlighting techniques such as lighting, perspective, and resolution;

++ Uses special effects such as light, sound, noise, resolution, color, image size, characteristics, and tones;

++ Is realistic instead of stylized;

++ Encourages interaction;

++ Has an impact at a level increased by a combination of rating factors.

+ A film that is in the middle of the given ratings may be rated at a lower level if it has a way of handling the situation and the situation-handling result conveying an educational and humane message, praising moral and social values, and having positive impacts on viewers.

- The theme and content factor of a film shall be determined according to the general principles specified in Clause 2 of this Article and purposes, nature and way of handling of situations as follows:

+ Level of impact that results in the formation of emotions, ideas, aesthetics, understanding, and the acceptance of the theme or content of the film by age groups of viewers;

+ Protecting viewers from the false perception of ethical values, mores, family and social relations; ethnicity, belief, religion; children's rights, discrimination and sensitive, implied, metaphorical topics.

- The violence factor of a film shall be determined according to the general principles specified in Clause 2 of Article 3 of Circular 05/2023/TT-BVHTTDL and purposes, nature and way of handling of the situation that the film depicts, specifically including:

+ Realism of situations, presence of children and/or women in scenes of violence or scenes of animal abuse;

+ Scenes that encourage violence; characters gaining the experience of self-satisfaction in pain, promoting or flaunting violence;

+ Unprovoked violence; contents that make viewers assume that victims enjoy violence, or encourage viewers to perform the imitation;

+ Acts of violence that are presented in the film in a humorous, exaggerated, or fictional manner; that are depicted in the film to serve the purpose of condemning violent behaviors, and result in positivity, criticism and elimination of the bad and the evil;

+ Explicitly showing acts of crime and violence involving the use of weapons; images that inflict pain, show bleeding and callousness to victims.

- The nudity and sex factor of a film shall be determined according to the general principles specified in Clause 2 of this Article and purposes, nature and way of handling of the situation that the film depicts, specifically including:

+ The theme, content and images of nudity or sexual activity that are not meant for pornographic acts or sexual assaults, except with the intention of condemning or criticizing these acts; that serve educational purposes, convey educational messages, and are fitted to the content of the film;

+ Behaviors shown by the film that are meant for or incite sexual activities;

+ Acts of sexual violence, including rape and coercive sexual violence, that involve a group of characters; emphasize the victim's pain and fear, focus on images of the victims being restrained, helpless, and the attacker's enjoyment;

+ Ways of presenting images of nudity or sexual activities, such as directly, explicitly or indirectly staging these images or activities by using sound, language, gestures, or visual effects;

+ Depicting sexual activities, i.e. hugging and kissing, without going into details;

+ Frequency with which images of nudity or sexual activity are shown in the film;

+ Age of characters involved in scenes of sexual activity;

+ Level of impact of sexual activities on viewers.

- The rating factor involving drugs, stimulants and addictive substances contained in films shall be determined according to the general principles specified in Clause 2 of Article 3 of Circular 05/2023/TT-BVHTTDL and the purposes of not providing instructions on how to illegally produce, use, advertise, market, traffic in, transport, conceal drugs, stimulants and addictive substances, or other illegal purposes, except in case of condemning and criticizing these acts and being fitted into the content of a film.

- The horror factor of a film shall be determined according to the general principles specified in Clause 2 of Article 3 of Circular 05/2023/TT-BVHTTDL and purposes, nature and way of handling of the situation that the film depicts, specifically including:

+ Factors that cause viewers stress, incitement or anxiety, and affect the mental and physical health of viewers;

+ Level of impact created by realistic, stimulating and continuous horror-related audio or visual effects;

+ Overall tone, mood and atmosphere of the entire film; duration and frequency of horror scenes.

- The language factor of a film shall be determined according to the general principles specified in Clause 2 of Article 3 of Circular 05/2023/TT-BVHTTDL and purposes, nature and way of handling of the situation that the film depicts, specifically including:

+ Rude gestures; obscene, insulting, profane or foul images, sounds or language, including slang;

+ Degree of profanity of the used language or context; community, cultural and social sensitivity associated with the use of vulgar images, sounds, and language;

+ Dialogues likely to incite interest in acts of sexual abuse;

+ Language that is discriminatory, infringes upon human rights and mores.

- The factor involving dangerous and easily imitable behaviors of a film shall be determined according to the general principles specified in Clause 2 of Article 3 of Circular 05/2023/TT-BVHTTDL and the level of impact on viewers, specifically including: 

+ Detailed visual or linguistic depiction of crime techniques, violent behaviors, and instructions on the use of easily accessible weapons, such as cutlery, sharp objects or objects that are likely to maim or kill humans, other than with the intention of condemning these acts and being fitted into the content of the film;

+ Direct or indirect depictions, including encouragement or incitement of actions that may be imitated by viewers, such as use of drugs, weapons, suicidal behavior, acts of self-harm, school violence, or other illegal acts;

+ Level of conscious or unconscious impact on viewers.

- Content of film rating criteria is prescribed in the Appendix hereto.

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE