09:17, 11/07/2024
The classification levels for films have been adjusted into 04 more specific categories since January 1, 2017. Vietnam allows the dissemination of films with the condition of prohibiting dissemination to audiences under 13 years old (C13), under 16 years old (C16), or under 18 years old (C18) if the film contains content that is not suitable for the psychological, physiological development, or personality formation of each age group.
Article table of contents
The film classification criteria table based on age as regulated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vietnam in Circular 12/2015/TT-BVHTTDL has added two new classification levels, C13 and C18 (previously only P and C16).
At each level, different film categories have different classification criteria; however, they all must be based on 6 basic classification criteria, including: (1) Theme, content; (2) Violence; (3) Nudity, sex; (4) Drugs, stimulants, addictive substances; (5) Horror; (6) Vulgar language, images. To be specific:
| No. | Film Category | Classification Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | P Films are allowed to be widely disseminated to all audiences |
a) Theme, content - Suitable for audiences of all ages; - The content of the film reflects natural and social issues with entertaining, educational purposes, encouraging moral values and positive social relationships. b) Violence: Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting scenes that threaten or intimidate others, EXCEPT for images, sounds, or language depicted mildly and appropriately with the film's content. c) Nudity, sex - Does not accept images of nudity, EXCEPT for toplessness of males, toplessness from the back of females unrelated to sex, and without offensive tattoos. - Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting sexual activity. d) Drugs, stimulants, addictive substances - Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting the use of drugs and stimulants, addictive substances. - The use of tobacco in films shall be governed by the regulations in Circular 02/2014/TT-BVHTTDL. dd) Horror: Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting horror scenes, EXCEPT for images, sounds, or language depicted mildly without affecting the psychological and health of children. e) Vulgar language, images: Does not accept the use of vulgar images, sounds, or language. |
| 2 | C13 Films prohibited from being disseminated to audiences under 13 |
a) Theme, content - The theme is not suitable for audiences under 13; - The content of the film reflects issues that may distort, disturb the perceptions and emotions of audiences under 13, causing psychological turmoil or fears, pessimism, and sadness. b) Violence: Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting violent actions like causing pain, injury described in detail, intense, long duration, unless images, sounds, or language depicted moderately and appropriately with the film's content. c) Nudity, sex - Does not accept images of nudity, EXCEPT for non-front-facing nudity of women unrelated to sex; toplessness from the front of women unrelated to sex or in educational films, films related to health, indigenous people, and ethnic minority lifestyles. - Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting sexual activity. d) Drugs, stimulants, addictive substances - Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting the use of drugs and stimulants, addictive substances, EXCEPT for images, sounds, or language that condemns, opposes these acts but not described in detail, not regularly occurring, not long duration. - The use of tobacco in films shall be governed by the regulations in Circular Horror: Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting horror scenes causing fear described in detail, occurring regularly, long duration. e) Vulgar language, images: Does not accept the use of vulgar images, sounds, or language. |
| 3 | C16 Films prohibited from being disseminated to audiences under 16 |
a) Theme, content - The theme of the film is not suitable for audiences under 16; - The content of the film reflects deeper issues of adults, such as politics, society, psychology, crime but is not suitable for the understanding, psychology, physiology of audiences under 16. b) Violence: Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting violent actions like killing, causing pain, injury, bleeding occurring regularly, long duration, EXCEPT when images, sounds, or language are appropriate for the film's content and moderately intense. c) Nudity, sex - Does not accept detailed, regularly occurring, long duration nudity EXCEPT for back nudity of males and females, toplessness from the front of females unrelated to sex, without offensive tattoos. - Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting sexual activity, EXCEPT when images, sounds, or language are appropriate for the film's content but not described in detail, not regularly occurring, not long duration. d) Drugs, stimulants, addictive substances - Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting the trading, storing, using drugs and stimulants, addictive substances, EXCEPT for images, sounds, or language appropriate for the content condemning, opposing these acts but not described in detail, not regularly occurring, not long duration. - The use of tobacco in films shall be governed by the regulations in Circular Horror: Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting horror, terrifying scenes causing fear, intensity described in detail, occurring regularly, long duration, EXCEPT when images, sounds, language are necessary for the film's content and appropriate for the audience. e) Vulgar language, images: Does not accept the use of vulgar language, sounds, or images, EXCEPT for the use of some curse words, slang of villain characters appropriate for the film's content but not obscene, not harming individuals and communities, not frequently used, not using language to harass or abuse sexually. |
| 4 | C18 Films prohibited from being disseminated to audiences under 18 |
a) Theme - The theme of the film is not suitable for audiences under 18; - The content of the film reflects adult issues, such as politics, society, psychology, sex crimes but is not suitable for the understanding, psychology, physiology of audiences under 18. b) Violence: Does not accept images, sounds, or language realistically depicting violence causing strong impact on viewers, EXCEPT when images, sounds, or language are appropriate for the film's content and not deeply exploited. c) Nudity, sex - Does not accept full nudity, EXCEPT when full nudity is appropriate for the film's content, not describing genitalia in detail, without offensive tattoos, not long duration. - Does not accept images, sounds, or language overly displaying, detailing sexual activity, EXCEPT for images, sounds, or language appropriate for the film's content, not long duration. d) Drugs, stimulants, addictive substances: - Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting the trading, storing, using drugs, and stimulants, addictive substances, EXCEPT for images, sounds, or language appropriate for the film's content or condemning, opposing these acts but not described in detail, not long duration. - The use of tobacco in films shall be governed by the regulations in Circular Horror: Does not accept images, sounds, or language depicting horror, terrifying scenes causing fear, intensity described in detail, occurring regularly, long duration, EXCEPT when images, sounds, language are necessary for the film's content and appropriate for the audience. e) Vulgar language, sounds, images: Does not accept the use of vulgar language, sounds, images, EXCEPT for some curse words, slang in dialogues, writings depicted more strongly than those classified under C16. |
- Key word:
- Screening Film
- Children Under 13 Years Old
- Vietnam
