Vietnam and South Korea have officially signed a bilateral cooperation agreement to foster joint development and production in the gaming industry.

The partnership also includes knowledge exchange on game rating systems, eSports engagement, and workforce training programs for game development.

The agreement was signed on May 26 at Vietnam GameVerse 2025, the country’s largest annual gaming festival, held in Ho Chi Minh City.

Parties involved include the Korea Game Culture Foundation, the Game Product Administration Committee of South Korea, and Vietnam’s Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information.

Vietnam GameVerse, organized by the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information in collaboration with VnExpress, FPT Online, and the Vietnam Game Alliance, has become the premier gaming event in Vietnam.

The 2025 edition marks its third year and features a significantly expanded scale - double the size of last year and five times that of the inaugural edition.

The two-day event, taking place on May 26–27, brings together major Vietnamese game companies such as VTC, VTC Online, VNG, Garena, Gamota, Funtap, Gosu, and Soha, alongside global publishers and technology firms. It includes B2B and B2C sessions, industry forums, cosplay programs, and eSports competitions.

This year also saw the participation of several small and medium-sized South Korean game studios, including Busidol, Geniesoft, and Readymade.

During the event, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism met with its South Korean counterpart to discuss comprehensive cooperation in the game industry.

The two sides shared policy insights and achievements, and explored future collaboration strategies, such as workforce training exchanges, joint participation in international gaming events like Korea’s G-Star and Vietnam’s GameVerse, and co-hosted forums between governmental agencies.

Choi Jae Hwan, Director of the Game Content Industry Division at South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, expressed hopes for deeper cooperation with Vietnam, a country with a rapidly growing gaming sector. He emphasized the importance of sharing policy experience and industry knowledge between both nations.

Under the new agreement, Vietnamese and South Korean companies will collaborate in game development and publishing. The two sides also agreed to exchange insights on game rating systems, eSports promotion, human resource training, and solutions to address social challenges arising from the industry’s rapid growth. Vietnam also proposed holding regular bilateral meetings to strengthen practical cooperation through a formalized communication channel.

At the event, Yu Byong Han, Director of the Korea Game Culture Foundation, emphasized that Korea’s gaming success is rooted in a healthy game culture supported by society. He stressed the importance of joint efforts between government and businesses to educate and develop a constructive gaming ecosystem.

The agreement signed during the festival is currently a working protocol but is expected to be elevated to a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) after the conclusion of Vietnam GameVerse 2025.

In parallel, the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) – Vietnam Office jointly organized the “Korea Game Pavilion” at the event. This initiative aims to support Korean SMEs in promoting their game products and exploring the Vietnamese market.

A delegation from the South Korean government also met with Korean exhibitors to discuss strategies for expanding into Vietnam and the global market, reaffirming Korea’s commitment to supporting game companies in scaling internationally.

Thai Khang