'Trại Buôn Người' has passed the 100-billion-VND mark after just over three days of official release, holding the number-one spot at Vietnam's box office. In its opening weekend the film earned over 78.6 billion VND — about 71.7% of total box-office revenue — opening a wide gap over the rest of the market.
From 10 billion in previews to 100 billion
The film opened nationwide on September 25, 2026, with early screenings before that. By September 24 it had already passed 10 billion VND in total, selling over 77,000 tickets across 1,227 shows that preview day (Box Office Vietnam data, via Thanh Niên). The momentum continued.
- Sep 24 — passed 10 billion VND (77,000+ tickets, 1,227 shows, preview day).
- Sep 26 — passed 50 billion; over 19 billion that day alone with 204,000+ tickets (as of 6:30pm).
- Sep 27 — around 95.57 billion total; Sunday alone 328,000+ tickets, ~30.8 billion.
- Sep 28 — passed 100 billion VND by midday, after about 3.5 days of official release.
Over 71% of the weekend box office
Beyond just leading, the gap to the rest of the market is large. Over the three-day weekend the film took more than 78.6 billion VND — about 71.7% of Vietnam's total box office — meaning for every roughly 10 VND of weekend market revenue, more than 7 came from this film.
| Film | Weekend gross |
|---|---|
| Trại Buôn Người | over 78.6 billion VND |
| Avengers: Endgame | over 12.8 billion VND |
| Út Lan 2 | over 5.9 billion VND |
| Lên Hương | over 4.8 billion VND |
| Vùng Đất Quỷ Dữ | over 2.8 billion VND |
A notable opening weekend for Vietnamese film
Box Office Vietnam calls 78+ billion over three weekend days a very high number in the history of its box-office tracking. Per its representative, before this film only directors Trấn Thành and Đặng Thái Huyền had films exceeding this weekend gross in their data. With a debut film past 100 billion, Toni Dương Bảo Anh joins the group of Vietnamese directors whose first feature reached the hundred-billion club. Still, a strong opening doesn't determine the final total — the film has only cleared its first weekend.
What is 'Trại Buôn Người' about?
'Trại Buôn Người' is an action-survival film exploring people drawn into human-trafficking rings and the harsh situations tied to 'easy job, high pay' lures. It features Steven Nguyễn, Huỳnh Minh Kiên, Quách Ngọc Ngoan, Quách Ngọc Tuyên, People's Artist Như Quỳnh, Meritorious Artist Tuyết Thu and Khánh My.
Per Box Office Vietnam, the topicality of the subject is one thing setting it apart from the horror and spiritual films common in cinemas lately. Even so, representative Nguyễn Khánh Dương notes a film's draw is a combined result of quality, marketing and hard-to-predict factors.
The opening ox-race scene took three years to prepare
A notable behind-the-scenes detail is the ox race at the film's opening. Director Toni Dương Bảo Anh says the crew spent about three years realizing the idea: they sponsored a real ox-racing festival and were allowed to film within limited windows each race. So the ox-racing footage wasn't simply recreated entirely on a set — a production detail widely shared after release.
Vietnam's box office had just been through a tough quarter
The achievement stands out against Vietnamese cinema in Q3 2026. As of September 24 (before release), total Vietnamese-film revenue for the quarter was over 492 billion VND, versus roughly 1,311 billion in the same period a year earlier (Box Office Vietnam, compiled by Tuổi Trẻ). Results varied widely: 'Nghỉ Hè Sợ Nghỉ Hưu' reached about 207 billion, while some other projects made only tens of billions or less. The arrival of 'Trại Buôn Người' in late September thus gave the market a significant boost.
Other films are under showtime pressure
One film's dominance means the rest compete harder for showtimes and viewers. A clear example is 'Bóng Ma Nhà Hát': on September 26 it at one point sold just 136 tickets across 82 shows nationwide (under two viewers per show); by the morning of September 28 its total was only about 2.4 billion VND. The gap shows Vietnam's box office is currently very concentrated in a few titles.
Could 'Trại Buôn Người' reach 300 billion?
Box Office Vietnam notes that Vietnamese films topping 70 billion in their first week (in its data) all went on to finish above 300 billion; from that it suggests 'Trại Buôn Người' could join the 300-billion group if it keeps its pace with no major disruption. But this is an inference from past data, NOT a firm forecast.
The final total still depends on word of mouth, showtimes in the coming weeks, new competitors, how fast revenue drops after week one, and social-media interest. So DETOON isn't calling 300 billion a sure milestone. What's certain as of September 28, 2026: the film has had one of this year's most notable Vietnamese openings and leads the box office by a wide margin.
Why does social media matter more and more for box office?
Box Office Vietnam's representative says audiences' decisions to go to the cinema are increasingly shaped by what they hear and see from the community. Going to a film differs from scrolling a free video: viewers spend time, ticket money and travel effort, so word of mouth and social-media discussion notably affect purchase decisions. 'Trại Buôn Người' has an edge here as its title, cast and scenes keep appearing in online discussion — but whether that effect holds into weeks two and three is a key signal of staying power.
30-second recap
- Revenue? — Passed 100 billion VND midday Sep 28, after about 3.5 days of official release.
- Opening weekend? — Over 78.6 billion VND, ~71.7% of Vietnam's total box office over the three weekend days.
- Release date? — September 25, 2026, after early screenings from Sep 24.
- Director? — Toni Dương Bảo Anh (debut feature).
- Genre? — Action-survival, on human trafficking and 'easy job, high pay' lures.
- Sure to hit 300 billion? — No; Box Office Vietnam infers it from similar openings, but it depends on the coming weeks.
