An artistic group of young Vietnamese who are dedicated to honoring the country’s history by producing an animated historical project titled ‘Viet Su Kieu Hung’ (Heroic Vietnamese History) managed to introduce their latest episode on Sunday thanks to VND1.3 billion (US$55,975) funded by 1,600 contributors.

‘Viet Su Kieu Hung’ is Vietnam’s first animated production depicting the historic battles, revered heroes, and mysterious tales from the country’s storied past.

The project has received a total of VND2.4 billion ($103,275) from donors so far.

Duoc Moi, the team behind it, first started production on ‘Vo Tanh,’ the project’s pilot episode, in mid-2017 and released it to the public in December that year. 

Positive feedback from audiences fueled the group’s passion as they launched more episodes.

The final fundraised episode, ‘Binh Ngo Dai Chien’ (Binh Ngo War), was premiered at Cinestar Quoc Thanh cinema in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday after 15 months of production and 13 script changes.

Made of more than 1,200 shots of animations, ‘Binh Ngo Dai Chien’ features the original heroic victory of the Tot Dong - Chuc Dong battle in 1426, when 6,000 soldiers led by three Vietnamese generals defeated nearly 100,000 invaders of China’s Ming Dynasty.  

The film is not only about the battle but also illuminates the feelings and thoughts of the people standing on either side of the front line -- one side is full of evil ambitions of invasion while the other is devoted to seeking freedom.

After its debut in the cinema, ‘Binh Ngo Dai Chien’ will be broadcast online on Duoc Moi's YouTube channel and ‘Viet Su Kieu Hung’ Facebook Page on Tuesday, on the occasion of the 76th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army.

This is likely to be Duoc Moi’s last products in ‘Viet Su Kieu Hung.’

Although the team holds an ambitious intention for the long run of the non-profit project, they have faced financial challenges.

‘Binh Ngo Dai Chien’ may be the biggest fundraised animated historical product, with VND1.3 billion donated by 1,600 people, but it requires more to continue the whole project.

“We can't raise funds from time to time. The funding is just enough to cover our members' accommodation,” said Tran Tuan, a representative of Duoc Moi.

“On the other hand, we want to cooperate with supporting units for mutual benefits, instead of depending so much [on fundraising] as we do currently, so we can focus completely on product quality."

According to Tuan, in order to continue the film making, the team needs serious investors.

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