Beyond historical accuracy: Costume, collective memory and community response to Đất rừng phương Nam (Song of the South) (2023)

The controversy over costume design in the Vietnamese film Đất rừng phương Nam ( Song of the South ) (2023), set in early twentieth-century southern Vietnam, demonstrates that cinematic costume is not merely an aesthetic detail but a contested site where history, collective memory and cultural identity intersect. This article examines how the film’s substitution of iconic southern garments such as the áo bà ba (‘blouse’) and khăn rằn (‘scarf’) with Chinese-influenced attire provoked public debates on authenticity, ‘loss of identity’ and perceived cultural influence. Drawing on theories of collective memory (Halbwachs, Assmann, Anderson, Nora) and costume studies (Bruzzi, Church Gibson), the analysis situates costume as a lieu de mémoire through which cultural symbols are reactivated, negotiated and politicized. Methodologically, the study combines the visual analysis of costume design with empirical audience research, including an online survey of 118 viewers and a semi-structured interview with costume designer Minh Ánh, alongside discourse analysis of social media debates. Findings reveal that audience responses were shaped less by historical accuracy than by resonance with long-established cultural memory, underscoring the fragility and power of shared symbols in contemporary Vietnam. The case illustrates how costume in historical cinema functions as a cultural–political discourse, highlighting the need for filmmakers to balance archival fidelity with mnemonic continuity in order to sustain both authenticity and communal identity.