The large amount of USD1 million to be poured into the film project commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historical victory at Dien Bien Phu has caused concerns about wastefulness in production and how well the event will be depicted.

The 25-volume film "Duong len Dien Bien", or "On the way to Dien Bien", to be produced by Vietnam Feature Film Studio, will feature the life of Vietnamese soldiers during the 56 days and nights they spent on the battlefield of Dien Bien Phu, before they triumphed over the French in May of 1954.

The film will be shown later this month, but many people are already skeptical about its quality after the recent failures of so many other historical films which were widely deemed as a waste of public money.

 A scene in "Duong len Dien Bien"

On the occasion of the the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi in 2010, the Hanoi People’s Committee gave the go ahead for VND56-billion to make a 30-volume film named "Tran Thu Do Great Tutor". But it has been three years and there is still nothing to show.

And still, there are those concerned with the way in which this piece of history will be shown on screen. With such a large investment, people feel concerned that the series of films may not resound with the public and soon be forgotten.

There are many examples of state-owned film studios waiting for funding from the government and giving back low-quality films. After being shown just a few times, such films are put into storage.

In 2004, Vietnam Feature Film Studio was asked to produce a film named "Ky uc Dien Bien" or "Memories of Dien Bien" to mark the 50th anniversary of the victory at Dien Bien Phu. The total amount invested was VND13 billion (about USD1 million at the time).

However, when the film was released, it was criticised for being unimpressive. Even though the director and many crew members stood up in the movie's defense, a majority of the audience was still disappointed.

A scene in "Ky uc Dien Bien"

Historical films in Vietnam are still quite a contentious issue, with each release facing criticism from the public for their lack of authenticity.

As a result, a number of forums have been held for film producers to discuss ways to improve the quality of this genre.  Producers have blamed the bad quality on shoestring budgets, lack of access to historical documents and outdated technology. They even say that there is a lack of talent in Vietnam.

In 1994 there was another film produced to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu. This movie was also criticized for having failed to capture the full glory of the battle.