Documentary Film
Customer stories, project films and independent documentaries — filmed where the story happens, and carried by one technical pipeline from first research to final delivery.
What we mean by documentary film
A documentary follows real people and real work, so most of it can't be scripted in advance. What can be planned is the craft around it: how the story is structured, how it is shot and recorded, how it will be graded and mixed. We settle those decisions in pre-production and hold them through to the final grade — so the finished film reads as one story, not a string of interviews and B-roll.
Customer stories & brand documentaries
An organisation's work, told through the people who do it.
For Bureau Veritas, we filmed a customer success story at PTSC M&C's offshore fabrication yard in Vung Tau (2023).
Project documentaries
Infrastructure and development work, filmed on site for the institutions behind it.
Two short documentaries on AFD's technical assistance to EVN for the Ialy hydropower expansion, Gia Lai (2024).
Independent documentaries
Long-form films we produce and shoot ourselves, over months or years.
Lama Gaun Monastery: The Legacy of Compassion, filmed across two journeys to Nepal in 2024 and 2025, premiering November 2026. The Land, following chef Việt Hồng of Ciel Dining into the Hoàng Liên Sơn range (2023).
One pipeline, from research to final grade
The look of a documentary is decided long before the edit. The same cinematographer who plans the shoot supervises the grade, so the technical choices made in pre-production are the ones you see on screen.
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Research & pre-interviews
We meet the people in the film before the camera does. On independent films that means time spent with them — living alongside them, watching how their day runs — before we shoot anything.
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Structure & visual approach
An interview guide and a shot plan instead of a fixed script. Camera, lenses and the colour pipeline are chosen for the story and locked before the first field day.
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In the field
A small crew, a ColorChecker on set, professional audio monitored on every take, and footage backed up to three copies on location.
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Edit
The story is built in the edit, from what the people in it actually said and did. They see the cut before it is locked.
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Finishing & delivery
Grade in DaVinci Resolve on calibrated monitors, sound mix checked on professional monitor speakers, Vietnamese–English subtitles. Masters are delivered to the specification the destination requires — DCP for cinema, VOD platforms, festival submissions or the web.
The people on camera
A documentary depends on people agreeing to be seen as they are. We ask permission rather than assume it, hold pre-interviews before filming, use release forms whenever the project calls for them, and show the people on camera the cut before it is final. Time spent earning that trust shows on screen.
On site and in the field
Industrial and safety-critical sites
Before entering a site, our crew completes the site's HSE induction and certification, and works in the PPE its rules require — as we did at PTSC M&C's fabrication yard and the Ialy hydropower plant.
Remote locations
From the Hoàng Liên Sơn range to the Himalayas of Nepal. Travel and accommodation are itemised separately in the quote.
Permits and local coordination
We don't act as a fixer. Where a location needs filming permits or local coordination, we connect you with partners we work with and plan the shoot around their timeline.
Selected documentary work
Lama Gaun Monastery – A Legacy of Compassion
AFD - Technical Assistance for EVN's Ialy Hydropower Expansion (part3)
Short documentaries on the expansion of the IALY hydropower plant, filmed on site in Gia Lai Vietnam
Bureau Veritas Vietnam | PTSC M&C – Customer Success Story
The Land – CieL Dining
Chef Lê Việt Hồng heads into Hoàng Liên Sơn for the ingredients behind CieL's menu.
Hôtel de La Coupole – MGallery by Bill Bensley
An interview with architect Bill Bensley at his hotel in Sa Pa, filmed for ELLE Decor International by our founder.
Caviar de Duc - Farm to Table
Five provinces in seven days, from a Son La sturgeon farm to West Lake, Hanoi.
The Moonlight Manor | SPOT-ON 2025
A scripted murder mystery reality show, produced for Singapore's NetstarSG.
G8A’s Grégoire Du Pasquier Explores Wink Hotels’ HQ Design
Richie Fawcett & Striking Wink Hotel Saigon Centre Window Blinds
Head Chef Pedro Goizueta - Kiba Saigon
Discover Kiba Saigon through the lens of 9G Pictures — a profile of Head Chef Pedro Goizueta Velasco.
The Moonlight Manor | SPOT-ON 2025
A scripted murder-mystery reality show, produced for NetstarSG with an eight-camera crew.
Bureau Veritas CPS Vietnam - ELISE, BV Mark Certification
ELISE becomes the first Vietnamese fashion brand certified with the BV Mark.
![Following In The Padmasambhava’s Footsteps [Pilot] — a 9G Pictures project](https://www.9gpictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/following-in-the-padma-sambhavas-footsteps-first-look.jpg)
Following In The Padmasambhava’s Footsteps [Pilot]
Coteccons - Holiday Inn Resort Ho Tram Beach
Build On Safety & Quality: a film marking 10 years of Coteccons and the Ho Tram investor.
Bureau Veritas — Safety is an Absolute
Bureau Veritas - At Bureau Veritas, Safety is Absolute
An HSE brand film on how Bureau Veritas inspectors keep industrial sites safe.
Baozi
Contemporary Taiwanese food in Saigon, with Baozi founder Chris Huỳnh.
Malibu Hoi An - Radisson Blu Beachfront Villas
A film on beachfront villas at Ha My Beach, between Da Nang and Hoi An.
PVCFC - Ca Mau Fertilizer Plant Mechanical Workshop
A short documentary on the mechanical workshop at the Ca Mau fertilizer plant.
See all documentary work →
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does documentary production cost in Vietnam?
It depends on research time, field days, travel, crew size, post-production and the formats you need delivered. Once we have read your brief we send a line-itemised quote within one business day — nothing billed outside the contract.
How long does it take to make a documentary?
There is no fixed timeline. It depends on access to the people and places, how long the story needs to unfold, and the scope of post-production. A customer story at a single location moves quickly; an independent documentary can run for years — Lama Gaun was filmed across two journeys to Nepal, in 2024 and 2025. We agree the schedule in the contract before production starts.
How is a documentary different from a corporate video?
A corporate video delivers a message the organisation has already decided. A documentary finds its story in real people and events, so it needs more time in research and in the field. A brand documentary sits between the two: the organisation's story, told through the people who live it.
Do you film documentaries in remote areas or outside Vietnam?
Yes. We have filmed in the Hoàng Liên Sơn range, on site in Gia Lai and in Nepal; our founder has filmed at 5,400 metres in Ladakh, India. Travel and accommodation are itemised separately.
Do you handle filming permits?
No. We don't act as a fixer. When a location needs permits or local coordination, we connect you with the partners we work with and build the shoot schedule around their timeline.
Can your crew film on industrial or construction sites?
Yes. Our crew completes each site's HSE induction and certification before entry and works in the required PPE — including at PTSC M&C's offshore fabrication yard in Vung Tau and the Ialy hydropower plant in Gia Lai.
What formats do you deliver?
Whatever the destination requires: DCP for cinema, masters for VOD platforms, festival submission copies, broadcast and web versions. Vietnamese–English subtitles are included; other languages, or subtitles that need a professional translation check, carry a small additional fee.