VARAN HANOI began with training programs by Ateliers Varan, a Paris-based film school founded in 1980, initiated by filmmaker and ethnographer Jean Rouch, who sought to create training opportunities for aspiring filmmakers to document the realities of their own countries. The school’s core approach centers on hands-on practice and direct exchange with students.

Since 2004, following the first workshop in collaboration with the Central Scientific and Documentary Film Studio, a new generation of documentary filmmakers has emerged in Vietnam, developing a distinct filmmaking practice compared to the dominant approaches of the past. Over the past 20 years, numerous workshops have taken place in Hanoi, Da Nang, and at TPD in Ho Chi Minh City, resulting in films that present a different perspective on Vietnamese realities.