V‐doped GaN thin films were grown on c‐sapphire substrate by metal organic chemical vapour deposition method (MOCVD). We have used vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4) to intentionally incorporate vanadium (V) during the crystal growth of GaN. X‐ray diffraction measurements revealed no secondary phase in the samples.Magnetic experiments using superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) showed clear hysteresis loop in magnetization versus applied field (M –H) curves for V‐doped GaN films. The ferromagnetic behavior was evidenced at 300 K, implying the Curie temperature to be over 300 K. Strong and broad blue‐luminescent band (centered at 2.6 eV) is induced by the V doping in GaN. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)