Films, TV draw intrepid travellers to remote Vietnamese landscapes

Films, TV draw intrepid travellers to remote Vietnamese landscapes

Update: Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Views: 12

Sung La village, located on Dong Van plateau in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang, became a popular tourist destination after it was featured in the 2006 film Chuyen Cua Pao (Pao's Story).

Chuyen Cua Pao, which won a Golden Kite award in 2005 and was presented at the Cannes Film Festival in France in 2007, depicts the life of a Mong girl named Pao. Viewers found the scenery as powerful as the narrative.

"When I came to the village, I found it even more beautiful than in the film. I remembered seeing Pao walking around cabbage flowers or weaving beside the loom," said tourist Le Viet Ha. "I was glad to visit Pao's house, a typical house of Mong people which is really alluring. I was impressed by the scenes of her brother taking the goat flock home through the wooden gate and the ancient stone ledge."

Sung La is on national road 4C, which leads to the northernmost point of Viet Nam on the Chinese border. The road connects two of the most famous tourist spots in Ha Giang province: Dong Van town and the house of Vuong Chinh Duc, a king of the ethnic minority people in Ha Giang. The beautiful village is home to the Mong people, one of the most populous minority groups in the country.

Here, tourists can see endless fields of corn like in other ethnic minority villages. However, the huge rose fields make it different from other regions. When harvested, those roses are taken to big cities like Ha Noi. Visitors often call the village the "rose of the plateau".

The black and stone houses of local inhabitants in the valley perch on mountain slopes that are covered by fog all year. The sun struggles to shine through the whole valley, creating a dreamlike scene.

The colourful costumes of Mong women going to market with horses and melodious sounds of the pan-pipe also seduce tourists.

Since the success of the film, Sung La began to develop community-based tourism, with some families offering homestay services to tourists.

"We will try not to let tourism change the lifestyle of local inhabitants," said Nguyen Cong Van, the village's chairman.

Sand dune

Another paradise recently revealed to movie lovers is Nam Cuong sand dune in southern Ninh Thuan province, which was featured in the TV series Dau Chan Du Muc (Nomadic People Footprints).

Directed by Dinh Thai Thuy and recently broadcast on Viet Nam Television, the 40-episode series was the first to feature the beauty of this region, exploring the daily life of those hired to tend cows, sheep and goats.

The 700-ha sand dune is often compared to a gold silk carpet under the glistening sun. It is surrounded by mountains, sea, rice fields, villages and pastures where cows graze tranquilly.

On the way to the sand dunes, travellers can see cacti with red and yellow flowers that are tough enough to survive the sterile land.

A shrimp farming village nearby helps tourists learn about the daily life of the local villagers. Sometimes travellers can meet Cham girls in traditional costumes with water jars on their heads and herdsmen walking with their animals. One can also see the colours of the sand change as the sun sets.

"Ninh Thuan is the driest region of Viet Nam so we faced several difficulties filming in this region. We are very happy about the beautiful images that the film offers viewers," said producer Nguyen Quang Tuyen.

Source: VNS

Bài viết liên quan

	Safety measures needed to protect Vietnamese tourists abroad The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) issued a dispatch urging Vietnam Tourism Association members and all travel agencies to ensure the safety of Vietnamese nationals travelling abroad. Detail >>

	Vietnam welcomes Russia charter flights (VOV) -Tan Son Nhat International Airport on October 28 welcomed the first charter flight of Nordwind Airlines bringing 287 Russian tourists to Ho Chi Minh City. Detail >>

	Phan Thiet – ideal destination for Russian tourists (VOV) - Phan Thiet-Mui Ne in the southern province of Binh Thuan has become one of Vietnam’s most attractive tourist destinations, proving particularly popular with Russian visitors in recent years. Detail >>

	Enjoying the enchanting lanterns of Hoi An (VOV) - The ancient city of Hoi An is legendary for its very short and narrow streets laid out in a winding crossing chessboard pattern – and silk lanterns, its most famous handicraft. Detail >>

	National Tourism Year 2015 to connect world heritage Viet Nam’s National Tourism Year 2015 will take the theme of “Connecting world heritage” with a series of activities taking place in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa, the designated main venue, local officials announced in Hanoi on December 9. The programme, slated to be launched in March,... Detail >>

	Top 5 attractive floating markets in Vietnam The Vietnam Record Centre (Vietking) has announced top 5 floating markets in the western region of the country that attract a huge number of domestic and foreign visitors. Phung Hiep floating market (Hau Giang province). Detail >>

	Lung Van- the Roof of the Muong Area Lung Van (Muong Bi), about 40km from downtown Hoa Binh City, is famous for its spectacular natural scenery and the unique culture of the Muong people. Detail >>

	Hue City turns livelier Hue City is a well-known destination for local and foreign tourists thanks to its unique beauty. However, Hue seems to transform itself into a different one; it is more bustling and more colorful at night. Detail >>

	Culture – Tourism Festival to close National Tourism Year 2014 of Central Highlands – Da Lat (TITC) - National Tourism Year 2014 of Central Highlands - Da Lat with the theme “High mountains and thick forests of Central Highlands” is coming to end. With 45 main activities and many responding activities in other provinces in Central Highlands, National Tourism Year 2014 has achieved remarkable... Detail >>

	The 3rd Sakura Festival to be opened in April, 2015 The 3rd Sakura Festival will be held from April 3rd – 5th, 2015 at 30-10 Square (Ha Long City), according to the news from the meeting between leaders of Ha Long City People's Committee and representatives of Wanokai Association (Japan) on Nov. 24 in Ha Long City. Detail >>