Buzz
Audiences witnessing films will identify the richness of the Mekong Delta through its tranquil canals, waterfronts, boats, and bustling floating markets.
Fondness for the Mekong Delta through Popular Vietnamese Films
The Mekong Delta, a region teeming with people and rich in shrimp and fish, is the quintessence of Southern Vietnam. Its culture is deeply ingrained with images of coconut trees, boats, waterfronts, intricate canal networks, brackish mangrove forests, and a variety of tantalizing culinary delights. This allure has enticed many Vietnamese filmmakers to set their narratives amidst the ebb and flow of life in this locale.
Southern Land – U Minh Forest
Southern Land is a film produced in 1997. The director spent a year searching for suitable locations and three years to complete filming. Consequently, upon release, the film captured audience attention with its characteristic portrayal of the Southern Mekong Delta, featuring vast melaleuca forests, rivers flowing heavy with silt, rustic monkey bridges, simple local life, and the playful antics typical of children in the area.
In various scenes of the movie, viewers, especially those from the Mekong Delta, will recognize the U Minh Ha forest, located 50 km from Cà Mau city. The lush green forest stretches as far as the eye can see, with channels dyed red from the characteristic decay of mangrove leaves. Additionally, the film was also shot at the Xeo Quyt relic (Dong Thap), the Tien River, the Hau River stretching to Rach Gia – Kien Giang, Nam Can – Ca Mau with vast fields of water and dense forests.
Buffalo Racing Season – Cà Mau
The movie Buffalo Racing Season is set in the land of Cà Mau. Every time the rainy season comes, water floods everywhere, to save the buffalo from starving due to lack of grass, people organize 'buffalo racing' events, seeking high lands where there is grass. This is a part of the local people's lives here.
The film had a significant investment in its setting, thus strongly captivating viewers with the distinct characteristics of the Southern region: a procession of people racing among hundreds of buffalo in flooded fields, heavy rain in the afternoon amidst the mournful sound of the monochord, floods rushing in the middle of the night sweeping away houses, people eating rice balls with fish sauce, sleeping wrapped in mats instead of blankets, the dead without land for burial in the flood season, makeshift shelters amidst the flooded fields...
Fragrance of Reed Flowers – Ben Tre
The film marks the names of actors Tang Thanh Ha, Kim Hien, Quoc Thai, and Minh Thu. Fragrance of Reed Flowers took about two months to shoot only scenes in the Mekong Delta, accounting for a significant portion of the film's duration.
The film scenes were primarily shot at Cai Quao Market, Mo Cay, Ben Tre, where the bustling floating market scenes exude romance amidst river rendezvous. Connecting the water-filled space are 2 boat camps, a river dock, a fish farming area, an ancient house complex... Characters move from place to place solely by motorboats, just like the people of the Mekong Delta.
Endless Fields – Dong Thap Muoi
Another cinematic work set in the Mekong Delta is Endless Fields. Scenes of fishing, bathing in the fields, or bustling river market gatherings are all portrayed authentically and vividly in the film.
The film crew chose Cai Rang floating market (Can Tho) to shoot the opening scene of the film. The Mekong Delta river scenes, places where boats pass by, golden rice fields, and the unique-shaped brick kiln system along the riverbanks in Dong Thap province are artistically captured.
The film crew stayed in Dong Thap Muoi for over a month and a half, with the main filming location being the Center for Research and Conservation of Medicinal Plants Development, located in Binh Phong Thanh commune, Moc Hoa district, Long An province, bordering Cambodia. Amidst an island nestled in the vast waterways, amidst countless reeds and cattails, there's a residential area with several large houses, two-story houses with air conditioning, brightly lit by electricity at night... This is also the filming location for the famous movie, Wild Fields.
Drifting on the River – Can Tho, Vinh Long
This film is currently screening, yet it also manages to evoke tender emotions from the audience towards the uncertain fates 'adrift on the river' of the Mekong Delta girls.
Audiences will not only be captivated by the simple yet sincere storytelling full of emotions, but also unable to look away from the stunning beauty of the Mekong Delta landscapes. The film was primarily shot in Can Tho, Vinh Long, and Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City) with bustling boats navigating in all directions, crowded floating markets with buyers and sellers, dirt roads leading to the waterfront, and characteristic coconut trees, just a glance enough to evoke homesickness in those from the Mekong Delta.
According to Ngôi Sao
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Reference: Travel handbook Mytour
MytourOctober 18, 2016
