For many international filmmakers, Ha Long Bay is one of the most famous filming locations in Vietnam. The majestic and unique landscape of Ha Long has been the backdrop for films of many genres, from action and adventure to history and science fiction…
Indochine (1992)
Released in 1992, Indochine (Vietnamese title: Indochina) is considered a French classic, winning the Best Foreign Film award at the 1993 Oscar. The story is set mainly in Vietnam in the period 1930-1950. , before the 1954 Geneva Agreement. In particular, Ha Long Bay is one of the important filming locations that helps create the beauty of the film.
The film’s story begins when the main character Eliane (Catherine Deneuve) follows her father to Vietnam and then takes over as a rubber plantation owner. She adopted the Vietnamese girl Camille (Pham Linh Dan) as her child and lived peacefully during the time the French army occupied Indochina. But when she grew up, Camille quickly fell into a spiral of love and followed a revolutionary path.
To make the work, director Régis Wargnier built a film studio right in Ha Long Bay in 1991. For 3 long months, the crew directly filmed many segments here to ensure the aesthetics of the film. After its release, international audiences were so impressed that many people came to Ha Long Bay, especially the French.
Pan (2015)
Pan (Vietnamese title: Pan and Neverland) is a cinematic adaptation of the famous fairy tale character Peter Pan, directed by Joe Wright. The project attracted attention with a budget of up to 150 million USD and a star cast including Hugh Jackman, Rooney Mara, Amanda Seyfried,…
Although the content is not highly appreciated, the work impresses thanks to its impressive visual effects. Some scenes were filmed at Hang En, Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh.
The crew used the iconic image of Ha Long, which is the rolling limestone mountains, combining computer effects to create a magical, dreamy space.
Few people would expect that the majestic beauty of Ha Long Bay is the “door” that takes viewers into the magical wonderland of Neverland – the dream of many girls and boys.
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Not the first Hollywood movie filmed in Vietnam, but Kong: Skull Island (Vietnamese title: Kong: Skull Island) is the largest-scale blockbuster, helping international audiences know more about our country’s beautiful scenery. Unlike Pan, this time the Hollywood crew did not just focus on the scenes but focused on the entire main scene in Ha Long, Ninh Binh and Quang Binh.
With a budget of 190 million USD, the film invested heavily in visuals. The majestic, overwhelming landscape of Ha Long Bay is shown in many aerial segments viewed from a helicopter. The sunlight illuminates a majestic mountain complex on the water, making Ha Long appear on the big screen, both brilliant and mysterious.
Blockbuster Kong: Skull Island (2017) filmed in Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and Quang Binh.
Throughout the film, the charming landscape of Vietnam becomes an important factor to help the story of Kong – the lord of Skull Island – become more attractive. Thanks to that, the work is also different from many Hollywood blockbusters appearing at the same time.
Life (2017)
Life (Vietnamese title: Dangerous Germs) is a horror and science fiction project directed by Daniel Espinosa, gathering a star cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada…
Unfortunately, the movie was not too explosive when it debuted at the box office, so many people did not notice Ha Long Bay appearing in the final scene.
Ha Long Bay appears in the final scene of the movie Life (2017).
The film is about a group of scientists in space who suddenly encounter obstacles when they discover an alien creature.
After most of the time focusing on extraterrestrial life, the setting of Ha Long Bay that appears at the end of the film suddenly stands out. The limestone mountains rising in the middle of the emerald green sea become an attractive image, making many viewers curious.
The Creator (2023)
Since the release of the trailer, the sci-fi action work The Creator (Title Viet: The Creator) has attracted attention with the presence of actor Ngo Thanh Van and scenes shot in Vietnam.
In particular, the scenery of Ha Long Bay with its characteristic rolling, hazy mountains and calm, blue water surface impressed the audience right from the trailer.
The film is set in the future, when AI (artificial intelligence) machines are increasingly developing and gradually becoming a threat to humans. After a nuclear explosion caused by AI, the US government decided to establish a force to destroy degenerate robots.
To highlight the battle between humans and AI, the director limited the green screen and filmed in many Asian countries such as Japan, Indonesia, Nepal… and even Vietnam.
Unfortunately, the work was not very successful when released, only earning more than 13 billion VND in our country and more than 100 million USD globally. This number is not enough to recover capital because the budget is more than 80 million USD.
