Vietnam yet to become locale for foreign flicks

In the last decade many films set in Vietnam were actually shot in Thailand, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries, causing the country loss of revenues as well as opportunities to promote itself.

A scene from The Quiet American shot in Vietnam

“So, why do foreign producers hesitate to shoot in Vietnam?”Tuoi Tre asked a panel of Vietnamese experts.

Film producer Tran Bich Ngoc, who has worked with international crews for the Vertical Ray of The Sun, The Quiet American, and the recent Manoj ‘Night’ Shyamalan flick The Last Airbender, explained that foreign filmmakers give Vietnam a miss because of the lack of technical equipment here.

“They [foreign movie crews] have to bring a lot of equipment and technical teams from their country to Vietnam. This leads to high costs, a great concern for any moviemaker. The economic crisis has badly affected investment in movies and producers now look for countries offering tax breaks.”

Director Dinh Anh Dung said, however, that money is not an issue for big Hollywood producers. He referred to the movie Pinkville Oliver Stone plans to make on the 1968 My Lai massacre. Thailand and the Philippines, which have helicopters, rice fields, and villages that look similar to that of Vietnam, have welcomed him.

“[But] even though it is more expensive, Stone wants to shoot in Vietnam to capture the real emotions. However, because of paperwork, the movie remains on hold. Does anyone realize that if big directors come here to shoot, local moviemakers can learn from them?”

Nguyen Huu Tuan, the second unit camera operator for The Quite American, recalled: “When Oliver Stone came to Vietnam to check locations for Heaven and Earth, we asked to inspect the script. He left immediately and decided not to shoot here any more.”

Vietnam has lost many opportunities to earn revenue due to its tortuous bureaucratic procedures, he said.

“In the documentary on the making of The Quiet American …, one line producer honestly admitted that the process of getting a filming permit in Vietnam was a nightmare.”

In Asia, the race to become a big filming location for Hollywood movies is getting heated with Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan all implementing policies to attract foreign film investors.

Ngoc said it is getting better for foreign movie makers in Vietnam.

The country is also getting more and more mention at festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Venice and there are Vietnamese movie weeks like the ones in Hanoi and Los Angeles, the US, she said.

“It is time we have a long-term plan to promote the country to the world’s movie makers. It will help Vietnam’s film environment improve, promote tourism, and give Vietnamese filmmakers exposure to world standards”.

Do Duy Anh, head of the international section in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s cinema department, said the issue is still very new to the country. In recent years 15-20 foreign film crews have been shooting in Vietnam every year, he said.

Only when Vietnam joined the WTO [in 2007] was a law on cinema passed, he said.

“But the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism does not yet issued permits directly to foreign individuals or organizations.

“Foreign film crews who want to shoot in Vietnam need to collaborate with a Vietnamese film production company who will help them to submit an application and the script and its Vietnamese translation.

The ministry has to process the application within 30 days.”