Travellers take tours to sites from famous film

Work of art: At Vung Ro Port, you will get a close look at the local fishing village with ships and fish-raising rafts, which weave a vivid, colourful painting on the sea. — VNA File Photos

Tour groups in central Viet Nam take tourists on journeys inspired by the best-selling movie I See Yellow Flowers Upon the Green Grass. Thien Huong reports.

Some travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City and the central province of Phu Yen have launched a tour based on the title of a popular Vietnamese film.

The tour is based on the title of the best-selling film, Toi Thay Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh (I See Yellow Flowers Upon the Green Grass), by director Victor Vu, which is adapted from the book of the same name by famed writer Nguyen Nhat Anh.

The movie has attracted a large audience nationwide in the past few weeks.

The film, with very simple content but stunning visuals and a great soundtrack, features simple-minded farmers who are willing to support each other during hard times, and innocent children. It also highlights some of the bad customs as well as memories of the difficult times during the period of state-subsidised economy, when a black-and-white TV set was a luxury.

Vu focussed on the beauty of the Vietnamese countryside for his film, with immense paddy fields, low houses and swaying bamboo trees, which can suddenly turn into barren fields with dead cattle littering the landscape in the wake of a natural disaster. All the scenes were shot in Phu Yen.

The province hosts ranges of mountains in the north, the south and the west while it faces the sea in the east.

Its typical beauty is an immense green grass field scattered with yellow wild flowers, which overlooks the deep blue sea. The scene has been much exploited in the movie together with zigzag railway line on Vung Ro Beach. In the distance, appears Nua Islet behind dozens of ships. At the site, when spring comes, the field is full of yellow wild flowers, which enriches the poetic feature of the landscape.

Ganh Xep in An Chan Commune of Tuy An District, with a clear and emerald sea endless with waves lapping against the black rocks on the shore is another highlight of the film.

Wandering around the beach, one can easily find wild flowers at Ganh Ong and Ganh Xep, a theme image in the movie.

HCM City-based Aussie Travel offers a tour to Phu Yen with a three-night-two- day schedule which costs around VND2 million (US$89) while tourists from Ha Noi can experience a tour of five days and four nights at around VND7-8 million.

From the deep: Ganh Da Dia has been called one of the most beautiful stone islets in the world created by a volcano.

In Phu Yen, Tuy Hoa Service and Tourism Company offers the same three-day tour.

Guides will welcome tourists at Tuy Hoa Railway Station, take them to Mang Lang Church – one of the oldest churches in the country before visiting sights appearing in the movie like Ganh Da Dia (the Cliff of Stone Plates — interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption), Ganh Ong, the LightHouse, Mui Dien (Dien Cape), Hydro-electricity Plan on River Ba Ha and O Loan Lagoon.

Suggested tours Day 1: Ha Noi – Tuy Hoa It takes 24 to 28 hours to travel by car or train from Ha Noi to Phu Yen. Yet, it takes only 10 hours from HCM City by car or train. Most tourists reach Tuy Hoa City by night (7pm to 8pm) Though Tuy Hoa City has limited recreational centres, the city is a favourable destination for tourists who like the peaceful beauty of the sea at night. Rent a bike, and ride to the Square April 1 by the sea, where you can enjoy famed local food like thit nuong la lot (grilled pork wrapped in wild betel leaves), ram nuong (spring rolls with shrimp and pork) and fruit juice at reasonable prices. If you want a richer dinner, you can try restaurants in Le Thanh Tong, Tran Quy Cap, Nguyen Cong Tru offering rice with grilled chicken, grilled sand lizard; banh xeo (rice crepes folded in half filled with shrimp, pork and soya bean sprouts), and tuna restaurant in Le Duan Street. Day 2: Tuy Hoa – Ganh Xep – Ganh Da Dia – Mang Lang Church A bowl of bun mam (noodle with pork, fish, shrimp, and squid with lots of herbs) or my Quang (noodle with pork, shrimp, and chicken) will be a suitable menu for breakfast. The road to Ganh Da Dia lies near the sea in the north of Tuy Hoa City. The road is wide and deserted so you can travel by car or by bike without any worry. When you go off the city, you will see simple countryside scenery in Tuy An District. The first stop is Ganh Xep. On the way to Ganh Da Dia, you will follow a small road lined by casuarinas trees and sand dunes. Ganh Xep is not as big as Ganh Da Dia but it has a long path of smooth sand. You can experience the feeling of being alone on the deserted beach and watch wonders formed on the rocks by the sea waves. On top of Ganh Xep is an immense field of grass, from where you can see the surrounding mountain and the sea. Ganh Da Dia is located 30km away from the site. There are not many restaurants on the way so you can enjoy a simple lunch at the stop near the stone cliffs. You can choose some fresh seafood at a reasonable price. Ganh Da Dia has been judged as one of the most beautiful stone cliffs in the world created by volcanic eruption. If you still have time, you should visit Mang Lang Church or return to Tuy Hoa City to watch the sunset at Nhan Tower, or watch Da Rang River. Day 3: Tuy Hoa – Vung Ro You should travel to the south of the city and visit Bai Mon, Mui Dien Sealight, and Vung Ro Gulf. You will be impressed with the road embracing the mountain that runs parallel to the sea. You will be wooed by the immense blue sea. Bai Mon is considered the easternmost point of Viet Nam’s land. Admiring the sunrise from Dai Lang Sealight has been rated among ten must-try things in Viet Nam. At Vung Ro Gulf, you will get a close look of the local fishing village with ships and fish-raising rafts, which weave a vivid colourful painting on the sea. You can combine the visit to Phu Yen with other destinations in the central region like Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa.

Tourists will have the chance to visit a vegetable village to work in the fields as local farmers, the same as the characters in the film.

“Phu Yen is a peaceful land with a pristine forest and sea suitable for tourists, who prefer to discover nature,” Pham Van Bay, deputy director of the provincial Culture, Sport and Tourism Department said, adding, “Every single season, the land offers a different experience.”

He said that the most convenient time to visit the province is between December and August when the weather is mild and pleasant.

This year the province expects to receive 900,000 domestic and foreign visitors. It now has around 2,700 rooms to rent, two five-star hotels, two four-star hotels and many guest houses.

“Our accommodation is good and we ensure good service despite the sudden surge in the number of guests,” Bay said. — VNS

Travellers take tours to sites from famous film

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