amanda

I've seen beautiful scenery in movies of Malaysia and Thailand but none of Vietnam...are there any out there??? Books? We're thinking of going there but only for a week so I want to find a place that has beautiful scenery and a smaller town, I like that so much more than a large, chaotic city...my speed is leisurely! <BR>Amanda

Penelope

There is an evocative videocassette entitled, "Three Seasons," produced by October Films (1999) and distributed by USA Home Entertainment that both provides enjoyment and stimulates reflection about post-war Vietnam. A book that I can also recommend is "The Sacred Willow, Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family," by Duong Van Mai Elliott (Oxford U. Press, 1999). Neither of will help you find a small town or beautiful scenery, but they can contribute to your appreciation of Vietnam. P

Gung Gung

You might take a look at "Catfish and Mandala." I enjoyed it. You can log on to Amazon.com and check their review on the book to see if it suits your interest.

mari

amanda-- <BR> <BR>i second the recommendation for 'three seasons'; it's lovely and evocative and weaves together the stories of a vn vet looking for his daughter, a cyclo driver's love for a jaded prostitute, a street child, and a waterlily harvester whose singing reawakens the poetry in a dried-out old man. but, it's all set in ho chi minh city (and partly on le thanh ton street, where i used to live), so won't exactly transport u to the countryside. can't think of any films in that vein. <BR> <BR>however, i can recommend a few smaller cities/towns. the most charming is still prolly hoi an, a short drive outside danang. it's a centuries-old port town that housed communities of chinese, jpnese and portuguese as well as vnese merchants. it's historic, w/ a lot of original architecture and its own distinct flavor. the core of hoi an is closed to car traffic, but that doesn't prevent noisy motorbikes from weaving among pedestrians and bicycles and disturbing the tranquility. still, compared to the rest of vn, it IS relatively tranquil. u cd spend a couple days here to really mellow out, and the shopping--for silks, lanterns, ceramics--is great. <BR> <BR>if u're into beach resorts, one of the nicest and most exclusive is the furama, right on china beach in danang. it attracts foreigners and very upscale vnese and is by all accts beautiful. hardly a typical vnese experience, tho. <BR> <BR>another option is to divide ur week btwn dalat, a french colonial mountain retreat, and nha trang, a laid-back coastal resort town. both are reachable by plane, but many foreigners take regularly scheduled tourist buses btwn them. from ho chi minh city, the ride to dalat takes abt 6 hours, and from dalat to nha trang it's abt the same. the main highlights of dalat are its cooler weather and scenic points like waterfalls and a pretty manmade lake. it's a small, walkable city w/ more bldgs reminiscent of old france than anywhere in vn except hanoi, i think. <BR> <BR>as for nha trang, that was my favorite place to mellow out for a few days. nha trang has a 10-km white-sand beach, lots of hotels and guesthouses, great seafood. u can lie out all day, buy fresh crab from ladies selling them from shoulderbaskets by the kilo (who also prepare a lime-sugar-chili dipping sauce on the spot for u), take an 8-hour snorkel tour in beautiful clear water, rent bicycles and explore the town and its catholic church (ck out the mass on sunday for a different vnese experience) and ancient cham towers. <BR> <BR>that's it--i'll stop for now!

Mary Anne Cook

Agree with replies. Hoi An a delightful town. I also enjoyed Hanoi and Hue,although large cities much to enjoy. Am going to Dalat this Feb. have heard it's nice and cooler than other places mentioned. Liked Cantho -small and the trip by boat down the Mekong to the floating markets and back into the depths of the Mekong is like nothing you will ever experience. Wish The Quiet American, movie just made while I was there in Saigon would soon come out before I return. I enjoyed Indochine(movie) during the French era, that showed Halong Bay and some of Hanoi. Also read Catfish and Mandala which is one young Vietnamese's story coming to the US after the war and then going back to his homeland many hears later. I have a list of many books especially during the war years-also movies,but I doubt that is what you are asking for. <BR>Went from South to North in the country and will return in Feb. and will add Laos which I understand is very laid back compared to alot of Vietnam. Email if I can help.

Dave

Amanda, <BR> <BR>I just returned from VN on 9/5. I was primarily in HCM and up to Phan Rang on the coast where I was stationed during the war. Agree that for smaller town with great scenery, Dalat is the place. You can drive to there from HCM quite easily (you'll need car/driver), then drop down to Phan Rang on the coast and return to HCM via Hwy 1 and Phan Thiet. You'll see an incredible array of varied scenery. <BR> <BR>Be sure to note that flights from Hong Kong are minimal. There are only 2 flights per day going down (7am and around 3pm) and back (both flights within 15 minutes of one another at around 1:30pm!). <BR> <BR>If you need to stay overnight in HCM, I stayed at the Grand Hotel and it was fabulous for $70. Not sure of your price range, but if you need help with lower priced accomodations in HCM, e-mail me directly. <BR> <BR>Chao!

lisa

I also loved the movie "Three Seasons." In addition, there is an excellent book called "The House on Dream Street" by an American woman who lived in Vietnam (nonfiction).

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pat

Have you watched the movies "Indochine" and also "The Lover". They are both about Vietnam.