study Vietnamese and see a different Viet Nam

Last activity 25 October 2016 by senwl

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70 years oldSerial expat24 October 2016 22:37:23

581

Interesting way to study Vietnamese and see a different side of Viet Nam and the Mekong Delta.

The Floating Lives (Canh dong bat tan) Full - English Subtitle

on youtube

The film portrays the life of a family separated from the mainstream of modern society, yet containing within its microcosm the complex layers and dramas of human relationship: conjugal life, sexual trauma, and the failures and bonds of fatherhood, brother and sisterhood. The film is about a unique social stratum in a remote place in Vietnam with unspoken traditions, customs and lifestyles. But most of all, it is the universal story of a family that like all other families have to find the strength and direction in each other to navigate their way through the choices and consequences that make up human existence. Based on Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu's best selling short story "Boundless Rice Field", winner of the best short story prize from the Vietnam Writer's Association in 2007 and the ASEAN Literature Award recently, Floating Lives will draw audiences into the colourful daily life of unsophisticated peasants scratching out a living in the beautiful but forgiving landscape of the immense, mysterious and prescient Mekong Delta, characters whose strength, flaws and beauty, as they search for the sustenance of life and love, tear at one's heart.

ralphnhatrangSerial expat25 October 2016 04:28:20

599

Yes, it's a very interesting film. Another good one is The Scent of the Green Papaya [Mùi Đu Đủ Maù Xanh], which is available on Youtube, though I am having trouble finding it with English subtitles. It is a Vietnamese version of Cinderella, with a bit of language instruction from Pygmalion on "how to talk proper" thrown in the final scene.

The story is about a very young village girl who gets sent to work as a maid in an upper class family, and in the end ends up marrying "the handsome prince". It is a very enjoyable, gentle film and I've watched it many times over the years.

70 years oldSerial expat25 October 2016 05:40:21

581

I spent most of two tours down in the Delta, met my wife down there during my first tour and got to know a lot of and about the Delta people. So a lot in the movie really hit home.

Their is a tendency for some expats to paint the Vietnamese as angelic beings. Vietnamese are like everyone else in the world. You got good ones, bad ones and like the people in the film good people damaged by forces beyond their control that overcame life's obstacles and and found peace and redemption, as well as some who didn't and those in between.

What impresses me most is that; like in the "Tale of Kieu," Vietnamese hero's are survivors, very tough and also very loyal.

I'll check out you flick

senwlSerial expat25 October 2016 07:24:44

820

ralphnhatrang wrote:
Yes, it's a very interesting film. Another good one is The Scent of the Green Papaya [Mùi Đu Đủ Maù Xanh], which is available on Youtube, though I am having trouble finding it with English subtitles. It is a Vietnamese version of Cinderella, with a bit of language instruction from Pygmalion on "how to talk proper" thrown in the final scene.

The story is about a very young village girl who gets sent to work as a maid in an upper class family, and in the end ends up marrying "the handsome prince". It is a very enjoyable, gentle film and I've watched it many times over the years.

The Scent of Green Papaya

If the subtitles don't appear by default, place your mouse-pointer on the video and click on the option "CC" (bottom-right).

It's definitely a nice movie. I like it too.

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