It was a big weekend for King Kong fans in Vietnam, with the giant ape's latest cinematic foray smashing local box office records, while the film's director announced his intention to move to Saigon.
Kong: Skull Island, the first major Hollywood action movie shot in Vietnam, roared into cinemas on Friday, raking in nearly US$800,000 in ticket sales, an opening-day record, VnExpress reports.
Sections of the film were shot in Halong Bay, Ninh Binh and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, showcasing Vietnam's natural scenery for global audiences.
Meanwhile Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Skull Island's director, was appointed Vietnam's newest official tourism ambassador, and the filmmaker also disclosed his desire to relocate from Los Angeles to Saigon.
According to VnExpress, on Thursday members of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism unanimously voted to name Vogt-Roberts a national tourism ambassador for the 2017-2020 period. The nomination is awaiting final approval by ministry chair Nguyen Ngoc Thien, the news source reports.
Vogt-Roberts was in Saigon over the weekend to promote his new movie and gushed about Vietnam in an interview with Tuoi Tre.
"I honestly don't think the rest of the world truly knows how beautiful this country is and how amazing the people are and how incredible the food is," he told the newspaper.
The young director also shared that he is considering selling his house in southern California to relocate to Saigon in order to work on a personal film project with members of the local film industry.
[Photo via Travel and Leisure]
