BackTravel » Arts & Culture » Film & TV » [Video] Slick Short Film Highlights the Vibrant Life in Modern Hanoi

This beautifully shot and edited short video showcases a diverse range of activities and panoramas, capturing snapshots of life in Vietnam's bustling capital.

The roughly three-and-a-half minute video, tiltled 41 Days in Hanoi, opens with an overhead shot of a wide Hanoi intersection, dense with characteristically chaotic Vietnamese motorbike traffic. The perspective changes and we are shown a street-level view of the city teeming with energy from multiple generations of local folks.

Among them are grinning, playful children rolling around on bikes and tiny electric cars; skateboarders pulling off gravity-defying tricks; sword-wielding martial artists vanquishing imaginary opponents; and a veritable mélange of humanity found motorbiking on the thoroughfares. The videographer manages to capture some fairly candid and intimate portraits of everyday Hanoians.

The film uses slow motion camera effects with some glitchy looking edits, and synchs the clips with a moody, down-tempo soundtrack featuring ambient music from Canadian artist Loscil, an instrumental from UK rapper Jam Baxter produced by Chemo, and some classic Pink Floyd.

In one scene we are shown a group of middle-aged women dancing and chanting in unison. The audio from the scene is layered with the aforementioned Chemo track, and an organic-sounding meld of traditional and contemporary music is created in what feels like an aural metaphor for the way that Hanoian culture integrates the modern with the ancestral.

Check out the clip from Layered Visuals below:

[Video via Vimeo user Layered Visuals]


Related Articles:

- [Video] A Rare Look Into Indochina From the French Perspective

- [Video] Public Transportation In Old(er) Hanoi

- [Video] Filmmaker Merges Vietnam Footage With Poetry


Related Articles

in Film & TV

'Canh Dong Hoang' Cinematographer Duong Tuan Ba Passes Away at 93

Most famously known for his part in making the film Canh Dong Hoang (The Abandoned Field: Free Fire Zone) in 1979, cinematographer Duong Tuan Ba died of old age at 1:50pm on June 1, 2020, at the age o...

in Film & TV

'Co Ba Sai Gon' Is Vietnam's Contender for Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars 2019

Co Ba Sai Gon (The Tailor), directed by Tran Buu Loc and Nguyen Le Phuong Khanh, is an homage to áo dài.

in Film & TV

'Dunkirk' Director Christopher Nolan Was in Saigon During the Weekend

Some hopeful fans were wondering if he was in the country to find inspiration for a Dunkirk 2.

in Film & TV

'Em Chua 18' Is Vietnam's First Film to Have Foreign Remakes

Foreign filmmakers are seeking to remake Em Chua 18, Vietnam's biggest domestically produced box-office hit to date.

in Film & TV

'Hai Phuong' Becomes Highest-Grossing Vietnamese Movie of All Time

Hai Phuong landed US distribution rights from Well Go USA Entertainment, and has been played in 28 cities in America and Canada since March 1.

in Film & TV

'Kong: Skull Island' Smashes Box Office Records as Director Considers Move to Saigon

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.&...

Partner Content