Dan: Hanoi Cinematheque

Hanoi Attractions

The Hanoi Cinematheque offers a range of foreign films and documentaries. You find it tucked away up a long alley of motos and residential flats. Turning off the alley you find a quaint little courtyard with a bar and a handful of tables and chairs. They have foreign influence on the menu and a delicious plate of cheeses is warmly welcomed. They have a decent wine selection as well.

A few weeks ago we decided on a program of three Vietnamese documentaries. The tickets cost 60,000 Dong per person. The documentaries as per the program were;

Dreaming of being a worker

In the new “free trade,” “market economy” of Vietnam, thousands of young Vietnamese girls now work in foreign-owned factories for approx $2 per day – hardly a living wage. This brave documentary gives us an intimate look at the lives of several of these working girls.

Looking for Love

This fascinating documentary explores the traditional “Love Market” of the northern highland village of Khau Vai. One weekend every year, Hmong teenagers assemble from various rural villages for a weekend of courtship. A colourful affair, with plenty of food, drink and music. Remarkably, the rituals of courtship here have remained intact for thousands of years.

Green Meadow

“Bai Giua” (Middle Bank) is the name given to the low-lying land in the middle of the Red River next to Hanoi. In this marginal space next to the city, twenty migrant families from different parts of the country live in floating houses on the river. After a period of technical instruction form an experienced film maker, seven children from this community created a documentary movie on the daily life of their village, using their own footage, script and narration.

The films were a great insight into some of the culture, hardships and the way of life for the Vietnamese. Since watching these films we have seen where “Dreaming of Being a Worker” and “Green Meadow” were filmed. On the way into town from the airport are many foreign factories. Just off the highway are “Panasonic” and “Canon”, two companies highlighted in the film. Also, as we walked over the Red River we saw from a distance where the migrant families of the “Green Meadow” live. Our weekend trip to Mai Chau enabled us to travel to a Hmong market, a different area of that set in the film “Looking for Love,” but the same people with the same culture. It was a great night and the films thoroughly enjoyable.


Dan parle de notre soiree a la Cinemateque il y a trois semaines et des docus qui passaient ce soir la. J'en ai parle dans mon post "Deux jours dans la famille de Dzung et Tuan".