Hollywood hills

About 20km outside central Hanoi, Tay Mo is often referred to as “Hollywood village”, although there are no fancy boulevards, convertible cars or trendy restaurants.

But for years Tay Mo’s idyllic charm has drawn in hundreds of film makers, who, thanks to a tight budget, prefer to cut costs by shooting on location rather than creating artificial sets for scenes. “In 2001 we travelled to a lot of villages and finally chose Tay Mo for our film Mr Ca – the Happy Man,” says the acclaimed director Tran Luc.
“We found everything we needed for a film set in the countryside, plus it isn’t too far from the centre, so the transportation of the crew, props and equipment was made much easier,” recalls director Tran Luc. Film crews have been coming back since the early 1990s. Over time the village’s reputation grew not only as an ideal location, visually speaking, but also because the villagers were so accommodating. Villagers were more than willing to lease out their house or help the crew with hundreds of logistical tasks. Now locals in Tay Mo are used to working with the film service industry. “We can save a lot of money by borrow their daily tools for our props,” says the creative director Nguyen Vu.Any director, producer or actor who has worked in Tay Mo will most likely know Hoang Thi Yen. Her 1000sqm villa is the property of choice for countless directors who have made films there, The agreeable hostess also helps out with catering for the crew. No easy task when there might be a hundred people working on a set. “I help the crew and also help my family and neighbours to earn some money. We are becoming professional now. We help provide props, settings and extras,” says Yen. The director Nguyen Huu Phan has said that Yen is an indispensable part of any film crew working in Tay Mo. “She takes care of the small but important details like good meals and clean beds. She is an assistant that any producer would dream of,” says Phan. Tay Mo isn’t the only village to reel in the film industry. The Vietnam Film Centre (VFC) annually produces around 350 films but with no studio filmmakers are forced to scout around for locations. Thuy Huong and Huong Gia villages in Soc Son District are also regular locations for films set in the countryside. Originally discovered by the director Dang Nhat Minh, who shot his breakthrough film Nostalgia for a Hometown here in 1996, these villages are now regular spots for film crews as well. Local people here love to appear on TV and are willing to act as extras even without payment. Music to producers’ ears, no doubt. “We love to work with the film crew and especially to act with film stars, even if it’s a tiny part,” says Nguyen Thi Gai, a housewife from Thuy Huong village. “We don’t mind going around with them for days just to get a few seconds on screen!” “The first time acting in front of the camera, we all felt nervous, but after a few years working in this film industry we have got more and more professional. Now, we just need one or two takes for our scenes – quite good for amateurs, right?” she says. When creative directors need help with the set or props, a local craftsman Nguyen Xuan Vinh often gets a call. Often members of the crew just need Vinh around to ensure authenticity. Locals who thrive on this lucrative industry’s association with their village are worried that the village itself may lose its authentic-look. With rising living standards and a general trend of urbanisation in the outskirts of Hanoi, new modern looking houses have been springing up like mushrooms after rain in rural villages throughout Vietnam. Tay Mo, Thuy Huong and Huong Gia may also inevitably be blowing with the winds of change as well. Traditional houses crumble and fall. New houses shoot up. Small lanes lined with green bamboo are widened into paved roads for transporting more building materials to further develop the town. “We decided not to lease our house for films anymore and rebuilt it in a modern style,” says Le Thi Dinh, a retired teacher in Huong Gia village. “Our kids are now working in Hanoi. They earn good money and didn’t want their parents to live in an old house anymore.” The glamour days of cameras, lights and action are now just a memory for Dinh. “I will never forget those noisy and happy times when the actors and directors were running around my house,” he says fondly. “But times have changed.” Films may in future be pushed further and further into the rural heartland of Vietnam, but directors also hope that one day the Vietnamese film industry will also have a proper studio. “I know filmmakers cannot take advantage of these old villages forever. Sooner or later, if we want to develop the film industry, we will need a real studio,” says director Pham Nhue Giang. “Thailand, China and South Korea all have outdoor studios for all kinds of films.” “Currently, we just have indoor studios. I hope that in the next few years, we will build professional outdoor studios where directors can further develop their ideas, instead of depending on fixed settings available in these villages.” A proposal was submitted to the government in 2001 to construct a national studio to the tune of VND75 billion ($4.68 million). Ironically the project has stalled as no one can agree on the right location for such a studio.