Seeing Vietnam for the First Time, Again

From a French cultural icon returning to her birthplace after eight decades to first-time visitors exploring Hanoi and Hạ Long Bay, international productions continue to discover — and rediscover — Vietnam through its people and places.

Over 100 schoolchildren of 20 nationalities welcomed French star Chantal Goya back to the city of her birth.

Nearly 10,000 kilometres from Paris, a group of children in Ho Chi Minh City welcomed Chantal Goya home.

One April morning, more than 100 schoolchildren representing 20 nationalities gathered to sing songs made famous by one of France's most beloved performers. For many of the children, the lyrics were unfamiliar and the cultural references distant. Yet the connection was immediate.

For Chantal, the moment carried an even deeper significance.

Born in Saigon in 1942, she had not returned to Vietnam since leaving as a child in 1946. Nearly eight decades later, she found herself standing before a new generation in the city of her birth, listening to children from around the world sing the songs that had accompanied generations of French families.

  The CREATV Company provided production services in Vietnam for France 2 network's Envoyé Spécial: Chantal Goya, l'enfance d'une vie. But the television documentary became something larger: a rediscovery of place, memory and identity. Discovery takes many forms. For some, it is a return to a place left behind decades ago. For others, it begins with a first visit.

"Nearly 10,000 kilometres from Paris, a group of children in Ho Chi Minh City welcomed Chantal Goya home."

Earlier this year, a series of travel films produced for Overseas Adventure Travel followed visitors experiencing Vietnam for the first time. They came from different walks of life — retirees, grandparents, solo travellers and couples whose children had long since left home — but shared the same willingness to step beyond the familiar. Through the streets of Hanoi, the waters of Hạ Long Bay, local kitchens and bustling markets, they encountered a country far more nuanced than the one they had imagined.

Experiences such as kayaking through Hạ Long Bay transform Vietnam from a destination into a personal discovery.

A recurring theme we often see in international productions emerged. Whether the subject is a French cultural icon retracing childhood memories or first-time visitors exploring Southeast Asia, Vietnam has a way of revealing something different each time it is experienced. The most memorable moments are rarely the ones planned in advance. They are found in conversations, chance encounters, unexpected discoveries and the gradual realization that a place is far more complex — and far more welcoming — than expected.

Part of what makes these productions resonate is the diversity of locations Vietnam can offer within a relatively compact geography.

Vietnam's geography allows productions to move between different environments in a single filming schedule.

In a single project, crews can move from the energy of Ho Chi Minh City to the colonial architecture and historical layers of Hanoi, from the limestone seascapes of Hạ Long Bay to the vast agricultural landscapes of Đồng Nai Province.

For international producers filming in Vietnam, this variety is more than visual. It allows stories to move through different periods, moods and environments without crossing national borders. A bustling market, a contemporary urban skyline, a rural village, a century-old plantation or a remote coastline may all exist within the same production schedule.

The France 2 documentary followed Chantal Goya from the streets of present-day Ho Chi Minh City to locations connected to her earliest memories. Among them was the historic Suzannah Plantation in Đồng Nai, one of the last surviving French-era rubber estates in Vietnam.

At Suzannah Plantation in Đồng Nai, a 40,000 hectare landscape connects Vietnam's colonial history to its present

Established in the early twentieth century, plantations like these played a significant role in the country's colonial and economic history. For the programme, the location provided more than atmosphere. It offered a tangible connection between personal memory and historical reality.

Chantal Goya revisited landscapes of her girlhood memories.

For productions like Overseas Adventure Travel, the locations serve a different purpose. Hanoi's organised chaos, the waterways of Hạ Long Bay and encounters with local communities become part of the experience of discovery itself.

Many memorable moments occur through participation, conversation & shared experiences with local communities.

The setting is not merely a backdrop but an active participant in the story. This combination of visual diversity, accessibility and authenticity is one reason international productions continue to choose Vietnam as a filming destination. Whether the objective is documentary, travel, factual entertainment or scripted storytelling, the country offers filmmakers the opportunity to uncover places that still feel fresh to global audiences.

At The CREATV Company, our work begins long before cameras roll. Research, location scouting, permits, logistics and local knowledge help transform a concept into a production. Whether supporting a documentary about a French cultural icon returning to her birthplace or helping travellers share their first impressions of Vietnam, the objective remains the same: connecting stories with places.

Discovery does not belong to any particular age group or genre. Sometimes it is a traveller arriving for the first time. Sometimes it is a television audience seeing Vietnam through fresh eyes. And sometimes it is someone returning to a place they barely remember, only to discover that Vietnam still has something new to reveal.

Safe. Cost-efficient. Cinematic.

Welcome to Vietnam.

Learn more about filming in Vietnam at creatv.com Further Reading

• Why Filming in Vietnam Is the Next Great Production Frontier

• Orange: The Colour of Safety

• How to Plan a Film Shoot in Vietnam: A 7-Day Production Framework

• How a 7-Day Shoot Expands into a 10-14 Day Production