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Film locations
Let’s visit some of the most famous film locations in Southeast Asia!

Some movie scenes are filmed at locations that are almost unrealistically beautiful, making you wonder whether they are, in fact, CGI, or computer-generated imagery. The following three are, fortunately, very real!

Ta Prohm, a temple at Angkor, Cambodia

In the Mood for Love: Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The place in the film’s final scene, where Chow, the character portrayed by Tony Leung, whispers his secret into a hole in a stone wall, is Angkor Wat, so representative a site of Cambodia that its front view is featured on the country’s national flag. Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor Wat is especially renowned for the beauty of its relief carvings, which come together to create a massive relic that is heavy with literary, historic, and religious meaning. Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai explained that he used this location due to its “mystical quality that is basically impossible to turn into reality.” The relief ornaments carved into the buildings’walls seem to tell universal stories of humankind that have repeated themselves over centuries, Including, perhaps also, the special story of Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung.

Kayaking at Halong Bay, Viet Nam

Tomorrow Never Dies: Halong Bay, Viet Nam

In Vietnamese, “ha long” means “where the dragon descends to the sea.” In Tomorrow Never Dies, 007, portrayed by Pierce Brosnan, jumps from a steep cliff on Bo Hon Island, one of the many islands of the beautiful Halong Bay, which is known for its stunning panorama and caves. Featured in this film is the Luon Cave, or Hang Luon, which you can only reach after first passing through a low entrance that looks like it may be the hideout for enemy battleships. When the cave fills with water at high tide, the entry is blocked, and even under normal conditions, you can only enter by kayak or manually-rowed ferries, for environmental protection. If you are interested in an active experience of Halong Bay complete with James Bond-esque thrill, try taking a speed boat ride. It is also quite enough to enjoy the view of the bay’s many strangely-shaped rocks from the safety of a cruise boat.

Tegalalang Rice Terrace in Bali, Indonesia

Eat Pray Love: Bali, Indonesia

After visiting Italy and India, Elizabeth Gilbert, portrayed by Julia Roberts, decides on Indonesia as her final destination. The film is mostly shot in Ubud, known as an “art village,” as well as the town’s traditional handicraft market. Roberts bikes through the lush greenery of Tegalalang Rice Terrace and ponders the meaning of love at the secretive Padang Padang Beach. Every stage of her time in Bali, from the moment she fell in love with her surroundings until she realized that she was truly happy, is full of beauty. If you want to rediscover yourself, Bali is one of the best places to do so!