한국국제교류재단

CULTURE NEWS

Travel the ASEAN through media

Movie: The Royal Bride

The Royal Bride, which was featured at ASEAN Cinema Week 2021 [ON:TACT], is a Vietnamese romantic comedy that was released in 2020. The film maintains an uplifting, fun mood throughout its 120-minute running time. The protagonists are Quyen, a TV host, and herboyfriend, Jack. Quyen is notoriously scandalous and criticized by many as being unprofessional. Nevertheless, she grows wealthier by the day. One day, she is proposed to by Jack, who is 10 years younger than her, and it’s soon revealed that he is the heir of the prestigious Vietnamese Le family. The movie is about the many incidents that occur over the course of Quyen’s visit to Hue, a historic city in central Viet Nam, to attend a Le family event, with romance accompanied by lots of information about Viet Nam’s culture, customs,and history. By using Hue (which was the capital of the Nguyen dynasty until 1945) as its setting, The Royal Bride offers a simultaneous experience of Viet Nam’s contemporary elaborateness and traditional culture, customs, and national spirit.

Book: What is There in Laos?

What is There in Laos? is a book of travel essays by Murakami Haruki that blurs the line which divides daily life from travel. The book’s 10 essays were written and published between 1995 and 2015 by Murakami on his travels throughout the world. The famous Japanese writer acts both as friendly tour guide and scribe, the latter of which is easily seen in the depth of the characteristics he presents from the culture of each destination, portrayed with his sophisticated powers of observation. The title is a question that was asked of the author by a Vietnamese tourist during a flight layover in Hanoi. Murakami’s answer to the question of what there is in Laos that cannot be found in Viet Nam is detailed in the essay entitled “At the Banks of the Great Mekong River: Luang Prabang (Laos),” in the following excerpt:

“The landscape has an intrinsic smell, sounds, and touch. It has a special feeling of sunlight and a special breeze. The sound of someone saying something still rings in my ears. I remember the excitement I felt at that moment. That’s what makes our experiences oftravel different from seeing a destination through a photo. The landscape, which exists only in that spot, stays in me as a multi-dimensional memory. I believe that the impression made by this memory will remain clear for a long time to come.”