A Tourist’s Guide to Love

From the title alone, I was expecting a predictable Hallmark-style romcom…and I was actually all for it, having just returned from my first trip to Vietnam. But I found the film to be witty, well-paced, and richer than I expected.

Part of the allure is the vicarious adventure to a stunning, faraway land, albeit one with a heartbreaking recent past. The country still bears scars from the war 50 years ago, but like the unexploded bombs at the bottom of the placid lakes, they remain submerged in the film.

Vietnam has a habit of overcoming tragedy, and the healing is evident throughout the film — in the thriving communities that form the backdrop for the story, and in the cinematography that captures the magic of its pulsing cities and lush landscapes.

Through Amanda, we join a colorful cast of characters on Sinh’s guided tour, which takes us to the dizzying Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and the intriguing French colonial hub of Hanoi – replete with thousands of people on mopeds (simultaneously fascinating and terrifying!).

To show Amanda what life is really like for the locals, Sinh decides to take the group on a detour, sharing some of the hidden sights and the ancestor-centric local culture. We meet his cotton-candy-haired speed-racer cousin and an adorable granny who lives in the provincial countryside, who notices how Amanda lights up her grandson’s eyes.

And then the story takes a turn…as Amanda’s beau, John, shows up in Hanoi, throwing a wrench in the budding new romance. New questions and tensions arise and the story picks up the pace. I was engaged right until the end.

Bonus points for believable (PG) chemistry between the leads, and for the diverse cast, respected actors from around the globe, all adding to the story’s authenticity.