Cinema – a new “catalyst” for Binh Thuan landscape tourism

The sand dunes at Bau Trang scenic spot are considered "Vietnam's little Sahara desert", attracting a lot of tourists.

Tourism is on the rise

According to director Ly Hai, about 80% of the film's scenes were filmed at Bau Trang national scenic spot, famous for its wild beauty and considered the "mini Sahara" of Vietnam. This complex includes 2 freshwater lakes (Bau Ong and Bau Ba), Trinh Nu sand dunes and a coastal forest ecosystem. In particular, this place converges the elements of sun-wind-sand, demonstrating human mettle in the face of difficulties and challenges, very suitable for the content the film wants to convey.

The sand dunes at Bau Trang scenic spot are considered "Vietnam's little Sahara desert", attracting a lot of tourists.

Immediately after its release on the occasion of April 30 and May 1, the film quickly created a box office “fever”. In particular, in addition to the film’s content, many people were surprised by the beautiful scenes filmed in many places, but the highlight was still Bau Trang, where there are vast sand dunes. From here, the main setting of the film quickly attracted the attention of many people and they came to experience it.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province, in about 5 days after the film was released, Bau Trang landscape welcomed over 10,200 visitors, an increase of nearly 40% over the same period in 2024. Not only that, Mr. Nguyen Le Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province, said that through a survey on social networking platforms, the number of searches for the keyword "Bau Trang - Binh Thuan" in early May 2025 increased by 240% over the same period in April 2025. This shows that the film has created a very strong effect on the tourism development of Bau Trang in particular and Binh Thuan province in general.

The main setting of the movie "Flip Side 8: Vong tay nang" takes place at Bau Trang scenic spot, Binh Thuan province.

Mr. Le Khanh (tourist from Ho Chi Minh City) commented: “Through the movie Lat Mat 8, my family came to Bau Trang and recognized that this place is very beautiful. Movies allow the audience to access the landscape, culture, cuisine and lifestyle of a land without direct advertising. A popular movie can create a “domino effect”, that is, viewers want to go to the place where it was filmed, share it on social networks, thereby promoting natural communication for tourism and culture”.

Need attention and support

Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province, Nguyen Le Thanh, assessed that cinema is not only an art form but also a powerful communication tool in promoting the image of the country, its people, culture and national heritage to international friends. Through emotional films, landmarks, natural landscapes, daily life and traditional cultural values ​​are introduced in a lively, familiar and attractive way. Stories told in the language of cinema have the ability to evoke emotions and inspire, thereby urging audiences to explore the lands that have appeared in films. This is an important driving force to promote tourism development, contributing to job creation, increasing revenue and promoting economic restructuring in localities with tourism potential.

Director Ly Hai shared: “Cinema and tourism are very closely linked. For example, in Korea, when making films, they introduce many beautiful landscapes and local cultures to promote. Vietnam is beautiful everywhere, so I asked myself why don’t we make films to promote it? When culture and beautiful landscapes appear on the screen, it will encourage people to come, observe, have fun, entertain, etc. From there, it will promote local tourism. Not only that, when international visitors watch films, they are also curious and find ways to come and experience it.”

Bau Trang National Scenic Area, famous for its wild beauty and considered the "mini Sahara" of Vietnam

In addition, the director of the film Lat mat 8: Vong tay nang also acknowledged that cinema is not only a form of entertainment but also a powerful communication tool to help promote and develop sustainable tourism if planned and utilized effectively. Therefore, in order to have many films contributing to the promotion of cinema, culture, and tourism, filmmakers, especially independent filmmakers, need the attention and support of the State in all aspects, especially filmmaking funding.

NGUYEN TIEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dien-anh-chat-xuc-tac-moi-cho-du-lich-canh-quan-binh-thuan-post795926.html