[Video] Travelogue Captures Quotidian Life in Northern and Central Vietnam

Oscillating between wide-angle scenes and the more close-up views of everyday people's interactions, the video is an ode to the country’s beauty.

Filmed by Pau Garcia Laita, a 29-year-old filmmaker based in Barcelona, Spain, the video captures scenes in northern and central Vietnamese cities and towns in approximately five minutes.

“This film is a recap of my 21 day trip across northern and central Vietnam by motorbike, train, plane, bus and boat. A country of unreal landscapes and bustling cities that has changed me in so many ways,” writes the filmmaker on his Vimeo account.

From the spectacular views of terraces, temples, fishing village, bays, beaches to quotidian moments such as ladies selling fruits in a market and drying clothes to people laughing and smiling, presumably at the foreign filmmaker — these archetypal images mirror the romanticized facade of the country often found in tourism material aimed at foreigners.

However, it would be unfair to deem such images as only resonating with outsiders. Residents living in Vietnam for a long time might be able to marvel at the beautiful imagery without the urge to remember the country's less glamorous moments; to remember its pains or heartbreaks. The aesthetics can be somewhat comforting to those who call the country home.

Take a look at the video below:

[Photo via Pau Garcia Laita]