For the last few months, the media in Vietnam were flooded with news and photos of the movie Kong Skull Island being filmed in the country. Though this is not the first time a Hollywood film crew has picked Vietnam as a shoot location, it’s certainly the biggest one. Before, Vietnam missed the chances to become the filming site for many famous movies like: Tomorrow Never Dies in the James Bond Film Series or Heaven & Earth, a Vietnam War film. Needless to say, Kong: Skull Island directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts drew a big attention of both the media and the people, from the country’s authorities to the locals. The film stars many popular Hollywood actors and actress like Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston.
The cast and the crew of the film in the press conference in Hanoi on 21 Feb, 2016
‘Kong: Skull Island’ tells the story of a group of adventurers who set foot on an uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean – one so breathtaking that people consider it unreal. Little did they know they just walked into the territory of the legendary King Kong. In preparation for the movie, the director together with a personal team had travelled to the country for couple of months to survey potential locations for Kong Skull Island.
Final places selected to be caught on film are Rat Cave, Yen Phu Lake, Cha Noi Valley and Da Deo Pass belong to the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh, Trang An Scenic complex and Tam Coc in Ninh Binh, and the last scenes in the area of Cong La – Ba Hang in Halong Bay in Northern region.
Tam Coc in Ninh Binh
While most of these destinations, no doubt, are famed throughout the country for its surreal beauty of river, paddy fields and dramatic limestone outcrops, there is still some remain pristine and unknown even to Vietnamese people like the Yen Phu Lake. Locals say it only serves for the irrigational purposes, and tourists are rarely seen visiting the site despite its beauty.
A walk in heaven. Source: Source: Instagram – Voteroberts
Talk about the reasons why choosing Vietnam as one of the three destinations selected for filming, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts shared: “We immediately saw a stunningly beautiful sight that we thought was not real. It was magical.”
Image source: Instagram – Voteroberts
Locals gather near the film set in Quang Binh. Source: Instagram – Voteroberts
Five-week filming in Vietnam had closed and the director Roberts apparently remarked that the scenes that will be filmed in this South East Asian country will become the most vital scenes of the film. Together with movie fans around the world, we really look forward to the premiere of the film in March of 2017 in the hope that more and more people know about our beautiful country.
By Vivian
How to experience the filming locations of Kong: Skull Island in Vietnam?
Inspired by the movie, 365 Travel design a 11 day trip takes you to all sites that Kong: Skull Island was shot, including Halong Bay, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex and Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites with magical landscapes and cultural relics.
Follow in the footsteps of Skull Island in Vietnam on our latest holiday package! Check it out here