Where was A Tourist’s Guide to Love Filmed? We discuss the Netflix film and its many filming locations.
A Tourist Guide to Love is a Netflix romantic dramedy starring Rachel Leigh Cook, an executive producer on the film. Cook plays Amanda, a travel executive sent to vet a family-owned Vietnamese travel company called Saigon Silver Star.
When her boyfriend John puts their relationship on hold, she takes the assignment herself and travels to Vietnam undercover to evaluate the business from a customer perspective. Despite her strict work ethic, she finds herself drawn to the region’s beauty and the unconventional mindset of Sinh, the owner’s nephew (Scott Ly), who helps her when her luggage is lost.
This marks the first Netflix film shot in Vietnam. Screenwriter Eirene Tran Donohue’s script is based on her real-life experiences after a breakup on a five-week trip in Vietnam. She told Tudum, the official companion website to Netflix:
“On my last week in Vietnam, I met a Canadian backpacker who was very much a free spirit and very adventurous. It made me realize that I didn’t actually want a safe, predictable life. He was supposed to be my holiday fling, but we have been together ever since — 22 years.” — Tudum
Donohue also commented on the importance of filming in Vietnam:
“There are almost no American movies set in Vietnam that aren’t about the trauma of war. It was really important to me to tell a story about life now. One that was full of joy and love and celebration. I wanted to change the conversation about Vietnam, to highlight it as a modern, thriving country whose stories are worthy of being told.” — Tudum
Where was A Tourist’s Guide to Love filmed – a breakdown of filming locations
Hoi An, Quang Nam, Vietnam
Hoi An, Quang Nam, Vietnam, is an ancient riverside town in Vietnam. This is the setting where Cook’s Angela and Ly’s Sinh light a lantern. They then make a wish and release them into the river. (This can be found at the 37:10 mark).
Hoi An is located in the central area of Vietnam’s Quang Nam Province, at the mouth of the Thu Bon River. Home of the Hoi An Lantern Festival (also known as the entire moon festival) is held on the 14th day of the lunar month.
Da Nang, Vietnam
Da Nang is a famous beach area in Vietnam. This was the setting for the scene where Ly comes out of the water, and Cook’s character swims together. (The location can be found at the 39:10 mark of the movie).
The Vietnamese city is the fifth largest in the country, with just over one million people. The city is home to multiple World Heritage Sites. This includes the Imperial City of Hue and the Old Town of Hoi An, which fuels tourist activity in the region.
My Son Sanctuary, Quang Nam, Vietnam
The My Son Sanctuary is a cluster of abandoned Hindu Temples. The area was built between the fourth and fourteenth centuries under the Indianized kingdom of the Cham people. (At the 43:10 mark, Sinh takes the group to My Son instead of a Golden Bridge tour).
The World Heritage Center describes the sites as “A vivid picture of spiritual and political life in an important phase of the history of Southeast Asia. The monuments are unique and without equality in Southeast Asia.”
Ha Giang, Vietnam
The off-the-beaten-path of Ha Giang is a border town in Vietnam. Next to China, this is an official Frontier Area of the country. (You can experience the area with Sinh and Amanda when they visit his family at the 45:45 mark). The site has some of Vietnam’s most beautiful frontier landscapes and unique cultures.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam, with a population of almost ten million. Amanda can be seen at the 10-minute mark in the Tan Son Nhat International Airport and the Ben Thanh Market at the 21:10 mark.
According to IMDB, some of the movies shot in Ho Chi Minh City are The Lover (1992), Da 5 Bloods (2020), The Roundup (2022), Artemis Fowl (2020), and both versions of The Quiet American.
