As the “restaurant scene” had previously leaked in the trailer for the environmental documentary project in July 2022, the second part of the film project Taxi Driver officially premiered. Numerous landscapes and landmarks of Vietnam appeared impressively on screen, although it was not without its share of emotional moments. What is the reason behind this?
According to what is presented in Episode 1 of Taxi Driver 2, the three primary locations in Vietnam depicted are Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long, and Da Nang. In the film, the main character Kim Do Gi (played by Lee Je Hoon) takes on a crucial mission – searching for a young man who had come to Vietnam for work and then mysteriously disappeared. He accepts this mission after the young man’s father had previously traveled to Vietnam to look for his son but was unsuccessful, and even suffered a tragic fate in the process.
Despite having experience in solving cases, when arriving in Vietnam, Do Gi finds himself “lost” due to the overwhelming beauty of his surroundings.
After landing at the airport, Do Gi takes a tour bus to explore the vibrant streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Many famous sites such as Le Duan Street, the Ben Thanh Market, and Thu Thiem Tunnel appear prominently. Do Gi finds himself sitting on the bus, taking in the sights during the ride to Ha Long.
After that, Do Gi goes on a cruise, both taking in the scenery of Ha Long and contemplating the case at hand. Eventually, he arrives at a location believed to be the company that the young man worked for, only to find it is an abandoned house nestled in the cool mountainous region of Da Nang. The reason being that before his disappearance, the young man’s father had passed through Rong Bridge to get to this area.
The journey of Do Gi in Taxi Driver 2 is likely to evoke deep reflections among many Vietnamese viewers, yet it is not entirely devoid of entertainment value. The essence of the film’s plot creates a fictional landmark named Cotaya situated in Vietnam. Following that, the team combined various real locations to create the backdrop for Episode 1. The reason being that when departing from the airport, Do Gi passed by a beach area that was recorded… Son La – a key stop in this fascinating journey of his in Vietnam.
In conclusion, the fact that numerous locations in Vietnam contributed to a blockbuster Korean series has certainly delighted many viewers. However, the use of a hot yellow-orange color palette to depict the warm scenes of Vietnam has also sparked some mixed opinions.
Images: SBS
