These films inspire travel and exploration of the world.

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN

Belonging to the genre of romantic films aimed at female audiences, Under the Tuscan Sun is based on the autobiographical novel by author Frances Mayes (played by Diane Lane), and also reflects her real-life experiences during her years of searching for happiness in the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy.

After her divorce and falling into crisis, Frances decided to take a trip to Tuscany to rediscover her zest for life. Eventually, the sun-drenched land, the olive groves, the old houses, and the genuine, simple people awakened long-dormant emotions within her. Frances decided to buy an old house and had Polish immigrant workers renovate it. During her time in this idyllic land, love returned to her once again.

With Diane Lane's delicate and feminine performance, and the stunning scenery filmed around the ancient town of Cortona near Arezzo, Under the Tuscan Sun inspired many women to pack their bags and travel to experience the same feelings that the author Frances had, perhaps even finding their soulmate there?

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

For dreamy young men whose daily lives are too boring, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a great suggestion to help you find the courage to escape reality and embark on an adventure that you might remember for a lifetime.

In this inspiring travel film, comedian Ben Stiller plays Walter, a man with a dreary desk job at Life magazine who is constantly dreaming of the fantastical adventures he reads about in short stories by James Thurber. A mysterious incident occurs, forcing Walter to embark on a journey to find the missing film reel of legendary photojournalist Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn). This journey gives Walter his first real-life experiences, not just in his fantasies. And he sets foot in places that many travel enthusiasts dream of: Greenland, Iceland, and the Himalayas…

Besides the majestic and beautiful scenes of world wonders, the inspiring story and spirit of the characters bring viewers a warm and wonderful feeling about the yearning for travel and exploration within each person.

INTO THE WILD

If you're a fan of exploring exotic lands or enjoy solo adventures, then Into the Wild is definitely one of the classic films you must see.

Directed by Sean Penn and based on Jon Krakauer's novel of the same name, *Into the Wild* tells the story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), who calls himself Alexander Supertramp – a recent college graduate who decides to give up all his money and possessions and embark on an unprecedented journey deep into the American North, all the way to Alaska, where he can live a truly wild life.

This true story of a young man's solitary journey leads us through breathtakingly beautiful, peaceful yet majestic and awe-inspiring locations such as Lake Tahoe, Beard's Hollow, the Colorado River, and especially the snow-covered landscapes of Alaska.

Despite the film's tragic and controversial ending, stemming from the protagonist's dangerous ideals, it remains an inspiring film about experience and journey. Particularly noteworthy is Christopher McCandless's final quote in his notebook: "Happiness only real when shared!"

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

Before becoming Che Guevara, the Cuban national hero who inspired generations of young people, Che undertook a journey across South America in his youth, a trip that changed his life forever.

The Motorcycle Diaries “is not a story about heroes, but the journey of two young men, sharing inspirations and dreams, accompanying each other for a brief moment in their lives.” But their travels through many South American countries changed them more than they imagined. They were no longer themselves, at least not the people they used to be...

Both embarked on a plan to complete a 14,000 km journey in four months using an impromptu approach, aiming to explore a continent they knew mostly only from books. With their old, leaky Norton 500cc motorcycle, they began their journey from Buenos Aires to Patagonia, through Chile, then north to the San Pablo leper colony on the Amazon River in Peru. Their final destination was the Guajira Peninsula in Venezuela.

This "road movie" not only takes viewers on an adventure with two passionate, energetic young men who love the road ahead, but it is also a beautiful work about the love of life and people in unfamiliar lands.

BEFORE SUNRISE / BEFORE SUNSET / BEFORE MIDNIGHT

If you're a couple or married, this trilogy of romantic road trip films, spanning nearly three decades (9 years to make each film), is a must-see before you pack your bags and hit the road together.

In Before Sunrise, the film explores the romantic relationship of a young couple who coincidentally meet on a train from Budapest to Vienna. They chat about all sorts of things in life and end with an evening stroll around the city before parting ways and promising to meet again. But it's not until nine years later that they coincidentally meet again, both having moved on with their own lives…

Their seemingly endless conversations unfold throughout the film, becoming a signature storytelling style of director Richard Linklater and actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. And alongside these conversations are romantic settings, from the Austrian capital to the Danube banks of their youth (Before Sunrise), the romantic city of Paris in their thirties (Before Sunset), and the ancient cities of Greece as they reach middle age (Before Midnight).

AMÉLIE / MIDNIGHT IN PARIS / EMILY IN PARIS

The romantic city of Paris in France has been the setting for hundreds of different films, especially romantic films celebrating love or nostalgia for lost values. The three films below are three of the most representative cinematic works that celebrate the romantic and nostalgic beauty of Paris over the past two decades.

If you want to experience a journey along the beautiful landmarks of Paris,AmélieIt's definitely a top choice. The film, a phenomenon of French cinema in 2001, was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starred Audrey Tautou as an innocent young girl with wide-open eyes and a naive, pure view of life.

This film, like a modern-day fairy tale, will lead visitors to discover countless famous Parisian landmarks, from the streets along the Seine River to Montmartre hill… What's special is that all these scenes are infused with the unique, sweet charm of Amélie. If you love Paris, you can't help but love Amélie!

Midnight in ParisWoody Allen's romantic, nostalgic film allows us to explore Paris through its nighttime streets, bars, restaurants, museums, cafes, and cinemas. Gil (Owen Wilson), a writer and screenwriter, journeys back in time to its golden age, encountering world-renowned artists, writers, directors, and painters who once sought inspiration in Paris, such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Cole Porter, and Gertrude Stein.

And finallyEmily in ParisThe Netflix series, which premiered in mid-2020, created a Parisian craze with its exquisite, glamorous fashion and iconic settings of the French capital.

This long-running series tells the story of Emily, a young woman from Chicago who travels to Paris to promote a company's marketing from an American perspective, but it's not as simple as she thought, especially due to language and cultural differences. Nevertheless, Emily eventually manages to integrate with the sophisticated residents of this glamorous city.

Whether you like or dislike this series, you can't deny that the familiar city of Paris is portrayed through poetic and romantic scenes, truly deserving of its title as the City of Lights. From the Pont Alexandre III bridge to the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower, from the Palais-Royal to L'Atelier des Lumières, from the famous Café de Flore to the Musée des Arts Forains… all the important locations with architectural, cultural, artistic value, or "fancy" places for Parisians appear in the series, driving viewers crazy with each episode and making them want to book a ticket to Paris immediately, even if they are already quite familiar with the city.

About the author

Le Hong Lam is a renowned journalist and film critic in Vietnam. He is also the author of several books on film studies such as "Reading Text, Decoding Images," "Playing with Structure," "101 Vietnamese Films," and "The Lover Without a Portrait." Currently, his articles published in newspapers or on his personal Facebook page are still followed and shared by a large number of film enthusiasts.

Lam Le