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🇻🇳 Vietnam /Culture & Society

The Mekong Delta landscape behind Phuong My Chi’s million-view music video

From Tuổi Trẻ · () Vietnamese

Translated from Vietnamese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Phuong My Chi’s music video “Paradise with My Love” features Khmer pagodas and countryside scenes in Tra Vinh and An Giang.
  • Local photographer Nguyen Thanh Tuan says Tra Vinh’s Khmer and Hoa communities give the province a distinctive cultural character.
  • The province’s quiet roads, greenery, clean villages and welcoming residents offer a slower alternative to urban travel.

Phuong My Chi’s million-view music video has turned familiar scenes from Vietnam’s Mekong Delta into fresh discoveries for viewers who have never visited the region.

“Paradise with My Love” features Khmer pagodas and colorful countryside landscapes in Tra Vinh, now part of Vinh Long after administrative changes, and An Giang. The images bring local architecture, rural roads and everyday life into the music video, highlighting a regional culture that often sits beyond the country’s busiest destinations.

For Nguyen Thanh Tuan, a Tra Vinh native who photographed the countryside, the scenery is familiar. On free days, he rides along rural roads looking for striking views, from Khmer pagodas and natural landscapes to ordinary scenes from local life. He says Tra Vinh may resemble other parts of the Mekong Delta, but its long-established Khmer and Hoa communities give the province a character of its own.

Travel about 5 to 10 kilometers in Tra Vinh and you can come across a Khmer pagoda. Each one has a different design and color, so visiting many of them remains interesting. The pagodas are not only places of worship, but also places that bring the community together.

· Nguyen Thanh TuanThe Tra Vinh photographer described the province’s dense network of distinctive Khmer pagodas.

“Travel about 5 to 10 kilometers in Tra Vinh and you can come across a Khmer pagoda,” Tuan said. “Each one has a different design and color, so visiting many of them remains interesting. The pagodas are not only places of worship, but also places that bring the community together.”

He describes the province’s appeal through small details: flowers cared for along neighborhood roads, homes that may not match the scale of city houses but remain clean and orderly, and a strong sense of neighborliness. He also points to residents’ honesty, warmth and hospitality.

Tra Vinh is not especially noisy or crowded, Tuan said. Its relatively cool climate, fresh air and gentle pace suit travelers seeking a quieter trip away from urban bustle. The province is also within reach of Ho Chi Minh City, while its pagodas, landscapes and everyday life offer more to explore beyond the scenes seen in the music video.

People here are cheerful, optimistic, honest and hospitable. These qualities make visitors develop affection for this land more easily.

· Nguyen Thanh TuanTuan described the local character that he believes adds to Tra Vinh’s appeal.
About this summary

Originally published by Tuổi Trẻ in Vietnamese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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