Dutch film Vietnamese tale

The Netherlands' Zeeuws Museum is showing a short film entitled Manh Ghep Cuoc Doi (Porcelain) that was made in Vietnam last May. It tells the story of a young writer named Khue who becomes romantically involved with a Dutchman of Vietnamese decent.

While visiting an antique dealers, Khue becomes fascinated by a mystical vase, through which she establishes a connection with a girl from the past.

At the same time, Khue finds herself caught in a love triangle. She knows her ex-boyfriend Trung still has feelings for her, but she becomes fascinated by the worldly, romantic and carefree Tri Minh.

The backdrop for the love story is the real life events surrounding a cursed shipment of porcelain that was being taken from Asia to Europe in the 17th century. The Portuguese ship, called the San Jago, set sail for Portugal in 1602 with a haul of precious porcelain, some of which came from Viet Nam. The ship however was intercepted by a Dutch vessel and the cargo looted.

Porcelain was made by a team of local and international producers, directors and screenwriters that included Do Chi Thien, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and Rasmus Nielsen. Thien, Ngoc, and Tuan were each responsible for one episode.

The film explores the role of the Dutch East India Company (a trading firm that created enormous wealth for the Netherlands in the following centuries) and the public auction in Middelburg of the captured porcelain. The series was shot in Vietnam and stars Kim Tuyen; Hanh Thuy; and Nguyen Hau.

While several antiques, including a vase, were brought from the museum to Viet Nam for the filming in Ho Chi Minh City, 50 copies of the vase were made by local artisans.

The series was also screened at Filmtheater Schuttershof in Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland province last October.

The series and an exhibition based on the history of the porcelain has received good reviews in the Netherlands, said Rasmus Nielsen, the executive producer.

The series is expected to be aired this year on television in the Netherlands and Vietnam.