TV series on rural life, young farmers attract fans

Singer-actress Khổng Tú Quỳnh performs in Hậu Duệ Của Biển (Children of The Seas), a TV series on the lives of farmers in a fishing village in Bình Thuận Province. — Photo courtesy of the producer

By Thu Anh

HCM CITY — Amidst all the soap operas in upper middle-class settings, two recently released TV series that focus on rural life and young farmers have won millions of fans. 

The 15-episode series, Lối Về Miền Hoa (Road to the Flower Land), captures the lives of young farmers in a flower village in the north, the challenges they encounter in life and love, in particular the difficulties they face in developing their village’s traditional vocation. 

Many “hot” issues like love and marriage, education, healthcare, social security, superstition and culture are woven into the story, as are topics like infrastructure, environmental pollution, irrigation and electricity supply. 

The series, directed by Vũ Minh Trí, stars young actors Trọng Lân, Đức Anh and Mạnh Quân. 

It has been warmly welcomed by audiences after its release on VTV3 by the Việt Nam Television early March. 

A scene from TV series Hậu Duệ Của Biển (The Children of The Seas), a production that focuses on the lives of fisherfolk in Bình Thuận Province. — Photo courtesy of the producer

Another series that has gained popularity is Hậu Duệ Của Biển (The Children of the Seas), dealing with the lives of fisherfolk and their children in Bình Thuận Province.

Directed by Khang Guong, the series shows how the building of new-style rural areas in the province has helped improve locals’ lives.

Bình Thuận is one of the country’s driest provinces, but it has had 69 communes, or 74 per cent of the total, recognised as new-style rural areas since beginning to implement a national programme in 2010.

The province targets having no poor households by 2025, and to double average rural incomes by 2030.

Hậu Duệ Của Biển is produced by Mnet Media and features young artists Khổng Tú Quỳnh and Xuân Nghị. 

Its first episode debuted on YouTube in June, 2021 and attracted more than a million views in just four days. 

The show’s latest and sixth episode has attracted more than 2.9 million YouTube views. 

A representative of Mnet Media said young audiences love learning about rural life through TV series based on the farming community.

“I loved watching director Trí’s Lối Về Miền Hoa, which is about young farmers who are brave and ambitious and use their knowledge and skills to help local villagers escape from poverty,” said Nguyễn Quốc Duy, a resident of Bình Dương Province. 

The 15-episode series, Lối Về Miền Hoa (Road to the Flower Land), captures the lives of young farmers in a flower village in the north, the challenges they encounter in life and love, in particular the difficulties they face in developing their village’s traditional vocation. — Photo courtesy of the producer

Other TV shows on farmers like Phố Trong Làng (The City of the Village) and Cô Gái Nhà Người Ta (The Beautiful Girl in the Village) made by filmmakers in HCM City and southern provinces have also attracted millions of views on YouTube.    

Movie star Hồng Ánh was invited to play a lead role in Cây Nước Mắt (Tears of the Rubber Trees), a 35-part  series about southern farmers recently aired on Hồ Chí Minh City Television. 

The series highlights the resilient character of southerners and how they fight and redirect their life through great difficulties. 

Ánh, 44, has 25 years of experience in the film industry. She has won several top prizes at Vietnamese and international film festivals, including the Golden Sky for Best Movie Actress by Việt Nam Cinematography Association in 2000 and 2007 and Best Actress award at the fifth Dubai International Film Festival in 2008. She also represented Việt Nam at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, 2011 and 2013. She works as a film director and producer now.

She said: “I think young people will know more about the country’s developments in economy, culture and lifestyle after watching this series.” — VnExpress News