Cánh dong hoang (1979) – IMDb

This film begins with a young man named “Ba Do” (Toi Lam) who temporarily leaves his wife “Sau Xoa” (Thuy An Nguyen) and young child living in the swamps of the Mekong Delta to join the local Viet Cong forces fighting in that region. As it so happens, the American military coincidentally makes the decision to clear that exact area of all its inhabitants which subsequently increases the Viet Cong’s determination to maintain a presence there even more. Needless to say, this has a direct impact on both Ba Do and Sau Xoa as they struggle against both hostile military action and the challenges of living in such a difficult environment as well. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that–despite the limited budget and the lack of any well-known actors–this is as good a film about the Vietnam War as any that have been produced as it manages to capture hardships experienced by the people who lived in that area during this time. Admittedly, although it neglects to showcase the cruelty inflicted by the Viet Cong on anyone who refused to cooperate with them, given the political climate within Vietnam after the war that probably goes without saying. Be that as it may, despite the faults already mentioned, I was impressed with this film and recommend it to those viewers interested in a movie of this sort and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.