Ever watched a film and wondered why it was made in the first place? Was this to celebrate cultural crossover or increase tourism or just to indulge in some romance, present taste of cinema? ‘Love in Vietnam’ goes on an ambitious journey across India and Vietnam through the love story of three youth, but it fails to connect and hardly leaves any impact. Set against Vietnam’s juicy, picturesque scenarios, the film promises a foreign migration, yet the depth of the story struggles to balance the visual splendor.

Directed by Rahat Shah Kazmi, the film stars Shantanu Maheshwari, Avneet Kaur and Vietnamese actor Kha Nagan. The story follows Manv (Maheshwari), a Punjabi man sent Vietnam to mastered modern agricultural techniques after his parents’ sad loss. With his childhood friend Simmi (Kaur), the human life takes an unexpected turn when he enters from the picture of Linh (B Nagan). Thus there is a classic pursuit of love and longing, where Linah’s discovery becomes as much discovery for a personal shutdown as it is a romantic adventure.

Shantinu Maheshwari handles the role of human with honesty. Their performance bears the weight of the longing well, although at times it seems that it is trapped in the midst of an attempt to be a brooding lover and a light hero. The second half of the film also sees him as a mixture of Kabir Singh and Krrish Kapoor from ‘Siara’, as he gets into rockstar mode after his heart breaks. Shantinu, who was a very popular boyfriend after her TV debut with ‘Dil Dosti Dance’, reflects the same with the film. Also, how he has come, that is also not a little aging?

On the other hand, the child actor brought social media star Avneet Kaur a bright attraction for Simmi, combining fickleness with moments of vulnerability that manages to add some sparks. Kha Nagan, while visually prepared for striking and fully ready, is suffering from a script that does not give him enough to do. His character often feels like a story instead of a fully felt part of the story. However, both these women have full digits to create effects with fully written parts. Both of them also have a striking screen appearance that adds weight to the film, but it can never be enough.

Where ‘love in Vietnam’ actually shines, its cinematography is. Rajandiran Nanjan’s camera work in all his glory to Vietnam, from Mission Mountains and Veradent Fields to the prestigious Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hills. These frames transport the audience, offer a visual feast that often looks like a travelogue compared to a film. The landscapes do not work only as a background; They whisper the emotional undercontinent of the film, which is probably its strongest property.

Like music, the film also bows into its emotional aspirations. Courtesy of Meat Brothers and Amal Malik distributes moments of poignancy through songs like Soundtrack, ‘Fakira’, ‘Burha Burh’, and ‘Bed Dean Hu’. These tracks underline the romance and sadness of the track story, although they sometimes feel that they are trying to make up for the film’s story interval.

The film’s effort in the cultural fusion is also very commendable, which stands as a co-production of Bharat-Vietnam. It introduces the Indian audience to aspects of Vietnamese culture, traditional food, from local customs to unwarded attractions of their places. Nevertheless, cultural elements often skim the surface instead of deepening, which makes the film feel that it is ticking boxes rather than the construction of bridges.

Unfortunately, the biggest defect of the film lies in its story. In the first half, the minors are dull, giving us a little more than beautiful shots and surface-level character interactions for a long time. It attempts to create a conspiracy but stumbles under an anticipated plot. Post-interval, the film suddenly lifts pace before tumbling in careless climax. The editing seems to be tempering, and many fiction threads are disappointingly unresolved, leaving the audience with more questions.

Finally, love in Vietnam was done with a well -intention but stands as a flawed effort. This scene offers a few moments of beauty and light-hearted attraction, but its forecasted conspiracy and underdeveloped characters prevent it from growing. It is a film that will appeal to those who love sightseeing romance and cultural experiments, but can feel more depth than anyone who tries to portray the film.