Vietnamese photographer to be a visual storyteller on Discovery
The renowned local photographer Tran Tuan Viet has become an amateur tour guide on the television series entitled Dare to Ride by Discovery, introducing Hanoi culture and its appetizing cuisine.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s newly released Dare to Ride TV show of highlights Southeast Asia’s position as one of the world’s best places to motorcycle tours, as the show entertains the audiences and informs them on the region’s natural beauty, culture, and history.
Life returns to normal in Hanoi
| A screenshot of “Outride Hanoi” - Episode 4/ Dare to Ride TV Show by Warner Bros. Discovery |
The TV show named “Outride Hanoi”/ Dare to Ride Episode 4 takes its viewers around Hanoi guided by photojournalist Tran Tuan Viet, who was being challenged about his knowledge of Hanoi as he attempts to be a motorcycle tour guide for the day. Armed with only a vintage motorcycle and his wits, Viet took three tourists on a trip filled with food, history, and culture of the capital city.
Talking about the episode themed Vietnam, the talented photographer said that it took him and his colleagues three days in mid-April to shoot Hanoi scenes. It was only one month after Vietnam opened its border to international tourists after two years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our workday started at 4 a.m. and ends at midnight,” he recalled.
In the Hanoi episode, Viet introduced audiences with his unique bird’s eye shots from flying cameras of famous tourist attractions such as the Hanoi Opera House, Temple of Literature, Tran Quoc Pagoda, and Hoan Kiem Lake, among others.
On the TV show’s part about culinary, Viet introduced the fish noodle soup or fresh rice noodles with fried fish and vegetables to international friends, instead of the famous Pho noodle soup.
“Besides Pho, I would like to give foreign friends a glimpse of another delicious dish of Hanoi: the Bun ca. Hopefully that after watching this episode, visitors to Vietnam will try the Bun ca and fall in love with the Hanoi specialty as they do with Pho,” he said.
In addition, there were also two other dishes of Hanoi that the TV show mentioned, including Ca phe trung or egg coffee and Pho cuon or rolled fresh rice noodle with beef and herbs.
Viet also said that though proficient in English, he chose Vietnamese to lead the show. “It is because Vietnamese is the best language to convey the unique cultural identity of the country,” he added.
| Although Bun ca or fish noodle soup is not as well-known to foreigners as Pho or spring rolls, this dish secures a dear place in the heart of many Vietnamese diners. Photo: Thu Uyen |
The photographer also wishes to spread the message of “Safety Vietnam” to foreign visitors. “The pace of life in Hanoi is going on as normal as it was before Covid-19. The country is safe to travel now and we invite foreign tourists to come to enjoy Bun ca as well as many other delicious dishes,” Viet said.
Interesting TV show about Southeast Asia
The “Dare to Ride” show is narrated by Steve Crombie, a world-renowned professional adventure motorcyclist.
It also marks Warner Bros. Discovery’s first-ever partnership with Shell and reflects its reputation for quality entertainment and commitment to bringing more locally relevant content to audiences.
The film series has aired on the Discovery channel in Southeast Asia and India, starting from late June until July 23.
Episode 1 of the show took audiences to Indonesia, challenging travelers to ride a scooter on an arduous journey to the top of Mount Bromo, an active volcano in East Java.
Episode 2 brought people to travel across Malaysia with the ultimate off-road test by motorbike to get over rocky rivers, muddy trails, wet grass, and slippery slopes.
Episode 3 was about a Filipino radio and TV personality who took a harsh journey from Manila to Dicasalarin Cove.
| Photojournalist Tran Tuan Viet was a motorcycle tour guide in the Discovery's show themed Hanoi. Screenshotted photo |
Episode 5, which will be premiered on July 23, takes viewers to Thailand, where actor and adventurer Ray MacDonald learns what it’s like to be a true hero of the streets, spending a day in the shoes, or wheels, of a Chiang Mai motorcycle delivery rider.
The final episode that will be on air on July 20, sees a bike-lover who will tackle an epic 200km journey across India, traveling from the old to the new, from the mountainous terrain of Nashik to Mumbai's Gateway of India, before sunset.
“We wish to showcase the courage of our passionate bikers to outride anything in the Dare to Ride series. But most importantly, as part of our strategy to humanize the brand, we’d love our audience to experience the joy of new adventures along with their passion for riding,” Elaine Chen, GM Consumer Road Sector, Shell Global Marketing told the Taiwannews late June.
Dare to Ride is produced by HJ Production in association with Trifecta Collective Sdn Bhd. The executive producer is Henry Ambarita.
