Discovering the world is the aspiration of many Vietnamese people and for the first time, a documentary film entitled, “Around the World in Caravan” has been created by a group of Vietnamese travel lovers.

The programme tells stories about a tour of around 80 countries and territories by five founders of the Indochina Media firm in a campervan with the number plate 30P-4607.

The programme, expected to be produced over three years, will not only bring the world closer to Vietnamese spectators and promote the images of Vietnam among international friends but also send a message about an accessible world, as well as the dreams and aspirations of a generation of young Vietnamese people to discover and conquer the world.

“At first, I lacked confidence about this programme but everything has gradually come about though a lot of difficulties presented themselves,” journalist Do Doan Hoang of the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper recalled his feelings about the time he was invited to participate in the programme.

Indochina Media Director Hoang The Dung, who is one of the main members of the film-making team, confided that to turn enthusiasm into reality and to prove that Vietnamese people can do everything that international friends do, film-makers have made great efforts to overcome all difficulties and challenges that sometimes made them think of changing the script, such as earthquakes, a tsunami or difficulties in getting an licence to travel in a campervan with Vietnamese number plates in other countries and territories.

Finally, the first three episodes of the “Around the World in Caravan” series were completed and the first episode was screened on Vietnam Television Channel 3 (VTV3) in early December 2010.

Each 30-minute episode brought TV viewers colourful and lively images of places around the world that the film-makers had visited, including the village of Kayan in Myanmar with women wearing stacks of iron necklaces, or the Golden Triangle, which used to be the world’s largest heroin provider but now has become a major tourist destination.

The film-makers also have an ambition to use this programme to connect Vietnamese living and working in different regions around the world.

An early episode story about the reunion between Hoang Van Pham from the Moc Chau Plateau in the northwestern province of Son La, and his two children in Laos after 50 years of separation has highlighted the human interest element of this unique series.

In December last year, the “Around the World in Caravan” continued its journey to the land of China.

After the programme concludes, the film-makers will publish a book recording lovely stories and images from their fascinating trip.

The programme is expected to be broadcast on HTV and VTC10 channels to serve Vietnamese people who are living far from the nation./.