User reviews

I could rave all day about the beautiful setting of this film. It really showcased Vietnam in a beautiful way. It was cleaver to use a film about a travel company to do it because it created the opening to see sights and have customs explained.

I also thought the actor Scott Ly did a wonderful job. He managed to straddle the romantic lead role well. I loved the running joke that he earned an "Amanda Riley" compliment.

I never really felt the chemistry on Rachel Leigh Cook's part and I really didn't care for her two supporting cast members, her boss played by Missi Pyle and her ex-boyfriend the forensic accountant played by Ben Feldman...who was just weird and awkward.

The story is about a travel company who wants to buy a little travel company in Vietnam to stay competitive, but before they make an offer they send their employee Amanda to secret shop the Vietnamese company to be sure. Which is awkward and then it isn't.

1/2 way through the film when Rachel relaxed a little the film gets slightly better and while it isn't my favorite film, I still would recommend it to romantics...and anyone wanting so see a beautiful side of Vietnam.

" Put that tourist guide book away, you're not a tourist." "Yes I am." "No. You are a traveler." "What's the difference?" "A tourist travels to escape life, a traveler travels to experience life. Life is too short to waste it escaping life, you should experience it instead."

I swear the acting and storytelling in these Netflix rom-coms gets worse everyday. The film gets a 5 from me because the scenery was gorgeous and we get a taste of a rich culture that isn't touched upon often in English language films. However, the acting was horrendous except from a few of the newcomers, Rachel Leigh Cook just does not have that it factor anymore so I'm very confused as to why she continually is cast in these romantic comedies. The storyline was bland as well, and how the two main characters end up together is incredibly cliché which could possibly be what Netflix was going for on this. As previously stated, the film's only saving grace is the cultural aspect that was enjoyable to see and learn about. Netflix needs an original idea though. These films are becoming as bad as every Hallmark movie ever just with a slightly larger budget.

Rachel Leigh Cook can't act. The rest of the cast neither. The actual story was quite thin and the two main character had zero chemistry but somehow it is still a charming little film. In a grey, rainy afternoon this movie is perfect to bring some colour in your life. And I suspect it was made by a travel agency, as it makes me want to visit Vietnam.

I gave it 6 star because of the scenery and the cultural aspects that were shown. I loved the colours.

As a rom-com, meh, nothing special, although the male lead looks quite handsome indeed but I couldn't see any love happening, I couldn't see the female lead changing, but it probably comes with the lack of the acting skills from the whole cast.

Overall, it is still an okay movie, nice 90 minutes, but not something I'd watch again.

As a Vietnamese that now lives in the US, I was excited to see this movie when I saw the trailer. It's a typical romcom, so I won't complain about the predictable plot or the very stereotypical character arcs. The main male lead, Sinh, is apparently not a Vietnamese born, as his Vietnamese is weird, but I guess he tried his best, so I won't complain about it either. However, I found myself skipping most of the scenes due to the lack of chemistry between the two lead actors. Their interactions feel very forced, and their lines sound meaningless most of the times. The cinematography is lackluster, too. I expected to see some good camera works that show the beauty of Vietnam, but I was disappointed. Vietnamese directors nowadays do a much better work at this I must admit. The only positive thing I can speak about this movie is that the music is pretty on point.

If you wanna see a romcom set in Vietnamese with an adventure on the side, I recommend you go watch 1735km. It's available for free on Youtube. The movie was directed by a Vietnamese director and 100% of its cast are Vietnamese. It was made in 2004 if I remember correctly, but it's still much more novel and entertaining than this.

I did not expect much from the film, yet I am still disappointed. The film offers some good scenes, the type of scenes that you can print out and pretend that you have been in the typical Lonely Planet Vietnam. But besides that, nothing else makes me feel good about this one. Put aside all the cultural malpresentations, the film fails to guide us to love. As a rom-com, I don't find it romantic or funny. As a tourist's film, I don't find it appealing. There is not any chemistry between the two main characters. The story is hard to believe. The cinematography does not convey any complex ideas. It is a postcard movie set Asia, but not a good one.

After getting dumped in los angeles, amanda (rachael cook) takes a trip to vietnam, kind of a work-cation. She meets anh and sinh, whose family owns a tour guide company. Amanda is there to evaluate it, without letting them know. Such beautiful scenery and locations, which probably everyone mentions in these reviews. Sinh (scott ly) is very professional and sweet. He shows her and the group the local customs, and culture, but tells her they won't have time to see every landmark on her list; his company offers a more relaxed, free flowing visit, based on how long the lines are at the various touristy stops. Sinh knows all the out of the way, beautiful spots, and the history and meaning behind them. This was a lot of fun to watch! Knowing little about vietnam prior to this, it really was a trip through a beautiful new country. The arc of the relationship between amanda and sinh was predictable, but it all works, and who doesn't like a good love story?? Directed by steven tsuchida. Looks like he has done a mix of television and films. Story by eirene donohue.

I have never written a review on this site before but signed up just to write about how awful this movie is. Terrible story, awful acting. It really could not have been much worse. I do like a good RomCom and go in not expecting it to win any Oscars, but this was over the top painful, cliche, not funny, and the list goes on. I would have expected this to be a movie that Netflix never released and just took the tax break on it. Be advised--- even if you are a big Romantic Comedy lover, this movie is the worst of the worst. It is a shame because Vietnam is an amazing place and this movie dumbed it down.

It almost seems like the typical "Christmas Movie" genre has spawned a sub-genre of summer romances.

Same formula. Same quality level. Just no snow and exotic locales.

Which is what you should expect in a movie like this.

It doesn't really rise to the level of a studio "rom com" It's a Christmas movie in all but the Jingle Bells.

So with that in mind, Tourist's Guide to Love was above average.

I loved that it focused on Asian representation and culture, given recent Asian hate crimes in the news.

Plot was thin and predictable--but you can't really hold that against a formula. That's part of the agreement with the audience going in.

Characters were fleshed out to an average degree. Acting was acceptable.

The one thing I'll say as a big criticism is that while in a movie like this I expect the locale to be a "character" of sorts, I do NOT expect it to be the MAIN character.

Loved seeing the sights, but a little less tourism would have allowed for a little more story development. And perhaps I would have then cared a little more for the plot.

Yet another clinical, artificial Netflix rom-com, one of those cookie cutter copy/paste jobs they churn out on a weekly basis and disguise as "films".

A shame since any production wanting to showcase Vietnam and it's magical beauty has an advantage. Shame the screenplay is predictable, corny and at times just plain boring. Even with the Vietnam hook.

Yet like a lot of Netflix productions, the need to inject diversity is too pandering - I mean the black lesbian couple with the daughter - way too on the Netflix nose. Supporting cast are all just cliches- dorky white boy, successful black lesbian moms, old funny English couple... yawn. None resemble a soul.

Rachel Leigh Cook is the poor woman's Natalie Portman. Not necessarily her fault, she's talented but had a bad agent back in the day. Portman went onto an Oscar, Cook well ... Netflix rom coms. Life never went on after "Shes All That". She isn't too bad here.

This film actually impressed. I watched a lot of film about my country, but they either exaggerated or fabricated. This film didn´t do that and it reminds me of how beautiful my country is and how the people there are. While watching this film, I did blame myself for being able to forget so many good things about my country.

Unfortunately I did not feel much chemistry between the two main characters. However, Rachael acted well, so it could be a plus.

As a rom-com, this flim is predictable, it is still good.

As a tourist´s film it brilliant.

Overall it is a good film and I would watch it again.

At turns sweet and charming...then trite and manufactured, this movie does not plough new ground though it is a solid entry in the Hallmark movie library. Overall, a sweet and romantic travelogue but not much more than that. If you're in the mood for a light, fluffy movie with pretty scenery and not a deep, thought-provoking or otherwise intellectually challenging/stimulating film, this will fit the bill. It's fine for a date night with wine and popcorn; you can chat over the scenes and not miss anything. I guess what I'm saying is that it's a pretty background for to play on your television whilst you get on with doing something important.

A tourist's guide to love

A splendid display of the tourism in Vietnam, and nothing more. This flick is bland, poorly acted and riddled with cliches.

There's no form of chemistry between the leads, and this is especially bad seeing as it's a romcom. The movie fails as a romcom, it isn't romantic and it's far from being comedic. The supporting characters are boring and poorly fleshed out, the same also goes for the leads.

The pacing was slow and the dialogues were stifled, and because the movie had no flair to it, it resulted in a boring snoozefest.

The only good thing from this movie is the scenic exploration of Vietnam and the soundtrack. The movie should have been titled A tourist's guide for visiting Vietnam.

3/10.

So. Many. Clichés. I can't. Ughhh. Whatever you're thinking of, it's in this movie. I went into this movie blind and I could see the story from a mile away. But lovers of romcoms might enjoy this better than I did.

It was supposed to be 5/10 because you know, just a bang-average & a feel-good movie. But I'll give it an extra point for telling a nice story about my country Vietnam, our culture, and making everything look glorious on camera. It's basically "Vietnam 101: what to look out for while traveling Vietnam".

One other thing they got right tho: to be successful in Vietnam you gotta have connections hahahah.

My expectations were low for this Netflix rom-com, but I was getting pretty fed up around the halfway point - the film was just too saccharine and predictable, though the lush setting and cultural sites elevated the experience and kept me going. Once a little tension was added to the situation, the film became more watchable, and I especially enjoyed the ending. I really like Rachel Leigh Cook and she has made several charming rom-coms since she matured a bit (I highly recommend Love, Guaranteed). Scott Ly is suitably hunky and soulful as the local love interest, and Ben Feldman is always great. The respectful presentation of Vietnam earned the movie an extra star, as did the completely casual and normalized inclusion of a Black lesbian couple. I was interested to read that the story is loosely based on the screenwriter's actual experience of an unexpected breakup before a trip to Vietnam, where she met a free spirit who she realized suited her best. (I wish I had known this before I watched - I might have been a bit more patient with the film.)

By far one of the worst most meaningless pointless repetitive frases , one cliche after another , they even make me dislike the " Waaw "expression.. did they invest anything in this movie or just give free vacation to a few actors in exchange for the worst acting of there life .. worst.,, then again if you're using this film to fall sleep then go for it you'll be out by the first 5 minutes .. I keep expecting anything good would happen in it to justify calling it a film but never happen so is like some Vietnam cheap tourist advertisements, or I don't know what this is , not a thing was worth it . ......,,,.......

Loved the scenery of Vietnam and I always read the bios of the leading men. Scott Ly it seems worked out diligently to prepare for this role and he definitely was successful in his efforts. He did a great job portraying the handsome and personable tour guide who provides experiences - not just tour guide agenda to his customers. He has a warm and genuine nature and loves his job. I still had a hard time watching it though as it was coincidentally Memorial Day Weekend and just kept bringing up bad memories though as the war affected our household badly and just don't like to think that much about it - mentioning all the cities, etc. Was wondering if this was a cultural tour promotion disguised as a movie or what but finished it and was glad for a happy ending.

This is one movie you want to love but couldn't. For the most part, it's cheesy. The lead actors try their best to be credible but acting ends up being wooden. The defect is in the storyline. It's a challenge producing an entertaining film out of a travelogue.

The lines are cliche. For example, Sinh Thach (Scott Ly) explains enthusiastically the difference between a tourist and a traveller; thus: a tourist escapes from life; a traveller experiences it. What can I say...duh.

The saving factor is that the film showcases Vietnamese culture. The viewer gets a glimpse of local culture which is most welcome. But as to the observation that Vietnam is a top tourist destination, the jury is still out on this one.

I actually enjoyed this travel rom com. The on location filming is well done. Hoi An looked magical. But too bad couldn't have included Hue, the most special city in Vietnam. Or Halong Bay the scenic wonder of Vietnam. Quite realistically there is an amusing part that shows how hard it is to cross the road in a Vietnamese city.

Rachel Leigh Cook is charming and still looks fine. The characters are generally pleasant. The dialogue is quite enjoyable and not painful and the story doesn't feel too forced or cliched like some similar movies have like Ticket to Paradise. That one felt inauthentic because it was not filmed on location. It's all about location, location, location.

This was a rom com so the mood was not suitable for including sights associated with the war. But that is an integral part of any tour to Vietnam. Visitors to the country must remember to check out the war museums.

The little drama part about buying the agency was a bit tacked on. This is worth a watch because the the story isn't annoying like some similar travel romance movies.

I know this will be showing interesting spot in Vietnam i look forward to that. But the cast was unbelievable bad. The characters was outdated. Lack of charm. Hangover2 is much better in showing out Thailand. But this one nice scenery but horrible cast and script. Bad. I can't even watch this till the end.

This movie feel like Netflix Clickbait i don't really like when the preview is much interesting than actual movie. The plot was outdated nothing surprises. Everything looks like a set up. Main characters surprisingly impress with everything. Male main characters is cringe and flirty enough for me to quit this movie right away. Oh my god.

This was such a cute movie! It instilled wanderlust with the views of Vietnam as well as that general happy feeling from watching two people fall for each other (lots of happy sighs & palm on the chin awws while watching). I'm so glad that it didn't include the tired enemies to lovers plot line-I hate it when the main character is unkind at first. This is definitely reminiscent of the 1990s/early 2000s feel good romcoms and I loved every minute. There were parts that I genuinely laughed out loud and liked watching two age appropriately matched people in their 40s have a romance. No Oscar nomination, but does it need one? It's cute and fun!

This is why we need ChatGPT for script writing as I am sure no machine is able to produce something so meaningless and hollow. A Tourist's Guide to Love is filled with Western stereotype of a South Asian Country, from aesthetics to experience, nothing is truly authentic. It also tries so hard to please the PC police that it becomes something so distinctively sad about this day and age. The best thing about the film is the beautiful aerial shows of Vietnam and LA, and that is it. Everything about the film is just copy and pasted from a million other similar movies in the past, and without any wit and comedy. Sad.

We decided to watch A Tourist's Guide to Love because Rachael Leigh Cook is in it. It was nice to see her again. This is a pretty standard romantic comedy, but it is also a video brochure for Vietnam tourism. The country the story is set in plays almost as big of a part as any of the cast. It does seem like a beautiful place. Even though there are some elements of the plot that don't make sense, some of the cast are better at acting than others, and it is easy to predict what is going to happen next, I still enjoyed watching A Tourist's Guide to Love (and not just because of Rachael Leigh Cook).