Love stories that are set in foreign land often promise a beautiful blend of romance and mesmersing visuals. After the massive hit of romantic films like Saiyaara and Param Sundari, another romantic film, Love in Vietnam hit the silver screen on September 12, 2025. The film stars Shantanu Maheshwari, Avneet Kaur and Kha Ngan in lead. Read on to know what works in the romantic film and what not.
Shantanu Maheshwari’s character leaves childhood love when he leaves for Vietnam
The film, Love in Vietnam, follows ‘Manav’ (Shantanu Maheshwari), a young man from Punjab, who secretly loves singing, but his uncle doesn’t approve of it. When his uncle finds out about this, he sends ‘Manav’ to Vietnam to study farming. In Vietnam, he gets attracted towards the painting of a girl, ‘Linh’. When he meets her, the two fall in love, but it is cut-short. When ‘Manav’ returns to India, he finds out that ‘Linh’ has disappeared from his life.
When ‘Manav’ is unable to move on, he returns to Vietnam in search of ‘Linh’ and his childhood friend, ‘Simmi’, who secretly loves him since ago, continues to support him. In the second half, the film shows the pain of ‘Manav’ and ‘Simmi’. The film builds up a bittersweet climax, where ‘Manav’ is supposed to choose between ‘Linh’ and ‘Simmi’.
Strengths and weakness of the film, Love in Vietnam
One of the strongest points of this film is its visuals and cinematography. The director and cinematographer beautifully capture Vietnam’s landscapes, which makes the film feel like a travel diary. Another thing is the blend of two cultures. Since the film is the first India-Vietnam film, it portrays Vietnamese tradition, food and settings. The third thing that shines in this film is the powerful and unexpected performance by Shantanu and Avneet. Even though, the duo has barely done films, their acting stole the show and made the drama look real.
Despite all the strong points, the film failed to create a lasting impact on the audience because of some major things that the film lacks. One of the most important things is its abrupt conclusion. The viewers expected the film to end with ‘Manav’s’ decision, but it ends on an open note, where the audience assumes his decision. Some viewers also feel that the first half of the film is very slow and the second half feels very rushed and chaotic. While most films resolves all the questions towards the end, this film leaves the audience with a lot of question unresolved, which widely upsets viewers. Lastly, some users have also said that the supporting cast like Raj Babbar and Farida Jalal were underused by the director.
Final verdict on the film, Love in Vietnam
The film, Love in Vietnam seems like two different stories, one that is filled with beautiful visuals and other that has a weak story. While the film looks pretty and has several touching moments, the plot is predictable and lacks character depth. If you are a fan of Shantanu or Avneet and have always wished to see them together, then you can watch the film. If you love scenic romances or travel-style films, it is possible that you might be satisfied with the film. But, if you prefer a strong plot, closed ending and an emotional film, then avoid seeing this film, as this film will leave you with a lot of questions unresolved.
Watch the trailer here!
What are your plans on watching this film, Love in Vietnam, starring Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur? Let us know.
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