Actress Hong Anh stars as Hanh in Trang noi day gieng (The Moon at the Bottom of the Well)

Director Nguyen Vinh Son’s Trang noi day gieng, or The Moon at the Bottom of the Well, is touring 12 US universities through April 22.

The tour is set to hit Princeton University, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Washington and several others.

Hong Anh’s portrayal of the film’s main character, Hanh, won her Best Actress in the Asia category at the Dubai International Film Festival 2008. The film also took the Silver Kite award in the Best Feature Film category at the 2008 Golden Kite Awards, Vietnam’s premier film awards.

In the film, Hanh, a high school teacher in the central town of Hue city, leads a seemingly happy married life with her husband Phuong, the school’s principal. But troubles begin when Hanh is unable to bear children.

To give her husband the child he wants, Hanh arranges for him to have a baby with another woman. But when this secret gets out, Phuong’s career is jeopardized. To protect her husband, Hanh sacrifices their marriage, only to find out he has been scheming the whole time. Lost and alone, Hanh finds solace in the world of deities and spirits.

Founded in 2000, IVCE aims to promote Vietnamese culture through Vietnamese language magazines, performances, music, seminars and exhibitions. It also provides information to Vietnamese students on scholarship programs in the US. The organization has helped facilitate several exchange programs between the two countries.

Reported by H.Quan