Saigon, early 2000s. Photography student Vu has just arrived from Vietnam's backwaters and is immediately attracted to his handsome roommate Thang, who works odd jobs as a bouncer and low-level drug dealer. Entranced by the nocturnal rhythms of Thang's world, Vu follows him around the city where he meets Van, a ballet-cum-exotic dancer and Thang's sometimes-girlfriend.
Saigon, early 2000s. Photography student Vu has just arrived from Vietnam's backwaters and is immediately attracted to his handsome roommate Thang, who works odd jobs as a bouncer and low-level drug dealer. Entranced by the nocturnal rhythms of Thang's world, Vu follows him around the city where he meets Van, a ballet-cum-exotic dancer and Thang's sometimes-girlfriend.
Lan and her daughter Thu live in a lowland area in the middle of the Red river delta. Their typical day’s work includes going to the Long Bien Market very early in the morning to buy wholesale groceries and resell them back in a local market later during the day. Thu’s mother falls in love with a driver, a relation that has no future. However, she loves him so much that she does not make wise decisions and thus her business is operating at a loss. Thu tries to help her mother to make both ends meet. She longs for her mother’s affection and in order to make up for such a loss of love from her mother, she devotes her affection to a close classmate, who she wants to be her son. Like Thu, Dang lacks mother’s love as he is an orphan. With a strong personality, sense of responsibility, and love, Thu successfully convinces Dang to consider her as his mother with the best heart.
In an old house in Hanoi, Bi, a 6-year-old child lives with his parents, his aunt and their cook. His favorite playgrounds are an ice factory and the wild grass along the river. After being absent for years, his grandfather, seriously ill, reappears and settles at their house. While Bi gets closer to his grandfather, his father tries to avoid any contact with his family. Every night, he gets drunk and goes and see his masseuse, for whom he feels a quiet strong desire. Bi's mother turns a blind eye on it. The aunt, still single, meets a 16-year-old young boy in the bus. Her attraction to him moves her deeply.
