Top Gear Vietnam

(BBC TV Show – 75min – 2008)

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The Top Gear boys headed to Vietnam for epic road trip across the country. Each of them were given 15 million dong (about US$ 1000) to spend on buying some wheels and had to make it to the north of Vietnam faster than the US army.

Hanuman Films was selected as the production partner for this legendary Top Gear Vietnam Special. The Vietnam shoot involved an epic bike journey from Saigon to Hanoi: Jeremy Clarkson on a Vespa, Richard Hammond on a Minsk and James May on a Honda Cub. The show ends with the conversion of the bikes into amphibious boats to explore Halong Bay. This is the first and last time anyone is crazy enough to explore Halong Bay by motorbike and it was quite a James Bond experience filming with six speedboats and a helicopter to capture all the angles.

Nick Ray worked as Line Producer on the shoot and coordinated everything from filming permissions to motorbikes and amphibious with a crew of 15 production staff in Vietnam. The shoot was a great success and the show received rave reviews in the UK press and around the world, really helping to put Vietnam on the map as a destination for bikers.

Locations: Saigon, Hanoi, Dalat, Hoi An, Hue, Nha Trang and Halong Bay.
Talent: Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May