Kim Van Kieu is a Vietnamese film made by the Indochina Film and Screening Studio directed by Paul Thierry, adapted from Nguyen Du 's Tale of Kieu, first released in 1924. This is considered the first feature film produced in Vietnam and also the work that gave birth to Vietnamese cinema. It follows closely the story "Đoạn trường tân thanh", commonly known as simply "Truyện Kiều" (The Story of Kieu). This is considered the most famous classic poem in Vietnamese literature. The story is based on the prose series Kim Van Kieu by Thanh Tam Tai Nhan and set in China during the reign of Emperor Gia Tinh during the Ming Dynasty (from 1521 to 1567). The characters include governor Ho Ton Hien, prostitute Vuong Thuy Kieu, and Tu Hai, a real historical figure who was a merchant and pirate leader of the Ming Dynasty.
