Nghe An boy joins King Kong 2 film crew

(Baonghean.vn)- The days when the film crew of "Kong: Skull Island" (King Kong 2) was in Vietnam were special days for Dau Quoc Hoa, an emergency worker at Nghe An 115 Hospital. This was also the first time he joined the emergency team to take care of and protect the health of a film crew from Hollywood - USA.

Mr. Dau Quoc Hoa, taking photos in Ha Long where the film crew gathered to film the last scenes in Vietnam.

The special mission has ended for nearly 2 weeks, but until now, Mr. Dau Quoc Hoa - the driver of Hospital 115 is still full of emotions when talking about the film crew of King Kong 2. This is also the time for him to open his heart because before that, according to the strict regulations of the organizing unit, all information must be kept absolutely confidential. He himself said that he had never had to keep such a big secret. Meanwhile, the things he saw, heard, and experienced were truly interesting and magical for a person who simply worked as a driver like him.

Special card for members of the film crew.

Dau Quoc Hoa has been working at Nghe An 115 Hospital for 5 years. He has also worked for a long time with National SOS Vietnam Co., Ltd. to provide health care for foreign experts at the Fomusa project (Ha Tinh) and the Nghi Son cement project (Thanh Hoa).

The opportunity to join the King Kong 2 film crew also came from National SOS when, at the request of the film crew, they needed a professional medical care team to be on duty with the crew during the entire filming period in Quang Binh, Ninh Binh and Quang Ninh.

Dau Quoc Hoa was the only one chosen among 60 ambulance drivers of Nghe An Hospital 115. "Before being selected, they had very strict requirements regarding appearance, background, and health. As for me, after submitting my application, it took nearly a month for them to announce the results," Mr. Hoa recounted.

A prop used in the movie under the "camera angle" of Mr. Dau Quoc Hoa.

The National SOS Vietnam medical care team consists of 3 people, in addition to Mr. Hoa, there is also a doctor and a nurse from National SOS Vietnam. In addition to professional experience, all must be fluent in foreign languages. On the side of Hospital 115, in addition to being fully equipped with medical equipment, they also have to buy a brand new ambulance that meets international standards.

Talking about the first days of joining the film crew, Mr. Hoa said: We arrived in Phong Nha a day before the film crew arrived. When we arrived at the hotel, each of us was given a separate card and then asked to keep it a secret. The medical team would accompany the film crew throughout the entire process of working and ensure the health care of all members of the crew.

Kingkong 2 film crew's studio in Quang Binh.

The first place the film crew chose to film was Yen Phu village, Trung Hoa commune. At that time, the location where the main scene took place was "no one in or out" and dozens of police were mobilized to protect it. As for Mr. Hoa and the members of the medical team, because they had a special card, they were close to the film crew and became a key member of the crew.

He told us: I have never seen such a magnificent and large-scale film crew. In which, just counting the vehicles to transport props and members, there were up to 300. Although the workload and the number of people involved in the process were very large, everyone was professional, working silently, no one interfered with anyone else's work. When the scene was taking place, everyone had to be absolutely silent, "even if they were walking, they had to stop".

According to the schedule, each working day will start at 8am and end at 7pm. However, in contrast to the outer circle which is quite tense with keeping the confidentiality, the people inside the studio are quite free. At this time, they can talk on the phone, take pictures (but not film the scenes being filmed).

The helicopter was used to film the panoramic shots.

One thing that impressed Mr. Hoa was that the director and actors in the film were extremely friendly. Even veteran actors Jackson Samuel Leroy, Tom Hiddleston and actress Brie Larson, although they were top Hollywood stars, were never arrogant: I saw that they really liked to speak Vietnamese like "Hello, Hello". Every time they saw me say "Back up", they also learned from me to say "Back up, Back up" very happily. "Stars" from other countries were also not too fussy, they took care of everything themselves. Especially actress Brie Larson was very sociable: I remember, during the time the crew was filming in Ninh Binh, there were a few days when Brie had to return to the US to attend the Oscars. That night, through TV I learned that Brie was awarded the Best Actress award, but two days later when she appeared in Vietnam, she was like normal and immediately joined the atmosphere of the film crew.

Portrait of the director of the movie KingKong 2 taken by Mr. Hoa.

During the 30 days of participating with the film crew, Mr. Dau Quoc Hoa and the emergency team also directly treated 72 cases. "Because the weather in Vietnam is cold, they all suffered from rhinitis. However, whether the illness was mild or severe, they all required very strict care: There was a case of the crew who accidentally got cut by a piece of glass. After first aid, we had to take him to Ninh Binh General Hospital for X-ray. Then, every day, after finishing the working day, we had to travel 25 kilometers from the studio to the hotel to examine, check and film the entire process to send to National SOS Vietnam Company in Ho Chi Minh City to report on his health status," Mr. Hoa shared.

Portrait of the luckiest driver at Hospital 115.

During the days of experiencing with the film crew, Mr. Hoa also really appreciated the affection that the film crew had for him. They were treated like any other members of the crew, and were cared for and asked about whenever they saw them working overtime. The happiest thing was to also join the film crew in 2 parties, one in Ninh Binh and one farewell party in Quang Ninh. Although he was very regretful about not being able to take pictures with the main actors, Mr. Hoa was also comforted because he directly watched many special effects scenes and saw the "real" King Kong in real life.

My Ha

(Photo provided by the character)