Between War and Wonder - The Birth of Pattaya

“Between War and Wonder” is a cinematic short film tracing the unlikely origins of Pattaya, a city born from conflict, cinema and fantasy.

In the early 1970s, Pattaya was just a quiet fishing village on the Gulf of Thailand, a short drive north of the U.S. Naval Base at Sattahip, one of America’s key logistical hubs during the Vietnam War. Soldiers stationed there and at the nearby U-Tapao Air Base, would head to Pattaya for R&R (rest and recreation), short escapes that sparked a wave of local businesses, bars and hotels. From those visits grew a new kind of economy and a reputation that would soon echo around the world.

Through rare Vietnam War archive footage (from Internet Archive), CGI recreations of 1970s Hong Kong made in Blender and modern aerial and ground shots filmed across Pattaya and Phang Nga Bay, the film reimagines how history, art and escape converged in Southeast Asia during the 1970s.

From Bangkok’s sensual freedom in Emmanuelle to James Bond’s golden island in Phang Nga Bay, the narrative unfolds through poetic voiceovers and evocative imagery, connecting the shadows of war, the liberation of cinema and the rise of a city that turned fantasy into geography.