The residents of Ho Chi Minh City face modernization amid widespread poverty. A retired American Marine arrives on a search for his daughter, whom he abandoned at the end of the Vietnam War. Elsewhere, a cyclo driver falls for a troubled prostitute and schemes to raise money so he can spend time with her. Additionally, a young women begins harvesting lotuses for a writer suffering from leprosy, and a child trinket seller loses his traveling case.

An inspector interrogates three men connected to a famous singer after her sudden mysterious death and finds out the secrets behind her seemingly glamourous life.

A happy-go-lucky watermelon vendor is mistaken for the missing goalie and gets dragged to play in their upcoming match.

Hai duong trang was produced in 1994 as a dramatic crime romance film. The film comes from a real character - the infamous robber general Bach Hai Duong.