In the first few scenes of The Scent of the Green Papaya it is evident that culture can be represented in film more than just visually. Although there is little dialogue, the sounds act as its replacement. Yet the sound is unfamiliar to the traditional movie viewer. It is dissonant, and without rhythm. The lack of repetition creates the feeling of suspense. Even when they begin to speak, the traditional string instrument and the nights of the sounds tend to dominate the ear. The insect sounds become increasingly louder and represent the power the natural world has at night time. There is a shift between sound and the movement of the camera. The sound seems to perpetuate the narrative rather than the other way around. The loudness is often manipulated to establish distance between the characters. The pitch was perhaps the most important aspect of the sound because it determined the mood of the characters. The siren because of the curfew is a diagetic sound, and the sound of the siren was the indication that the French were occupying Vietnam. The siren signals the occupuation, the time of the day, and amplifies the other sounds of nature.
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