Fireworks to light up New Year’s Eve

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will see 29 and 6 firework displays on Lunar New Year’s Eve (January 22).

In Hanoi, four locations for high-range fireworks include Hoan Kiem Lake (Hoan Kiem District), Thong Nhat Park (Hai Ba Trung District), Nguyen Hoang Ton Flower Park (Tay Ho District) and Van Quan Lake (Ha Dong District).

The remaining 25 inner and outlying districts will enjoy a low-range firework show.

Meanwhile, in HCM City, 15-minute firework displays will be set off at the Thu Thiem tunnel in District 2, Cultural Park in Go Vap District, Culture and History Park in District 9, Dam Sen Park in District 11, Can Gio District Stadium, and the Ben Duoc Martyrs Monument in Cu Chi District.

Army TV channel to be launched

The Vietnam People's Army will launch its own television channel in 2012 to broadcast nationwide, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The channel will focus on national defense activities, as well as other aspects of every-day life.

In recent years, the Political Academy under the Ministry of National Defense has trained many reporters to work for the channel.

Earlier in December 2011, the Public Security Ministry officially launched the An Ninh (Security) Television Channel (ANTV), which broadcasts round the clock in both Vietnam and a number of foreign countries.

Adjustment on date of distributing Tran temple’s seal announced

Replicas of Tran temple’s seal will be presented to the public from 7 am on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (February 6) through the end of the first lunar month, instead of on the night of the 14th day only as in previous years.

The change in date was announced by the Nam Dinh city People’s Committee at a press conference on January 17.

No more than two seals per person will be presented.

The adjustment will help prevent disorder during the Tran temple festival this year, held in Loc Vuong ward, Nam Dinh city on February 5-6 (the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the first lunar month).

Last year, hundreds of thousands of people seeking the seal which represents luck and fame, flocked to the festival causing serious traffic jams and the sale of fake replicas.

The festival will also feature traditional ceremonies including incense offerings, a palanquin process from Co Trach and Thien Truong temples to Tran temple, and various cultural and sporting events, such as lion dances, Cheo (Popular opera) singing, wrestling, and martial arts.

During the festival, city police will designate traffic lanes to reduce congestion and ensure order and security.

HCMC Opera House to host special performances of ‘Viet Spirit’ for Lunar New Year  
 
The Ho Chi Minh City Opera House will host "Hon Viet" (Viet Spirit), a traditional music and dancing performance, on the 17th and 23rd of each month, the TT-VH (Sport & Culture) website reported.

This program offers a review of Vietnamese culture split into five parts.

Famous artists and musicians including Do Loc, Hai Phuong and Duy Duc will join this program.

To celebrate Lunar New Year, the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House will also feature this special program January 23-26.

This program has been organized by the Mekong Artists Corporation.

French artist to host solo piano concert in Hanoi  

A solo piano concert by talented French pianist Marie Vermeulin will take place at L’Espace in Hanoi at 8 p.m. on February 9.

Vermeulin, won the 2nd Prize at the International Olivier Messiaen in 2007 as well as the Contest Maria Canals de Barcelona in 2006 and has frequently been invited to perform on various international stages.

A student of Jacqueline Dussol and then Marie-Paule Siruguet at the Music Academy of Boulogne, she was a full time student from 2001 to 2004 at the Lyon Music Academy under the guidance of Hortense Cartier-Bresson and Edson Elias.

At the same time, she also trained for four years with Lazar Berman and later under the guidance of Roger Muraro, when she learnt more about French works in the 20th century.

In December 2009, she was awarded with the prize “Pro Musicis” for bringing her music to the disabled and the underprivileged people who do not have opportunities to attend classical music concerts.

Tickets, priced from VND60,000 to 120,000, are available at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi from January 9.

Hanoi exhibition reveals ancient Vietnamese life  

An exhibition featuring illustration sketches from Pham Cam Thuong's "Vietnamese material civilization" continues through January 31 at the Viet Art Center in Hanoi.

This exhibition showcases sketches of tools and appliance used by ancient Vietnamese.  Henri Oger's "Technique du people Annamite" (Techniques used by the An Nam people), published at the beginning of 20th century, is also featured.

The exhibition also introduces sketches from a Chinese book from the 15th century.

The Viet Art Center is located at 42 Yet Kieu street, Hanoi.