Germany’s Ma’a lot-Quintett to perform in Vietnam

 Germany’s Ma’a lot-Quintett will take part in European Music Festival 2011 in Hanoi and HCM City.

The group is famous for playing classic and modern pieces of works written by Mozart, Ligeti, Glanert and Piazzolla.

It is listed among leading international chamber music ensembles.

After its debut in 1986, the Ma’alot Quintett soon rose to fame as the winner of four first prizes in major international chamber-music competitions, including one in the ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

The ensemble regularly appears in the major concert halls of Germany and has been invited to many of Europe’s capitals, such as Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, London, Bern, Lisbon, Belgrade, Athens, Instanbul.

It has toured extensively in Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.

Vietnamese tourism ambassador votes for Ha Long Bay

Ly Nha Ky, tourism ambassador of Vietnam, met with a number of businesses involved in tourism and entertainment industry in Hong Kong, China on October 9.  

She told them about the charming beauty of Ha Long Bay that has entered the final stage of voting for recognition as one of new seven wonders organized by New Open World Corporation.

The Vietnamese Ambassador encouraged them to vote for the bay and invest more in Vietnam’s tourism sector.

After her first working visit to Hong Kong, she will travel to the Philippines.

Local singers join VN-China singing contest

Sixteen Vietnamese singers on October 9 tried to vie for the final round of the second Vietnam-China Friendship Singing Contest.   

In the two-night competition, 16 candidates have had to perform one Vietnamese song and one Chinese song. The organising board will pick out the best six contestants to represent Vietnam in the contest’s final round, scheduled to take place in Ha Long City in November.

The contest taking place in the northern province of Quang Ninh is part of activities to mark the 61st anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam - China diplomatic ties.

The event is co-organised by the Quang Ninh Radio and Television Station, the VTC Digital Television, the broadcasting and television stations of the coastal and northern mountainous provinces in cooperation with China’s Guangxi Television, the Guangxi People’s Radio Station and China’s International Broadcasting.

Book on Soviet Union/ Russia-Vietnam ties

The Russia – Vietnam Friendship Association and the Institute of Orient Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences have presented a book titled “Soviet Union/ Russia – Vietnam: Cooperative Milestones”.

The book, which was written by two well-known Russian experts in Vietnamese studies, Anatoly Voronin and Evgheny Kobelev, reviews the most memorable periods in the history of friendly cooperative relations as well as comprehensive strategic partnership between the Soviet Union/Russia and Vietnam.

The 224-page book with numerous photos, praises the Vietnamese army and people’s brilliant success in the process of national construction and defence with the assistance of many countries in the world, especially the Soviet Union and Russia.

It highlights the role and great contributions of the previous and present Soviet/Russian and Vietnamese leaders to developing and further strengthening the relations in all fields between Russia and Vietnam.

The book also pays tribute to diplomats, scholars and experts, who made every effort to promote the cooperative friendship and strategic partnership between the Soviet Union/Russia and Vietnam.

Diwali - Festival of Lights – to be held in Hanoi

Diwali - "Festival of Lights," one of India's biggest festivals, will be held in Hanoi on October 29.

The event is co-organised by the Indian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Indian embassy in Hanoi.

The Diwali festival has become a popular cultural feature in the capital over the past several years, and has grown larger every year.

Last year, the festival welcomed more than 1,200 visitors from government officers, entrepreneurs, cultural agencies and the expat community in Hanoi.

This year, a special cultural programme is scheduled during the festival including Indian music and dances, fashion shows, and games. There will also be pavilions featuring Indian culture, handicrafts and culinary arts to entertain visitors.

Vietnam introduces heritage conservation in Hong Kong

A senior Government official has said Vietnam attaches importance to preserving cultural heritage while boosting industrialisation, modernisation and international integration.

Addressing the Asia Cultural Cooperation Forum (ACCF) 2011 that opened in Hong Kong on Oct. 8, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Khanh Hai said Vietnam has built a strategy to preserve and bring into play values of intangible cultural heritage and vision to 2020.

The Vietnamese Government and people have promoted regional and international cooperation and learnt experiences in the conservation of culture of humanity, he said.

As a result, activities to preserve intangible cultural heritages in Vietnam have been expanded from building a legal system, enhancing financial investment and educating young generations to building dossiers on intangible cultural heritage for submission to the UNESCO for recognition.

Hai also acknowledged Vietnam is facing a number of difficulties and challenges in the protection of intangible cultural heritage such as the lack of professional staff and the community’s involvement in conservation projects and programmes.

The ACCF 2011 themed “Intangible cultural heritage – Continuation and Enhancement” will last through October 11.

Vietnamese, foreign artists 'talk about love'  

An exhibition of works on paper by both local and foreign artists is being held in Hanoi’s Bui Gallery from Sep 30 to Nov 15.  

“What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”, features works of artists Truong Tan, Nguyen Minh Thanh, Nguyen Quang Huy, Tracey Emin and Louis Bourgeois.

The works drift between "the language of simplicity" and that which manifests itself when confronting complex emotions, individualities, solitude and overwhelming passion, a gallery release says.

The women in Quang Huy’s new paintings, for instance, "are suffocating between crumbling reality and their shattered dreams, but appearing as magnetic angels, intriguing and magnificent, they fight for the name of love."

Minh Thanh's "tranquil imagery, so bitter in his paintings, questions the reality, the essential, the unconditional nature of Love, and questions whether it can make one complete."  

In Truong Tan's works done between 1993 and 1994, portray "violence and harsh reality as the seeds of the gentleness which every human being seeks when in love."

”What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” also features a few pieces by two contemporary female artists – Louis Bourgeois and Tracey Emin.  

Their works "candidly confront themes of identity, sexuality and the fear of loss and abandonment."

“Artists are probably at their clearest when composing on paper; they reveal their honesty, their hearts, their minds and their desires."  

The exhibition includes a talk by the artists on Oct 2.

The Bui Gallery is located on 23 Ngo Van So Street, Hanoi.

Archaeologists digs in Vietnam unearth 'surprising' artifacts: conference  
 
The Tay Son (1778-1802) Dynasty's coin which was unearthed from a Nguyen Dynasty's high-ranking official.

Over 400 archaeological researches have been carried out nationwide in Vietnam this year, according to reports at the national conference on archaeological discoveries held in Hanoi on Sep 29-30.  

In addition to the submission of 430 reports and announcements, the two-day event also highlighted achievements in the field including obtaining UNESCO recognition of the Ho Dynasty Citadel as a world cultural heritage.

Archeological excavations are being carried out at the Co Loa relic site in Hanoi, Dong Son-Ham Rong in Thanh Hoa province, the old town of Pho Hien in the northern province of Hung Yen, Con Son-Kiep Bac in Hai Duong province, and over 20 prehistoric relic sites in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

Speaking at the conference, Prof Tong Trung Tin, director of Vietnam Institute of Archaeology said, “We have learnt many big lessons about how careless and slow we are in preserving and protecting archaeological sites in the face of rampant urbanization."

He said many important archeological projects were being carried out in Binh Dinh, Quang Ninh, and Khanh Hoa provinces.

Historic discoveries were highlighted during the conference.

For instance, excavations since September 2010 at the mausoleum of Nguyen Dynasty general Thoai Ngoc Hau (1761-1829) and his two wives in the southern province of An Giang have unearthed an ancient coin cast during the reign of Nguyen Nhac (????-1793), the founder of Tay Son Dynasty (1778-1802). The military skills of Hau's younger brother, Emperor Quang Trung, are legendary.

Vietnamese archaeologists consider the discovery significant because Thoai Ngoc Hau was a high-ranking official of the Nguyen dynasty, who contributed greatly to the reclamation of land in the south-west of Vietnam, including the digging of the Vinh Te and Thoai Ha canals and other great works.

However, he apparently ordered that coins of the Tay Son brothers, considered rebels by the Nguyen dynasty, be included in his mausoleum.

The site, the most grandiose structure at the foot of Mount Sam in An Giang’s Chau Doc Town, was built directly under the general's instruction.

Scientists suggested at the conference that the coin, among 523 artifacts made of diverse materials like bronze, gold, and porcelain that were unearthed at the site, may help reveal something hitherto unknown in Vietnam’s history.

According to Dr. Pham Huu Cong, Thoai Ngoc Hau was a close childhood friend of general Tran Quang Dieu of Tay Son, whose hometown was Da Nang nowadays. “So Thoai Ngoc Hau and his wife had a certain connection with Tay Son and kept the coin as a remembrance,” he said.

Post-war photos to be exhibited in Hanoi  

A poster for the photo exhibition ‘Impact for Peace’ which is showing in Hanoi until October 16.

An exhibition of post-war pictures by photographer Sean Sutton titled “Impact for Peace” is showing at Hanoi’s Maison des Arts until October 16.

The event features 40 black and white photos detailing the lives of people who are still affected by Vietnam War more than 35 years after it ended.

It also depicts the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) removing unexploded ordnance throughout the country.

For more than 20 years Sutton has traveled around the world to document the lives of people during and after conflict.

Sutton also regularly worked with international press and aid agencies covering a range of aid and development themes.

From 1989 to 1991 he photographed the Karen in Burma and then for the next five years Sean repeatedly traveled to the former Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Angola, Albania and Laos.

By 1993, and as a result of his first-hand experiences, Sutton made a decision to focus on landmines.

For the last fourteen years Sutton has worked with MAG and has worked in such countries as Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Vietnam and Sudan, documenting the humanitarian impact of landmines, unexploded munitions, small arms and other deadly remnants of conflict and the solutions that MAG provides.

His photographs have been widely published in newspapers and magazines, he has received a number of awards and exhibitions of his work have been held all over the world.

According to organizers, the exhibition is a celebration of more than a decade’s work by MAG in Vietnam, and at the same time a chance to highlight the fact that there is a still an ongoing and future need for the clearance of explosive remnants of war in Vietnam.

Maison des Arts is located on 31A Van Mieu St., Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City wins Asia-Pacific tourism award  

The managing committee of the Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO) awarded the title of “Best Promotion CD Award” to Ho Chi Minh City at the 5th TPO General Assembly held in Dalian in China on September 5–7.

The award was also granted to Kota Kinabalu City in Malaysia.

The 5th TPO General Assembly brought together around 200 delegates from 36 cities and 13 industrial businesses from countries in the Asia Pacific region.

The Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia Pacific Cities is an international tourism organization for the networking of inter-city cooperation and development of the tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region.

Presently, TPO has 100 members which include Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and the northern port city of Hai Phong.
 
Live TV coverage of program commemorating Ho Chi Minh Sea Trail  

A special program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the legendary Ho Chi Minh Sea Trail to be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Yen and Ca Mau Provinces on October 11 will have full live TV coverage.  

The event will take place at 5.30 pm at the Ho Chi Minh City TV Theater, Vung Ro Bay in the central coastal province of Phu Yen and Vam Lung Harbor in the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

According to the organizers, Vam Lung Harbor was the starting point of the legendary trail, which transported goods from the South to the North. Vung Ro Bay has been chosen for hosting this historical event, in which Vietnamese sailors on board a ship clashed with US marine boats and aircrafts. The fight came to an end when the ship was torpedoed. The legendary trail was then closed temporarily but restored three years later.

The program will be a gathering of war veterans and also an opportunity for the youth of the country to understand the profoundness of this important historical milestone and President Ho Chi Minh's journey that led to national liberation.

There will be a musical performance with participation of singers like Ta Minh Tam, Anh Bang, Vo Ha Tram, Trieu Loc, Vo Minh Lam and Ngoc Doi.

The event will honor contributions made by soldiers and the people of the coastal regions, through where the Legendary Sea Trail ran during the American war.

The golden jubilee program titled “50 years of Legendary Trail” is being organized by Sai Gon Giai Phong and Quan Doi Nhan Dan newspapers.

Ever since the legendary Ho Chi Minh Sea Trail was established on 23rd October 1961, it fulfilled its mission in facilitating hundreds of ships to transport weapons, goods, medicines, cadres and soldiers from remote parts of the north to the frontline, bolstering people’s contribution in defeating the US imperialists and liberating the south, subsequently reunifying the country.

Hanoi to host int’l photo exhibition in November  

A special photographic exhibition showing the incredible diversity of life on the planet, will take place in Hanoi in November.
 
542 pictures by 353 photographers from 38 countries have been selected for the 6th international photo exhibition 2011 to be held in Hanoi in Vietnam this November.

The ‘VN-11’ contest will also be held within the int’l photo exhibition, which has received 10,612 entries from 1602 photographers from 54 countries around the world since it began in June.

The chief organizer of the event is the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, supported by the International Federation of Photographic Art. So far 40 prizes have been awarded to artists from Vietnam, the UK, Germany, Hungary, Myanmar, Turkey, Slovenia, France, the US, Australia, Austria, Spain and Finland.

Beethoven concert to be held in Hanoi  

A concert presenting masterpieces by Beethoven will be held at the Hanoi Opera House on October 13-14.  
   
Japanese violinist Matsuda Lina, Netherland cellist Harriet Krijgh and French pianist Kim Barbier under the baton of American conductor Dorian Wilson will perform concert Vol. 45 “Beethoven 8″.

The American conductor has won a number of international awards and has conducted more than 120 orchestras in France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the US, Canada, Finland, Norway and some Asian countries.

Japanese violinist, Matsuda Lina earlier gave an impressive performance in Vietnam in a concert with the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra in October 2010.

French pianist, Kim Barbier, is popular for many internationally renowned orchestras. Young Dutch cello artist, Harriet Krijgh is now very successful in Austria and Germany.

Ticket prices range from VND150.000-VND 450.000 and available at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street.
 
Vietnamese photographer wins first prize in Int’l Photo Contest  

Photographer Viet Van from Lao Dong Newspaper won the first prize at the ‘People & Planet International Photography Competition 2011’ in Australia for his picture titled “Decisive Moment”.  

The prize winning photograph depicts monks of the Khmer ethnic group from the Kom Pông Chrây Pagoda in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh.

The same photograph also won second prize at the annual ‘Pollux Awards 2011’ in England in April this year.

This year the ‘People & Planet International Photography Competition’ received over 4,000 entries from 84 countries across the world.

The ‘People & Planet International Photography Exhibition’ was launched in 2010 with the sole aim of showing beautiful visual images of various aspects of human life on the planet to a wider audience.

The second prize and the ‘Diary Covert’ prize went to Jashim Salam and Kazi Riasat Alve from Bangladesh for their works “The Golden Fibre” and “All-rounder”.

TA