Vietnam hosts international children painting contest  

Global Art Vietnam in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Training has launched a painting contest titled “My world-My future” for children aged 4-16 from across the world, on July 7.  
 
The contest aims to help children express their wishes, dreams and feelings for the environment and the world in the future, besides encouraging their creativity, aesthetic sense and a chance to intermingle with children from different cultures.

The qualifying round will be held between Aug. 15 to Oct. 15 at schools in cities and provinces of Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and Da Nang.

About 1,500 contestants will take part in the final round in Ho Chi Minh City in November.

The organizers will offer one special award with a cash prize of VND20 million and a tour of a foreign country.

There will also be 8 first prizes worth VND15 million each, 8 second prizes worth VND10 million each, 8 third places worth VND5 million each and 160 encouragement prizes worth VND2 million each.

The contest first started in 2004 and since been held in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Singapore and India, attracting thousands of young competitors from 20 countries around the world.

‘King of Comedy’ competition in July  

The King of Comedy 2011 competition, searching for new talented comedians for the stage, is being organized by Vietnam Television and will be aired on VTV3 channel in July.

Contestants will be short-listed in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by the end of July. The jury will then narrow down from one hundred selected contestants down to thirty, then fifteen and finally choose the winner.

Participants can contact Heart link-JSC at 9 Giap Nhat, Nhan Chinh, Thanh Xuan District in Hanoi; Hong Van Theater at Ả43 Truong Son Street in Tan Binh District, HCM City; or access website: www.vuahaidatviet.com or email: dangkyduthi@vuahaidatviet.vn for further information.

Hanoi livens up with more music shows

As Ho Chi Minh City has established a dominating status in Vietnam’s entertainment industry, the rise of Hanoi as a new hub for high-end showbiz activities has drummed up interest.

Breaking from a sluggish entertainment front that does not often see a good turnout at ticket office for music live shows, Hanoi is witnessing a boom in concerts and music programs.

Since January, the city seems to have become a new favorite venue for show organizers, as numerous programs, from international to personal catering to all kinds of fans, have taken place in Hanoi.

Unlike the easy-to-please audience in the southern metropolitan, show goers in the capital seem to prefer classy programs by classier and finer artists of the industry.

This, however, comes with a not very wallet-friendly ticket price, yet all of them sell well.

Shooting a promising start earlier this summer was “Color of Ho Quynh Huong”, a personal concert by the versatile singer Ho Quynh Huong, whose show was very well received in Ho Chi Minh before she brought it to Hanoi this June.

Although tickets are not cheap (VND 300,000 – 2 million each), there was no vacant seat left at the concert hall.

Not long after that, the city welcomed David Cook and Alexandra Burke, winners of American Idol 2008 and X-Factor 2008 in a Hennessy- sponsored international show that was highly praised by the press for its quality.

A crowd of A-list celebrities, from Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy, actress Tang Thanh Ha, model Hoang Yen to many music big names was spotted among the audience.

However, raising the highest expectation of music fans in Hanoi this summer must be two projects by two of the most influential artists in the current music scene in Vietnam: top diva Thanh Lam and songwriter Quoc Trung, also her ex-husband.

Their first show, joined by Vietnam Idol 2010 winner Uyen Linh and singer Ha Linh presented a chance for the three powerful and distinct vocalists to shine with Trung’s inspiring and re-arrangements of familiar works.

Titled “Cam tay mua he” (Holding hands in summer), it was held at the Hanoi Opera House on June 18 and 19.

The husband-and-wife team came back one week later, as their “Duong xa may trang” (White cloud over the long road) show featured the most successful works of the couple in their early days.

Quoc Trung brought his inspiration on stage, with which a fusion of electronics and traditional music such as tuong, cheo, chau van, ca tru gave the audience another approach to the country’s rich music heritage.

The reunion also showed Thanh Lam’s exquisite talents and undeniable energy, which gave fans a true quality time to enjoy music to their hearts’ content.

Not surprisingly, Cam tay mua he and Duong xa may trang were among a minority of shows that had all tickets sold out 1 week prior to the actual date.

Of all, what has also been most talked about recently is Music Space, a monthly event in Hanoi where each show will introduce a pair of two artists.

Featuring talented singer-songwriter Le Cat Trong Ly and quirky singer Tung Duong in its first opening show this April, Music Space is expected to create a true space and venue for real music, a producer said.

After Ly and Duong, singers like Nguyen Thao and the veteran Tuan Ngoc, Thanh Lam and Quoc Trung followed suit, drawing an exciting number of audiences and turning this into one of the most expected events in Hanoi’s music market.

As show organizers seem to pack their bag and move to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh’s music front is quieter these days, which is hardly the case for the most dynamic city of Vietnam.

To Hanoi, it seems its entertainment potential and what people really want has not been well realized until recently.

Lack of investment dampens publishers

A Thursday national conference on the publishing industry has revealed a bleak picture of many state-owned publishing companies.

During the first half of 2011, 9,567 books with 159,769 million copies have been published, which represents a 113.2 percent year-on-year increase.

Yet there are still many publishers who barely reach their targets such as Thanh Nien and Thanh Hoa Publisher who published only 0.3 percent and 1.6 percent of their initial plan.

Even worse, for half a year now, three state-owned publishers Hong Duc, Nong Nghiep and San Khau have not put out any books or printing products, a report at the conference said.

For Hong Duc, managed by the Vietnam Lawyer’s Association, the current difficulties it has to deal with are not new but have lasted for years, an inside source confirmed.

According to the source, as the publisher is short of investment from the parent organization, it has to struggle with financial constraints and a lack of staff, which leads to its recent poor performance.

Ngo The Ngoc, head of San Khau Publishing House which issues books on theatre and dramas, said it plans to print 20 new books this year.

Since all of them will be printed during the latter half of the year, not producing anything since January is not a serious problem, he reasoned.

HCMC hosts contemporary dance show

The Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will host a contemporary dance show starring 20 of its young ballet dancers this weekend.

Entitled Dialogue, the program is expected to convey the confrontation between classical and contemporary genres as manifested in the traditional ballet-modern dance dichotomy, choreographer Phuc Hung said.

The accompanying music will feature a combination of Western instruments such as oboe, cello, clarinet, vibraphone and dan tranh (Vietnamese zither) and other traditional string instruments.

To add more colors, short video clips recording the performance will simultaneously be played on the stage screen.

Dialogue starts at 8pm today at Ho Chi Minh City’s Opera House, 7 Cong Truong Lam Son, District 1, HCMC.

Vietnamese historian becomes member of French Institute

Professor Phan Huy Le, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences, has become the first Vietnamese to be a member of the prestigious French Institute’s Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres (Academy of Humanities).

The professor told Tuoi Tre that he felt honored and surprised to be named the academy’s Foreign Corresponding Member since he didn’t know anything about the nomination.

Born in 1934 in the central province of Ha Tinh, Le graduated from Hanoi University in 1956 and worked for its History department. He received the professor’s title in 1980 and was awarded the People’s Teacher honor in 1994.

He was the first Vietnamese to receive the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize from Japan in 1996 and helped to compile the dossier for Doctoral Steles at the Temple of Literature to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage.

Founded in 1663, the French Academy of Humanities is one of the five academies of the French Institute, a learned society that runs about 1,000 foundations and awarded numerous prizes.

The academy’s Foreign Corresponding Members are often members of the most prestigious academies in their own countries as well as outstanding scholars in the world.

World-renowned jazz artist to perform in Hanoi

World-renowned French-Vietnamese jazz artist Nguyen Le will perform at musical show titled “Que nha” (Hometown) next week in Hanoi.

The show, which is the fifth one of the series “Music on the Roof” that brings new musical experimentation in a wide range of genres to Hanoi’s musical fans, will feature Nguyen Le alongside Van Anh, a dan tranh (Vietnamese zither) artist, saxophonist Hong Kien, pianist Tuan Nam, singer Tung Duong and song composer Huy Tuan.

Born to Vietnamese parents in France in 1959, Nguyen Le is a versatile artist who can plays various instruments and different kinds of music such as rock and funk.

Le however is best known internationally as an outstanding jazz player who “marries” classical American music with traditional music of other cultures such as Vietnam.

Le’s second album “Dé” with his band Ultramarine was chosen as the best world music CD of 1989 by the French Liberation newspaper.

His “Tales from Vietnam” album released in 1996, dubbed a “masterpiece” by the American JazzTimes magazine, won numerous international awards the same year.

“Que nha” will be held on July 12 at The Rooftop on the 19th floor of Pacific Building, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hanoi.

Hanoi’s contemporary artists to showcase palm-sized works

17 young contemporary artists in Hanoi will gather in Gia Lam District this week for an exhibition showcasing works that aren’t bigger than a palm.

Housed by OM Studio, one of the biggest exhibition venues for contemporary art in Vietnam, the “Art of a Palm” will feature works of various forms of contemporary art from installation to videos inspired by the image of the human palm.

“Whatever our message is, we all want to show that art is life,” said Nguyen Xuan Hoan, one of the artists to take part in the event.

The exhibit will open today and last until July 20 at OM Studio, Yen Vien Town, Gia Lam District, Hanoi.

HCMC’s Majestic Hotel to be expanded

353 luxury rooms and a commercial complex will be added to the current five-star Majestic Hotel located on Ton Duc Thang Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City in an expansion plan to be completed by 2014.

The expansion, with two 24-floor and 27-floor buildings, 4 basements and a high-class commercial complex, will cost VND1.9billion (US$100,000).

The original French architecture of the hotel will be preserved and the current hotel will operating as usual during the expansion, said Tran Hung Viet, General Director of Saigontourist Holding Company which owns the hotel.

Switzerland-Vietnam cultural festival opens

Vietnam-Switzerland traditional cultural festival has opened in the Obwalden state of Switzerland recently.

The five-day event is a part of activities to mark the 40 th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Switzerland (1971-2011).
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During the opening, which attracted the participation of almost 1,500 spectators, 12 artists from the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music and Switzer artists from the northeastern mountainous region of Toggenburg performed many traditional musical instruments.

The Obwalden festival is an annual culture event, during which artists from other countries are invited to perform beside local artists. Vietnam is the first in Asia to have been invited to the festival.

Miss Vietnam 2010 advertises tourism in Egypt

A photo of Miss Vietnam 2010 Dang Thi Ngoc Han wearing a traditional long dress (ao dai) and a palm-leaf conical hat whilst standing beside the Pyramids has appeared on TV in Egypt.

The photo was taken while Han and a delegation of the nation’s journalists were visiting the country at the invitation of Embassy of Egypt in Vietnam.

The visit from July 3-9 aims to promote tourism and culture between the two countries. Vietnam’s delegation will visit two of the world’s cultural heritages in Egypt, Cairo Museum and Luxor, the capital of ancient Egypt.

During her stay in Egypt, Han will attend several press conferences organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and travel agencies with the purpose of advertising the nation’s images and tourism to Vietnam and vice versa.

Overseas Vietnamese in France wins Cresus Prize

Vietnamese French citizen Tran Van Phu, Chairman of the Corele International Group and SCAVI Group, won the Cresus Prize for his book entitled “Relaunch France and Europe – The Voluntary Democracy” in Paris in July.

In his book, he shared his key to success in business, including listening, training staff and creating a team spirit.

He also introduced a better world through the book, expressing his belief that there would be another world, different from the existing capitalism.

Phu was born in the central city of Thua Thua-Hue and moved to France in 1975. At the age of 33, he started his own business which now employs 10,000 Vietnamese workers.

Cresus Association was established to fight financial exclusion and offer support to people living with financial difficulties through small credit provision and financial education programmes.

Every year, the association awards individuals who are successful in using their credit and encourages authors with works that help change global views on poverty and financial exclusion./.

Children’s Book Fair to be held in Hanoi

The Ministry of Information and Communication will organize a “Book and Educational Products” Fair in Hanoi from August 3-8.

The event is in response to the national programme for child protection in 2011-2015 and the Action Year for children 2011.

The fair aims to create a healthy and educational entertainment site for children this summer. There will be a variety of activities to introduce educational products from both local and international publishing houses.

Education and nutrition training and consulting organisations and businesses operating in information technology and school equipment will participate in the fair.

Children will also have an opportunity to be involved in interesting activities including painting, reading stories, and talking with famous authors.