Vietnam-Japan Rock Festival 2011 to open in Hanoi

The Vietnam-Japan Rock Festival 2011 themed “Go! Go! Japan!” will be held in Hanoi on December 3.

Vietnamese young rockers such as Ngu Cung and Rosewood will represent Vietnam to perform at the festival.

Two popular music bands from Tokyo namely Molice and Okamoto’s will perform with famous Japanese rocker Electric Eel Shock.

Their appearance at Hanoi’s biggest annual music event, CAMA festival, in 2010 and 2011 received high praise from both local and foreign media.  

Jarek Smietana quartet to perform in Vietnam

Jarek Smietana quartet will perform in Hanoi for two nights to celebrate Poland’s Independence Day (November 11).

Jarek Smietana is one of famous Polish jazz guitarists and also one of the world -renowned artists in Europe.

Jarek Smietana has recently won “Fryderyk ‘98” award for his songs and ballads.

During his career, he has played with other famous artists such as Art Farmer, Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Henderson, Joe Zawinnul, Gaey Bartz, Carter Jefferson, Vince Mednoza, and John Abercrombie.

The concerts will be held at the Vietnam National Academy of Music in Hanoi on November 9 and at the Opera House in HCM City on November 11 under the sponsorship of the Polish Embassy.

Asia Book of Records honours dragon statue

Biswaroop Roy Chowdhury, general director of Asia Book of Records, presented the first Asian record certificate to Vietnam for its dragon statue at a meeting of Vietnamese record makers in HCM City on October 30.

The statue won the title “Longest Carved from one piece of stone”.

It was made by Nguyen Van Huu, who carved a dragon from one piece of casidon (a gem stone) measuring 3.67m long, 0.58m to 1.63m wide, and weighing 1,548 kilos.

He spent 6 months carving the dragon, which has a natural yellowish undertone mingle with sparkling jade colours.

The statue has set a national record in 2009 for its size.

Huu, director of the HCM City-based Gia Bao Gem Company, was one of dozens of Vietnamese record makers included in the Vietnam Book of Records (Vietbooks).

The October 30 event, organized by Vietbooks, presented certificates and trophies to 52 individuals and organizations who set new national records this year.

Noteworthy were five records related to the legendary Truong Son – Ho Chi Minh Trail. It is the longest and highest road used as a strategic route during any war in the country.

Local sculpture recognized as longest stone work

A dragon statue made of stone by a Vietnamese has been recognized as the longest carved stone sculpture by the Asia Book of Records.

Nguyen Van Huu, the author of the work, took 6 months to carve the dragon from one piece of casidon (a gem stone).

The sculpture is 3.67m long, 0.58m to 1.63m wide, and weighs 1,548 kg.

At the award ceremony held in HCMC on Sunday, the Vietnam Book of Records also announced 52 records that were recognized from January to October last year.

Of these, a special record of strength was awarded to 11-year-old boy Bui Ngoc Thinh who was born with blindness but can play many musical instruments such as the drum, the guitar and the organ.

Vietnamese brothers dazzle at China circus contest

Brothers Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep of Vietnam have won the Golden Lion award at the biennial China Wuqiao International Circus Festival.

Their performance, the aptly named “Power of the Arms,” made them the first Vietnamese artists to win a first prize at the festival. They used no equipment, only their bodies, especially arms, to perform some dazzling moves.

They have won numerous awards in Vietnam and internationally, including a silver medal at the annual International Circus Festival held this month, the Grand Prix prize, the Popularity prize at the International Summer Circus Festival in Cuba in August, and a gold medal at the Hanoi International Circus Festival last year.

The China Wuqiao International Circus Festival is named after a county in Hebei Province that is considered one of the birthplaces of acrobatics in China.

It has become one of the most famed acrobatics competitions in the world.

This year’s festival from October 22 to 30 attracted more than 200 acrobats from 17 countries.

Ha Long Bay voting campaign promotes tourism

Three years after its launch, the campaign to vote for Ha Long Bay as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World has entered the final stage and there are only about 20 days left until the New Open World (NOW) Organisation announces the results. Voting for Ha Long Bay not only expresses patriotism and national pride, it also promotes tourism and the country’s image to the world.

Ha Long Bay has been recongised as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage in 1994 and again in 2000 for its unique landscape and geographical value. The voting for the New Seven Wonders of the World, launched by NOW, is a good opportunity to promote and reaffirm the value of the bay and raise people’s awareness of the importance of preserving national heritage, including Ha Long Bay and other sites across the country.

The NOW campaign has also received high praise from the United Nations (UN) as it is in accordance with the UN Millennium Development Goals, introducing visitors and the public to hundreds of unique natural areas throughout the world and educating people about preserving their treasured cultural heritage.

The campaign to vote for the bay is being conducted at home and abroad via NOW’s website at www.new7wonders.com, which links to thousands of other websites, attracting millions of voters all over the world. The bay has always placed in the top rankings of nearly 400 places in over 220 countries.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST), in co-ordination with relevant sectors and localities, has called the public, overseas Vietnamese, foreign visitors and international friends to vote for Vietnam’s scenic beauty. It has also simultaneously launched a contest on voting for the bay in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, which will last until November 11. A live television programme linking Ha Long city and Hanoi entitled ‘Ha Long Than Tien’ (Miraculous Ha Long) will be held on October 29 by the Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee, the MoCST and Vietnam Television. Vietnamese Tourism Ambassador Ly Nha Ky has also attended many social functions in Hong Kong and the Philippines to promote voting for Ha Long Bay.

According to the Department of International Co-operation under the MoCST, nearly two million moblile text message votes have been sent to switchboard 147 so far, which shows the public’s interest in the country’s heritage. Thanks to great support from the Vietnamese people and international visitors and friends, it is expected that Ha Long Bay will be listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World when NOW announces the winners on November 11.

There are four ways to vote for the New 7 Wonders of the World: via the website www.new7wonders.com or by dialing one of the international telephone numbers: +2392201055; +18697605990; +16493398080; or +447589001290 and, at the end of the message, after the tone, dial 7712 to choose Ha Long bay. Votes can also be cast on Facebook by logging onto the website www.new7wonders.com and clicking the Facebook symbol on the right hand side. The fastest way to vote is to send a text message saying ‘halong’ or ‘hl’ to 147, which costs only VND 630 per message and you can vote as many times as you want.

Nutcracker to warm up HCMC for Christmas  
 
The Nutcracker ballet will be presented in Ho Chi Minh City for the first time this Christmas season.

Based on the fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” written by E.T.A Hoffman, the show will be performed by the HCMC Ballet and Symphony Orchestra (HBSO) at the city’s Opera House at 8 p.m. on November 12, according to a press release issued by organizers this week.

The Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky turned the story into the ballet “The Nutcracker,” which became one of his most famous compositions, and perhaps the most popular ballet in the world.

This year, local audiences will have the chance to enjoy a full classical ballet choreographed by Johanne Jakhelln Constant.

Tickets, priced from VND100,000 to 600,000, are available at HCMC Opera House Box Office, 7 Lam Son Square, Dist.1, HCMC, tel: (08) 3 829 9976 or the HCMC Ballet and Symphony Orchestra, 3 Phan Van Dat St., Dist. 1, HCMC. Tel: (08) 3 823 7419/ (08) 6 270 4450.

Vietnam’s first equity golf club established  

Vietnam’s first private equity golf club has been established in Ho Chi Minh City and the initial share offering is underway.

Only shareholders of Saigon Golf Club Joint Stock Company will be entitled to become members of the club.

Shareholders can choose to apply for membership or treat their shares purely as an investment. There will be a maximum number of 600 shares made available, according to a press release from Saigon Development and Investment Corporation (SDI), the developer of the golf course in An Phu, District 2.

The club’s management team will report to a board made up of members duly elected from the body of shareholders.

Designed by Greg Norman, who has played on many of the world’s great golf courses in his 25-year career, Saigon Golf Club will be the first genuine inner city golf course in Vietnam, and probably remain the only one, SDI said.

Recognized as one of the world’s best seven golf courses under construction, Saigon Golf Club will be one of Norman’s few signature courses in Asia, according to SDI. Construction is scheduled to take until the end of 2012.

Steve Jobs’ biography to be released in Vietnamese  

The newly issued best-selling biography of Steve Jobs, the charismatic head and icon of Apple and the global PC era, will be published in Vietnamese on December 5, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

The exclusive copyright to the biography “iSteve: The Book of Jobs,” was purchased by local AlphaBooks publishing house, the paper said.

The book was written by Walter Isaacson, who has also authored books on Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein.

On November 5, the online bookstore at Alezaa.com will also release the book’s e-version. The original book, published by Simon & Schuster, was published in US this month and has topped the best-selling lists at both Amazon and Barnes&Nobles.

The book was based on more than 40 interviews with Steve Jobs over a two-year period, as well as talks with more than a hundred friends, family members, colleagues and even rivals.

Jobs’ sudden death on October 5 prompted the publisher to issue the book sooner than expected. The book will unveil some unknown stories about Jobs’ hard struggle with cancer, his romantic affairs, his marriage with Laurence Powell and his Apple monarchy.

New book tells tales of Vietnamese in colonial army  

A new book titled Nguoi linh thuoc dia Nam Ky (Colonial soldiers in Southern Vietnam) gives a clear overview on the experience of being a native Vietnamese soldier serving the French colonial army in Indochina from 1861-1945.  

The book was developed from author Ta Chi Dai Truong’s PhD thesis written in 1975.

Truong’s book is well-documented with many local and foreign sources.

Truong is considered one of Vietnam's foremost experts on Vietnamese history and anthropology.  

The book also throughly illustrates how the French exploitation of Vietnam was meticulously planned and executed.

Vietnamese children’s festivals to be celebrated in New York museum  

Vietnam's children’s festivals and other cultural features will be presented in an exhibition at the Long Island Children's Museum in New York on Nov 5-6.  

The two-day event will include handicraft making demonstrations, moon cake baking, face painting, traditional music, lion dance and traditional costume shows.

A children's play called Con Rong, chau Tien (Children of dragon - grandchildren of Gods) will be enacted at the event.

Directed by Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc, the play includes five short stories based on Vietnamese folklore and mythology.

Australian musician presents 'The Lyrical Piano' in HCMC  

Australian musician Aaron Edward Carpenè will perform in Ho Chi Minh on Nov 9.

The Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City will host a special classical concert, “The Lyrical Piano,” featuring Australian musician Aaron Edward Carpenè on Nov 9 at the city’s Youth Cultural House.  

The concert will include compositions by Felix Mendelssohn, Muzio Clementi and Franz Liszt.  

Carpene, a Professor of Music Studies at John Cabot University in Rome, will be joined by local artists Duc Tuan and Hong Chau.

An accomplished performer and conductor, Carpene has performed in many countries.  

Currently, he is musical assistant to Alan Curtis and artist-in-residence at the Conservatory of Music in Damascus and the Academy of Performing Arts in Hong Kong.

For more information about tickets, please contact Ms Hang at the Australian Consulate-General's office. Tel: 35218134 or email chau-thuy.hang@dfat.gov.au for registration.

The Youth Cultural House is located on 04 Pham Ngoc Thach Str, Ben Nghe Ward, Dist 1.

Japanese, Vietnamese artists go 'Nowhere' in Hanoi  

An art exhibition called “NOWHERE” featuring the works of three emerging artists from Japan and Vietnam will run from Oct 28 to Nov 4 in Hanoi.  

The event, organized by the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, features artworks by Motoyuki Shitamichi, Mamoru Okuno and Tuan Mami, who met each other at the Tokyo Wonder Site through an artist-in-residence program in Tokyo.

According to a press release on the exhibition, Shitamichi "visualizes unseen memories and values in ordinary landscapes through simple materials and images, while Mamoru chooses ordinary sounds and voices to enhance audience’s imagination."

Mami’s performance and photographs present social relationships between human beings.

The exhibition is the artists’ first attempt, after finding "congenial spirits" in each other in Tokyo, to create new artworks through  observation and research for a month in Hanoi.  

NOWHERE is part of the project titled “Emerging Artist Series,” that aims to introduce young promising artists to broader audiences in Vietnam, as well as to provide an opportunity for the artists to explore further development of their creativity.

The Artist’s Talk will take place on Nov 4 from 7 – 8.30 pm at Nhasan Studio.

Entrance is free and the studio is open everyday.

Students, artists boost support for Ha Long Bay
 
One thousand students and 100 artists gathered at the HCM City Youth Cultural House on Saturday to vote for Ha Long Bay as a new world natural wonder.

They sent text and online messages.

The newly nominated Viet Nam Tourism Ambassador, actress Ly Nha Ky, joined singers to belt out a newly composed song by Pham Dang Khuong that calls on people to vote for the bay.

"There are only 13 days left for voting. If Ha Long Bay is voted as a natural wonder of the world, Viet Nam's image and its tourism will be promoted. I hope people will do something meaningful for the nation," Ky said.

Several laptops have been installed at the cultural house for students and visitors to send in their votes. A photo exhibition is also on with some stunning photographs of the bay.

Since taking up the new job, Ky, the star of the popular TV soap Kieu Nu va Dai Gia (Beautiful Ladies and Wealthy Men), has taken part in several campaigns in Viet Nam and abroad to solicit votes.

She had begun by talking to students at Raffles School in HCM City.

She met more than 500 students at the Ha Noi Tourism College, and travelled to Hong kong to meet its Tourism Ambassador, singer-actress Joey Yung, to solicit votes in the region.

At a campaign in Manila, the Philippines, she urged Filipinos to vote for Ha Long by describing to them the bay's charm.

Ha Long Bay has entered the final round of voting involving 28 candidates for recognition as one of new seven natural wonders in the contest organised by the New Open World Corporation.

Young piano talent to play with South Korean tenor

Piano prodigy Trinh Mai Trang will accompany South Korean tenor Park Sung-min in a concert held at the capital's French Cultural Centre at 24 Trang Tien Street on Thursday.

Audiences will have an opportunity to enjoy masterpieces by Debussy, Donizetti, Massenet and Liszt.

"Debussy's Preludes always bring me a feeling of poetic loneliness. There are no familiar or beloved figures in the songs, only crowds of strangers. His music is more like a colourful painting of life, which attracts me immensely," Trang said.

Currently 25, the piano player started her musical training at the age of four, receiving a scholarship to study at London's prestigious Royal Academy of Music in 2004. During her time in the UK, award-winning Trang took part in many competitions and concerts. She also managed to organise her first European tour of Vienna, Dublin, Belfast, Enns and London itself.

Trang made her Vietnamese debut earlier this year with The Piano's Journal concert, following which she completed her second tour of the UK, France, Hungary and Switzerland.

Tenor Park, having graduated from Yonsei University, won a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music in Scotland this year.

The pair performed together for the first time in 2009 and has since co-operated on many musical projects.

PV