Famous photographer honors women 

Well-known photographer Ta Duy Anh, is holding a photo exhibition of his works at the Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Cultural House titled “Women’s smile”.

The exhibition which opened on March 8, displays 80 pictures depicting different moods, vivid moments, joy and optimism of women.

Photographer Ta Duy Anh hails from My Tho City in the Mekong Delta Province of Tien Giang. He is today a big name in the field of photography in the country. He has received 136 local awards and 31 international prizes.

The “Women’s smile” exhibition is his 5th solo show, open till the end of March.

Vung Tau to host 3rd International Kite Festival 

The 3rd International Kite Festival will be held in the coastal city of Vung Tau in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province from April 7 to 11. 

Around 120 artisans from 25 countries will participate in the event. The host nation will have four kite teams representing the North, Central and Southern regions and the Ba Ria - Vung Tau province.

The opening ceremony of the festival will take place on April 8. A kite prom night will be held at Paradise Resort in the evening of the next day.

Various cultural activities including a kite exhibition, introduction of delegates and free kite performances will be organized during the event.

The 2nd International Kite Festival themed “"Legends of a Thousand years” was held in Vung Tau last March. The festival had attracted 69 international kite artists from 24 countries and 70 local artisans with more than 300 kites.

Unique jazz concert in Hanoi 

The Vietnam National Institute of Music is presenting a unique jazz concert titled “Believing in the spring” at the Hanoi Opera House on March 10. 

Pianist Nguyen Tuan Nam and drummer Nguyen Hung Cuong and a double bass player will present 10 inspirational and romantic works of the spring.

The trio expects to bring Jazz music closer to music lovers. After the concert, the group will organize a jazz tour of universities in the city.

Young pianist, Nguyen Tuan Nam, 25, graduated with top honors from the Malmo Music Institute in Sweden. He is the youngest lecturer at the Vietnam National Music Institute Accordion-Guitar-Jazz Faculty. Drummer Nguyen Hung Cuong is a member of the famous rock band Ngu cung (Pentatonic).

Quang Nam artists to perform in Italy

An art group of the central province of Quang Nam will perform at a festival to be held from May 26 to June 5 in the city Bergamo of Italy.

The performance is be made at the invitation of the Chairman of Italy’s Chicuace in Tonatiuh Cultural Association.

Fourteen members of the group, who come from the Hoi An Centre for Culture and Sports, are expected to bring a number of performances to the event.

The performance aims to bolster solidarity between Vietnam and other countries as well as create conditions for local artists to exchange culture with foreign artists.

Clay Pagoda becomes national heritage

Dat Set (Clay) Pagoda, also known as Buu Son Tu, in the southern province of Soc Trang has been recognized as a national heritage for its architectural, historical and cultural values.

Built as a small pagoda from bamboos in the early 20th century, Clay has been restored and renovated by the Ngo family.

It is well-known for its 1,800 Buddha and sacred animal statues and incense burners, all of which are made of clay.

Life Resort offers luxury cruise in Ha Long Bay

Life Heritage Resort Ha Long is offering four-star standard cruises for tourists visiting Ha Long Bay.

Each boat can serve four passengers and, besides a cabin and dining and sunbathing areas, also has kayaks, wet suits, and fishing tools.

Passengers can choose the cruise routes themselves.

It costs US$220 for a six-hour trip for two.

Last surviving musician of Vietnam’s last king 

Hue royal music (nha nhac) was the court music at the palaces in Hue during the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). It was listed as an intangible and oral cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2003.

Lu Huu Thi, 102, is the oldest nha nhac artist in Hue and the only surviving member of a 10 member musical troupe, Hoa Thanh Music Collective, that played for the last ruling member of the Nguyen Dynasty, Bao Dai, the last king of Vietnam.

As a living connection to the Nguyen Dynasty, Thi has spent all his life passing on the musical tradition.

Thi lives in Huong Vinh Commune, Huong Tra District. He can play the traditional drums, trumpet, nhi (Vietnamese two chord fiddles), and other musical instruments, but his best instruments are nhi and bop trumpet.

Every night in his house, four generations of his family get together and play traditional music.

For Thi , Nha Nhac is his life, so although he is over 100 years old, he teaches his children and grandchildren court music every day. He wants to inspire everybody in his family to take up traditional music and says he will teach them everything he knows.

In his free time, he goes to Duyet Thi Duong Royal Theater in the grounds of Hue Citadel to teach there.

C.T Group sponsors US$100,000 to Vietculture

C.T Group has signed an agreement to give US$100,000 in sponsorship to Vietculture 2011, a cultural services and products exhibition to be held for the first time in Vietnam.

The exhibition is scheduled to take place in Phu Tho Stadium in HCMC’s District 11 from June 1-5, featuring 500 booths of enterprises from a wide range of sectors of publishing, office stationery, school appliances, advertising, visual and audio products, toys and tourism.

Le Hoang, chairman of Saigon Cultural Products Corp. (SCPC), organizer of Vietculture 2011, said the event would honor spiritual and cultural values through scenes of the countryside and folk games.

The exhibition will feature lives of Vietnamese people from its origins to the present day, traditional cuisine and include exchanges with cultural researchers, architects, writers, fashion designers and antique collectors, he said.