Ha Noi ceremonial singing club members to woo visitors

Visitors have a new opportunity to enjoy traditional Vietnamese music every Sunday evening courtesy of artists from the Ha Noi ceremonial singing club.

Each performance lasts for one hour, including 15 minutes for an introduction to ceremonial singing.

Performances are being organised to preserve ceremonial singing and help visitors discover Hanoian culture.

Visitors may catch the show at Kim Ngan Communal House, 42-44 Hang Bac Street.

The club plans to offer two to three performances per week by next year.

Ca tru (ceremonial singing) first appeared at the beginning of the 16th century. During the performance, female singers use vibrato while striking a wooden box and instrumentalists produce the deep tone of a three-stringed lute and the strong sounds of a praise drum. Ca tru was recognised as a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2010.

It's all roses at embroidery fest

Roses Fashion Show performed by 100 XQ artists opened the XQ Festival in Nha Trang City, the central province of Khanh Hoa yesterday, June 10.

The event, which is part of the Nha Trang Sea Festival, is held by XQ Embroidery Picture Company and will run until next Wednesday.

In ao dai (traditional long dress) with embroidered roses, artists ride bicycles on Nha Trang streets and present real roses to tourists and locals. A group of 10 models wearing ao dai fashion already took part in a flower and incense offering at the Thap Ba (Ponagar Tower).

XQ Festival this year is comprised of a fashion show and cultural performances that incorporate flowers.

Artists from Nha Trang, Ha Noi, Hoi An, Da Lat and HCM City gathered on the beach at sunrise to offer the most beautiful embroideries to the sky and earth, praying for their craft's development.

During the six-day festival, exhibitions of flowers and embroideries, fashion shows, tea-making demonstrations, poetry nights and a musical concert will take place at XQ Company, Tran Phu Street.

Truong Dang Tuyen, director of the provincial Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, said the Roses Festival would help bring in tourists during the Nha Trang Sea Festival.

The XQ Embroidery Picture Company has helped preserve the traditional embroidery for decades.

The company's hand-made embroidery products are often bought by foreign tourists as souvenirs during their visits in Viet Nam.

"We want the roses to make the festival amazing. Rose is selected to be the subject of the festival for its beauty and flavour," said Vo Van Quan, the company's co-founder. "We had to order a large quantity of flowers from the Central Highlands city of Da Lat a few months ago to display during the festival."

"The event is held to respect values of hand-made embroidery products and artists' creativity," he said.

SE Asian documentary makers to hold workshop at Goethe Institute

Southeast Asian documentary filmmakers will share experiences in a two-day workshop starting today at the Ha Noi Goethe Institute.

Participants will talk about development, the difficulties and challenges in the Southeast Asia documentary film industry as well as watch and comment on films.

Tomorrow they will exchange opinions on the region's potential and discover ideas for setting up the Goethe Institute's European project, such as opening summer schools and building a project website.

Participating filmmakers are from Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines.

Miss Viet Nam in Europe contest to be held in Germany

The third Miss Viet Nam in Europe will be held in Germany from July 9 to August 6.

Entry is open to single women between 17-27 years of age who have never had plastic surgery and are at least 1.6m tall. They must be Vietnamese by birth or have Vietnamese citizenship.

Only the top five participants will reach the question-and-answer competition but all contestants will compete in the ao dai (traditional dress), swimsuit, evening gown and talent competitions.

The preliminary round is expected to be held on three separate dates: in Germany on July 9-31 and in the Czech Republic on July 30. Finalists will take their chances in the Admiralsplast Theatre in Berlin on August 6.

The contest is held every two years to introduce the beauty of Vietnamese people and landscape as well as to boost solidarity among overseas Vietnamese communities.

In 2009, Vietnamese German Nguyen Ngoc Kieu Khanh, 18, won over 34 other competitors to become Miss Viet Nam in Europe.

HCMC to host wedding products exhibition at New World Hotel

More than 30 businesses and professionals involved in the wedding industry will showcase their products and services at the annual wedding fair to be held at HCM City's New World Hotel later this month.

Bridal gowns, jewellery, cakes, hairdos, honeymoon destinations, photography services and others will be on show.

The fair will feature both traditional and western styles of wedding, and prospective brides and grooms can simulate the ceremony with the assistance of the hotel's sales and events team and meet service providers to discuss their personal needs.

The highlight will be a fashion show featuring bridal gowns by famous Vietnamese designers which will be accompanied by performances by popular bands.

The admission to the fair will be free while tickets to the fashion show cost VND160,000.

VNN/VOV/VNS