Vietnam holds cultural weeks in Russia, Ukraine

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will organize Vietnam cultural weeks in large cities in Russia and Ukraine in September and November to promote Vietnam’s image in Eastern Europe.

In Russia the cultural weeks will be held in Moscow and St Petersburg in September. Some tourism agencies will take this chance to join in the autumn tourism fair in Moscow and the cultural weeks in Russia.

The cultural weeks in Ukraine will take place in Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov.

Apart from introducing Vietnam’s culture features and tourism potential, the organizers will try to attract support from Russian and Ukrainian people to vote for Halong Bay to be one of new Seven Wonders of the World.

Vietnam is a popular tourist destination for Russian travelers.

HCMC Circus Troupe to perform in Cuba

The HCMC Circus Troupe has arrived in La Habana in Cuba to take part in the 10th International Circus Festival "Circuba 2011" from August 8-14.

The Circus Troupe will present “Power of the Arm” performance that earlier won the first prize at the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia young circus talent competition in 2009 and a gold medal at the Hanoi International Circus Festival 2010.

This is the first time in 20 years that Vietnam is participating in the Circuba Festival.

The festival will be an opportunity for Vietnamese artists to share experiences with their foreign counterparts of the industry.

Cuban performers won a silver medal at the International Circus Festival in Hanoi in 2010.

Sculptors honored at regional exhibition

An exhibition featuring works of artists around Ho Chi Minh City is now taking place in the city.

This year exhibition gathers 123 artworks by 101 artists around the city.

They include paintings, statues and sculptures featuring the daily life of the city as well as recent social issues.

At the exhibition’s opening ceremony on August 6, many sculptural works were awarded high prizes.

The A prize was given to the wooden sculpture “Doi (Bats)” by Tran Viet Hung while the metal sculptures “Ky Uc Ve Nguon (Memories of Returning to the Source)” by Phan Van Thang and “Con Loc Bien Dong (East Sea Storm)” by Tran Mai Quoc Khanh gained the B and C prizes respectively.

The exhibition is being held at the HCMC Art Museum at 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street in District 1 until August 15.

It is organized by the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, Ho Chi Minh City At Museum and the city’s Fine Art Association.

HCMC screens movies to open film contest

Best movies from the previous contests of the International 48 Hour Film Project will be screened in Ho Chi Minh City tonight (August 10) as part of activities to kick in the contest this year.

The screening will showcase documentaries on the process of making the contests’ participating movies including The Girl Is Mime, the winning movie last year.

This year’s contest is scheduled to start on August 19 in Hanoi and December 26 in HCMC.

Hollywood director Phillip Noyce, the creator of the famous movie “The Quiet American” will be on the jury.

The global contest requires filmmakers to complete a short film, including writing, shooting, and editing within 48 hours.

It attracted more than 40 teams of Vietnamese young filmmakers last year.

The screening will take place at Brauhaus Restaurant at 28bis Mac Dinh Chi Street in District 1.

Vietnamese stars prioritise fame over talent

Vietnamese stars seem to prefer thriving off scandal rather than their talents, as showbiz news seems swamped by increasingly lurid tales of misdemeanours.

What do you get from the showbiz news this morning? Perhaps it was debate about singer Ho Quynh Huong’s cosmetic surgery, or singer and model Ho Ngoc Ha’s purchase of a new super car or maybe model Diem Chau’s conflict with her counterpart Bao Truc. Was it singer Viet Quang admitting he’s bisexual or singer Dam Vinh Hung posing with a beautiful purple flamboyant tree in Dalat?

Such ‘news’ can be seen everywhere. As a whole, showbiz news seems to be an accumulation of ridiculous PR stunts. There are few albums worth listening to and a modest number of interesting TV programmes worth watching.

Music production catastrophes with lame lyrics or schoolyard melodies or sexy girls with more dancing ability and good looks than singing talent dominate the stage.

Or perhaps you’ll catch up on the latest gossip, with singer Long Nhat claiming he is gay and how he had cheated his wife.

Viet Quang continues to dominate the headlines with questions about his sexuality, rather than his latest music release.

Other people get their buzz discussing Ho Ngoc Ha’s relationship with luxury-car collector and millionaire Cuong ‘do la’ (Cuong Dollar) and their newly born son, or maybe the ample breast-sizes of the latest ‘hot’ sensation.

Music has become almost peripheral, particularly when there are more sexy issues such as cosmetic surgery, gender or sexuality and love affairs to discuss.

It isn’t just the music industry that is suffering. Vietnamese cinema has been bogged down in scandal is recent years, as real life seem to replicate the most ludicrous of scripts. But the real scandal of poor scripts and terrible acting by models, singers and former beauty queens in made-for-TV series barely gets a look-in.

Instead of poor acting being the centre of debate, its the miserable behaviour of actor Huy Khanh who got divorced as he’s a ‘lady-killer’, and how his ex-wife writes a blog that dominate the headlines.

Scandal spells celebrity? Yet despite the chaos, showbiz continues to lure many young people.

Any film production company can attract the attention of a large number of young people casting for a new script. They are eager to take part in a film despite their lack of professional skills. They just think of films in terms of fame.

Vietnam Idol continues to prove popular as vehicle for fame-seekers, regardless of musical talent. Instead fledging girls, who have yet to complete high school, are set on becoming a singer, actress, or MC.

It seems that joining the showbiz industry is the best way to become famous quickly. Model Ngoc Trinh became famous after showing off her beauty. Model Hoang Yen was greatly praised by the press as a ‘new star’. Model Trang Nhung became famous after her breasts ‘accidentally’ popped out on a fashion shoot. Model Ngoc Quyen is now more well-known for her nude photo collection. Most of them are young, and often famous for a distinct lack of any talent. Yet with such fame, they find it easy to land a job as an actor, model or ‘singer’.

As a star in the showbiz industry, they can do anything they want. They think that artists have the right to live by their instincts and spontaneity. Many stars have said, “I don’t care much about public criticism’, and “It’s obvious that you’ll be praised and criticised no matter what you do.”

Due to such thinking, singer Mai Khoi appeared in front of her fans with dyed blond and red highlighted hair and thin shirt with no bra, looking more like Lady Gaga than any Vietnamese diva.

Amid the public chatter, Mai Khoi, said, “There’s nothing special about the way I look, people take it too seriously. I just changed my appearance.”

That’s the reason why model Phi Thanh Van insisted on defending the videos by her “Da nau 1”, “Da nau 2”, and “Tam hon” songs despite a negative audience reaction.

However, in contrast, an actress based in Hanoi said she preferred a peaceful life and was quite happy just to attend events and only release official photographs.

Despite being rebellious, many of these young artists seem to have left their fans more disappointed than impressed by their bad behaviour.

PV