Ex-model’s marriage not valid in Vietnam

Ex-top model Ngoc Thuy’s marriage to her former hubby, Vietnamese-American millionaire Nguyen Duc An who recently sued her for grabbing his US$ 11 million assets he bought in Vietnam in her name, was found invalid in the country, newswire 2sao reported.

Earlier this month, the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 told Dat Viet newspaper the model’s ex-husband claimed she had appropriated his properties, cars, securities, and cash worth VND228 billion (US$10.9 million).

Law professionals said the finding could give Thuy an extra advantage in court now that it was pointed out the model has never registered for a marriage license with An in Vietnam, according to the Civil Status Division under the Ho Chi Minh Justice Department.

This means the couple’s marriage, which was registered in California (US) in 2006, is not recognized by local law, lawyer Nguyen Ngoc Bich from the HCMC Lawyer Association said.

“Vietnam’s law requires that a Vietnamese marrying a foreigner in another country has to register in Vietnam for their marriage to be legally accepted,” she said.

Thus, the case will be treated as a common property dispute between two civilians without any marital element involved, which most of the time results in a property division for both of the parties, Tam said.

In addition, the ruling by the Superior Court of California (the US) at their divorce in 2008 that Thuy had to return all the assets to her husband is also not recognized here since Vietnam and America have not signed any mutual legal assistance treaty, said lawyer Truong Xuan Tam of the Vietnam Lawyer Federation.

For cases like this, lawyer Le Thanh Kinh of Le Nguyen Law Office said it would be more favorable for any party who can establish proof of their right of ownership over the assets.

As of present, Thuy would have more advantage than her husband in court because all of the disputed properties are in her name.

Explaining why the properties were not in his name, An said he did not have Vietnamese citizenship in 2007 after the couple tied the knot and was not allowed to buy real estate in his own name; therefore, he bought them in Thuy’s name.

The properties include a nice upscale apartment on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street, District 1, 14 pieces of lands and villas in Phan Thiet, a villa in Binh Thanh district, 3 pieces of lands in Vung Tau, 7 cars and cash.

After the pair separated, “Though I had asked Thuy to transfer the properties to my company after the divorce, she not only refused to do it but also transferred their ownership to her family members,” he claimed.

He had agreed to her suggestion that the properties should be sold and she could keep the interest, but she later changed her mind about this.

An said he would also fight for custody of their daughters Nguyen Angelina Dior and Nguyen Valentina Dior, four and three.

“I am a responsible father. I want to raise them so that they can have a good life.”
Dat Viet said it managed to contact Thuy after much effort, but she only said: “No comment.”

Thuy’s mother Truong Thi Be, in an affidavit to the court, admitted her daughter had transferred some properties to her.

World-class musicians to perform in Hanoi

Hanoi will host its regular Beethoven concert featuring world-renowned classical artists from America, Japan, France and the Netherlands next week.

This year, the “Beethoven Cycle” concert will feature Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and Symphony No.8 by American conductor Dorian Wilson, Japanese violinist Matsuda Lina, Dutch cellist Harriet Krijgh, French pianist Kim Barbier together with the Vietnam National Orchestra Symphony.

Since it was first held in Hanoi in 2009, the concert, initiated by the national orchestra, has brought the world’s most famous classical artists to Vietnam.

Dorian Wilson has worked with more than 120 orchestras around the world, and Matsuda Linawon, who has won many of Japan’s top music awards, is considered one of the finest violin artists in Japan.

French pianist Kim Barbier is currently cooperating with the best European orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonie and Orchestra de Roma while young cellist Harriet Krijgh is a rising star in Austria and Germany.

This year concert titled “Beethoven Cycle Vol.8” will be held on October 13 – 14 at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien, Hanoi.

Puss in Boots to be dubbed in Vietnamese

3D cartoon Puss in Boots directed by Chris Miller will be the third Hollywood animation this year, and the fifth so far, to be dubbed in Vietnamese.

The other films that have been dubbed are Finding Nemo, Open Season, Rio, and The Smurfs.

4 Vietnamese artists will dub for the main characters: singer Dam Vinh Hung for the protagonist Puss in Boots, an orange tabby cat with bright green eyes, actress Thanh Van for Kitty Softpaw, a Tuxedo cat who is Puss's female counterpart, actor Dai Nghia for Humpty Dumpty, an egg who was Puss’ old friend and actress Thanh Thuy for Jill, a murderous outlaw.

Experts from DreamWorks Animation Inc. which produced the movie have come to Vietnam to supervise the casting of these actors and the dubbing process to ensure it meets Hollywood standards.

“Voice dubbing is not easy,” said Dam Vinh Hung. “I have had to work for days but I’m not tired at all.”

The film, which is a spin off prequel to the Shrek series, follows the character Puss in Boots in his adventures before his first appearance in Shrek 2 in 2004.

The movie will premiere in America on October 28 and in Vietnam at Megastar and Galaxy cinemas from November 25 in both 2D and 3D.

Vietnam showcases water puppetry in Mexico

Well-known Hanoi-based Thang Long Puppetry Theatre brought its best performances to the international art festival in Neuvo Leon, Mexico last week.

Held in Monterrey City from September 23 to October 9, the event drew 2,600 folk artists from 31 countries.

Thang Long Theatre performed its best works such as Dragon Dance and Buffalo Fight at 34 outdoor shows and taught Vietnam’s traditional art form to students of dozens of schools in the city.

Champ bodybuilder shines in “Just the two of us”

35-year-old bodybuilder Pham Van Mach amazed the audience last night in the first episode of “Just the two of us” which was broadcast live on national channel VTV3.

Paired with Vietnam Idol 2010’s runner up Van Mai Huong, the multiple bodybuilder champion sang “Careless whisper” in a sweet and beautiful voice with a professional performing style.

The singing reality show, originally produced by the British channel BBC in 1996, pairs 8 singers with 8 celebrities to sing in duets in different music genres, and after each round one couple will be eliminated.

The show premier also saw singer Dam Vinh Hung teaming up with actress Kim Thu, who both dressed in black for their love ballad “Trai tim khong ngu yen”.

With singer Minh Quan, actress Le Khanh added an edge of humor to their “Dau co loi lam” when the actress played a jealous wife while singing on stage.

While most of the duos opted for slow and romantic pop ballads, top model Ha Anh and singer Ho Trung Dung stood out with their catchy and cheerful “Perhaps perhaps perhaps”.

Acquired by the Ho Chi Minh-based Cat Tien Sa Media Company, “Just the two of us” has song composer Le Minh Son, singer Siu Black and filmmaker Le Hoang to sit as judges for its first season in Vietnam.

Other than this panel, the show will have a different fourth judge every night according to the theme. The result will be decided by both the judges’ evaluation and audience votes through SMS.

“Just the two of us” is broadcast live on VTV every Sunday night at 9pm.

European talents to play with Vietnam’s National Orchestra  
   
A famous Austrian conductor and an award-winning cellist from the Netherlands will join the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra in classical concerts in Hanoi next month.

The 61-year-old conductor, Maestro Wolfgang Groehs, the founder and chief conductor of the Europa Symphony Orchestra, has toured many European countries as well as China and Japan and will conduct the Vietnam National Academy of Music Orchestra on October 17 and 18 this year.

Groehs is well-known in Vietnam and has performed in Hanoi on numerous occasions, conducting the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of Music Orchestra.

In 2006 and 2007, he conducted Mozart’s Magic Flute at the Hanoi Opera, one of the first complete opera productions in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, young cellist Harriet Krijgh will perform Beethoven’s Triple Concerto as cello soloist with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra on October 13 and 14, and Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the Vietnam National Academy of Music Orchestra on October 17 and 18.

The 20-year-old artist received her first cello lessons at the age of five and has received special recognition through winning prizes at several music competitions between 2008 and 2010 in the Netherlands, Austria and Croatia.

Since December 2010, Krijgh has been the outstanding cellist of the German quality CD-label Capriccio and she will be recording two CDs in November this year featuring music for the cello and the piano.

Photo exhibition promotes Vietnam national trademark

The photographic exhibition entitled ‘Vietnam’s World Heritage 2011’ opened at 29 Hang Bai, Hanoi, on October 10 to introduce the international community to the country’s images and its tangible and intangible heritage.

On display are 206 artistic photographs selected from more than 2,000 entries sent to the 2011 photographic competition on Vietnam’s world heritage.

The head of the organizing committee, Vi Kien Thanh, said each set of photos were taken by artists from different angles.

The first prize went to the ‘Living Human Treasure’ photo by Tran Viet Van from Hanoi, who captured the moment of ca tru singing artisans Vu Van Hong (age 92) and Nguyen Thi Sinh (age 89) at a regular meeting of the Hanoi ca tru group. These artisans were honoured by UNESCO as living human treasures.
 
Another prize-winning work, ‘Lang Biang sunset’ by Tran Thiet Dung from Lam Dong, impressed many viewers with the soul of Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) culture.

Meanwhile, the ‘Hoi street picture’ by Ong Van Sinh depicts a Hoi An ancient street as a poetic painting.

The exhibition was previously held in Danang city from August 30 to September 6.

Land-mine photos document the end of a bitter legacy

An exhibition featuring 40 black-and-white images by photographer Sean Sutton documents the work of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a humanitarian organisation dedicated to clearing away the remnants of conflict in communities worldwide and which has been disposing of landmines and unexploded ordnance in Vietnam since 1999.

Sutton has traveled to Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq and Sudan to document the impact of landmines, unexploded munitions and other deadly remnants of conflicts on local populations and the solutions that MAG provides.

Entitled Impact for Peace, his exhibition provides visitors with a pictorial window into the effects of war on people and the courageous work of MAG Viet Nam personnel, as well as its positive social and economic impacts.

The exhibition focuses on the lives of people still affected by a conflict that ended more than 35 years ago to show how MAG's work has helped restore safety and peace to communities.

"We hold this exhibition for two reasons," said MAG Viet Nam country director Hannah Bryce. "First, we want to raise people's awareness of the danger of unexploded ordnance. And second, which I think it is very important, is to express the positive impacts on removing them out of their lives."

Images depict Ho Dung, who lost his eyesight and his right arm when opening a round metal object he found while grazing his family buffalo; Nguyen Duc Canh, who lost his eyes and injured his arm while collecting scrap; and 15-year-old Nguyen Van Tan, who suffered extensive shrapnel injures and lost several fingers, and damaged his eyes after a cylindrical aluminum object exploded when he was picking it up.

Farmer Nguyen Ngoc Hieu living in the central province of Quang Tri wrote on one poster at the exhibition, "MAG removed the bombs from my farm and plantation. This has allowed me to plant more trees and to safely dig two shrimp ponds and a fish pond."

"Those beautiful photographs are a very vivid expression," said Canadian Mona Abinader, a teacher at Concordia International School. "We can't easily forget such an important thing and should recognise it is a problem. I love portrait of Tran Thi Tam, who still mourns the death of her husband who died while removing the explosives from a bomb in a nearby scrapyard. Looking at the woman's face, I just want to hold her close in my arms and say: ‘I'm sorry'."

The exhibition is open at the Maison des Arts Gallery 31A Van Mieu Street until Sunday.

Foreign pianists ready to play at new festival

Pianists from the US, Bulgaria, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Ukraine will join talented pianists from across Vietnam to perform at the first-ever piano festival, to be held in HCM City from October 18-23.

The highlight will be a programme of performances, workshops and master classes to mark the 55th anniversary of the HCM City Conservatory of Music.

Pianist Vo Bao Lac Nhan, a lecturer at the Maison Stepman music centre in Brussels, Belgium, will conduct a workshop on piano history on October 18. He will deliver presentations about the art of composing music by drawing a comparison between different piano performance styles.

Another workshop on the 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist and conductor Franz Liszt will be held on October 19 to commemorate his 200th birthday, 1811-1886.

Master classes conducted by foreign musical experts will be held on October 20.

Piano performances at the festival will include talented students from the HCM City Conservatory of Music playing on October 21-23. Vietnamese guest artists from the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, Hue Conservatory of Music, as well as foreign artists will also perform during the festival.

Vietnamese student festival shines in RoK

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Korea (VSAK) hosted the seventh Vietnamese Students’ Festival in the capital city of Seoul on October 9.

Tran Hai Linh, VSAK Chairman said that over the past time, VSAK has coordinated with RoK organisations to support the Vietnamese community living in the country, including opening courses on the Vietnamese language and culture for multi-cultural families in Seoul, Incheon and Ansan cities.

This activity will be expanded in other regions nationwide in the near future, Linh added.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK, Tran Trong Toan, said he hopes VSAK will continue playing a key role in popularising information about Vietnam to international friends in the future, along with the Association of Overseas Vietnamese in the RoK.

Second Big Dream singing contest kicks off

An English singing contest for students named ‘Big Dream’ on Sunday launched at a branch of the HCMC University of Economics at 279 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street in HCMC’s District 10.

The contest aims to encourage students studying English who have an interest in singing to express their talents on stage. This year’s contest attracts 700 students with most coming from the universities of Economics,  Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities and Foreign Trade in HCMC.

The qualifying round started on Sunday. Contestants will sing two songs in English - acoustic style. The judging panel consists of musician Nguyen Van Hien and singer Kyo York.

The 20 best contestants will reach the final round on October 24 at the HCMC University of Economics, 59B Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street in HCMC’s District 3. Tickets for the night are priced at VND15,000 per person.

Ca Tru clubs join Hanoi festival

Some 23 ca tru (ceremonial singing) clubs from around the country will join the 2011 festival in Hanoi from Thursday to Sunday.

The event features 28 shows in a performance space which will be restored in an effort to help audiences understand more about positions and order of this traditional art.

Organizers will arrange the performance into different spaces, such as Khong gian hat cua dinh (The singing space at temple’s gate) and Khong gian hat thi (The space of singing competition), attracting a number of poets and writers and creating a connection between the performance and its spaces.

Participating clubs are allowed to decide on their spaces and the judging panel will vote for prize-winners accordingly.

Some artisans who have taught and preserved ca tru, recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, will be honored at the event.

PV