Toyota art contest attracts kids

An auto painting contest sponsored by Toyota has drawn more than 327,000 entries from children under 13 nationwide since it was launched three months ago.
 
The contest, entitled “Dream Car”, and jointly held by the Ministry of Education and Training and Toyota Vietnam, aims to create a forum for children to show off their skills and promote their creativity.

According to the organizing board, 10 winners will be selected to join a global contest to be held in Japan this August 2012.

This is an annual event for children held by Toyota Vietnam, with the first one taking place in 2005 on the theme of “Traffic Safety".

Local movie to be released in France

Award-winning Vietnamese movie “Bi, Dung So!” (Bi, Don’t Be Afraid) will be released in France on March 14.

Under the initial plan, during the first week of the premiere, the movie will be screened at 70 cinemas across the country for two months. Acrobates Films, the movie’s distributor in France, is looking for more theaters and expects the time of the screening to be longer.

Also, one year after the public screening, “Bi, Don’t Be Afraid” will be broadcast on local station ARTE TV.

“Bi, Don’t Be Afraid” tells the story of a family living in Hanoi’s Old Quarter as seen through the eyes of a six-year-old boy called Bi, is an exploration of people’s sexual desires and how they are controlled, a topic rarely mentioned in the local film industry.

It has won several awards at international events including two of the International Critics Week’s prizes at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, the New Talent Award at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, and the Special Mentions in Dragons and Tigers prize at the Vancouver International Film Festival in Canada in 2010.

One year later, it received the Best Feature Film award at the Vietnam International Film Festival in California and Best Cinematography at the 21st Stockholm International Film Festival.

It was also screened at the London International Film Festival and was well received by critics.

Nail job inspired film to be screened in Vietnam  

Romantic drama Cham (Touch) by Vietnamese-American director Nguyen Duc Minh will be screened on March 30 at Galaxy Cinemas nationwide, 20 days after its debut in America, the Saigon Tiep Thi (SGTT) newspaper reported this week.  

Touch, Minh’s first film, is set in the "nail job," a vocation that employs many Vietnamese people in the US.

It is about a special friendship between a shy Vietnamese-American manicurist and an American mechanic.

She not only cleans his greasy hands, but also gives advice on his marriage, which is on the rocks.

“Nail salons has given countless jobs to the community of Vietnamese immigrants in America. 75 percent of nail and beauty salons are owned and run by the Vietnamese people, however, their stories have never been told in movie language,” Minh told an overseas publication.

Touch has won several awards, including Audience’s Choice for Best Feature Film at the Vietnamese International Film Festival, Best Story Line and Best Cinematography at the Boston International Film Festival, Best First Feature at the Santa Rosa International Film Festival, and Jury Award at the Atlanta Asian Film Gala.

The independent film stars actress Porter Lynn as manicurist Tam, whose moving performance won her Best Actress Award at the Boston International Film Festival, and actors John Ruby, Melinda Bennett, Long Nguyen, and Hiep Thi Le.

Semi-finalists go for Vietnamese songs in Got Talent

Vietnam’s Got Talent had its second semi-final night broadcast live on VTV3 on Sunday, with many contestants opting for Vietnamese hits in a program dominated by English songs from its start.

Vu Khanh Van, who was known singing “Time to say goodbye” by Sarah Brightman in the preliminary round, performed “Hoa mi hot trong mua” (Nightingale sings in the rain) and was called “nightingale” by judge Thanh Loc, who said he gave her the name as he knew she could sing Vietnamese songs very well.

Vu Song Vu, who had been well-known on Youtube long before he signed up for Vietnam’s Got Talent for singing “My heart will go on” by Celine Dion, shined with “Ba toi” (My Grandma), a difficult song performed by many local top singers.

The 12-year-old contestant sang with confidence and his own interpretation and style, and was praised by the “difficult” judge Huy Tuan, a renowned song composer.

Another performance, a belly dance by Banh Duc Hoai Yen, also captured viewers’ attention as she asked a music composer to re-mix a Vietnamese song as background music for her dance instead of using foreign music.

From the preliminary round to the first semifinal night held last week, the show has sparked curiosity as to why most of its contestants who chose singing prefer showing their talent in English, such as the sensation Vo Trong Phuc, an English teacher who rose to fame singing Michael Buble’s “Home”, or Vu Dinh Tri Giao, the 9-year-old sweet songster who melted hearts with “You raise me up”.

Many contestants like Phuc said that they knew they sounded better in English.

“Hoa mi hot trong mua’ is one of a few Vietnamese songs that are suitable for my voice and what I want to send out to the audience. To me it doesn’t matter whether it is English or Vietnamese,” Khanh Van said.

Meanwhile, Vu’s mother opined that he chose “Ba toi” to stand out from others as many contestants had chosen to sing in English. “His chance of success will be lower then. To be honest, he sings much better in English than in Vietnamese, thus the Vietnamese song was quite a risky choice. But if he can make it to the next round, I think he will choose an English song.”

Hanoi restaurant goes high-brow with opera  

Hanoi restaurant Luna D'Autunno is doing something very unusual – having opera performances once a month in its informal setting.

It was an initiative by Graham Sutcliffe, British conductor of the Vietnam National Opera Ballet.

“I have been going to the restaurant regularly for a long time, and I asked the owner why there is no Italian music in such a wonderful space.”

He has always wanted to take opera to the Vietnamese, who generally perceive it as academic music and difficult to understand.

He also realized that places like the Hanoi Opera House could be intimidating for those not quite used to watching high-brow music in large, darkened halls in pin-drop silence.

He decided the mountain must come to Mohammed.

He first persuaded Gino Benelli, owner of the restaurant, a year ago.

Then he got singers from the Vietnam National Opera Ballet to perform there, with Thang Long, Vanh Khuyen, Manh Dung, and Ngoc Diep being the main singers.

“Every month I mix the program – sometimes I do only operas by Bellini or by Rossini.

“I also have to arrange the music for the singers. It can be a piano, which is normal, so I have to find something more special and arrange a string quartet.”

It is now performed on the third Wednesday of every month at 78 Tho Nhuom Street.

In the restaurant, people eat and drink and listen to the opera, making it more informal than in the theater and interesting audiences more, he says.

Diners can sing too. “By having a role, I think, audiences can enjoy more.”

In Italy, people sing opera on the streets, he says.

“I want to show Vietnamese that opera doesn’t have to be academic music. Opera is funny and emotional.”

But since people often do not know the story behind a piece, Graham sometimes explains to the diners.

The program has been a success.

Graham says: “A year ago the restaurant did not have many customers. I have been there quite a lot, but never seen it full. Now, on opera evenings, people have to book a table in advance.”

Benelli concurs saying that during the performances the restaurant gets very crowded.

Since the space available is small, singers and musicians have to perform very near their audiences. “It is very good, because when the audiences are happy, they sing better.”

The upcoming program will take place on March 21. For booking, call (04) 3 823 7338 or email to lunadautunno@gmail.com.

Vietnamese landscapes featured on US fashion site

The beauty of Vietnam’s tourist destinations has been introduced on the official website of US fashion retailer Free People.

“For our March catalog photo shoot, The Free People team travelled to Vietnam and soaked in the beauty of its big cities and small villages. We wanted to share our wonderful journey with you,” Free People wrote on its website.

www.freepeople.com/whats-new-march-travelogue/

Besides making a catalog, Free People also created a travelogue featuring pictures and videos capturing the team’s trip to places across the country.

“We had the most amazing time in Vietnam and hope that this travelogue inspires you to take a trip of your own,” the website added.

Commenting on Ha Long Bay, the team said the bay is a great place to mediate on the water, surrounded by an inspiring view. “Exploring the caves is a great adventure.”

Especially, the website also posted a sentence by Vietnamese writer Nguyen Tuan about Ha Long in English “Only mountains accept to be old, but Ha Long sea and wave are young forever” (Bien Ha Long van mot mau xanh biec, chay em dem, mai miet voi thoi gian).

It did not forget to mention the famous Vietnamese specialty, pho. “Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup. The dish is associated with the city of Hanoi where the first pho restaurant opened in the 1920s.”
 
Saigon Railway to add more trains on Hung Kings’ death anniversary  

Saigon Railway Transportation Company will add more trains to meet the increasing demand on the occasion of the death anniversary of the Hung Kings’ on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month (March 31).  
 
Trains on several routes including Ho Chi Minh City-Nha Trang-Phan Thiet-Hanoi will be increased on March 29-30.

Passengers can buy train tickets via website www.vetau.com.vn or contact phone number 08.38436528.

The death anniversary of the Hung Kings’ at the Hung Kings’ Temple Festival in Phu Tho Province on March 5-10 of the lunar calendar is a national holiday in the country.

A wide range of cultural folk activities and sport games will be held during the event with millions of visitors across the country taking part in the festivities.
 
Literature makes enemies friends: forum

For 20 years, Vietnamese and American writers and poets have helped to restore normal relations between Vietnam and the US, a forum has heard.

The William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences (WJC), an American NGO, plays a particularly important role in this effort, local writer To Nhuan Vy told the forum held in Hue city between WJC and Vietnamese writers.

“WJC is like a boat, breaking the ‘ice’ in the two countries’ relations,” Vy said.

WJC was founded by American veterans to research about the Vietnam War’s consequences. The organization has overcome great difficulties, and members have even risked their lives in their efforts to urge the US to normalize relations with Vietnam.

“Founding WJC was a hard and valiant decision,” said Vietnamese poet Huu Thinh, chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association.

To Nhuan Vy said WJC’s efforts hadn’t just helped to strengthen relations between the US and Vietnam, but only heal “the broken relationship between Vietnamese soldiers of the two sides.”

For his part, poet Nguyen Quang Thieu said he was amazed by the endless love of WJC writers and veterans toward the Vietnamese people and land.

“They love Vietnam patiently,” Thieu said. “They urged the US Congress to assist Vietnam and were either considered prolonged hands of communists or CIA spy.”

Writer Kevin Bowen, former director of WJC, said WJC was all about sharing and understanding.

“For veterans, they wish to share and gather memories that once separated us. For writers, they wish to acquire knowledge of different cultures and literature,” he said.

‘Zeng’ weaving craft being revived by ethnic groups  

Local authorities in the mountainous district of A Luoi in the central province of Thua Thien Hue are of late doing their utmost to restore the ‘Zeng’ weaving craft of minority groups in the area, so as to   preserve a traditional craft as well as to help the local community find a means to earn their livelihood.  

Around the A Luoi region, stories abound of a wonderful woman named Mai Thi Hop of the Ta Oi minority group, who did her best to revitalise the traditional ‘Zeng’ weaving craft in her community.

‘Zeng’ cloth is a sophisticated marriage of colours in a wealth of motifs, using a black background with colored stripes and beads, woven into various artistic geometric patterns.

Having learnt the art of weaving ‘Zeng’ cloth from her mother since a child, to make clothes for her family or village people, Hop was not content that such a beautiful craft was being wasted and could be lost in the future.

She was determined to bring back to life this traditional craft form, despite encountering various problems, from explaining its usefulness to the young, to persuading Ta Oi elders into giving lessons to people from other ethnic groups, which actually goes against Ta Oi’s customs and rules.

By explaining that ‘Zeng’ weaving may disappear if no one attempted to save it and that it could help fight against poverty, she at last received unanimous approval from the village elders.

In 2004, Hop opened a small workshop in A Luoi Town for people of Co Tu, Pa Hi, Pa Ko, and Ta Oi ethnic groups to learn ‘Zeng’ weaving and earn a living by selling their own products. From only four people in the beginning, her workshop now has around 40 workers with an average income of VND1.2 to 1.5 million (US$58 to $72) per month, which is quite high in the area.

Mai Thi Tang from A Tin Hamlet of A Dot Commune in A Luoi District, a two-year weaver of ‘Zeng’ fabric, said that at first she did not known the craft, but watching many households in her hamlet generating such a high income, she and her mother turned to the craft.

Other ethnic groups like Co Tu, Pa Ko, Van Kieu, Pa Hi also came to learn and helped expand ‘Zeng’ weaving craft to neighboring areas. According to Ho Thi Loan, a Co Tu living in A Phu Vinh Commune, because of this craft her family now can earn an extra sum of VND1.5 to 2 million ($72 to 96) per month, making their financial state more stable.

At present, A Luoi District has three large-scale workshops for ‘Zeng’ weaving craft in Phu Vinh, A Dot Communes and A Luoi Town. It is the high quality and creativity that help A Luoi’s ‘Zeng’ cloth becoming much sought-after, said Hop.

In fact, ‘Zeng’ cloth is usually made with colorful patterns of legendary stories, plus it is quite fashionable and durable, hence the favourite of both residents as well as tourists, domestic and foreign alike.

Ho Van Ngoan, Head of A Luoi’s Office of Culture and Information, said that local authorities always encourage ethnic groups to preserve and develop this weaving craft. They have already approved of a fund to support training and expansion of ‘Zeng’ weaving, with a pattern preservation project also lined up in the near future.
 
TV series needs to be labeled

A scene recently aired on VTV3 which has aroused public fury for its vulgar content depicting the profligate life of a group of young people has raised a debate on whether TV stations should label movies, or at least warn audiences before screening sensitive scenes.

In the TV series titled “Hoa Nang” (The Flower of Sun), broadcast on March 6, a male character named Phuc slowly licked wine dripping on his girl friend’s breast, embarrassing most audiences watching the scene.

The vulgar act was even repeated two times so that Phuc’s friends could capture the act and post it on the Internet in the hope of making it a sensation.

Since the movie was broadcast at 9:15pm, the time which is considered the “golden hour” that attracts a large number of viewers including children, it has angered the public who worry the scene will have a bad affect on their kids.

Though global TV channels broadcasting in Vietnam like HBO, AXN and Star Movies often label their movies and always warn audiences about the content before screening movies with inappropriate scenes for kids, local TV stations haven’t paid much attention to this.

“Sensitive tabloids or TV channels for adults are always labeled in other countries. But in Vietnam, children and kids are watching the same channels which broadcast inappropriate programs without any warning before the screening,” Tran Le Thuy, former journalism scholar at the UK’s Oxford University, commented.

According to Thuy, the fact that Vietnamese parents do not care much about managing the programs their kids watch on TV is also a problem.

“I see an increase of violent and sensitive scenes on local TV recently. But Vietnamese people have a habit of watching TV together at meals. They don’t understand how their children can be affected if they accidentally watch vulgar scenes,” she added.

Whether bringing sensitive scenes into TV movies makes them better or worse has been a debate not only in the public, but also between insiders.

Some expressed their disappointment regarding this. Screenwriter Nguyen Manh Tuan absolutely says “no” to sensitive shots, while director Dinh Duc Liem said a scene about sex is not necessary for a movie, since he prefers to use cinematography to express his ideas.

On the other hand, a local film director said a “hot” scene in a movie is a factor that attracts audiences. “I don’t understand why the public criticizes hot scenes?” he said.

"The time when we used a dark screen to cover a man and a woman’ faces and let the audiences know that they’re kissing is over. We need to bring reality into movies.”

For her part, Nguyen Thi Thu Hue, a member of VTV’s film review board, said a scene about sex can be screened after being censored if it is necessary for the movie’s content.

“The incident is a pity since “Hoa Nang” is a good film meant to alert the youths who have depraved lifestyle,” she added.

She also said the broadcaster has learned from experience and will censor movies in the future to make sure their content is appropriate with Vietnamese culture.

“The scene should have been censored,” she added. “This will be a lesson for us in managing sensitive scenes on TV.”