Hitachi’s Christmas Light Up in city

Hitachi Asia Ltd. last week launched Christmas Light Up 2011 at Saigon Tax Trade Center, one of the city’s most popular shopping malls in District 1. This year marks the fourth consecutive year Hitachi sponsors the Christmas Light Up event at this prominent landmark which takes place until January 1.

Themed ‘Christmas Night Fest at the Hitachi Aqua Castle’, the launch signals the start of three weeks of exciting performances and activities that aim to create an atmosphere of peace, joy and hope during this festive season.

To illustrate the theme of this year’s campaign, the Saigon Tax Trade Centre has been decorated to resemble a castle in the ocean with marine animals dressed-up in Christmas attire. Marine animal mascots are stationed at the main entrance of the Christmas Hall to draw the crowd’s attention prior to the opening ceremony which also opened the gates to the Hitachi Christmas Hall.

The finale will be a New Year Music Show on January 1, which will feature entertainment by music stars, street artists and interactive games.

Ex-overseas students launch anthem singing contest

Over the past month, the website tienquanca.vn, which is hosting a national anthem music video contest, has received a growing number of entries for the competition.

Started by a group of close friends who used to study abroad and consider themselves “really patriotic”, the online contest looks for music videos that best capture the true spirit of “Tien quan ca”, Vietnam’s most important song.

After sharing their love for “Tien quan ca” and their endearing memories of the song from their time spent studying abroad, the group said the event aims to spread the spirit to a larger community and connect all patriotic hearts.

Le Tien Dat, a member of the group who spent years studying in France, said he used to go to the Vietnam Embassy in Paris every year on National Independence Day.

“What left the deepest impression on me at those gatherings were the moments when we saluted the flag and sang our national anthem together,

“The feeling was more special than when we were in Vietnam, since we were so far away. We all felt like we were thinking about our home land,” he said.

Le Quang Vu, another member, recalled how the song empowered him and his friends during a turbulent time when they were students in Russia.

“Back then, when we wanted to go out at night, we always had to go in groups, since that was safer..
“I remember once we were so nervous that we all sang the anthem out loud to calm ourselves down. And it worked. We felt like we had an emotional support then.”

Vu Truong Giang, a third member of the group, told Tuoi Tre that he started teaching and explaining the lyrics of the anthem to his son, who is now 5 years old, when the child was much younger.

The idea came to the group once they watched a moving video clip of children with hearing and speaking impairments “singing” the song wholeheartedly with their hands.

“We saw the clip and wondered why many other young people felt so hesitant to sing the song. We want them to be able to feel proud and more willing to sing it,” they said.

The organizers also encourage creative ways to perform the anthem, as long as contestants respect its original lyric and spirit.

“They can sing it live, with musical instruments, as an individual or with your whole family. They can perform on the top of a mountain or at a border check point”, one member enthusiastically shared his ideas.

Using their own money to make up a total cash prize of VND 120 million (US$ 5712) for the winners, the group said established figures like historian Duong Trung Quoc and well-known song composer Quoc Trung have agreed to judge the contest.

Entries for the contest should be submitted before March 15, 2012 at www.tienquanca.vn.

Hanoi night market offers reasonably priced books

An outdoor book market which only opens at night has recently offered Hanoians a place to buy books they want at cheap prices, to exchange books, and to spend time with their families.

The Dinh Le Book Night Market, which is organized by the Hanoi-based Van Viet Book Joint Stock Company, has been held at the Hanoi Post-office at 4 Dinh Le Street since November.

The market is open from 5pm to 9pm every day, and sells many kinds of books, including children’s, foreign language, scientific, philosophical, health, and literary books at prices discounted by 40% to 70%.

Popular attractions of the market are the rare and vintage books that can be found there.
Besides selling books, the market has also become a place for people who love reading, especially young people, to exchange information and books.

“My friends and I come here once a week. The market has many book titles at reasonable prices, and I like its open space and friendly sellers,” Nguyen Hong Nhung, a student at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam told Tuoi Tre Newspaper.

The Dinh Le market is also frequented by families on the weekend, thanks to its coffee shop and cheap prices.

“My family visits the market every weekend. We can all find books we want to read here,” said Tran Minh Tri of Hoan Kiem District.

American museum acquires Vietnamese antique

A Vietnamese glazed stoneware jar dating back to the 15th to 16th century during the Le Dynasty has just been acquired by Birmingham Museum of Art in the US, reported Apollo Magazine, a British magazine about fine and decorative arts.

The jar, which is 17 cm high, was discovered in Bangkok in a private collection and is a rare example of Le Dynasty pottery.

It was carved meticulously and made from the smooth grey-white clay found in the Red River Valley where Vietnamese potters produced amazingly light and thin-walled vessels.

“We have had conservators look at it, and there’s no repair work or repainting needed. It hasn’t been touched,” said Donald Wood, chief curator and curator of the museum’s Asian art collection.

The jar will be the centerpiece of an exhibition titled “Dragons and Lotus Blossoms” to be held at the museum from January 22 to April 8 next year.

The museum, located in Alabama, started to collect Asian works of art with a gift of Chinese textiles in 1951. So far, its Asian art collection has acquired more than 4,000 objects from China, Japan, Korea, India and South East Asia.

Creative photography center opens in city  

A “creative photography center” has just opened in Ho Chi Minh City on December 12 by famous woman photographer Dao Hoa Nu and her colleagues.  
           
The center will provide professional photography courses and learners will have an opportunity to learn outdoor photography, hold photo shoots, seminars on photography and partake in photo contests at the center.

The creative photography center will have vast and diverse collection of books by well-known authors such as Micheal Freeman and John Hedgecoe.

A photography course will include 11 classes for duration of one month at No.5, Nam Quoc Cang Street in District 1.

The first-ever photography center in the country is expected to create a useful platform for photography lovers.
 
New ferry service to link Phu Quoc Island with Kep City in Cambodia  

A new tourist ferry service will link Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam to   Kep City in Cambodia by early next year, according to the Cambodian Association of Koh Tonsai Boat Owners.

The new ferry service will be run by a Vietnamese company and expected to carry about 40 passengers per voyage within 60-90 minutes.

The Ministry of Finance has already established a customs unit at   Kep Port to monitor entry and exit procedures.

Vietnam National Academy of Music celebrates 55th anniversary

The Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAM) held a gala to celebrate its 55th anniversary (1956-2011) at the Hanoi Opera House on December 11.

The programme featured performances by People’s Artists Quang Tho and Trung Kien, as well as other popular singers including Trong Tan, Dang Duong and Anh Tho, along with musical pieces by the Vietnamese Traditional Orchestra and the Vietnamese Symphony.

The VNAM was established in 1956 as the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music. It is the first institution for professional music training in Vietnam with more than 300 lecturers, many of whom are professors and doctors.

The academy currently has nearly 1,800 students studying nearly 40 different music disciplines and programs.

Over the course of its history, the academy has been home to thousands of musicians, lecturers, music critics, musicologists, composers and conductors who have won significant prizes at musical competitions both at home and abroad.

VNAM’s music research, particularly in traditional music, has been published and used for musical performances and education in Vietnam and internationally. Most recently, the dossier compiled by the VNAM Institute of Musicology on ‘Xoan’ (Spring) singing from the ancestral land of Phu Tho, earned the art form UNESCO recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Protection.

For its contributions to the development of music in the country, VNAM has been awarded many Party and State honours, including the Labour Order, first class, in 1986 and the Independence Order, first class, in 2001 and 2006.

Hanoi prepares for New Year firework display

Hanoi will set off fireworks at 29 locations for 15 minutes (0-0.15 am) on January 23 (the first day of the Lunar New Year Festival), announced the Municipal People’s Committee.  

Four locations for high-range fireworks include Hoan Kiem Lake (Hoan Kiem District), Thong Nhat Park (Hai Ba Trung District), Nguyen Hoang Ton Flower Park (Tay Ho District) and Van Quan Lake (Ha Dong District).

The remaining 25 inner and outlying districts will enjoy a low-range firework show.

The Hanoi capital Command will join hands with the police and concerned departments to organise the firework display.

Beauty pageant opens for Vietnamese students in China

Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh from Zhongshan University has been crowned Miss Vietnamese Student in China.

The final round of the beauty contest took place in Guangdong province on December 10 with 16 contestants previously selected from hundreds of candidates who are studying at 12 universities in China.

Quynh Anh was also awarded Miss Ao Dai (Vietnam’s traditional long dress). The first and second runners-up were Hoang Huyen Cham, born in 1990, and Nguyen Huyen Trang, who was also named Miss Talent.

The contest created a good opportunity for Vietnamese students to meet, exchange and strengthen solidarity.

Police TV channel to explore order issues

 The Public Security Ministry officially launched the An Ninh (Security) Television Channel (ANTV) last Sunday.

Public Security Minister and Senior-Lieutenant-General Tran Dai Quang pressed the button to officially open the channel.

Speaking at the event, Quang underlined that the foundation of the People’s Police Television Channel had marked new developments of the police, ushering in new requirements for information, education and force building.

The channel will be broadcast nationally and abroad 24 hours a day via cablevision, digital and satellite on Viet Nam Cable Television (VCTV), HCM City Cable Television (HTVC) and the Sai Gon Tourist Cable Television (SCTV).

ANTV is a channel dedicated to security forces that will explore news and other issues related to public order. It will provide viewers with a reliable and timely overview of public security information and encourage people to take responsibility for themselves, their families and communities.

Also on the occasion, a ceremony was held to celebrate the 65th anniversary of foundation of the People’s Police Newspaper.