Photographers put Ha Noi in focus

A passionate love of Ha Noi by photographers Hoang Manh Cuong and Nguyen Xuan Chinh is reflected in an exhibition opening next Tuesday.

Entitled Seasons Pass By, the exhibition will showcase 25 selected photos by the two artists.

The pair have found the city's beauty everywhere, from small street corners to rows of trees on the pavement – or an old French house among modern high-rise buildings.

The exhibition will open from 7pm on June 18 at Sofitel Plaza Hanoi Hotel, 1 Thanh Nien Road.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy an ao dai (traditional dress) fashion show featuring models in the photos.

 ‘Subsidy era' chinaware on display in Tay Ho

An exhibition showcasing ceramic bowls and plates mostly made during the ‘subsidy era' of 1976-86 will open to the public on Friday.

Collected in the past couple of years by Bookworm's manager Nguyen Kien, the blue-and-white functional ceramics made in Bat Trang, small potteries in Hai Duong and in the coastal areas of Quang Ninh, are now a rarity.

The exhibition, which will display selected items from this unique collection, will open from 10am until 6pm at Bookworm Too, 6 Lane 1/28 Au Co Street, Tay Ho District. All items are for sale.

Vietnamese award-winning movies to screen in Venice

A collection of 10 award-winning Vietnamese movies is being presented to Italian audiences at the Vietnamese Days in Venice festival.

During the two-week event which will wrap up on June 21, local cinema goers will have the chance to enjoy Vietnamese movies and learn more about Vietnamese culture.

The movies Ben Khong Chong (Wharf of Widow), Thoi Xa Vang (The Far Time Past), Song Trong So Hai (Living in Fear), Chuyen Cua Pao (Pao's Story), Choi Voi (Adrift), Tam Hon Me (Mother's Soul), Mui Co Chay (Scent of Burning Grass), Ao Lua Ha Dong (Ha Dong White Silk), Canh Dong Bat Tan (Floating Life), and Khat Vong Thang Long (Aspiration to Thang Long Citadel) were produced between 2000 and 2011.

The festival is being co-organised by the Cinematography Department under the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Culture and the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy.

Vietnam promotes image in Venezuela

The Vietnamese Embassy has for the first time joined its counterparts of 50 countries and international organisations in a bazaar of diplomatic corps in Venezuela.

At the June 9 event, Vietnam showcased numerous photos of the country’s landscape as well as traditional handicrafts like ceramics, lacquered products and silk, thus promoting the image of Vietnam, its people and culture to international friends.

The Vietnamese pavilion drew great attention from visitors to the bazaar. Many of them expressed their hope to visit the Southeast Asian country one day.

The annual event aims to help countries popularise their images and specialities to Venezuelan and international friends.

Part of the proceeds will be given to local charity organisations.

Documentary series explores ethnic lives

A documentary series depicting the lives of the 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups started airing on HTV7 on Tuesday night.

The first episode covers the Hoa Binh region in the North, a centre for the Muong people and one of the first places inhabited by ancient societies.

The following 150 episodes will cover the 28 ethnic groups living in the northwest and northeast, the 22 groups in the Hong (Red) River Delta, Central and Central Highlands regions and the three groups in the southeast and southwest.

The documentary depicts the traditional customs and culture of each group, from the ritual dance of the Lo Lo group to the funerals of the Mong and weddings of the Thai and Dao.

It also explores the traditions of the Kinh, Viet Nam's majority group, members of which live across the country.

Produced last year by the HCM City Television Film Studio (TFS), the documentary will be broadcast from Monday through Thursday, starting at 10.40pm.

Vietnam culture introduced in Malaysia

The Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia hosted a cultural exchange in Kuala Lumpur on June 12 to promote mutual understanding among women from ASEAN member countries.

The event drew the participation of more than 100 female staff and wives of diplomats of ASEAN member countries’ representative agencies in Malaysia.

Hoang Thi Quynh Luu, the spouse of the Vietnamese Ambassador, said the gathering aimed to introduce Vietnam’s beauty, the diversity of its culture, its traditional handicrafts and dishes to international friends.

“I hope the exchange will help deepen mutual understanding and solidarity among ASEAN people in general and ASEAN women in particular, contributing to building a peaceful, stable and prosperous ASEAN Community,” she said.

Vietnamese Minister-Counsellor Le Thi Hoang Cuc said the embassy pays special attention to cultural diplomacy, one of the four key pillars of Vietnam’s diplomatic sector, and the June 12 exchange is one of the activities to realise the cultural diplomacy policy.

During the event, participants were impressed with Vietnamese handicrafts and some traditional dishes such as Pho (noodles) and Nem (Spring rolls), prepared by the Vietnamese Women Association in Malaysia.

Linklater double to be screened for film lovers

The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) will on Saturday present the movies Before Sunrise and Before Sunset by director Richard Linklater.

The 1995 romantic drama Before Sunrise follows Jesse Wallace (Ethan Hawke), a young American, and Celine (Julie Delpy), a young French woman, who meet on a train and disembark in Vienna, where they spend the night walking around the city getting to know each other.

Before Sunset, released in 2004, picks up the story of the couple nine years after they first met, when their paths intersect again resulting in an afternoon together in Paris. The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Before Sunrise will be screened from 2pm, followed by Before Sunset at 4pm, at the TPD, Level 4, 51 Tran Hung Dao Street.

On June 19, the FVH will also host a movie screening of The Neighborhood Leader and The Youth at Ha Noi Cinematheque, 22A Hai Ba Trung Street.

The two documentary films are results of training courses conducted by the French Ateliers Varan Association – an association of filmmakers who run non-academic hands-on courses in documentary filmmaking both in France and across the world.

Since 2004, six courses have been led by Varan in Ha Noi, HCM City and Da Nang. The films made by Varan students have subsequently been shown many times in Viet Nam and around the world.

Next Wednesday's screening will present two films produced by Varan students in Viet Nam. To join the screening, contact Hang at: FVH.Films@gmail.com. Cost: VND150,000.

Lee Min Ho to give a live show in Hanoi

Lee Min Ho-an actor in the famous Korean film “Boys Over Flowers” will perform in Hanoi on August 3.

His Asian tour started in late May from the Republic of Korea to China and Japan to advertise his first album “My Everything”.

Lee Min Ho is scheduled to visit ten Asian cities, and Hanoi is his last destination.

The 26-year-old artist has become famous after acting in some Korean films like “Boys Over Flowers”, “City Hunter” and “Faith”.  

VN snapper wins cultural honour

Vietnamese photographer Ba Han and six other Asian artists have been praised for their contributions to regional culture and photography at the 10th Asian Photography Month in Japan.

Held in Tokyo from May 17-June 10, the ceremony gathered hundreds of photographers from Japan, Viet Nam, India, and Malaysia.

Han, a member of the Viet Nam Photographic Artists Association, the International Photographic Art Federation (FIAP) and the international Freelance Photographers Association (IFPO), presented 40 photos of Vietnamese people's daily activities, which has already received local and international awards. He has been a photographer for 30 years.

Ancient ceramic statues on display

More than 300 ceramic statues dating back thousands of years are on display at the Hai Phong Fine Arts Exhibition Centre in the northern city of Hai Phong.

The statues feature people from the Hong (Red) Delta region conducting their daily activities.

The exhibition will run until June 21.

Artist does well in Britain

The painting My Ha Noi by Vietnamese artist Tran Tuan was ranked third in an on-line art competition Bright Light - Big City being held by the London-based Saatchi Gallery.

Tuan's painting ranked third among 10 finalists. The first and second prizes went to Casino by Georg Redzek from Serbia and Cityscape #147 by Kaloust Guedel from the US.

"My Ha Noi City is situated next to the Red River. It is both an old town and a modern city with numerous lakes and colourful markets and residential areas," Tuan said about the winning artwork.

Tuan, who was born in 1961, is an established artist whose paintings have sold in Europe, Asia and America.

He graduated from Ha Noi Fine Arts University and has artworks exhibited in Viet Nam, Paris and New York.

Launched in May, the competition received 2,000 entries from around the world.

The Saatchi Gallery, which opened 25 years ago, showcases the work of young or international artists whose works have rarely or never been exposed to a British audience.

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