“Breaking dawn” premier delayed in Vietnam

Loyal fans of the “Twilight” saga in Vietnam will have to wait for another two weeks to see the latest sequel “Breaking Dawn”, local distributor Megastar announced Friday afternoon.

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1” will premier in Vietnam on December 2, instead of the originally scheduled November 18, which has been announced to be the film’s international release date.

While tickets for the special premier screening at 23pm45 in Vietnam on November 17 was sold out long ago, Megastar said the delay was only informed by Summit Entertainment on Friday.

Vietnam is not the only country who has to re-schedule its premier later than North American markets, Megastar said, however it did not know why Summit Entertainment had such a decision.

Audience who had bought tickets to the first screening on November 17 would be contacted and able to change their tickets to the new schedule, a spokesperson from the distributor said.

“Breaking Dawn” which centers around the wedding of Bella and Edward - the two leading characters - is directed by Bill Condon, who made the Oscar-winning “Dreamgirls” in 2006.

The much-awaited sequel has evoked excitement in the fan community around the world with pictures released during the making capturing romantic scenes of the young couple’s wedding and honeymoon trip.

Flavours of Vietnam festival opens in Sydney

A food festival themed, “Flavours of Vietnam” opened at Grace Hotel in central Sydney, Australia on November 10.

This is the first festival of this kind organised by the Consulate General of Vietnam in the city, in collaboration with Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and Vietnam Airlines.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Consul-General Mai Phuoc Dung said Vietnam was widely known for its iconic traditional foods.

He said he hopes that Aussies will understand more about the culture and traditions of Vietnam through Vietnamese dishes served during the festival.

The event, which will run until November 27, draws famous cooks and chefs from the northern, central and southern regions of the country.

Vietnam-Japan festival opens in HCM City

The Consulate General of Japan, together with the municipal Youth Cultural House, organized the Vietnam-Japan festive day in HCM city on November 13.

The annual event attracted more than 1,000 people including young people and students aiming to promote cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between Japan and Vietnam.

Diverse traditional activities were held during the event including coloring Japanese paintings, introducing Japanese culinary arts and exploring study opportunities in Japan.

Takako Jjita, a well-known Japanese gastronomist, introduced the culture of Japanese cuisine and the history of sushi with demonstrations on how to make it.

Furudate Seiki, who is in charge of cultural affairs at the Consulate General of Japan in HCM City said that the event was also an opportunity for Japan to highlight its efforts to overcome the consequences caused by the powerful earthquake and tsunamis last March.

Biggest film studio kicks off in Long An

Ho Chi Minh-based real estate and construction group Khang Thong Friday kicked off its Happyland Film Studio project in Ben Luc, Long An, which is expected to become Vietnam’s biggest.

Designed by Singapore-based theme park developer and builder Sanderson Group, it is part of the Vietnam Happyland theme park and entertainment complex which spans over a total area of 338 ha and boast a US$ 2 billion investment.

The studio will be equipped with international-standard external film sets with a variety of world – class themes and settings catering to the making of different film genres from historical to others.

Happyland will also have a games zone, a special cinematic effect area and an exhibition space featuring the world’s cinema industry and classic scenes from the all-time best movies open both to domestic and foreign visitors.

For the first phase of the project, the studio project costs a US$ 400 million budget and will expand its area into another 100 ha in the second phase.

It is scheduled to start running in April, 2014.

Hue found 1,600-year-old Cham vase

A rare pottery vase dating back to the Champa Kingdom which ruled the central part of Vietnam from 192 to 1832 has recently been discovered under the Huong (Perfume) River in Hue.

Professor Lam My Dung from the Hanoi National University said this vase was the one and only of its kind that had ever been found in Vietnam’s central provinces.  

Believed to have been made more than 1,600 years ago, this type of pottery artifact is named “Kendi” after “Kundika”, the Cham word for strapless pottery vase used to contain holy water in religious ceremonies.

Ho Tan Phan, a researcher and antique collector in Hue said the vase could date back to the first period of Champa culture which lasted from 192 to 1306 AD. “Judging from its material, this Kendi is one of the oldest among the ones we have discovered across Vietnam,” he said.

The 18-centimeter vase which has an 18 – centimeter diameter was found by a fisherman and antique hunter on the Huong’s river bed.

Photograph exhibition focuses on Japanese cultural

A photograph exhibition opened in Ho Chi Minh City on November 13, featuring Japan’s cultural identity and beautiful landscapes.

The event has impressed a large number of Vietnamese visitors with photos of the red leave season, cherry blossoms and Fuji mountain in Japan.

Also in the spotlight are a show of Japanese women dressed up in their Kimono, Origami paper folding of all shapes and sizes, and different kinds of Japanese food.

Two records recognized at rice festival

Vietnam Records Book Centre has recognised two records - the largest Vietnamese map made from paddies and the longest rice road - at the second Vietnam Rice Festival.

The Vietnamese map covers an area of 54sq.m, symbolosing 54 ethnic groups of the country. It was made by 60 people in seven days, with 16 kg of paddy used.

Meanwhile, the longest rice road is located on Hung Vuong street of Soc Trang city. With a length of 1,200 metres, the road is lined with around 47,000 pots of paddy in different growth stages and many symbols of the Mekong Delta agriculture.

According to the organisers, 125 people were mobilised to create this unique road and take care of the paddy over the past three months.

The four-day Second Vietnam Rice Festival, which aimed to honour Vietnam’s rice and farmers, wrapped up in the Mekong delta province of Soc Trang on November 11.

Vietnamese culture introduced in Japan

A cultural exchange was held in Japan on November 11 to introduce Vietnam’s famous landscapes, 54 ethnic groups and well known hospitality.

The event, co-organised by the Vietnamese embassy in Japan and the Japanese Global Citizen Association, attracted more than 100 association members, both Vietnamese and Japanese.  

This is the second exchange program held by the association and the Vietnamese embassy.

Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese ambassador to Japan, Nguyen Phu Binh, said the event will strengthen mutual understanding between the two nations. He expressed his hope that it will become a regular event to boost the Vietnam - Japan friendship.

During the event, the ambassador’s wife, Ms. Le Thieu Ngan, presented vivid images on Vietnam’s stunning landscapes, diversified culture and open hospitality.

During the program, Japanese and international friends also had the opportunity to enjoy Vietnamese folk music played on the T’rung  and traditional dances, as well as the national cuisine.

Online music award kicks off its second season  

The “Zing Music Awards” kicked off its second season on November 7.

The awards honor local singers and bands that are online listeners’ favorites, as measured by votes and downloads of top 10 albums, songs and video clips from November 7 until January on the website http://awards.zing.vn.

Awards will be given to male and female singers in categories such as “Top 10 of the Year” and “Most Favorite.”

This year, there will be an award for “Most brilliant new artist” voted by the netizens. The winner of this award must be a female singer younger than 30 years old and a male singer younger than 35 years old, and could be chosen from the top 40 artists tallied by the web site.

First runner-up of Vietnam Idol 2010, Van Mai Huong, could win this award, because her first music single “Neu nhu anh den” (If you come) has attracted more than 15 million views and has remained in top three most wanted songs on the website for the past three months.

The “Most Impressive Performance Style” will be eliminated from this year’s award categories.

The award winners will be announced at a gala party to be held at Hoa Binh Theater on January 8, 2012.

Bilingual poetry collection presented to linguistics students

Michelle Phuong Thao, an overseas Vietnamese from the US, presented her newly-released translated poetry collection, ‘Huong Tho Viet’ (Scent of Vietnamese Poetry) to students of the Linguistics Faculty of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi on November 11.

The bilingual collection brings together 20 poems by well-known Vietnamese poets such as ‘Thieu Nu Ngu Ngay’ (Day Sleeping Girl) by Ho Xuan Huong, ‘Nho Rung’ (Reminiscence of the Jungle) by The Lu, ‘Da Lat Trang Mo’ (Da Lat by Moonlight) by Han Mac Tu and ‘Tieng Thu’ (The Sound of Autumn) by Luu Trong Lu.

Speaking at the event, Michelle Phuong Thao said her idea of translating Vietnamese poetry came from her desire to introduce and promote the beauty of Vietnamese literature to foreigners.

She also hopes that the collection will raise young people’s interest in Vietnamese literature and art.

Sharing her key to translation, Michelle says before translating any poem, she always reads it through many times to explore the poet’s ‘voice’ and understand the poem’s ‘mood,’ as well as the message the writer wants to convey to the reader, so she can produce a translation that is true to the original.

Even though she left Vietnam for the US in 1986 at the age of 14, Michelle has never forgotten her Vietnamese roots and she has always been interested in the Vietnamese language and influenced by the country's beautiful artworks.

Michelle Phuong Thao is the Executive Director of the Viet Art Centre, a nonprofit organisation in California, USA, whose mission is to preserve and promote Vietnamese art and culture abroad. The Centre has received high praise and support from overseas Vietnamese in the US.

Artists of all ages on display at Steps Impression 3

‘Cung sanh buoc 3’ (In Steps Impression 3) by 5P Artist Club debuts on Friday at the City Exhibition Hall, 92 Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1.

It features 95 pieces of silk, oil on canvas, acrylic and paper by 14 artists. The main themes are the beautiful waterways of Southern Vietnam, daily activities in coastal and remote areas where members of the club including Co Van Hau, Phi Long and Nguyen Tan Tri have conducted trips to find inspiration.

Nguyen Thi Tam’s oil-on-canvas works feature surprisingly youthful and fresh strokes. Meanwhile, Nhu Khoi who has pursued the semi-realistic art style will unveil his new works themed Vietnam’s markets in a free-style and richly impressive strokes. Tran Thuy Linh with her abstract and semiabstract works in oil-on-canvas or paper materials which express a concern for nature and the environment.

Tam and Linh will exhibit their paintings in Singapore in December.

‘In Steps Impression 3’ runs until November 21.
 
Cambodian cultural week in HCMC

The Cambodia Cultural Week in Vietnam 2011 will take place in HCMC and Vinh Long Province, reports VietnamPlus.

The program will promote a cultural exchange of the two countries. A 35-member Cambodian art troupe headed by Undersecretary of State Kong Kanthara will be in the country from November 16-23. They will perform traditional dances and songs in praise of the traditional relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam.

Visitors to the event will have a chance to enjoy stories of Cambodian myths, Apsara dances, Suoy panpipe dance, Suvanna Machha and Ramayanna dance.

The opening ceremony of Cambodia Cultural Week will be in HCMC Opera House on November 17 and in Military Zone 7 Stadium on November 18. There will be shows in Vinh Long City and Tam Binh District, Vinh Long Province, on November 19 and 20.
 
Hue displays Phuoc Tich ceramic

Thua Thien-Hue Province authorities have launched an exhibition on Phuoc Tich ceramic at Phuong Nam Cultural Center until Monday.

There are over 100 traditional and modern ceramic items on display, including flower vases, tea-sets, dishes and earthenware pots.

Phuoc Tich, which is located at Phong Hoa Commune, Phong Dien District, is an ancient village acknowledged as a national heritage for its architecture by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The village has been famous for its ceramic products for over 500 years. Previously, Phuoc Tich ceramic was produced to serve not only the people but also the royal palace under the Nguyen dynasty.
 
Art and design book week

The art and design book week 2011 will take place from November 12-20 at Phuong Nam Bookstore, 2A Le Duan Boulevard in District 1.

It will feature 5,000 titles in English and Chinese from some well-known publishers in all areas including for the first time in Vietnam books about the movie industry.

Some recently-published books have discounts of 10-50%.

To celebrate Vietnam Teachers’ Day, November 20, Fahasa will offer a 10% reduction for stationery at bookstores nationwide and free gift wrapping. The program will be launched from November 17-20.