600-year-old wall found at heritage site

A 600-year-old wall dating back to the 15th century Le So Dynasty has been discovered inside Hanoi’s Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO World’s Cultural Heritage Site.

The wall is located near the Van Cao – Ho Tay area.

The remaining part of the construction shows that the original wall could reach 8 m in height and was well constructed, an archaeologist said.

Another researcher said the wall’s foundation dated back to the earlier Ly-Tran dynasties from AD 1,000 to 1,400. This shows a continuation of history, culture and construction techniques used to build the citadel through different dynasties from Ly to Le So, he said.

The researchers also found near the site a kiln from the 13th century Tran Dynasty and a large number of broken pottery pieces.

The original royal palaces and most of the structures of the Thang Long Imperial City (former Hanoi) were destroyed in the late 19th century and the ruins are still being excavated today.

Vietnam Idol participants to gather for concert

Participants of the TV singing contest Vietnam Idol in the past years will gather for a concert in HCMC next week.

Titled “Than Tuong Cua Nhung Than Tuong” (Idols of Idols), the show will include winner of Vietnam Idol 2010 Uyen Linh and other names such as Van Mai Huong, Leu Phuong Anh, Tra My and Thao Trang.

First launched in Vietnam in 2007, Vietnam Idol has become one of the most popular TV shows in the country with 40,000 people singing up for last year’s contest.

“Idol of Idols” will take place on December 12 at 8pm at Lan Anh Stage, 291 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, District 10.

Tickets cost from VND150,000 to VND 300,000 for general public and VND100,000 for students.

Scrap dealers find ancient ceramic jar

Scrap dealers in Hue city found a ceramic jar that may date back to the times of the Kingdom of Champa as they were picking scrap in the Huong River.

Ho Tan Phan, a researcher and antique collector in Hue, said the jar, which is 24 cm high, is similar to Cham ceramic jars in many aspects.

Last month, another Cham pottery vase dating back to the Champa kingdom was also found in the Huong River by a fisherman and antique hunter.

Experts said this vase might be over 1,600 years old and was a “Kendi,” the Cham word for strapless pottery vases used to contain holy water in religious ceremonies.

The Kingdom of Champa ruled central Vietnam from 192 to 1832.

Bosom-shaped luffas found in Hanoi’s Goethe café

Luffas formed into the shapes of women’s breasts displayed in the Goethe Café, a part of the German Goethe Institute, located on Hanoi’s Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, have amazed many people over the past few days.

All of the luffas there have a long shape and a pinkish color resembling that of human skin, rather than the usual green of the species. The fruits and vines “grow” upon on a bamboo frame set against a wall, creating a fresh-looking and close-to-nature feeling inside the café.

In fact, these breast-shaped luffas are man-made products created by Nguyen Thi Hoai Mo, a 28-year old artist hailing from Ha Tinh.

She used silicon and composites to make them, and crafted the shape of each “fruit” by hand.

By adding art to the fruits, which are integral to Vietnamese rural life, Mo aimed to convey a message of femininity and women power from a more open perspective in the modern world.

Fun, frolics and felicitations at Ha Noi Rock City

Ha Noi Rock City will celebrate its first birthday on Saturday with an art performance, photography exhibition, games, videos and a live performance by one of Bangkok’s finest dub/reggae bands, Sticky Rice, who are flying over especially for the occasion. The club will be open for 12 hours.

Celebrated jazz musician to perform at Opera House
 
Vietnamese-French jazz musician Nguyen Le will be performing jazz and world music at the Ha Noi Opera House on Christmas Day.
Guest singers include My Linh and “Singer of the Year 2010” Tung Duong.

In 1983 Le, who was born in Paris in 1959, formed the band Ultramarine, whose DE release won a 1989 best world music award. His 1996 Tales from Viet Nam album, performed with singer Huong Thanh, was lauded by critics and went on to win the Diapason d’Or, Choc du Monde de la Musique and the Choc de I’Annee Jazzman awards.

Tickets cost between VND600,000-2.5 million, are available at the Opera House.

2011 Big Kids Backyard Aussie Xmas Bash

AusCham and KOTO, in association with Synergy Music, the Ha Noi Dragons, Viet Nam Swans and the Viet Nam Graduates of Australia Club will be putting on a Big Kids Backyard Aussie Xmas Bash at the American Club from 5-10pm tomorrow.

During the party there will be music, dance, sports events and a lucky-draw.

Tickets are available at the gate for VND100,000 (for members of Auscham, Swans, Dragons, VGAC) and VND120,000 for non-members.

Land of Glances exhibition
 
An exhibition featuring photos of children around the world taken by 42-year-old French photographer Yan Lerval has opened to public at Idecaf, 28 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1.

Titled Terre de Regards (Land of Glances), the exhibition shows various expressions on children’s faces that the freelance photographer, living in HCM City, had taken on his trips South Asian nations including the India and the Himalayan region, Europe and Africa over nearly 12 months of travel.

The exhibition run until Saturday. Entrance is free.

Oil, lacquer paintings to go on show

An exhibition of 65 oil on canvas paintings as well as lacquer works titled Tran Thi Thu Ha – Twenty Years in Art opened at Tu Do Gallery, owned by the artist. The show runs until January 4. The gallery is open from 9am-7pm.

Tu Do Gallery, 53 Ho Tung Mau Street, District 1.

Vietnam-China exchange held

A Vietnam-China exchange was broadcast live on television from both Hanoi (Vietnam) and Nanning (China) on December 14.

During the event, many speakers related their stories about the close relationship between the two countries.

An art performance by Vietnamese and Chinese artists carried a message of co-ordinated action for the common cause of durable peace and strong growth.

Big Bang seminar by Professor Trinh Xuan Thuan at Idecaf

A seminar named ‘Big Bang and later: the position of human beings in the universe’ with speaker Professor Trinh Xuan Thuan is to be held on Tuesday at Idecaf in the city.

The seminar will mark the launch of his book ‘Dictionary of the passion for sky and stars’ in Vietnam in which the author aims to prove modern cosmography has found the connection between human beings and the universe in which humankind is the dust of stars.

Born in Hanoi in 1948, Professor Thuan grew up in Saigon and graduated from the Lycee Jean-Jacques Rousseau (present Le Quy Don High School).

After one year of studying physics in Switzerland, in 1974 he continued his studies at two renowned universities in the U.S., namely California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Princeton University.

He has been working in both the U.S. and France as an astronomer since 1976. His works include ‘The Secret Melody’ (1988) and ‘An Astrophysicist’ (1992) among others.

The seminar will take place at 6:30 p.m. at 31 Thai Van Lung Street in District 1, using both French and Vietnamese languages.

Hanoi to set off fireworks on New Year Eve
   
Hanoi will set off fireworks at 29 locations for 15 minutes, from 00.00-00.15 on January 23, the first day of the Lunar New Year 2012.

Four locations for high-range fireworks will 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).

Meanwhile, low-range fireworks will be set off in 25 inner and outlying districts to welcome the Year of the Dragon.

The High Command of Hanoi capital is assigned to co-ordinate with the city’s police and concerned departments to organise the firework display.

93-year-old pianist performs at Hanoi Opera House  
 
93-year-old pianist Thai Thi Lien, together with her daughter, pianist Tran Thu Ha, performed at the Hanoi opera house on Sunday.

A special concert featuring 93-year-old pianist Thai Thi Lien was held at Hanoi Opera House on Sunday, Dec 11 to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Vietnam National Conservatory of Music.

The senior artist, whose son is the talented pianist Dang Thai Son, performed with her daughter, pianist Tran Thu Ha. Both are former lecturers of the conservatory.

A graduate from the Prague Conservatory of Music, People’s Artist Thai Thi Lien is one of Vietnam’s first female professional pianists, and one of seven founders of the Vietnam school of music, which is now the Vietnam National Conservatory of Music.

Lien came to Hanoi from Canada, where she is now based, several months ago to practice for the concert, the Saigon Tiep Thi Newspaper reported on Friday.

Hanoi Opera House is located on 1 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District.

Buried temple yields Nguyen dynasty artifacts in central Vietnam  

A treasure trove of Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) artifacts have been found during the excavation of a temple in the north central province of Ha Tinh.

Tran Hong Dan, director of the Ha Tinh Museum of Ha Tinh Province, said Saturday, December 10, that the artifacts were found in Tien Thanh hamlet, Ky Khang village, Ky Anh district.

During 15 days of excavating the old temple, archaeologists found a rectangular altar (1.2 m high, 0.6 wide, 1.4m long) made of natural stone and oyster shells mixed with molasses.

They also unearthed the foundation of a temple.

In the area around the temple, archaeologists found a number of Nguyen Dynasty artifacts, including glazed terra-cotta jars in grey, yellow brown and ancient white dishes with leaves and flower decoration.

This temple was firstly discovered by workers of a titanium mining company who were exploiting sand in the area.

Hanoi screens 'INNI' again  

The new Sigur Rós feature film, INNI, will be screened for the second time this month at the Hanoi Cinematheque on Friday, Dec 16.

It was earlier screened on Dec 1.

Recorded in London in 2008, the film captures Sigur Rós’s final two shows following a lengthy tour in support of “Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust,” which translates roughly as “With a buzz in our ears, we play endlessly,” according to a press release from Hanoi Cinematheque.

Directed by Vincent Morisset, it’s a close look at the INNI band in concert, often from several feet away. The majority of the film is in grainy black-and-white, reinforcing the view outside Iceland of the quartet as mythic and unknowable, as if it had risen from the fog-shrouded lava fields of its island home.

“Their music may sound as if it falls easily from their fingers, but INNI shows just how hard the band work to create their sound. It is required by the producers that we issue the following notice: PLEASE BE ADVISED – strobe lighting and flashing images are used during Sigur Rós’s live performance footage,” says the release.

Tickets are currently on sale at VND70,000 VND and can be bought at:
- Hanoi Rock City : 27 / 52 To Ngoc Van Street– Tay Ho District.
- Muse Cafe : 289 Kim Ma (104A5 Giang Vo) Street– Ba Dinh District.

Hanoi Cinematheque is located on 22A Hai Ba Trung Street, Hanoi.

The Wall to rock Hanoi again  

A live show called “HEAT” by Hanoi’s most famous rock band, The Wall, will take place at 8 p.m. on December 17 at the Giang Vo Exhibition Center in the capital city.
According to a press release from the website Vnrock.com said HEAT would "bring love and passion to thousands," fulfilling "a promise the band has made a long time ago" to make the audience get deep into its music.

The show will take fans back to familiar hits that made the band its name, including Bong hong thuy tinh (crystal rose), Con mua hoang da (wild rain), Tam hon cua da (rock’s soul), Vo hinh (invisible), and Con so khong (the number of zero).

Fans will also get to listen to songs from the band’s album “Another Day”. As lead singer/musician, Tran Lap will also direct the show.

Tickets costing VND165000 are available at following locations in Hanoi:

Vietnam Archin Company – 14 Quang Trung Street

Holy Rock Bar, D7 Trung Tu Street

Heresy Rock Club, 7 Cao Ba Quat Street

Polygon Cafe, 67A Nui Truc Street

Luglio cafe, FPT Tower, B2, Duy Tan, Cau Giay District.

Sac Mau Photograph Shop, 4 Ton Duc Thang

Cafe Ly, 5 Ho Dac Di Street

T Bar, 32 Thi Sach Street

 Hanoi Tattoo Club, P101, A15, NEU Apartment Building.

Hotline: 0932354775, 0944146789

The Giang Vo Exhibition Center is at 148 Giang Vo Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

Yamaha Christmas Concert to herald festive season in Hanoi  

The Yamaha Christmas Concert featuring local and international artists will take place at the Hanoi Opera House at 8 p.m. on December 21 and 22.

The two-day-event will have the Vietnam National Symphony and Orchestra (VNSO), Children Palace Choir, VNSO Children Chorus under the baton of HONNA Tetsuji. Guitarist Sakaba Keisuke, violinist Dao Mai Anh and celloist Tran Thi Mo will also perfom at the event.

The classic artists will perform masterpieces for the festive season, including Christmas Concerto, Violin Concerto, Cello Concert, Guitar Concerto, Concerto grosso op.6-8 g-minir, Ave Verum Corpus, Halleluja from “Messiah”, and Christmas Carol “Silent Night”.

Tickets, priced from VND150 000 to 450 000, are available at the Hanoi Opera House – 1 Trang Tien Street. They can also be booked book over www.ticketvn.com, ticketvn@gmail.com

For free delivery Call: www.ticketvn.com, 0913489858, 0983067996, 35651806, 66617859.