Vietnam’s vitality spotlighted in Argentina

“Vietnam’s vitality” is the theme of an ongoing photo exhibition that opened at Islas Malvinas Cultural Centre in the Argentinean city of La Plata on May 13.

The event, being jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina and Islas Malvinas Cultural Centre, aims to mark the 121st birthday of the late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19).

With photos taken by famous Vietnamese photographers, the ten-day exhibition depicts not only the beautiful landscape of Vietnam but also the people’s daily life and the country’s thousand-year cultural assets.

One of the highlights of the even is a collection of traditional clothes from different regions across the country.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Islas Malvinas Cultural Centre Director Ivan Maidana expressed his admiration for President Ho Chi Minh, a world-acclaimed man of culture.

Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Van Dao stressed that it was the strong vitality that has helped Vietnamese people overcome all ordeals in the cause of national defence and construction.

The most typical symbol for the vitality is the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh, the ambassador said.

Two Japanese children’s books published in Vietnam 

Two Japanese children’s books, 'Totto Chan – The Little Girl at the Window,’ by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, and ‘A Litre of Tears,’ by Kitou Aya have been published by the Nha Nam Publishing House.

A press conference to introduce the books was held at the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange, 27 Quang Trung Street, Hanoi, on May 13.

‘Totto-chan – ‘The Little Girl at the Window’ tells the story of Totto-chan, author Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s nickname when she was a child, as she moves to a new elementary school which had an unconventional educational programme that encourages children’s voices and participation.

“It is such an interesting and meaningful book that I recommend it be in the list of bedtime stories for parents to read to their children to encourage their creativity and imagination,” said Takeji Yoshikawa, Director of the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam.

Because the story was so successful in Japan, writer Kuroyanagi, a former UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, was able to found the Totto-chan Foundation to train hearing impaired actors and actresses in live theatre and help them integrate into the community.

The book has sold seven million copies in Japan and has also been published in 35 countries all over the world.

The Nha Nam Publishing House will donate VND 10,000 for each book sold to victims of the recent tsunami and earthquake in Japan.

‘A Litre of Tears’ by Kitou Aya is the diary of her unyielding struggle against an incurable disease. Despite burning pain, she respected every moment she had to live and enjoyed a beautiful life in the most positive way. She passed away in 1988 after six years combating her illness. Her moving story was made into an 11-episode TV drama that won the hearts of many audiences.

The story highlights the undaunted spirit of the Japanese people, who always try to overcome difficult situations instead of blaming fate and others, as can be seen in the aftermath of the recent natural disasters in Japan.

“The two books provide useful lessons not only for children but also for parents who wish to understand their kids better and for those who have experienced childhood,” said Truong Thuy Trang, translator of ‘Totto-chan – The Little Girl at the Window.’

Vietnamese film week to welcome election 

Vietnamese film week will take place nationwide from May 15 to 22 to welcome the 13th National Assembly and People's Council election. 

The films and documentaries that will be shown include ‘Tay Son Hao Kiet’ (Tay Son Heroes); ‘Canh Dong Hoang’ (Fallow Field); ‘Ha Noi – Ha Noi’; ‘Thanh Pho Luc Rang Dong’ (The City in the Breaking Dawn); ‘Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam’ (The Temple of Literature); ‘Nhung Buc Thu Tu Son My’ (Letters from Son My Historical Site) and ‘Duong Len Chien Khu’ (Road to the Military Base).

Documentaries on the Vietnamese National Assembly, President Ho Chi Minh, mountainous regions and ethnic minority people will also be shown during the event.

The film week is organized by the Cinematography Department, the Vietnam film Import-Export and Distribution Company (Fafilm Vietnam) and the Central Documentary Science film Studio in co-ordination with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of cities and provinces throughout the country.

Nha Trang Sea Festival 2011 to kick off

The Sea Festival 2011, themed “Nha Trang - the Sea Rendezvous”, will take place from June 11 to 15 in Nha Trang city in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

The opening and closing ceremonies will be designed by Director Duong Thao, and the sea will be the major theme.

Various cultural, art and sporting activities will take place during the event, including the Cau Ngu (fish worshipping) ceremony, art performances, a fireworks display, and a wine festival, as well as a human chess competition, a kite festival and a lantern festival.

There will also be a seminar and a photography exhibition about the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

A fashion show and music programme will be held several days before the Sea Festival, with the participation of both Vietnamese and foreign artists from the Republic of Korea (RoK), China, France and Cuba.

Korean music band to perform in Vietnam

The 2AM band from the Republic of Korea will arrive in Hanoi on June 10 during its World Tour through 198 nations and territories to promote long-lasting cooperation among nations in the world.

The band will participate in a talk show with the TAL art troupe. The 2AM band was formed by Jo Kwon, Changmin, Jinwoon, Seulong in 2008 and considered the best Korean Pop band.

Lee Hyun, Head of the 8Eight band, will also come to Hanoi to participate in the show. 

Document collection traces lives of heroic mothers

Documents about the lives of HCM City's heroic mothers are being collected by city authorities in co-operation with the Women's Union.

"The work is to express our gratitude to the heroic mothers whose husbands, sons and daughters were killed in the wars for national liberation," said Vu Kim Anh, deputy director of HCM City's Culture, Sports and Tourism Department.

"The collection will remind the young generation of the nation's glorious tradition," Anh said.

Anh's department is working with the Southern Women's Museum and HCM City's Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department to speed up the collection, which was launched early this year, with focus in HCM City's Cu Chi District.

The museum possesses a great number of documents and information about heroic mothers. Photos of 200 heroic mothers are kept at the museum.

The museum will post these documents as well as information and photos on the internet to serve researchers and students.

According to the Women's Union, the collection of documents about HCM City's Heroic Mothers and their photos will be displayed at an exhibition to be held in the city later this year to celebrate Viet Nam People's Armed Forces Day on December 22.

Tonne of antique coins found in wrecked ships off central coast

Around one tonne of antique coins were fished out of wrecked ships in Quang Ngai, central Viet Nam, recently

They included 30 different kinds of zync coins from the Minh Mang Dynasty (1791-1841) and old Chinese dynasties (960-1911).

The coins have been sold to antique coin collector Lam Zu Xenh.

This was the first time such a large cache of ancient coins had been fished out in the area, Xenh said.

The coins, which were found in sunken merchant ships, were mainly used for trading, Xenh said.

They are being classified and will be exhibited during the sea and island festival to be held in the province in 2012.

TV show to review latest Hollywood blockbusters

American movies will be reviewed for Vietnamese TV audiences in a new show on K+1 channel to be hosted by Miss Asia USA 2006 Jennifer Pham.

In the five-minute programme, dubbed A Moment with Jennifer, she will introduce the movies' contents, interesting scenes, behind-the-scenes situations and secrets in their making.

The programme has been aired at 7.45pm every Friday, from yesterday. The first to be reviewed will be Mel Gibson's movies Forever Young, Payback and Lethal Weapon. A series of films produced by Warner Bros will follow up in the next months.

Nguyen Trai’s poems in English make debut

A collection of poems in English by Nguyen Trai, a national hero and famous figure in Vietnamese literature in the 1500s, will be made public in Hanoi on May 20.

The book, named ‘Beyond the Court Gate’ (Roi Xa Trieu Dinh), is translated by Paul Hoover, Professor of the Literary Creation Faculty of the US’ University of California and poet Nguyen Do in Francisco.

The two translators together with Vietnamese poet Nguyen Duy and poem critic Pham Xuan Nguyen are expected to travel through Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the central provinces of Nghe An and Quang Ngai in the last 10 days of May to introduce the book to the Vietnamese readers.

The collection of poems is published by the Counterpath Press Publishing House, US.

Vietnam culture highlighted in Mexico

Vietnam’s rich culture has been highlighted at the third Friend Countries’ Culture Fair, which opened in the Mexico City on May 14.

During the event, which will run through May 29, the Vietnamese embassy in Mexico display traditional handicrafts, customs and souvenirs and screen films on the country, people, and culture.

It also introduced books on President Ho Chi Minh’s political articles, the Vietnamese revolution, along with other cultural and tourism publications, and hold talks on the occasion of the 121st birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2011).

Addressing the opening ceremony, Municipal Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said that the fair provides a chance for Mexican people as well as foreigners working and living in the city to learn about different cultures around the world and also enrich the Mexican culture that has existed for centuries.

The municipal authorities are set to hold over 200 cultural activities, including photo exhibition, music performances, seminars and cuisine exchanges, in coordination with foreign embassies in the city.