Famous dancers to perform “Lotus” dance  

A special dance performance entitled “Lotus” featuring Linh Nga, one of the countries most famous dancers, will be held in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong in August and September.
 
More than 60 dancers and artists from the Bong Sen traditional song and dance theatre together with meritorious artists Vuong Linh and Dang Hung, director Tat My Loan, fashion designer Minh Hanh and flute player Nhat Minh will join the show.

Dan nhi (Vietnamese two-chord fiddle) player Long Phi and dancers who are presently studying in China will return home to take part in the event.

The 90-minute performance will present to audiences a spectacular dance and melody show of images from peaceful  Vietnamese villages and images of pure and beautiful lotus flowers showing the spirit of Vietnamese people.

Linh Nga is the daughter of famous dance couple Đang Hung and Vuong Linh. She has been studying dance in China since she was 12.

The performance in Hanoi will take place at the Friendship Cultural Palace on August 15 and 18; at Au Co Theater on August 19-20; at the Youth Theater on August 22; in Hai Phong on August 17-18; and in Ho Chi Minh City in September.

Vietnam finishes 3D animated movie on General Giap

Vietnam’s first 3D animated film on the revolutionary war against French colonialists featuring the legendary military commander General Vo Nguyen Giap has been finished after more than two years.

Directed by veteran moviemaker Ha Bac, the film features the battle of Dien Bien Phu during its most decisive moments, under the command of General Giap.

Named “Quyet dinh lich su” or “A historical decision”, it depicts General Giap and his internal struggle interwoven in a charismatic leadership that has scored the most significant victory in modern Vietnamese history.

Having more than 30 years of experience in the industry with many award-winning works, Ha Bac is also the first filmmaker to produce a 3D animated film, “Giac mo cua ech xanh” or “The green toad’s dream” which got him a silver prize at the 15th Vietnam’s Film Festival in 2007.

“A historical decision” is 20 minutes long and dubbed in Vietnamese and French.

Israeli Jazz artist to perform in Hanoi  

An Israeli jazz singer will perform at L’Espace (French Culture Center) in Hano August 21.

Marina Maximilian Blumin will accompany herself on piano, according to the Embassy of Israel, which is putting on the event.

The classically trained pianist and musician is considered one of Israel’s greatest and most notable talents, and is regarded by some as a “once in a generation” phenomenon.

Marina has performed in the International Red Sea Jazz Festival, Eilat and the Bolzano Jazz Festival, Italy.

Invitations are available for collection from August 17 at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien, Hanoi.  

For more information, please contact Ms. May Hong – Press and Culture officer of the Embassy of Israel -- via e-mail (info@hanoi.mfa.gov.il) or telephone (04-38433140 ext 512).

Hanoi Cinematheque to screen three Italian films  

The Hanoi Cinematheque will screen three Italian films to mark the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy on August 19 and 26, and September 1.

Organised by the Italian Embassy, the screenings are part of “ Y-Viet”, a year-long celebration of Italian culture in Vietnam.

With a view to introducing to the audience the history and diverse  cultural values of Italy, each film approaches different Italian identity and focuses on different periods in the country's history.

The first film, ““Il Gattopardo”( The Leopard), portrays major events in Italy's unification and related problems and conflicts that arose during this time from Southern Italian elitist perspective.

The second film, “La Seconda Notte di Nozze” (The Second Wedding Night) is set during the first years that followed World War II, and tells the story of a family in a disastrous situation.

“Signorina Effe”( Miss Effe) describles Italy in the period of transformation during the late 70s and early 80s through a love story between a young couple coming from different social classes.

Hanoi Cinematheque is located at 22A Hai Ba Trung street, Hanoi.

Folk opera to play in Hanoi with English translation  

A performance of cai luong folk opera in Hanoi will feature an English translation viewers can listen to via head set, the Vietnam Plus website reported

The play, Menh de vuong (King’s fate), features the tragic life of Ly Chieu Hoang (1218-1278), Vietnam’s only Empress regnant. The play focuses on the tensions created by gender roles in feudal society while depicting the conflicts between husband and wife and other social relationships during her reign.

The one-night engagement, directed by Tran Anh Hung and performed by artists of the Hanoi Cai Luong Theater, will take place at 8 p.m. on August 13 at Hanoi’s Chuong Vang Theater.

Tickets are available at Chuong Vang Theater, 72 Hang Bac, Hoan Kiem District.

19th century shipwreck to be recovered in central Vietnam  

Officials in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue are preparing to recover a shipwreck believed to date from the early 19th century, Tuoi Tre reported Thursday.

According to the newspaper, the ship is located some two meters under water and 100 meters from the Xuan Thien Ha Beach in Vinh Xuan Commune, Phu Vang District.

The survey on the ship will last for ten days with the support of swimmers, workers and specialized equipment.

In reports published this May, Tuoi Tre quoted the commune authorities as saying that the ship was discovered some 60-70 years ago and has been looted since.

Tran Van De, chairman of Vinh Xuan’s People’s Committee, said Nguyen Cong Tinh, who runs a scrap shop in the former imperial capital of Hue, was given permission to exploit the ship by the district’s military command.

However, in May commune authorities suspended the permission and deemed it illegal, De said in an interview with the newspaper that month.

Tinh then submitted a list of things he found on the ship to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The list included a set of elephant leg bones, and two ancient coins from the Emperor Minh Mang Era (1791-1841), the news source said.

It also quoted a cultural official as saying that the ship, which operated on steam power, is about 60 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide. Most of its body is buried under sand.

Meanwhile, Ho Tan Phan, a cultural researcher, told the newspaper that the ship likely dated from the first half of the 19th century and was quite large and advanced for its time.

He suspected it was a given to the Nguyen Dynasty by France at the end of Emperor Tu Duc's reign (Sept 22, 1829 – July 17, 1883).

“Don’t burn” to be screened in Berlin

The Vietnamese film “Don’t burn” will be shown at Viethaus in Berlin, Germany on August 22.

After watching the film, audiences will have an exchange with Film Director Dang Nhat Minh.

Produced in 2008, the film portrays the life of heroic army doctor Dang Thuy Tram in line with her diary on the Quang Ngai battlefield during the war she had served wholeheartedly until she was killed at the age of 27.

In 2009, the film won the Gold Lotus award and was selected as the best at the Fukuoka International Film Festival in Japan.

“Don’t burn” has been screened at 14 universities in the US.

Young Asian musicians set to perform in Vietnam

The Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) will perform at the Hanoi Opera House from August 15-16.

The orchestra will present classical masterpieces, including the Carmen Fantasy by Sarasate, Symphony No. 4 by Tchaikovsky, Concerto for violin by Sibelius, Symphony No. 2 by Rachmaninoff, and Classical Symphony by Prokofiev.

Established in 1990, AYO has performed 307 concerts around the world. It includes 100 young talented musicians, chosen annually by audition from among the best music students in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Vietnamese members this year are cellist Nguyen Thanh Tu and oboist Nguyen Hoang Tung. Also this year, the TNT art troupe from the United Kingdom will perform the drama “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare in all three regions of Vietnam, between October 24 and November 4.

The UK performers have scheduled seven shows at the Saigon Opera House in HCM City from October 26-29, four shows in the Hanoi Opera House from October 31 to November 2 and one show at the Trung Vuong Theatre in the central city of Da Nang on November 5.  

This will be the third tour of the troupe in Vietnam.

Opportunity for Vietnamese artists to find aid from UK fund

A British arts fund which has raised US$42,000 is set to aid Vietnamese artists in developing their careers and strengthening their international links.

In October 2010, the British Council, in collaboration with the Bui Gallery, organised an arts auction with works donated by the Ford Foundation and artists such as Nguyen Manh Hung, Ly Tran Quynh Giang, Pham Huy Thong and Jamie Maxtone-Graham.  The money raised from the programme was used to set up the fund.

The fund aims to enhance collaborative relations between Vietnam and the United Kingdom while promoting understanding of the two cultures.

Simon Beardow, deputy director of the British Council, said Vietnam is developing increasingly talented artists and that the fund will help nurture artistic talent which can serve a wider audience and create a wider influence.

The fund will consider the feasibility and quality of projects and works that contribute to the development of modern art in Vietnam.

Accordingly, all individuals, artists, curators, producers and organisations can send application letters to apply for funding from September 15.

All information related to the fund and how to apply for funding can be found at http://www.britishcouncil.org/vietnam.

Literature from 1930s on display

Nearly 100 literary works and newspapers published by members of the Tu Luc Van Doan (Self-reliance Literature group) during the New Poetry movement in the 1930s is being displayed in HCM City.

The exhibition at Nha Nam Thu Quan Coffee Shop showcases some of the works of luminaries like Xuan Dieu, Khai Hung, and The Lu.

Among them are the first prints of Dieu's Tho Tho (Poetry) published in 1938 and The Lu's 1934 novel Vang va Mau (Gold and Blood).

The popular weekly newspapers Phong Hoa (Customs and Mores) and Ngay Nay (Today) which were published by the Tu Luc Van Doan are also on display. The group published many important literary works.

All the exhibits are in the possession of city-based collectors Hoang Minh, Tran Van Trung, and Vu Ha Tue.

The exhibition is being organised by the Nha Nam Publishing House which also owns the coffee shop, where customers can read books for free along with their drinks. It is located at 43 Ho Van Hue street, Phu Nhuan district.

The exhibition runs until August 28.

Paintings by Vietnamese, Filipino students on display

As many as 185 paintings in various media by Vietnamese and Filipino students were on display at an exhibition at the Fine Arts Museum in Ho Chi Minh City on August 12.

All the works expressed aspirations for peace, friendship and advancement.

Among the exhibits was a large painting measuring 3mx5m, painted jointly by students from both countries with a message of solidarity, friendship and cooperation.

The exhibition was part of celebrations to mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Performance to entertain disadvantaged children on Mid Autumn Festival

Nearly 2,500 orphans, children with disabilities and Agent Orange victims from 10 cities and provinces across the country will have the chance to greet the Mid Autumn Festival at an art performance on September 4 at Dam Sen park in Ho Chi Minh City.

This was announced by the Association for the support of Vietnamese Handicapped and Orphans (ASVHO) at a press conference in Hanoi on August 12.

The programme will feature children’s art troupes from Ho Chi Minh City together with famous Vietnamese singers and comedians such as Ho Quynh Huong, Dam Vinh Hung, Duc Hai and Hong Van.

Prior to the programme, on August 20-22 the organising board will present gifts and scholarships to orphans and children with disabilities at a number of social centres in Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh and Binh Duong provinces.

The programme, which will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television (VTV) Channel 1, is jointly produced by the ASVHO, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Centre Committee, VTV and the Centre for Supporting Talent Development.

PV