Painting company releases rice paintings

Quynh Vy Painting Company, which is known for its sand and gemstone paintings, on Tuesday amazed painting lovers by releasing a new product line: paintings made from rice.

The company said the new products were aimed to promote the values of rice, which is very important in Vietnamese culture.

According to the company, it requires many steps to complete a rice painting. Artisans must know how to choose suitable types to create a fluent combination.

Rice used in the paintings is not dyed but roasted and the color of a rice painting might be yellow, white and black depending on the color of the roasted rice.

After being roasted, the rice is arranged into a wooden frame and glued before being processed for storage.

Quynh Vy also plans to release a collection of rice paintings themed Dragon to welcome the Lunar New Year which will start next January 23.

Renowned artist revives cai luong with class

Bach Tuyet, a well known artist of cai luong, or southern folk opera, is inspiring young Vietnamese with her cai luong course at HCMC-based Tran Huu Trang Theater.

Though the course’s enrollment has dropped from 25 to 20 after 4 semesters, Bach Tuyet said it still showed young people did care about the traditional art.

Tuyet said the first lesson she taught students was respect for this precious and sophisticated art form.

Nguyen Van Meo, who won the golden medal at the nationwide cai luong singing contest Chuong Vang Vong Co this year, is one of Tuyet’s student.

Though he graduated from the HCMC University of Economics, Meo said he dreamt of becoming a cai luong artist.

“In the beginning, I just wanted to learn cai luong to perform with my friends,” Meo said.  

"But after meeting artist Bach Tuyet, who is teaching me with dedication, I’ve become passionate about it.”

Meo said Bach Tuyet’s enthusiasm motivated him not to give up on cai luong.

After each semester, Tuyet also gives her students opportunities to perform at Thu Do Theater to get acquainted with the stage.

Thanks to this experience, most of her students have been invited to perform on stages around the city.

Born in 1945 in the southern province of An Giang, Bach Tuyet has been known for such roles as Huong in “Nua doi huong phan” and Le Thi Truong An in “Tuyet Tinh Ca”.

In 1988, she received the prestigious state title of Outstanding Artist.

In the same year, she also graduated from the directing department at the Bulgaria National Academy of Theater and Cinematography Arts in Sofia.

In 1995, she became the first doctor of cai luong in Vietnam with her thesis titled "The adaptation of traditional theater art in South East Asia" at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Local theme park ranked in world’s top 12 parks

Ho Chi Minh City’s Suoi Tien Theme Park has been listed among the 12 most popular parks in the world by The Traveler Zone, an online website about traveling.

Suoi Tien has all the fun of traditional amusement parks, the site said.

The list includes the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in the US, the Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the UK, Port Aventura in Spain, Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, Tokyo Disneyland in Japan and Ocean Park in Hong Kong.

Built in 1992 on two hectares of forest farm, Suoi Tien opened on September 2, 1995.

Suoi Tien, which literally means “divine stream,” combines Disneyland style with Buddhist themes. The park also evokes Vietnamese myths such as Son Tinh Thuy Tinh.

Situated 19km to the northeast of HCMC on the Hanoi Highway, the park welcomes  thousands of visitors every day especially on holidays.

The park will be served by a stop on the first line of the HCMC Metro which is currently under construction.

Books on Vietnam War released in the US

The Brookings Institution – a Washington-based non-profit public policy organization - has recently introduced two books on the Vietnam War entitled Haunting Legacy: Vietnam and the American Presidency from Ford to Obama.

The books, co-written by Marvin Kalb and Deborah Kalb, shed light on the war and its impact on the US’s foreign and military policy over the past decades.
 
The two authors spent almost six years collecting documents, interviewing hundreds of officials and conducting extensive research at presidential libraries and archives.

In an interview granted to VOV, Marvin Kalb said that the entire story of the Vietnam War was ‘extremely important to the American people’ because it resulted in the death of approximately 58,000 US soldiers and almost 2 million Vietnamese people. The American people have been affected by the legacy of the war for a long time.  

“What I try in the books is to write about the way in which the war affected seven presidents who served the US after the end of the war,” said Marvin. “I tried the best I could to explain why Vietnam continues to have such a major influence on American presidents.”

According to the author, much of the information has never been published.

Marvin Kalb has worked in the journalism career for 30 years and many of his books are well-known to American audiences, including The Nixon Memo and Kissinger.

Deborah Kalb, a freelance writer and editor, has worked as a journalist in Washington for two decades, including writing for the Gannett News Service, Congressional Quarterly, US News & World Report, and The Hill.

Italian Jazz concert to be held in Hanoi and HCM City

An Italian Jazz concert themed “Dialektos” will be organized in Hanoi at 8pm on December 9 and in HCM City on December 11, announced the Embassy of Italy in Vietnam.

The event will be performed by singer Maria Pia De Vito and pianist Huw Warren.

In 2009, singer Maria Pia De Vito’s disc called “Mind in Gap” won the first prize for international piece of work. One year later, “Jazz It” magazine selected her as the best Italian singer.

Pianist Huw Warren is also widely known in the world.

The concert aims to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification.

Hanoi hosts tourism culture week on northcentral region’s heritage

A tourism culture week on the heritage of the northcentral region will be held at the Viet Nam Culture and Arts Exhibition Center in Hanoi from November 21-23.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will co-ordinate with other central agencies and local departments of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Hanoi to organize the event.

The event is part of activities to mark Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23) in the lead-up to the
National Tourism Year for north-central region-Hue 2012.

Within the week, an exhibition on traditional products, food festival, tourism services and art performances will be organized.

The whole process of voting for Ha Long Bay and other six natural wonders of the world will also be presented on the occasion.

British rock musicians to perform in VN

Much acclaimed UK rock band Zun Zun Egui will play in both Ha Noi and HCM City as part of the on-going European music festival.

Formed in Bristol's side streets, Zun Zun Egui started out playing up and down the UK to "hardcore party crowds". A series of releases followed and combined with a growing word-of-mouth live reputation, they started to get invited to play shows all over the world.

Zun Zun Egui will perform at the HCM City Conservatory of Music at 8pm on November 25 and the Ha Noi Youth Theatre on November 26.

Broadway showtunes to light up Ha Noi
 
Broadway showtunes will be part of a live show by pop singer Duc Tuan that will take place in the Cultural Friendship Palace at 91 Tran Hung Dao Street on November 26.

The HCM City-based singer, whose 2009 album The Broadway Album: Music of the Night won the title Album of the Year at the annual Music Contribution Prize last year.

At the show, Tuan will perform 10 immortal songs such as Music of the Night, The Phantom of the Opera, Memory from Cats, No Matter What from the Whistle Down the Wind. He will also perform songs by famous Vietnamese veteran composers.

Fullness of Absence
 
San Art presents a solo exhibition titled Fullness of Absence by prolific local Vietnamese contemporary artist Nguyen Thai Tuan.

The exhibition will remain open until December 16.
San Art gallery is at 3 Me Linh St, Binh Thanh Dist. For further information, contact Nhung Le at art@san-art.org.

Sign up for 15th Terry Fox Run

The 15th annual Terry Fox Charity Run will start at 8am on November 27 at the Crescent area in Phu My Hung, Dist 7.

Participants will take part in a 5km run or walk around Phu My Hung to raise funds for cancer research in Viet Nam.

Suggested donation for this year's run is VND100,000 per runner. For more information, contact the CanCham office at hcmc@canchamvietnam.org.

Shop 'til you drop for charity

The Consular Club, an organisation comprising members from the various diplomatic missions and trade representatives in HCM City, will hold its 18th annual Charity Bazaar on November 19 at the Diamond Place, 15A Ho Van Hue St, Phu Nhuan Dist. For more information, contact the Consular Club at charitybazaarhcmc@gmail.com or visit www.consularclub.com.

The Soul of Viet Nam
 
Beginning this month, the HCM City Opera House will host a one-hour show of traditional art performances called The Soul of Viet Nam, at 5pm on every 15th and 23rd of every month.

The show, performed by 60 artists and musicians, is divided into three parts: The Legend of Hai Ba Trung, Viet Nam – My Homeland and Sai Gon's Culture.

For tickets, contact the Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, Dist 1, Tel: 0903 365 476; Mekong Artists Company at (08) 2229 9414.

Japanese cartoons on display

Fans of Japanese cartoons will have the opportunity to enjoy images of all-time favorite characters including Ultraman, Hello Kitty, Astro Boy, Doraemon, Pokemon and Haruhi Suzumura at the Japan – The Kingdom of Characters and Cartoons exhibition.

The wellknown characters will be on display at the event as statues, effigies, photos and videos.

The exhibition will run at the HCM City Museum, 65 Ly Tu Trong St, Dist 1, from November 25 to December 4.

Blowing in the wind
 
As part of the European Music Festival, the Ma'a lot Quintet from Germany will be featured at a concert in HCM City tomorrow at the city's Music Conservatory.

The concert, sponsored by the Goethe Institute in HCM City, will include performances of works by Mozart, Ligeti, Glanert and Piazzolla.

Founded in 1986, the Ma'alot Quintet is among today's leading international chamber music ensembles.

Their repertoire includes the entire wind quintet literature from the classical to the avant-garde, often in their own arrangements. They also regularly perform premiere works by contemporary composers.

Ma'alot has won several first prizes in major international competitions, as well as praise and awards for their CD recordings. The group has toured Asia, the US and South America.

All of the ensemble members are active as soloists in major German orchestras or as professors at music conservatories.

Five pieces from Mozart's opera Cosi fan tutte address the subject of the opera, love and all its confusion, with fast tempos and swirling wind figures varied with delicate intimacy.

The six short pieces by Gyurgi Ligeti, which the composer himself arranged for wind quintet, are very different: in just four to 11 different tones, with simple rhythms, the Hungarian composer seeks a new, original aesthetic for the music of the 20th century.

Deja vu by contemporary German composer Detlev Glanert demonstrates his confrontation with the models of classical music and also plays with the contrast of solo and ensemble.

Two tango suites by Astor Piazzolla, full of energy and passion, conclude the concert, which begins at 8pm at the conservatory, 112 Nguyen Du Street in District 1.

Tra Vinh builds Uncle Ho stilt house
 
Tra Vinh Province on Tuesday started work on an Uncle Ho stilt-house at the historic relic of Uncle Ho temple in Vinh Hoi Hamlet, Long Duc Commune, Tra Vinh City, reports Vietnam News Agency.

Many provincial leaders and local residents in the Mekong Delta province attended the launch of the project, which requires total investment capital of over VND5.2 billion. Designed by the Ho Chi Minh Museum, with main areas such as home and working rooms, materials and items created as archetypes, the work is set for completion on April 30.

Uncle Ho temple was constructed by Tra Vinh’s people in 1971 and has become a symbol of local residents since then. This is also the place where Tra Vinh residents hold anniversary celebrations of Uncle Ho’s death.
 
National ‘Cheo’ Festival 2011 to be held

The National ‘Cheo’ (popular opera) Festival 2011 will be held at the Thai Binh provincial Labour Cultural House from November 26 to December 4.

The Festival is jointly organised by the Department of Performing Arts, the Vietnam Stage Artists’ Association, and the Thai Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The event has attracted the participation of nearly 500 artists from thirteen clubs across the country.

This year’s festival will focus on contemporary issues that have attracted much public attention. This criterion, which is being applied in the festival for the first time, aims to attract a wider audience and encourage creativity among Cheo artists.

The festival’s opening will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television at 8 pm on November 26. The closing and awards ceremony will take place on December 4.

Thai Nguyen Province wants to host Tea Festival biannually  

The Northern Province of Thai Nguyen has asked for government    permission to host an International Tea Festival biannually, after the success of the first-ever international tea festival which wrapped up Tuesday.   

The tea festival is organized every 2 years to honor tea growers, scientists and help promote exports and consumption of tea in the region. The organizers hope to turn drinking tea into a popular cultural activity in the country.

With around 20 activities including exhibitions, international workshops on tea, beauty contests, tea tasting ceremonies and traditional art performances, the seven-day festival succeeded in advertising and honoring Vietnamese tea products and creating a platform for both domestic and foreign tea growers, producers, enterprises, scientists and consumers.

At the closing ceremony, the organizers also awarded 46 gold cups to winners of three contests on Golden Tender Tea Leaves, Golden Hand and Vietnamese Tea Culture and for excellent contestants in the competition titled “Beauty and flavor of Vietnamese tea”.

The Vietnam Tea Association and the Trade Magazine also gave away cups to 19 well-known tea brands in the country.