Museum marks Mexico's day of the dead

A unique Mexican festival celebrating and honouring the dead is currently on show at an exhibition in Ha Noi.

The worshipping customs and rituals of the Mexican Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) are being displayed and explained for visitors, along with a photography exhibition and an example of a traditional Mexican altar, at the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology on Nguyen Van Huyen Street.

The Day of the Dead is a celebration in which Mexicans remember and honour their deceased loved ones. Though it may sound gloomy or morbid, it is in fact a festive and colourful holiday. Mexicans visit cemeteries, decorate the graves and spend time in the presence of their dead friends and family members.

This event aims to share this important cultural Mexican tradition – which has been declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO – with local people.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Embassy of Mexico in Viet Nam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Museum of Ethnology. It will run until November 11.

GaBLe and DJ Vincent Oleg to rock the town

The HCMC Antenna of the French Institute in Vietnam will hold a rock performance by GaBLe at the Conservatory of HCMC at 8 p.m. on November 15.

The outfit regularly performs at large rock festivals in France and all over the world. They released a few CDs by themselves before LoAF recording studio intervened. Their album ‘Seven Guitars and a Cloud of Milk’ netted a CQFD award of Inrocks Magazine in 2008 before they released ‘I’m Ok’ in 2009. Their latest release ‘CuTe HoRSe CuT’ came out in March last year.

Tickets are available at HCMC Conservatory of Music, 112 Nguyen Du Street, HCMC’s District 1.

Meanwhile, Idecaf and the HCMC Antenna of the French Institute in Vietnam will host a free outdoor electro music concert from DJ Vincent Oleg at Idecaf (31 Thai Van Lung Street, District 1, HCMC) at 7 p.m. on November 8.

Youths invited to enter letter-writing competition on water theme

Young people up to the age of 15 are invited to participate in the 42nd International Letter-Writing Competition with the theme "Why water is such a precious resource," launched by the Universal Postal Union.

The theme ties in with the International Decade for Action "Water for Life" 2005-2015.

The letter with a maximum 800 words in English or French attached with Vietnamese version. Prizes for the national contest include one first, three second, five third and 30 encouragement awards.

The first prize winner will compete at the international competition in Switzerland.

Vietnamese Ho Thi Hieu Hien won first prize at the 39th International Letter-Writing Competition in 2010.

Fans expected to flock to meet South Korean star on Viet Nam visit

South Korean movie actor and singer Kim Jae-joong will meet his fans in Viet Nam on November 10.

The Viet Nam event is part of his Asia Fan Meeting Tour, and is expected to be attended by a gathering of 3,500 of his fans from the country and its neighbours. The star has also hosted similar events in Nanjing, China, and Bangkok.

Kim is one of the three members in hugely popular boy band JYJ and is also well known for his acting, having starred in both films and TV shows including Hard to Say I Love You and Heaven's Postman. He won the SBS Award for Best New Actor for his role in the 2011 series Protect the Boss.

Vietnamese fans have a chance of meeting their idol at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre, 799 Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard, District 7.

Kim is no stranger to Viet Nam having visited last year when JYJ performed for the Asian Dream Cup 2011 Viet Nam event.

Renovation begins on Nguyen dynasty weather station

The former royal capital city of Hue has launched the renovation of the Quan Tuong Dai relic – a meteorology station used during the time of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945).

The station was built on the Nam Kinh Bastion in the west-south of Hue Citadel with the purpose of supplying the court with information on the weather.

The new project, launched on Tuesday, will be conducted by the Hue Relic Conservation Centre and the Sub-Institute of Building Technology and Science. It is part of a larger mission to preserve and embellish parts of the former Hue capital, a site of major historical and cultural importance.

The VND3.8 billion (US$190,000) project on Quan Tuong Dai is expected to be completed by August 2013.

ASEAN Science Film Festival next week

The second ASEAN Science Film Festival will take place in ten cities nationwide from November 8-30.

According to organizers, themed festival ‘Water’ will have 20 international films focusing on natural science, life science and technology, environment and the ecosystem.

The event is a large-scale educational project via movies simultaneously held in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Its purpose is to encourage the region’s youth to explore scientific discovery and global environmental issues. The festival will take place at high schools and universities nationwide and the Goethe Institute in Hanoi.

For further information, access www.goethe.de/vietnam.

VNN/VNS/SGT