Vietnam succeeds in Francophonie competition

Vietnam’s representative Nguyen Van won 5th position in the final round of the “Questions for a Champion” (or Questions pour un Champion) competition held in Paris on February 18-19.

This was part of activities being held by the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) to celebrate International Day of Francophone (March 20).

In a daily game show on TV5 channel, contestants must pass three rounds with questions concerning all fields, which require extensive knowledge and fluency in French.

Nguyen Van is the only contestant from the Asian region, who succeeded in the final round, ranking first behind four rivals from Senegal, Lebanon, Cameroon and Canada.

US singer performs at World Music Sundays

World Music Sundays – a weekly event hosted by The Ha Noi Bicycle Collective (THBC), will present singer and songwriter Evan Thompson from Buffalo, New York.

Thompson’s lyrics reflect nonfictional experiences of travel, love, and nostalgia of an old fashioned good time. He has recorded three albums, in which, the Pray for Rain is available on iTunes.

Thompson’s performance will take place from 2pm until 4pm, on Sunday, February 24, at THBC, No 44, Alley 31, Xuan Dieu Street, Tay Ho District. Ticket costs VND100,000.

Winner of US MasterChef contest arrives in Vietnam

Christine Ha, a blind woman of Vietnamese origin, came to Vietnam on February 20 as a special guest of the Vietnamese MasterChef show.

As winner of the US MasterChef, she will be present at a press conference to launch the similar reality show on February 21.

A representative of the organizing board said the presence of Christine Ha is a great encouragement for contestants.

The reality show will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television as of March this year.

Christine Ha living in Houston city won the US MasterChef Contest in September 2012 as her Vietnamese dishes had left a deep impression on the jury.   

AmCham hosts Networking Happy Hour event

Show-up and meet some new faces at the American Chamber of Commerce’s Networking Happy Hour, which will be held at Don’s Tay Ho Bistro next Wednesday.

With a VND200,000 entrance fee, guests will get two drink coupons for wine, margaritas, mojitos or martinis; or three drink coupons for beer/soft drinks. The fee also includes a variety of tasty snacks including nachos, quesadillas, pizza, spring rolls, veggie sticks, mini-meat pies and more.

Guests are welcome to bring friends, family and colleagues to a night of casual networking. No registration is required.

The event will take place at 16/27 Xuan Dieu Street, Tay Ho District, from 6.30-8.30pm.

Tour to discover Ha Noi’s most popular temple

Friends of Viet Nam Heritage (FVH), a group consisting of foreigners living in Ha Noi who work voluntarily to promote and preserve Vietnamese cultural and historical heritage, will host a tour to explore Phu Tay Ho (West Lake Temple).

Taking place on February 28, the two-hour tour will offer attendees a chance to learn about one of the most popular temples in Ha Noi. Built in the 16th century, the temple is dedicated to Princess Lieu Hanh – daughter of the Jade Emperor. During the visit, legends related to the princess and various statues of the temple, the worship of the three mother goddesses, and the hau dong (spirit medium) ceremony will be discussed.

The French-speaking tour is being held in co-operation with the Francophone Association. To register for the tour, contact Genevieve Prady at sautierprady@gmail.com. Tour tickets cost VND70,000.

IDECAF holds jazz concert, literature discussion

Jazz pianist Bojan Z from Serbia will present a solo concert at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) next Wednesday.

Bojan Z, a well-known jazz artist and composer in Europe, will perform compositions from his latest album Soul Shelter, released in 2012, as well as other songs.

Next Thursday, Prix FNAC and Prix Fermina-winning author Patrick Deville will host a discussion on his recent novel Plague and Cholera, a fictional work on bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin’s life and vaccine developing work.

The discussion, free and open to the public, will begin at 3pm at the IDECAF centre, 28 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, while the concert will begin at 7pm. Tickets for the concert cost VND100,000 with students paying half price.

Young designers meet, showcase work

Vin Gallery in District 2 will present the second PechaKucha Night, an event for young designers to meet, showcase their works and exchange ideas, next Thursday.

The event, devised in Tokyo in 2003, will feature PechaKucha, a presentation format in which 20 images are shown for 20 seconds each.

PechaKucha Night has been held in more than 570 cities in the world. The first event in the HCM City was held last December and attracted 50 people.

The latest show will take place from 6.30pm to 7pm at 4 Le Van Mien Street in Thao Dien Ward. Admission is VND200,000.

Applesauce to perform acoustic music

American Vietnamese musician David Tran, also known as Applesauce, will perform a solo acoustic music concert tomorrow at the Decibel Lounge.

Tran’s American folk style music show will begin 8.30pm at 79/2/5, Phan Ke Binh Street in District 1. Admission is free.

VNN/VOV/VNS