Vietnam joins world baking competition 

Vietnamese bakers will take part for the first time in the Louis Lesaffre Cup’s Asian selection round, scheduled to take place from May 26 – 28 in Guangzhou, China.

Three prominent bakers to join the competition include Vo Thanh Tuan from BigC supermarket, Nguyen Truong Kim Phung from ABC Bakery and Nguyen Van Hung from Caravelle Hotel. They will compete in three categories: Loaves, Viennes Pastries and Artistic Piece, respectively.

The event, one of the world’s largest baking competition, draws the participation of seven regional countries, including China , Japan , Indonesia , the Philippines , the Republic of Korea , Australia and Vietnam .

The best two teams at the round will go on competing in the Bakery World Cup, scheduled to be held in France in 2012.

Live music, DJ show in HCMC to feature int'l artists 

JayCeeOh and P.K.14, the godfathers of Chinese rock, will perform at an international live music and DJ show, entitled “Supersize Saigon Music Night”, at Ho Chi Minh City’s Vasco’s on May 26.

P.K.14, who are acclaimed the world over by the likes of Time Magazine and Rolling Stone, are returning to Vietnam for what is anticipated to be their triumphant second show.

This will be P.K.14’s only other show in Vietnam before they headline the CAMA International Music Festival on May 28 in Hanoi.

Taking over the decks in the Blue Room will be internationally acclaimed JayCeeOh whose top-notch turntable skills and music selection have seen him perform alongside the likes of American rapper and record producer Kanye West, Wu-Tang Clan and RJD2.

Supporting acts will include Bad Neighbor, Dangle, Superkid, and Jordan Howard, who will present from hip-hop, Baltimore club to electro-clash and Latin freestyle.

Ticket price: US$7.5 (including a free Jim Beam & Cola)

Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling Kim Vy on 01698 485025 or by going to one of the following venues:

Vasco’s (74/7D Hai Ba Trung, Dist.1)

Latin Café (17 Dong Du, Dist.1)

Gringo’s (38 Ton That Thiep, Dist.1)

Café Evita (230 Nguyen Van Huong, Dist.2)

Top design entrepreneur sought for int’l UK contest

The search to find a talented design entrepreneur, to represent Vietnam in the International Young Design Entrepreneurs Award for 2011-2012 in London in September, has been launched by the British Council and the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism.

The competition aims to find a unique individual working in a creative industry. To apply candidates must fill out a form to outline their own achievements, have a good understanding of the industry and describe why they consider themselves a “design entrepreneur”.

Then short-listed candidates will make a 20-minute presentation and attend a 15-minute interview in English with a panel of judges. They will be asked to talk about the national design sector, their achievements and how the competition can benefit them.

The national winner will represent Vietnam in the U.K, where they will compete with candidates from other countries to be named this year’s International Young Design Entrepreneur.

The winner will also attend the prestigious London Fashion Week and London Design Festival. They will enjoy networking opportunities with international partners.

Le Anh Tho, British Council assistant director in HCMC, said: “In order for the Vietnamese winner to best represent their country they must have genuine entrepreneurial skills and be able to show their leadership potential. They need to have great communication skills, including excellent English and have a real vision of the future of Vietnam’s design industry.”

Candidates must be between 25 and 40 years old and working in the design sector.

To participate candidates need to send a complete application form, curriculum vitae, and a copy of identity card or passport directly to the British Council. To download the application form go to www.britishcouncil.org/vietnam. All competition entry requirements must then be sent via email at tho.le@britishcouncil.org.vn or by post to British Council, Projects & Communications Department, 25 Le Duan Blvd, HCMC’s District 1 by June 30.

Australian wine and food show in Caravelle

The annual Australian Wine and Food Show is at the city’s Caravelle Hotel on June 3-4, attracting Australian wine and food importers and Australian exporters interested in the Vietnamese market.

The event will provide an opportunity for both commercial buyers and members of the public to sample a broad range of Australian products, including over 200 premium Australian wine labels and food products. Several winemakers will travel from Australia to participate in the event.

In the lead-up to the event, an Australian Wine Challenge will be held at the Caravelle on June 2.

During the two-day event, a trade exhibition will be held on June 3 from 1-4 p.m., followed by a Gala Dinner at 7 p.m. The dinner will feature cuisine prepared by the Caravelle Hotel’s Darren Watson, chef at the iconic The Reflection restaurant. The six-course meal will showcase Australian produce.

The Food and Wine Show public day will be held on June 4 from 1-4 p.m., with the purchase of tickets required to attend this event.

Hue Nguyen Dynasty relics to be restored

The government has approved a VND2.5 trillion (US$125 million) plan to restore and conserve Hue’s relics over the next decade.

It seeks to restore degraded Nguyen Dynasty relics, including the Inner City, to their original state.

Hue was the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam’s last imperial dynasty, which ruled between 1802 and 1945 when Bao Dai abdicated and transferred power to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

The Inner City, which is divided into the Royal City and Forbidden City, is the largest site in Hue and was built between 1804 and 1833.

There are 100 other constructions inside but most of them have deteriorated due to natural causes and damaged during wars.

Vietnam fantasy author took Germany by storm

The newest gem of Germany’s fantasy literature is a young 23-year-old writer, Jenny – Mai Nuyen whose full time occupation is still listed as a film student at New York University.

The Die Welt newspaper calls her “the biggest discovery of fantasy literature in recent years” while the Bild am Sonntag places her among “the greatest fantasy authors in Germany”.

Born to a Vietnamese-German couple, Jenny soon took to writing when she was five, creating her own stories and finished her first novel by her 14th birthday.

At the age of 23, Jenny has already authored 6 bestselling fantasy books in Germany.

Her first published work, ‘Nijura and the Crown of Elves’ is compared to the classic ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy or a more recent sensation, ‘Eragon’ by Christopher Paolini, a young American author.

“Jenny used characters that are common in fantasy: elves, greedy men, brutal kings but in a very creative fashion,” said the German journalist Suddeutsche Zeitung.

“Every page of her book is full of surprises and readers can’t guess what will happen next,”

“Even if you have just finished Lord of the Rings or Eragon, you just can’t stop turning these pages”, he praised the book.

To Jenny, it all started on a late October night, when the 13-year-old girl suddenly woke up on her bed, grabbed her pencil, a notebook and decided she had to write a book, a fantasy one.

It took her 6 months from then to finish her first novel.

“It was an indescribable feeling to see your first ever novel laying there in front of you,”

“It was a feeling of horror, of joy, respect, happiness and fear, especially this fear,”

When she was signed by CBJ Publisher at 16-year-old to publish ‘Nijura and the Crown of Elves’, she had already came up with three different novels.

‘Nijura’ took her another two years for revision and editing until it was published when she was 18, with every illustration done by her.

She still illustrates all of her books by herself.

To Jenny, it seems nothing is impossible.

Province to restore ex revolutionaries’ shelter

The central province of Thanh Hoa will set aside VND250million (US$12,500) to restore Mother Tom’s house which sheltered many revolutionaries from 1938 – 1945 during Vietnam’s anti-colonial war.

The house, located in Hau Loc District, is named after the nickname of the owner, Nguyen Thi Quyen.

Quyen, who was born in 1880 and died in 1953, and her family, provided shelter to many revolutionaries, including the national poet laureate To Huu, who immortalized her in his well-know poem “Mother Tom.”

Source: SGT/SGGP/Tuoi Tre/VNA