Japanese cartoon characters at Exhibition House

Vietnamese fans of Japanese cartoons, comic books or movies should mark in their diary ‘Japan-The kingdom of symbol characters and cartoons’ exhibition, which will open at HCMC Exhibition House on Thursday.

It will feature well-known characters such as Astro Boy, Ultraman, Hello Kitty, Doraemon, Gundam, Evagelion, Pokemon, Namisuke and Haruhi Suzumura under the forms of effigies, photos and videos.

Japanese comics and cartoons are popular worldwide with the exhibition designed to help fans understand who the characters are, why they have become popular, the origin of these characters and the influence they have on society.

The exhibition runs until December 4 at Exhibition House, 92 Le Thanh Ton Street in HCMC’s District 1.
 
Wood-engraved paintings depict farmers’ lives

Graphic artist Pham Khac Quang will hold an exhibition on traditional wood-engraved works depicting local farmers’ lives on Sunday in Hanoi.

Under the theme of Kich ban duong dai (Contemporary scenarios), the exhibition comprises of two parts.

The first part features ten pieces reflecting Chung’s thoughts on present social issues in rural areas. Viewers will see again Teu, a familiar character in traditional water puppetry games, as a trader or a humorous farmer.

Teu’s optimistic smile indicates his pain or powerlessness when confronted with temptation and self-satisfaction.

The second part is a creation themed Tho (Breathing), covering 30 square meters at the exhibition venue and offering audiences a real feeling of a paddy field made from many different materials.  

There are 1,000 wood-engraved portraits of farmers of different ages on the paddy field, with most of them women. These portraits focus on the fate of paddy fields and farmers in a fast-changing society.

The event runs to December 4 at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.
 
Bartender competition names winner

Nguyen Hoang Duc, bartender from the InterContinental Asiana Saigon Hotel, beat other competitors to take the first prize of the Vietnam Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition held at the InterContinential Asiana Saigon Hotel in downtown HCMC last week.

Coming after Duc is the silver award winner Bui Viet Chinh from HCMC and Le Hong Nhan Thien from the capital city of Hanoi.

After 3 challenged rounds at Hanoi, Danang and HCMC, nine competitors participated in the final round of the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition, which is the vocational competition for bartenders in Vietnam aiming to seek for the talented ones. Saigon Bartender Association and Barcadi Viet Nam Limited honorably held this competition.

The best bartender will be chosen to compete in the Global LCC Final being held on February 3, 2012 during Barcadi’s 150th anniversary celebrations in Puerto Rico.

Every candidate has six minutes to finish their own new creative cocktail. Skill and creative ideas are the most important standards to get scores. A good bartender is the one who can innovate and brings passion to the audience and examiners.
 
Terry Fox Run in Phu My Hung set for Sunday

The 15th Terry Fox Run will take place at the Crescent Area in Phu My Hung, District 7, HCMC on Sunday.

The 5km run is popular with families as it is a non-competitive run/walk and there is a party and picnic afterwards.

The event is organized by the Consulate General of Canada in HCMC in cooperation with the Canadian International School, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, and the HCMC Union of Friendship Organizations.

Pre-run festivities begin at 7 a.m. and the race starts at 8 a.m.

Last year’s run was the largest to date in HCMC. It drew the support of 9,200 participants and gained positive coverage in both television and print media, raising VND850 million.

The purchase of an ultrasound machine for the Oncology Hospital of HCMC was made possible thanks to the support of participants. This technology will not only allow for improved cancer diagnostics, but will also facilitate crucial research into the prevention of this disease.

The Terry Fox Run is named in honor of a heroic Canadian amputee runner who attempted to run across Canada to help find a cure for cancer. Fox had his leg amputated above the knee at the age of 18 because of cancer.

At 21 he decided to embark on Marathon of Hope and ran over 5,300 kilometers - the equivalent of a marathon a day for 143 days. Sadly, his cancer returned and he died aged 22.
 
Jazz extravaganza Dialektos comes to Vietnam

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy’s Independent Day, Dialektos will be hosted in Hanoi on December 9 and 48 hours later in HCMC under the arrangement of the Italian Embassy in Vietnam.

The performance will see singer Maria Pia De Vito and pianist Huw Warren introduce to local music lovers Italy’s jazz culture.

De Vito is not only a brilliant jazz and classical music singer but also a composer and arranger in Italy. Warren always stirs up audiences with his fascinating performances.

The Hanoi gig begins at 8 p.m. at Cong Nhan Theater, 42 Trang Tien Street while a free show will be held at the HCMC Conservatory of Music at 112 Nguyen Du Street, District 1.

Tickets for the Hanoi show are priced at VND200,000, VND300,000 and VND500,000 and are available at Cong Nhan Theater from December 7 or www.ticketvn.com and email ticketvn@fpt.vn. Call 0913 489 858 and 0983 067 996 for free ticket delivery.
 
‘North Central Region Heritage Culture and Tourism Week’ opens

The ‘North Central Region Heritage Culture and Tourism Week’ opened yesterday at the Vietnam Cultural and Arts Exhibition Centre in Hanoi, as part of the activities to mark the seventh Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Day (November 23).

The event is jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of six regional provinces including Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue. It aims to promote National Tourism Year 2012 in the north central coastal area, which will be hosted by Thua Thien – Hue province.

On the occasion, the historical and cultural sites, tourist attractions and unique traditional ‘Nha Nhac’ (royal court music), ‘Ca tru’ (ceremonial singing) will be introduced along with the traditional crafts and cuisine that represent the essence of the regional provinces.

The event will include a Cultural Festival of Handicraft Villages and the closing ceremony featuring an artistic performance entitled “A Night of North Central Culture in Hanoi” will be broadcast live on VTV2 on November 23 at 8pm.

Vietnam student’s film wins prize but at wrong festival?  
 
The 27th Science Frontières Festival's winner Dao Minh Nguyet in Un petit message.

A short film made by a Ho Chi Minh City student about how trash thrown carelessly could overwhelm the city has won the top prize but possibly at the wrong film festival, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

Un petit message (A small message), made by Dao Minh Nguyet, a second-year student of direction at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Stage and Cinema, got the Philips Lighting award at the 27th Science Frontières Festival in Marseille, France, earlier this month by beating 24 other films on the environment, according to the paper.

Nguyet made the 4:20-minute film along with her sound lecturer, François Serre of the High school of Image and Sound in France, who also helped her edit it and send it to the Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, Tuoi Tre said.

So it came as quite a surprise to student and teacher to hear that Un petit message had won the first prize at Science Frontières.

The film opens with Nguyet asking “Have you ever asked yourself why this city is full of garbage” and goes on to show several photos of trash piled up around the city.

Its message is that if everyone throws just a single piece of trash, the city will soon be under rubbish.

“My message to people is that we should give up bad habits, not just throwing litter,” Tuoi Tre quoted Nguyet as saying.

Nguyet’s video clip ‘Someday’ won the Best Choreography award at the 2009 Canon Photo contest in Vietnam.

The Science Frontières Festival is organized by the Association of Science Frontières, Terre (Earth) TV, the city of Marseille, and S.E.R.E (the European Association of Environmental Film Directors).

This year seven documentaries won awards.

All 25 that made the finals can be seen on www.terre.tv.
 
Vietnamese violinist enchants Filipino audience  

Vietnamese violinist Bui Cong Duy performed at the concert in Manila, the Philippines, on Nov 11.

Vietnamese talented violinist Bui Cong Duy made a successful debut at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Manila, the Philippines, on November 11.

Under the baton of Korean conductor Lee Joon Jae and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vietnamese artist enchanted local audiences with composer Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 -- one of the most popular violin concertos in the repertoire -- and other works.

Duy, 31, who has spent 10 years of studying music abroad, has won several first prizes since he was nine years old, including: first prize at the Autumn Violin Contest in Hanoi in 1990;  first prize at the Demidov Violin Contest in Russia in 1993; first prize at the Bron-Novosibirsk Violin Contest in Russia in 1995;  and first prize at the Tchaikovsky Violin Contest in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1997.

His music was highly appreciated by Filipino audiences, which gave him a long applause.

According to Tessie O. Luz, who was in the audience, "I was amazed by Vietnamese violinist Bui Cong Duy’s talent. He is young, but his skills are sharp and his performance reached the fullest of emotion. This is really one of the most wonderful concerts I have attended.”

Dr Raul M.Sunico, CCP’s director, said that Duy was invited to perform in Manila and give lectures over three days at the 400-year-old University of Santo Thomas’s Department of Music because the artist had impressed him at a musical festival in Korea.

Conductor Lee Joon Jae also was impressed by Duy’s performance. “It is wonderful to work with him as he is an outstanding violinist whose future absolutely lies in his hands.”

Duy said that he was touched by friendly accommodations, as well as love from Filipino people. “I would like to perform Vietnamese compositions next time if I am invited again,” said Duy, who received doctorate degree from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

According to Sunico, “Filipino audiences know little about Vietnamese people and culture. After Duy’s successful performance, I hope more Vietnamese artists will be invited to perform in the Philippines as cultural connections between the two countries.

The concert in Manila was attended by several foreign ambassadors.
 
City to host ‘Street Book Festival’ during Tet  

A Street Book Festival will open from January 20, 2012 during the Tet holiday season, announced the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.  

The event themed “Tradition- Present and Future” will be held along the main city streets including Mac Thi Buoi, Nguyen Hue and Ngo Duc Ke from January 20-26.

Launched for the first time during the last Tet holiday season, the Street Book Festival aims to promote reading and increase knowledge of the culture, traditions and tourism of the city.

The “Tradition” section will present to readers historical and cultural books as well as rare ancient and valuable juridical documents on Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelago islands.

The “Present and Future” will highlight the achievements, changes and images of HCMC in various fields of urban planning development projects; portraits of well-known scientists and businessmen; besides an abundance of children’s books.

Publishing houses such as Tre, General, Culture and Arts and book distributors Fahasa, Phuong Nam and museums and libraries in the city will all participate in the festival.

The Khmer festival to take place in December

Twelve art troupes will attend the 5th Southern Khmer Ethnic Minority Cultural Festival from December 1-5.

The performances will be staged at the Xuan Bien Industrial Park in Tinh Bien district, An Giang province, announced the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the An Giang provincial People’s Committee at a press briefing on November 22.

The festival is organised every three years to celebrate the special cultural identity of the southern Khmer ethnic people.

The event will feature a wide range of activities such as boat races, a traditional costume show, and a special ethnic cuisine display, as well as a scientific seminar, an exhibition, and Vietnamese-Cambodian Khmer cross-border cultural exchange. A highlight of this year’s festival will be the first ever cow race.

Fifty domestic businesses and 15 from Cambodia will also have stalls displaying their special products.

Ho Viet Hiep, Vice chairman of the An Giang provincial People’s Committee, said that all preparations for the festival have been completed. He said he hopes many Cambodian people will join the festival because it is being held near the Vietnam- Cambodia border.

Hanoi and HCMC to hold Vietnam-Denmark cultural exchanges

On November 22, the Danish embassy in Hanoi held a press briefing introducing cultural activities scheduled to be held in Hanoi and HCM City in the near future to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Denmark.

Danish ambassador to Vietnam, John Nielsen, said cultural exchanges are always important to relations between Vietnam and Denmark.

Cultural programs help Vietnamese and Danish artists share experiences and narrow the gap between artists and the public.

The Danish Prince and Minister for Trade and Investment are expected to join cultural events in Vietnam, along with 40 businesses and educational establishments.

The cultural events include a street art festival, a Danish Film Festival, a multimedia exhibition, a performance by the Danish Royal Ballet and the Vietnam Music Dance Drama Theatre, and a photography exhibition, as well as an exhibition on climate change and the launching of a Vietnam-Denmark picture book for children.