Award-winning movie to visit American campuses

”Floating Lives, winner of five awards at Vietnam’s national Golden Kite Film Festival, will be screened at several prestigious universities in the US next month.

The movie, based on a popular novel published in 2005 titled Canh dong ban tan (Endless Field) by Nguyen Ngoc Tu, will be shown at Princeton, Yale, MIT, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia and New York University from April 6 – 14.

The US-based Institute for Vietnamese Culture & Education, which is organizing the screenings, seeks to promote Vietnamese films in the U.S.

Last month, Floating Lives won a “Silver Kite” (a second best movie award), best film voted by the press, best actress, best supporting actor and best soundtrack at the 2011 Golden Kite awards.

First held in 2003 by the Vietnam Cinema Association, the Golden Kite is the Vietnamese equivalent of the Oscars.

Sea, Island Week 2011 to be held in Nha Trang

The 2011 Sea and Island Week will be hosted by Nha Trang city in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa from June 6-8.

The event will be attended by Party and State leaders, representatives of the embassies of Japan, Thailand, Australia and Denmark, international organizations including UNESCO, WB, UNDP and 28 coastal cities and provinces in the country.

Activities to mark World Environment Day (June 5) and World Ocean Day (June 8) will take place during the week.

Also high on the event’s agenda will be the second sea-based economic conference and a forum on Vietnam’s sea brand name.

Phu Yen inaugurates An Tho ancient citadel 

The inauguration of An Tho ancient citadel was held in the An Dan Commune of Tuy An District in the Southern coastal province of Phu Yen on March 31. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, Truong Tan Sang, standing member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat and former President Tran Duc Luong joined the event.

The inauguration of the historical site is part of the National Tourism Year 2011, which takes place in the southern central coastal provinces of Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Da Nang city.

The An Tho Citadel, built during the period 1832 - 1836 became the administrative center of Phu Yen’s feudal authorities.

The restoration of this national historical and cultural site began in 2009 at a cost of about VND12billion (US$545,000).

Vietnam’s banh mi added into Oxford English Dictionary   

Banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich, has been admitted into the Oxford English Dictionary, thus become an entry in the canon of existing 600,000 English words.

The UK-based dictionary explained that the food was ubiquitous enough in everyday conversation to add to the canon.

The UK-based dictionary included banh mi in its February 2011 update. The most recent update to Oxford Dictionaries Online saw lots of bloggable words put to the dictionary from babycino to silent disco.

There are plenty of words for onliners, with clickjacking, cybersecurity, and bounce rate included in the new additions. Foodies are also in for a treat with kleftiko, banh mi, chermoula, and gremolata all featuring.

The dictionary defines banh mi as “a Vietnamese snack consisting of a baguette (traditionally baked with both rice and wheat flour) filled with a variety of ingredients, typically including meat, pickled vegetables, and chilli.”

The dictionary’s example for this food reads, “along with classic banh mi, there are refreshing cold noodles and exceptional bowls of soup.”

In Vietnamese, banh mi means bread. It is served anywhere, anytime.

Another famous Vietnamese dish long found in the Oxford English Dictionary is pho, which is defined as a type of Vietnamese soup, typically made from beef stock and spices to which noodles and thinly sliced beef or chicken are added. 

Hung Kings Festival seeks UNESCO approval

The Viet Nam Institute for Culture and the Phu Tho provincial People's Committe applied to UNESCO on Thursday to have the Hung Kings Temple Festival recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Meanwhile, the Musicology Institute has prepared the application for similar recognition for don ca tai tu (music of the talented).

UNESCO will consider and decide on the applications next year, with decisions expected this year on recognition of the Buddhist Sutras at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in the northern province of Bac Giang as UNESCO World Documentary Heritage, and the hat xoan (spring folk songs) of Phu Tho Province as World Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection.

New records set at forestry products festival

The Viet Nam Book of Records (Vietbooks) has recognised five new national records set at the first Viet Nam Forest Product Festival in Binh Dinh Province last week.

The festival had the largest timber and forest product fair featuring 528 stalls, the largest kingwood statue of the Laughing Buddha, the highest wooden vase, the largest pair of ironwood vases, and the largest ironwood trestle-bed on display.

The three-day festival also featured art performances, sports activities and a food fair.

The Binh Dinh Province's People's Committee honoured 97 organisations and 13 individuals in the forestry sector that contributed significantly to the festival's success.

Film to screen despite actor’s indictment: producer

After Vietnam’s top male model Vinh Thuy was indicted for smuggling electronic devices from Australia into Vietnam, there have been concerns his newest movie could be postponed from premier expected next month.

But Tra My, the executive producer of “Lenh xoa so” (Eliminating order), rejected such rumors.

“We are very surprised and sad at hearing about Vinh Thuy’s situation, but so far, we have not received any confirmation,” she told Tuoi Tre from Thailand where the film is currently in post-production process.

“However, I know his problem won’t affect the release of our film, which will be screened for the press on April 14 and for the public from April 22,” she said firmly.

The action thriller is the second movie starring the indicted top model who plays a gangster and assassin preying on an ex-gang member who wants to turn over a new leaf.

Meanwhile, Khuat Duy Tan, a senior official of Cinema Department said his colleagues at the Movie Censoring Committee also found some content and artistic details which needed to be changed in the film.

The Committee has officially requested producers to follow their suggestions after its members screened the film’s DVD version on March 25 when Vinh Thuy was said to be indicted, he told Tuoi Tre.

On the model’s legal issue and whether the movie was permitted to hit nationwide cinemas, Tan said the committee’s final decision will be delivered after the official cinematic version of the movie is submitted.

In a recent development, Vietnam Television and CATS who organized the TV show “Dancing with the stars” said they agreed to Vinh Thuy’s withdrawal from the competition.

On Monday, he sent them a letter saying he would not enter the contest to compete with 9 other celebrities as planned, in order to “spend more time and energy to cooperate with investigators over the legal issue”, he wrote.

According to police, the model, together with his partners Pham Tien Trung and Thai Anh Tien, is suspected of consuming smuggled electronic goods from 36-year-old Do Thanh Lam, a Vietnamese who resides in Australia.

The total value of the goods is allegedly worth around VND6.3 billion and more than US$34,000.

Lam was also indicted and detained for further investigation.

Journalists vote for top music award

Fifty journalists covering entertainment in Ho Chi Minh cast their votes Wednesday to decide the winners of the 2010 Cong Hien Awards which have already flirted with controversy this year.

The votes will be counted and the results announced at a press conference April 5, followed by the award ceremony the same day.

The show will be hosted by renowned film director and writer Le Hoang and TV producer and editor Thuy Minh.

It will feature a music performance by Nguyen Thao and Best Singer nominee Duc Tuan with a full orchestra, and electronic, rock, and pop ballads.

Earlier, the nominations had become contentious when they were announced last month since they included the 2010 Vietnam Idol winner Uyen Linh.

Music critics and fans were deeply divided over her nomination since it was pointed out she has yet to release an album or perform at any concert other than those related to the show.

An international relations graduate before signing for Vietnam Idol, Linh was dubbed a phenomenon last year after her electrifying performances in the final rounds of the competition.

Social media sites were abuzz, earning her a huge fan base and an overwhelming victory.

However, many argued it was not enough to put her along big names like Thanh Lam, an established diva who has been nominated for best singer.

Many well-known singers openly disagreed with Linh’s nomination while her fans fought back through forums and social media websites to protect her.

The award ceremony will take place at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House.

The Cong Hien Awards were established in 2005 by the Sports and Culture newspaper to honor the best album, music program, composer, and singer of the year.

Forty journalists in Hanoi cast their votes on March 24.

The 2010 Cong Hien Award nominees

_ Album of the Year: Bay gio…bien mua dong (by Duc Tuan), Bo doi (Thai Thuy Linh), Cocktail (Ha Anh Tuan), Li ti (Tung Duong), Nhung tinh khuc Phu Quanh (Tan Minh)

_ Music program of the Year: Dieu con mai (Vietnamnet), Ngon lua cao nguyen (Y Moan), Sao Mai- Diem hen (VTV), Vietnam Idol (VTV), Yeu (Thanh Lam- Tung Duong)

_ Song Composer of the Year: Luu Thien Huong, Mai Khoi, Le Cat Trong Ly, Nguyen Hai Phong, Huy Tuan

_ Singer of the Year: Tung Duong, Thanh Lam, Uyen Linh, Ha Anh Tuan, Duc Tuan.

Arts performance opens tourism year

April 1st Square in the central province of Phu Yen's Tuy Hoa City sparkled during a special arts performance that opened the national tourism year 2011.

The event marked the beginning of a series of activities that will be organised in seven coastal provinces in south-central Viet Nam, including Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and Da Nang city between now and the end of the year.

Activities will include folk song festivals, an international fireworks competition, a tourism beauty contest, ASEAN member country traditional music performances, street carnivals, sport events and food festivals.

"This area has great potential for developing coastal and island tourism. The events will integrate cultural heritage from throughout the area," said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.

"This year will be an opportunity for Viet Nam to promote coastal and island tourism and lure more visitors to the coast and country as a whole.

Yesterday's 90 minute programme featured 400 actors and actresses, and focused on Phu Yen's fight for independence and development.

It also promoted the tourism potential of coastal areas throughout the region featuring original culture and art heritage from every locality.

Audience members absorbed Tay Son drum festivities, Binh Thuan through images of wind-blown sand-dunes, Nha Trang in pictures of swallow wings over wild offshore archipelagos, and Da Nang through the legend of Ngu Hanh Son mountains.

They could also folk cultural activities of people in the central region like fish praying, lithophone and gong performances.

"With this art programme, we want to bring a close sense of nature," said Le Ngoc Cuong, the general stage director of the programme.

"They will feel like they're in the countryside and it features the mixture of specific culture characters from the coastal waters, deltas and mountainous areas," he said

The director said what most inspired him in directing the programme was the land of Phu Yen, a land rich not only for beautiful natural sites and heritage, but also for its kind-hearted and homely people.

The performances ended with dazzling fireworks over Tuy Hoa city.

"I am very happy to see this great festival day take place, as it shows how the province is developing," said La Thanh Hoang, an eleventh-form pupil at the Phu Yen high school of ethnic groups.

"I'll learn more about Phu Yen's natural beauty so that I can act as an amateur guide for visitors who come to my home town," he said.

Books contain new war material

A series of four books recounting the history of the resistance war in Viet Nam's southern region has hitherto unpublished information, publishers say.

The series was officially released on Thursday in HCM City in the presence of Politburo member and permanent secretary of the Central Party Committee's Secretariat, Truong Tan Sang, as well as other officials and academics including Politburo member and secretary of HCM City Party Committee Le Thanh Hai and former Politburo member Le Phuoc Tho.

Titled Lich Su Khang Chien Nam Bo (Southern Resistance War History), the series is a huge undertaking completed after eight years.

The books' publication was steered by late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, who wrote the books' foreword, and carried out under the general direction of late scholar Tran Bach Dang. It carries an introduction by President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Publishers said the series introduces readers to information that has not been published about the resistance war carried out by people in Viet Nam's southern region.

It also provides an overview about wars that the people of Viet Nam waged against the French and American invaders for over 30 years, and highlights the revolutionary movement led by the Party.

The first two books of the series compile the history of the southern warn resistance from 1945 to 1954 and from 1954 to 1975. The third book deals with events in the southern war resistance history from 1945-1975. The final book deals with nine major subjects related to the revolution.

Sang said at the releasing ceremony that the books were a huge scientific project with deep political values that would contribute to educating younger generations about the country's revolutionary traditions.

He asked concerned agencies and the media to popularise the series within and outside the country, and to incorporate them into the national education system.

2011 National Tourism Year opens in south central coastal Phu Yen province

An opening ceremony for the 2011 National Tourism Year was held on April 1 in Tuy Hoa City in the south central coastal province of Phu Yen.

The ceremony was attended by former State Presidents Tran Duc Luong, Nguyen Thi Binh, and Truong My Hoa as well as Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) cum Head of PCC Commission for Mass Mobilization Ha Thi Khiet, and deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan who is also head of the State Steering Committee for Tourism.

At the ceremony, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh pinpointed the advantages of sea tourism for the south central coastal provinces. He added that there will be 30 national and international cultural, sports and tourism events in these provinces this year.

Addressing the gathering, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan affirmed the importance of the sea and island economy and tourism sector. He stated that Vietnam has a coastline of more than 3,000 kilometres long with thousands of islands and beaches. 

Mr Nhan stated that the Party and State has issued resolutions and strategies for the development of seacoast and island economy up to 2020, which is why the National Tourism Year is being held in these provinces in 2011.

An art programme for the festival was also held to introduce the history and development of Phu Yen province.

Portrait exhibition on Hanoi

An exhibition, entitled “Hanoi portrait”, opened at 31A Van Mieu in Hanoi on April 1 to display 131 works of 58 Vietnamese and four American artists.

The event was an excellent opportunity for famous artists in Vietnam and abroad to exchange information and share views on the art of drawing portraits.

They created works in different materials, including lacquer, bronze and ceramics, featuring the beauty of Vietnamese people and landscapes.

Visitors to the exhibition, which will last until April 10, visitors can see artists drawing portraits. Money collected from the exhibition will be donated to Japanese victims of the powerful earth quake that hit Japan on March 11.

A glimpse of Japan in Hanoi

Japan’s Genki festival in Vietnam 2011, an entertainment and arts event, will take place in Hanoi on April 16-17, aiming at bringing Japanese culture closer to Vietnamese and enhancing the friendship between the two countries.

The two-day festival will have various activities, including displays of silk cherry flowers and Japanese lanterns, food introduction, exhibition of large-famed paintings on four seasons in Japan, Cosplay performance, and Yosakoi dance.

During the festival, the organising board will sell souvenirs to raise fund for children who suffer from Agent Orange at the Hoa Binh village in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi along with launching a campaign to help Japanese victims of recent quake and tsunami.

The festival, which will take place at the Giang Vo Exhibition and Fair Centre, is organised by the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam.

RoK’s tourism and cultural branch makes debut in Hanoi

The Official Korea Tourism Organization inaugurated a tourism and cultural branch in Hanoi on April 1 under the management of the Republic of Korea’s embassy in Vietnam.

The Official Korea Tourism Organization also organized an exhibition to advertise Korean tourism products to Vietnamese businesses and people as well as major events related to RoK’s tourism activities.

There will be a traditional art performance for all people who are interested in RoK culture and tourism at the Korean Cultural Centre in Hanoi on April 2.

Film-makers to create climate change shorts

Young documentary film-makers in Vietnam have been invited by the German cultural Goethe Institute Vietnam to submit short films on climate change for a competition named Vietdocs.

The contest aims to provide a platform for young documentary makers and to draw a bigger audience.

"Young students learning documentary film making in Hanoi are not aware of the difference between journalistic reports and the arts of documentary film making," said film director Zin Myoe Sett from Myanmar, who teaches documentary film-making for the Vietdoc competition.

"A documentary film does not simply cover facts, but also deals with a topic in artistic, poetic or experimental ways and open new perspectives on it."

Thai Mai Lan, project co-ordinator at the Goethe Institute, said "We would like to encourage young people to explore the medium of documentary films in depth, since it is a very interesting way to show different and new perspectives on Vietnam and on the opinions and feelings of the people who live here."

The Goethe Institute has opened "Doclab", where young film-makers can register to borrow cameras, use computers to cut their films and take part in workshops. The competition is also open to those not attending the workshop. Any film-maker between 18 and 30 can hand in a short film on the subject. Entries close on May 15.

The competition is financially supported by the Dutch Embassy and the German Society for International Cooperation. The best films will be shown in public at the Goethe Institute on May 22. The winners will also be screened at the European Documentary Film Festival in June in Hanoi.

Winners will receive US$500 to US$1,000 and extra support if they are working on longer documentaries.