Zumba party to dance its way to Ha Noi

A party of dance and music to be held on Saturday night for zumba dance lovers in Ha Noi is expected to draw 700 participants.

People from all ages can come and enjoy zumba mixed with salsa, bachata , hip-hop and belly dancing performed by professional dancers and also learn how to dance with instructors Ara Hwang from South Korea and Tran Hanh An who brought salsa to Viet Nam.

This is the first time such an event has been organised offering everyone a chance to dance zumba together. It will be held at Kim Dong Cinema, 19 Hang Bai Street, Ha Noi by Zumba Ha Noi Club and XFitness Centre.

Free tickets are available at zumbahanoi.com.

Ha Long to host cherry blossom festival

The 2013 Cherry Blossom Festival will be held in Ha Long city of northern Quang Ninh province from April 11-13.

Regarded as “a Japanese cultural feature in Ha Long”, the festival marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan and aims to promote the cultural exchange, friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

During the festival, there will be a trade fair to introduce handicraft products, tourism services and local special foods, music and dance performances, and an exhibition of art paintings and portrait drawings.

A cherry blossom exhibition will showcase 100 Hikan cherry branches shipped from Nago city, Okinawa prefecture, and five Garyuu cherry trees from Takayama city, Gifu prefecture.

On this occasion, Japan will present 100 cherry trees to Ha Long city to plant in Lan Be park.

Indian expatriates celebrate Hindu festival of colours

Vietnamese, Indians and other foreigners in HCM City on Sunday celebrated the colourful Hindu spring festival of Holi.

An estimated 200 people thronged the Phu My Hung urban area all day to throw colour powder and water on each other, sway to Indian music, and play games organised by the Indian Business Chamber Viet Nam.

The revelry began early in the morning with children engaging in water fights and using water guns and water-filled balloons to spray each other.

Holi heralds spring and, inevitably, celebrates the slaying of an asura, or demon, by a deity.

Families get together to celebrate, and in India the streets are filled with colour and revelry.

Radhakrishnan, an Indian living in HCM City, said: "It feels like [being] at home.

"This event is held every year in Viet Nam. I hope more and more Vietnamese and foreigners get involved in this festival."

Ethnic groups celebrate their cultural day

2013 Culture Day of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups will take place at the Culture-Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups on April 19.

The programme, to be co-organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, aims to promote the inheritance and development of traditional cultural values of Vietnamese family amongst young ethnic people.

There will be a variety of activities, including a seminar on traditional cultural values, art and culture exchanges, traditional costume performance and folk games.

The event also provides a chance for young people of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups to learn how to preserve and develop their families’ traditional cultural values, contributing to strengthening the great national unity bloc.

Belgian experts train local hospitality employees

Belgian experts from the Walloon region and Brussels began giving lessons in European food, chocolate and cream, as well as the art of arranging flowers, to the employees of the Government Guest House and various famous hotels in Ha Noi today, April 2.

The event is part of the project signed in 2013 between Viet Nam and the Wallonie-Bruxelles region focusing on training the hospitality industry in Viet Nam. According to Christian Bourgoignie, head of the Wallonie Bruxelles delegation in Viet Nam, the project will be carried out every year within the next 3 years.

The classes will be held everyday from 8.30am to 1.30pm (except from Saturday and Sunday) and will run until April 12th, at the Government Guest House, 2 Le Thach Street.

The employees taking part in the class will cook a meal together on April 10th. The Minister-President of Walloon region (and burgomaster of Walloon region's Tournai city) Rudy Demotte, who will visit Viet Nam next week will cordially invite ambassadors of Francophone countries in Ha Noi to enjoy the meal.

Spanish contemporary dance in Hanoi

A contemporary dance called “Entomo” performed by Spanish choreographers Elias Aguirre and Alvaro Esteban (EA&AE) will take place at Hanoi Youth Theatre on April 8.

 “Entomo” won the Audience prize and Superior dance conservatory prize at the 2009 Madrid contest and the third prize at the 2010 Capturadanza dance-video contest in Madrid.

The event, co-organized by the Embassy of Spain in Vietnam and the Spanish Cultural Center, is part of the Asia-Pacific tour of the Spanish choreographers.

Music festival pushes boundaries

The Ha Noi Sound Stuff Festival, the only electronic and experimental music event in the country, will hit the capital for the sixth time on April 12 and 13.

"We hope to create a unique world of quality electronic and experimental music and art in order to spur interest among young Vietnamese audiences," said festival organiser Tri Minh.

The first day is a sit-down electronic event with a mix of Japanese, Austrian, UK, Sweden and Vietnamese artists and will take place in the courtyard of the Viet Nam National Museum of History.

The second day is a DJ dance event with artists from Germany, UK, Austria, Switzerland, Israel and Viet Nam. It also includes new short films from Ha Noi Doclab, Ha Noi Future Shorts and The Onion Cellar. A fund-raising event the same day will support disabled children at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Primary School for Visually Impaired Children.

This year, the festival will also organise a number of master classes for musicians and music students in both Ha Noi and Hue in collaboration with Ha Noi Culture University and the Goethe Institute.

An Art Talk event will also be held in Ha Noi on April 11, offering interested audience members the chance to speak with foreign and Vietnamese artists about their experiences as experimental and electronic artists.

Performers include Daito Manabe (Japan), Richard Eigner (Austria), Horacio Pollard (UK), Pitch Tuner (Germany), the group MIMETIC (Swiss), Glitterbug (Israel) and the Tri Minh Group (Viet Nam).

Tickets for the first day cost VND150,000 while tickets for the second day cost VND50,000. There will be a 25 per cent discount for students with a valid student ID.

Tickets can be purchased at the Goethe Institute at 56/58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, the British Council at 20 Thuy Khue Street and the Japan Foundation at 27 Quang Trung Street.

VNN/VOV/VNS