Bookworm to host early Tet Festival on Sunday

The Bookworm in conjunction with the Hanoi Cooking Centre will hold its annual Tet Festival on Sunday.

During the event that opens at 1pm, visitors can learn how to make banh chung (square sticky rice cake) through demonstrations by local villagers, or enjoy to he (rice dough figurines) sculpted by artisans. Local calligraphers will also draw new year messages for visitors while a music trio will perform traditional stringed instruments.

Visitors will get special offer of 15 per cent discount on all Bookworm books and free hot mulled wine. The Hanoi Cooking Centre will also offer roast lamb lunches.

For more info, email bookworm@fpt.vn or dial 0912561800.

The event will take place at 44 Chau Long Street.

Cycling event to benefit wildlife conservation

People who want to show their passion for wild animals and nature are invited to join the "Ride for the Bears" cycling event on Saturday.

Hosted by ActionBear Hanoi in-collaboration with the Animals Asia Foundation, the day-long journey aims to raise awareness, especially among young people, of wildlife conservation and environmental protection.

The 124km trip will run from Nghia Do Park in Cau Giay District to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre in Vinh Phuc Province's Tam Dao National Park.

The event will also consist of other activities, including visiting the bears and discussions with Animals Asia representatives.

Registration fees cost VND500,000/rider, VND250,000/student and VND100,00/person by car. Kids under 12 are free of charge.

All proceeds will be donated to support the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre.

To register, email rideforthebears@gmail.com.

Performance to raise funds for orphanage

The American International School will host a charity performance and art exhibition titled One-Act Play Festival at the Ben Thanh Theatre tonight.

The performance will feature five one-act plays – a mix of dramas and comedies, music, and dance performed by the school's students. Artworks created by students from art classes and clubs will be displayed at the entrance. Food and drinks will also be on sale.

Proceeds from food and drink sales and part of ticket sales will be donated to the Ngai Giao Orphanage in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province.

The event will start at 7pm at 6 Mac Dinh Chi Street, District 1. Tickets costing VND150,000-100,000 will be sold at the school's three campuses in Districts 1, 10, and Binh Thanh.

Flea market to put in Tet appearance

The monthly Saigon Flea Market will open especially for Tet (Lunar New Year) in District 2 on Sunday.

Many Tet products like hampers, flowers and plants, and calligraphy will be sold, as will home decoration items, clothes, and accessories.

There will be traditional games for kids, live music, a lucky draw, and food and drinks.

The event will take place from 10am to 5.30pm at The Vista, An Phu, 628C Ha Noi Highway.

IDECAF serves up popular French play

Cuisine et Dependances (Kitchen and Dependencies), a well-known French play from the early 1990s by Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri, will be staged at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on January 28 and 29.

The play is about Jacques and Martine, a wealthy couple, hosting a dinner party for an old friend, Charlotte, who they have not seen for 10 years, and her famous TV personality husband.

The Le Petit-Theatre Troupe, formed by French expatriates living in HCM City, will perform the play.

It will begin at 7.30 pm at 24 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1. Tickets costing VND250,000 are available at The Refinery Restaurant, 74 Hai Ba Trung Street, District 1, and the Felling Tropic shop, 53 Thao Dien Ward, District 2.

Electric music concert in District 2 on Saturday

An electronic music show will be held at Mc'Sorley's bar and restaurant in District 2 on Saturday.

All You Need is Music will feature live performances by the White Boize Band, Time Keeper, and Banana Project, and they will be joined by DJs Dan Lo, Bond, and Dastardly.

Tickets to the performance starting at 6pm at 4 Thao Dien Ward, District 2, cost VND100,000.

New channel promotes Vietnamese culture on French cable network

A television channel promoting Vietnamese culture, NetViet, is aired on the French provider Orange TV starting yesterday. The channel is backed by Viet Nam Television Corporation (VTC).

NetViet is broadcast on VTC's channel 10 in Vietnamese with English subtitles. It is offered in Asian, European and American versions in 20 countries around the world.

The new channel will offer Vietnamese audiences in the world a diverse programme of culture, entertainment, news and talk shows.

NetViet is shown on Orange TV's channel 524, a free-of-charge television package providing television services to about 4.8 million subscribers.

Spiritual singers of Red River Delta raise voices at festival

A festival featuring chau van singing, a traditional performing art of the Hong (Red) River Delta, will take place from today to Saturday in the northern province of Vinh Phuc and will feature singers and instrumentalists from the northern provinces.

Chau van singing - also known as hat van and hat bong - combines singing and dancing and is often performed in the hau dong (mediumship) rite of the religion of the Mother Goddess.

The songs praise beneficent deities and national heroes. The melodies are joyful and animated with tambourine, castanets and cymbal.

Talk to offer tips for enjoying ‘spa at home'

Friends of Viet Nam Heritage (FVH) – a non-formal group of foreigners living in Ha Noi who work voluntarily to promote and preserve Vietnamese cultural and historical heritage – will host a talk about traditional medicine on Saturday.

Focusing on the theme "spa at home", the talk will introduce traditional skin care herbs and their uses.

The talk will start at 3pm at Cafe Trang, No 7, Building E, Van Phuc Street. To register, contact Tra My at trmy.nguyen@gmail.com. Attendance fees are VND150,000 per head.

VNN/VNS