Contest to conquer Fansipan peak announced

An international contest to conquer Fansipan Mountain will be held from October 30 – November 3 in the northern province of Lao Cai.

This was announced at a press conference on October 22 in Hanoi by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee.

The event will bring together over 60 amateur mountaineers from home and abroad, including two teams from Kunming (China) and Thailand.

The contest includes three stages: the first stage is from Nui Xe station to the 2,200-metre station, the second stage is from the 2,200-metre station to the 2,800-metre station and the final stage is from 2,800-metres to the top of the mountain. The winner of the second stage will earn the honour of planting a flag symbolising the millennium of Thang Long-Hanoi on Fansipan’s peak.

A photography contest will also be held for the climbers. Along their way to conquer the Roof of Indochina, competitors can take pictures of the imposing beauty of Hoang Lien National Park and send them to the organising board who will present awards to the 12 best photos.

The event, which is part of the National Action Plan for Tourism in 2006-2010, aims to introduce the natural landscape of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, Hoang Lien National Park, and the 3143-metre Fansipan Mountain. It also promotes tourism in eight northwestern provinces and raises people’s awareness of preserving and protecting the natural environment.

Song writing contest for Agent Orange victims launched

A song writing contest about Agent Orange victims has recently been launched in Hanoi by the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/ Dioxin (VAVA) and the Vietnam Musicians Association.

Entries should focus on encouraging AO victims to overcome their difficulties and integrate into the community and society. The songs should also call on people to join hands to improve the environment in areas affected or damaged by Agent Orange/ dioxin. They should also be original and not similar to any song that has already been published.

Composers can send their songs in Vietnamese, or in both Vietnamese and English, no later than March, 2011. The final selection round is scheduled to be held in July 2011.

48 Hour Film Project comes to Vietnam

‘The ‘48 Hour Film Project,’ a global independent film festival, is coming to Ho Chi Minh City on October 29.

The project in Vietnam is co-produced by HKFilm, a major Vietnamese film production house.

During the project, teams of film makers will write, shoot, edit and score a film in only 48 hours. Participants will be encouraged to work with local musicians and actors to produce their films, which must be between four and seven minutes long.

All successfully completed films will be shown for one week, beginning November 22 at the Megastar Cinema in Hung Vuong Plaza. Awards will be given for the Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Acting and other categories at a prize presentation ceremony on November 26.

Various technical workshops will be delivered by film making professionals before the project begins to help participants improve their skills.

The project aims to promote and encourage the independent film community in Vietnam and will directly involve thousands of people at the event, plus many more when the films are broadcast nationwide on local TV stations.

The best films from all the countries involved in the project will be screened at the ‘Filmapalooza’ at the Miami International Film Festival in the USA in March 2011 to compete for the title of Best Film from the 48 Hour Film Project.

The 48 Hour Film Project began in 2001 in Washington, DC and, by 2009, was celebrated in 76 cities around the world. It is open to all film makers, from novices to professionals, and all team members, cast and crew, must be volunteers. Films produced during the project have been screened at Cannes and many other international film festivals.

Registration to take part in the first 48 Hour Film Project in Vietnam is now open at www.48hourfilm.com/vietnam with a registration fee of VND1.5 million per team.

US researcher’s book about Hanoi published  
A book about the 1,000-year history of Hanoi by US researcher James Goodman has been made available to the public by The Gioi (World) Publishing House.

The 260-page book is named “A Dragon Still Ascending”.

James Goodman is also known as the author of a number of books about Asian countries. His first work about Vietnam, “Uniquely Vietnamese”, is now in its second edition.

His next book “Delta to Delta” will be made published.

Vietnamese-Japanese cultural club opens in Hanoi 
On October 24 the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association officially opened the Vietnam-Japan Culture Club in Hanoi and marked the first anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan Business Club.

The Vietnam-Japan Business Club was established in November 2009, attracting hundreds of Vietnamese entrepreneurs as well as Japanese entrepreneurs who invest in Vietnam.

Over the past year, the club has forged ties with Japanese organizations such as the Japan Industry and Trade Association in Vietnam, and chambers of commerce and industry in Japan’s prefecture or cities. It has also established direct transactions between Vietnamese and Japanese enterprises.

In addition, the club has helped to train Vietnamese workers and promote the projects to manufacture high-grade steel, refit ships, and build ports.

The Vietnam-Japan Culture Club, headed by renowned Vietnamese artist Chu Thuy Quynh, comprises many poets, writers, artists and lovers of Japanese culture.

At the ceremony, former Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama said he was excited by the establishment of Vietnam-Japan Culture Club and promised to promote large-scale projects funded by Japan’s ODA.

PV