“Jo Ha Kyu” exhibition in Hanoi

A film and photography installation exhibition entitled ‘Jo Ha Kyu’ by independent film maker Nguyen Trinh Thi and her husband, US photographer Jamie Maxtone Graham, is being held in Hanoi from April 24-May 24.  

Their 60 photographs and a short movie provide a window into the Japanese people’s daily life four months after they were severely hit by the tsunami disaster in March last year.

Jo Ha Kyu is an essential concept of the narrative structure in Japan’s traditional temporal arts.

Likened by Noh creator, Zeami, to a small stream expanding into a river which eventually becomes a waterfall that crashes into a still pond, it encapsulates the idea, in simplest terms, of a beginning, middle and end.

Luu Tuyen talks contemporary issues via dolls

An oil-on-canvas painting and installation exhibition ‘The Cover of Reality’ by artist Luu Tuyen reflecting contemporary society’s issues will open on Tuesday at Viet Arts Center in the capital.

It displays images of dolls covered by plastic bags, suggesting elements of daily life and issues of modern society. Dolls can be toys, a child or someone who protects themselves from impact. Dolls can also make visitors look back at their lives when they had problems.

Via the works, the artist expresses an emotional status and values of human beings in today’s contemporary society. He hopes that people will have their own thoughts and act toward the truth and that will lead to a good and beautiful life for themselves and society.

The show is the result of a lot of study by the artist, using dolls to connect with internal problems which have been camouflaged so well.

Born in 1982 in Thai Binh Province, Tuyen’s style is affected by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli and Johannes Vermeer.

The show runs until April 29 at 42 Yet Kieu Street in Hanoi.

City hosts typographic exhibition

‘Type Directors Club’ (TDC) international exhibition will open on Tuesday at HCMC Exhibition House in District 1, featuring over 200 award-winning entries of the 57th TDC contest.

The event is co-organized by the Business Studies and Assistance Center (BSA), Richard Moore Associates, representative of TDC in Vietnam, FPT Arena and HCMC Exhibition House. It is open to marketers, designers, editors and media experts as well as students and typographic lovers.

Established in 1946 to support typography in print and on screen, the annual competition has attracted participants from 20 countries including the U.S., Germany, Australia, Canada, China and Britain.

The same exhibition last year took place in Hanoi with the participation of more than 1,000 people. It opens on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at 92 Le Thanh Ton Street and closes on Friday.

Exhibition marks DPRK President’s birth

Almost 200 photos, objects and documentary films on President Kim Il Sung of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the ties between the DPRK and Vietnam have been displayed at the Ho Chi Minh Museum, Hanoi.

The April 22 exhibition also introduced DPRK’s culture, history and achievements in national construction and defence over the past 60 years.

Addressing the opening of the event, Vice Director of the DPRK Revolutionary Museum and co-organiser of the exhibition, Nam Kyong Chon affirmed that Vietnam’s organisation of the exhibition to mark the centenary of President Kim Il Sung’s birth (April 15) reflected Vietnamese people’s admiration of the DPRK’s great leader and its support and solidarity with the DPRK people’s revolutionary cause.

This is the fifth time Ho Chi Minh Museum and DPRK Revolutionary Museum have jointly organised an exhibition, helping further promote solidarity between the two peoples.

Contemporary Indian paintings exhibited

An exhibition entitled ‘Kalpana – Contemporary Indian Figurative Paintings’ opened at the Vietnamese Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre at 2 Hoa Lu Street in Hanoi on April 24.

On display are 28 paintings by 14 well known Indian artists such as Amrita Shergil, M.F. Hussain, Jamini Roy, F.N. Souza and Tyeb Mehta, who are recognised for the harmony between traditional and modern art in their work.

The exhibition, held jointly by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Indian embassy in Vietnam, will last until May 1.

Contest to choose country's best bartender

Bartenders from the top luxury hotels and bars across the country are competing to get a place in the Global Final of Diageo Reserve World Class 2012 to be organised in Brazil from 8-12 July.

The global final will gather more than 50 best bartenders from around the world.

The competition for selecting the best bartenders in Viet Nam, is organised by liquor distributor Diageo Viet Nam Limited, began on Monday.

The competitors will be judged on several criteria including speed, creativity and food pairing.

The Diageo Reserve World Class 2012 is not a cocktail competition but a training programme designed to increase the standards of bartending and mixology, said Stephane Gripon, General Manager of Diageo Viet Nam.

Nine outlets have been invited to join in the competition, including Caravelle, Sofitel Sai Gon, Chill, Strata, Vedette, Sofitel Plaza Ha Noi, Sofitel Metropole Ha Noi, Hilton Opera Ha Noi and Rooftop.

Student’s movie among Asia-Europe Film finalists

A short movie made by a Vietnamese student has been selected for the top ten finalists of the 2012 Asia-Europe Film Awards.

Titled “The Visitor,” the 3-minute movie directed by Nguyen Le Hoang Viet from the Hanoi-based National Economics University is a story about cross-cultural experience in the field of language, family relationship and love.

In the movie, Alex, an European youth tries to cheer up his Vietnamese girlfriend’s grandmother, who is lying lonely in the hospital and refuses to talk to anyone, by singing the song “Chau Yeu Ba” (I Love You, Grandma) in Vietnamese.

Launched by the Singapore-based Asia-Europe Foundation, the contest aims to invite young filmmakers and film enthusiasts from Asia and Europe to create a short film expressing their views on the connections between the two regions.

Four prizes will be chosen by the contest’s jury and one will be chosen by the public via online voting at http://www.facebook.com/AsiaEuropeFoundation.

The winners will receive a training course on film making at the in New York University Tisch School of Art Asia in Singapore and a 5,000 Singaporean dollar award.

The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in Singapore on May 17.

Sai Gon Summer Ball to raise funds for charity

The Sai Gon Summer Ball organised by the Sai Gon Children's Charity, to be held on June 1, gives the public a chance to show their commitment to a brighter future for disadvantaged children.

The event will be held from 7pm-1am in the Grand Ballroom at Sheraton Sai Gon Hotel and Towers in HCM City.

This five-star event is a great night to relax with friends and acquaintances and an opportunity to create dreams for hundreds of children by helping them get an education.

The elegant ball will have a champagne reception followed by a five-course dinner prepared by top chefs at the Sheraton Hotel. During the night, there will be enticing auction items, exclusive raffle prizes and a lively array of music for dancing.

More information can be found on the website http://www.saigonchildren.com/events.aspx.

Vietnam’s first ebook store opened

The Ho Chi Minh City – based Phuong Nam Cultural Joint Stock Corporation has just opened its first ebook store, which is also the first of its kind in Vietnam, on floor B2 in the Vincom Shopping Mall in District 1.

The 500-square-meter store includes three areas of books, a book cafe and ebook services which sells Ereader applications, accessories and ebooks.

28 new book titles published by Phuong Nam in two formats - PDF and Epub - are available at the store. Customers buying Ereader devices or ebook publications will receive the 28 book titles installed for free.

With the opening of the ebook store, Phuong Nam has offered readers more chances to access the new model of reading in the future with modern devices like mobile phones or tablets.

On the occasion of the opening, the store is also offering a promotion with many valuable gifts for customers who spend over VND500,000.

MTV's popular ‘VJ Hunt' comes to Viet Nam

The Vietnamese version of MTV Asia's popular reality contest VJ (video jockey) Hunt will air on MTV Viet Nam television from July 15.

This was announced on Monday at a meeting to finalise a strategic partnership between MTV Viet Nam and Pepsi brand.

The first season of the search for a VJ for MTV Viet Nam will see former VJ Holly Grabarek and Utt Panichkul of MTV Asia act as judges.

They will be joined by former model Thuy Hanh, MC Thanh Bach, music producer Huy Tuan, musician Nguyen Hai Phong, actresses Ngoc Hiep and Le Khanh, and fashion designer Cong Tri on the 12-week show.

People aged between 18 and 28 can contest by registering at www.vjcamp.mtvvietnam.com.vn by May 19.

Those selected will take part in contests to be held in Ha Noi and HCM City to choose the 12 finalists.-

Cultural exchange celebrates Vietnam-Lao relations

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has emphasized the time-honoured tradition of friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos as a valuable asset of both countries.    

Hung made the statement at cultural exchange in the northern province of Son La on April 24, saying the event is a Vietnam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year 2012.

Lao National Assembly President Pany Yathotou said the event gave the legislative leaders of the two nations and their peoples an opportunity to boost mutual understanding and contribute to strengthening bilateral relations.

Participants also had the chance to hear the stories of the two countries’ close relations during their war for national independence, recalled by former Lao National Assembly Chairman Samane Vignaket and former commander of Vietnamese volunteer troops in Laos Huynh Dac Huong.  

Along with performances by artists from both countries, documentaries about the history of Vietnam-Laos relations were also screened.