War photographer comes back to massacre site

American photojournalist Ronald Haeberle comes back to My Lai village in Quang Ngai Monday, where he took pictures of the notorious My Lai massacre committed by American soldiers 47 years ago.

He was the author of more than 60 pictures documenting the brutal deaths of 504 civilians who were raped, beaten and tortured for four hours before being killed in the morning of March 16, 1968 by 26 US soldiers.

At the site where he witnessed the brutal killings, Haeberle was moved to tears and said, “I just tried to capture what had really happened. I knew the images were horrendous but it was the truth that needs to be told. I am sorry for all that happened.”

His photos are displayed at the Exhibition Room of Son My Memorial Site, which is built on the massacre site in Son My village, My Lai, Quang Ngai.

In 1971, 26 US soldiers were initially charged with criminal offenses for their actions at My Lai, but only Second Lieutenant William Calley, a platoon leader, was convicted.

Found guilty of killing 22 villagers, he was originally given a life sentence, but only served three and a half years under house arrest.

National broadcaster to hold television bridge with Moscow

National broadcaster VTV is collaborating with Russian National Television for a live television bridge between Moscow and Hanoi next week.

Titled “Bai ca chien thang” or “The victory song,” the special program is to mark the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Russian Liberation War (1941 – 2011) and recall historic moments as well as heroic human sacrifices in the war, said journalist and executive director Lai Van Sam.

The show, which is scheduled to lasts about three hours, is expected to be one of the most significant and grandest programs by VTV in recent years.

The Hanoi-based national TV has deployed a team of 10 staff to Russia since August to prepare for the demanding program which requires large-scale human and technology investment.

To be held at the Vietnamese- Russian Friendship Cultural Center in Hanoi and Art Performing Center at Kosmos Hotel (Russia), “The victory song” will be on air live on VTV 3 and VTV 4 on October 31.

Who plagiarizes whom: Coldplay or Vietnam singer?

UK band Coldplay which has been accused of pirating part of a track from a Vietnamese song may be doing it entirely legit while it is the Vietnamese songster that could be in the wrong.

This is because Coldplay’s latest album “Mylo Xyloto” which was released worldwide on Monday states that it used a sample from Icelandic rock band Sogur Ros’s fourth album “Takk” for the disputed song “Princess of China”.

The Oriental-inspired track which features Rihanna was last week questioned by American music website ATRL as it bears a striking resemblance to Vietnamese diva Ha Tran’s “Ra ngo tung kinh” in “Tran Tien”, an album arranged in the US and put out in 2008 in Vietnam.

Hitting the shelves in December 2005 with 11 tracks, “Takk” opens with a 2-minute instrumental piece “Takk” as the album intro, which was credited in “Mylo Xyloto” as a sample for “Princess of China”.

The use of music samples is common in the international recording industry, Vietnamese music website m-mosaic commented, however it could lead to legal troubles if musicians fail to obtain legal permit for the samples.

Meanwhile, “Ra ngo tung kinh” by Vietnamese diva Ha Tran has no sample credits, which has prompted netizens now to question its originality. Many say she might use the same sample but did not cite its source.

Thanh Phuong, who mixed the top singer’s album, said he arranged the track with Ha Tran in America in 2008 and they together wrote the vocal intro whose melody and soundtrack are repeatedly found in Coldplay’s “Princess of China”.

“I was so surprised at the resemblance,” the song composer told Tuoi Tre in an earlier interview.

Besides, music fans have now dug up a number of songs they say could be pirated by Ha Tran in “Ra ngo tung kinh”.

Those are the 2003 single “Shake ya tailfeather” by rappers Nelly, P. Diddy, Murphy Lee and 1984 “Tomahawk Chop” of American baseball team Atlanta Braves in Georgia.

Nguyen Hai Phong, a rising Vietnamese song composer commented that the vocal intro of “Ra ngo tung kinh” sounds 70 percent like the “Tomahawk Chop” regarding the development of intervals.

Thanh Phuong said he had never listened to any of the mentioned songs, therefore “borrowing or using those pieces is out of the question.”  

US hip hop trio in Hanoi as part of Asia tour

American hip hop artists Busdriver, Louis Logic, and Ceschi will perform in Hanoi Friday as part of their Asian tour titled “Weirdo Heroes Tour.”

Busdriver, 33, released his first album at the age of 13, and since has fascinated fans of hip hop around the world with his singing and rapping skills. He has so far released six solo albums and was the executive producer of the album “Watergate” for the rap group Thirsty Fish.

Louis Logic, a New York city native, is a rapper, singer, pianist, and dancer who has released seven alternative-rap albums. His most recent was released under the name "Louis Logic & J.J. Brown."

Ceschi is known for fusing rapping, singing, and guitar in a unique mix of hip-hop, urban folk, and even classical music.

He has toured the US, Europe, and Japan with well-known hip-hop artists like Myka 9, Awol One, Sole, and Onry Ozzborn.

The show is scheduled for 7pm on October 28 at Chez Xuan, alley 76, An Duong Street in Ba Dinh District.

Tickets costing VND200,000 are available at the venue.

Vietnam joins Asia Stage Alliance

15 countries and territories including Vietnam have joined the Asia Stage Alliance, established during the 12th Asia Arts Festival held in Chongqing, China.  

The festival, which closed last week, had attraced more than 3,000 performing artists from over 30 countries who wish to promote communication and sharing experience.

Director Le Hung, from the Vietnam Drama Theater, and Vice-Director Truong Nhuan, from the Youth Theater, were elected to the alliance executive board.

“As members of the alliance, we will have the opportunity to cooperate with partners from various different cultures,” Hung said.

Quang Ninh hosts Vietnam-China singing contest

Twelve singers from China and Vietnam will take part in the 2nd Vietnam-China singing competition, in the northern border province of Quang Ninh from November 12-13.  

This was announced by the Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) and the Quang Ninh Radio and Television Station at a press conference in Hanoi on October 25.

VTC Deputy Director Nguyen Van Binh said the contest is an annual cultural event to promote cooperation and strengthen ties between the two countries.

Since its debut in 2010, the competition has attracted a large number of young people who can sing in both Chinese and Vietnamese well.

The final stage of the contest will be broadcast live on the Quang Ninh Radio and Television Station, VTC and other 13 local television channels stations across Vietnam.

Moscow students vote for Ha Long Bay

The Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association held a ceremony at the Moscow Institute of Economics, Management, and Law on October 24 to vote for Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay as one of the seven new natural wonders of the world.

The voting process involved Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association Vice President Anatoli Pozdeev and other members of the association as well as many students from the Institute.

Before voting, Pozdeev described Ha Long Bay as one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam.

Pozdeev said he had visited the Bay several times to admire its magnificent and poetic beauty.

“It’s necessary to introduce Russian people to the Bay through mass media and the internet so that they would come and admire the beauty of the bay,” he added.

All participants in the ceremony voted for Ha Long Bay as one of the seven new natural wonders of the world.

Vietnam remains attractive destination for Japanese visitors

More than 40 Japanese travel agents and Vietnamese tourism businesses attended a seminar on marketing for Japanese tourists in Ho Chi Minh City on October 25.

The seminar is part of activities to attract more foreign tourists to Ho Chi Minh City entitled “Next Ho Chi Minh City” with many promotional programmes. Due to the impact of the recent tsunami and earthquakes, the number of Japanese tourists to Vietnam has fallen sharply, but Ho Chi Minh City is still an attractive destination for Japanese visitors.

Japanese businesses expressed hopes that Ho Chi Minh City will be a key destination for Japanese visitors to other famous tourist sites, such as Nha Trang, Hoi An and Hue and then to other countries in the region like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism plans to set up a representative office in Japan which is the third largest market of the Vietnamese tourism sector.

Vietnam received nearly 381,000 Japanese visitors in the first nine months of this year.

The seminar also introduced many images and documents on Vietnam’s important tourism destinations to Japanese travel agents.

Beauty’s power awards kick off
 
A ceremony to introduce Quyen Nang Phai Dep 2011 awards was organized last week at Riverside Palace in HCMC’s District 4.

The event which was organized by Lady Luxury publication, Bstyle.vn and Lady Luxury Club had 300 invited guests consisting of members of the jury and candidates for Top 50 of beauty’s power awards and celebrities. At the event (also called beauty’s power awards to honor successful businesswomen who have contributed to the society) the organizers also raised VND100 million from auctioning a stone necklace and VND50 million from lucky draw to enable poor women in HCMC and Binh Duong to receive free gynecological cancer examinations in the program ‘Happy Purple Ribbon’.

The beauty’s power awards, launched in June, saw firstly nominations from associations and organizations, then the judging panel of experts will decide the Top 50 businesswomen who have contributed to the development of society, economics and culture and creating a good public image.  

Nguyen Thu Huong, general director of Nam Huong Communication and Investment Corp., head of the organizing committee, said: “We hope the awards will be a good chance to bring to both the Vietnamese and international communities a positive image of talented, professional and kind-hearted women in modern society.”

A night to honor the Top 50 businesswomen will be held in December.
 
Model Look honors Asian fashion industry

This year’s Model Look welcomes 80 models who will sport the latest collections of designers Hoang Hai, Minh Tu, Tien Loi and Anh Thu.

Under the arrangement of Venus Model Co., the event will take place on Wednesday at White Palace Convention Center, 194 Hoang Van Thu Street in Phu Nhuan District. According to organizers, Model Look is an annual event to honor Asian models and designers.

Organizers have invited five South Korean and five Cambodian models to join the event alongside local models such as Ngoc Thach, Trang Nhung, Nhu Thao, Thai Ha and Kim Minh. Joining the event as guests will be popular models Diem My, Giang My, Ngoc Trinh and Binh Minh.

South Korea’s Model Association will use this event to choose representatives for the seventh Asia Model Festival Awards (AMFA) in Seoul early next year.

*A fashion show featuring four new collections will be held at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Vietnam Designer House, 161 Hai Ba Trung Street in District 3.

The show will see 75 costumes belonging to designers Hong Vuong, Van Khoa, Bich Ha, An Nhien, Hien Le, Thanh Hoa and Viet Lien.

All collections ranging from office outfits to daily-wear and festive dresses are made from such materials as chiffon and cotton.

Joining the event will be seven male models along with Miss Vietnam Thuy Dung, Ngoc Han and female models, including Ngoc Quyen, Lam Ngoc Hang and Quanh Di.
 
Van Hung Cuong takes Saigon by storm

In many societies the piano is, above all else, a status symbol. To have your child take piano lessons, still more to actually possess one for her (more often than him) to practice on – these are true signs that you have arrived somewhere.

But the really talented practitioners have no time for such social frivolities, as we saw on Friday night when the main concerts of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music’s Piano Festival 2011 got under way. It was a formal, somewhat self-congratulatory, start, and there were so many flowers on stage you could smell them even in the back row.

Students and teachers took turns to entertain us and show their abilities, and with such an array of talent on display it was hard to isolate the highlights.

But it wasn’t difficult to identify the star. Van Hung Cuong’s performance of Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody was masterly and more. It was forceful and confident from the very start, and achieved a Dante-esque strength and authority that was absolutely breath-taking. The organizers knew this in advance, as could be seen by their placing him as the final item in the first half of the program.

No-one else approached this level, but then no other among the works chosen was quite as demanding. The performances that stand out in the memory, however, are Nguyen Thi Lac Thu with Ravel’s Jeux d’Eaux (‘The playing of water’), Pham Hoai Chau performing Glinka, and Nguyen Dan Tam playing Liszt again. But the general level was so high it’s almost invidious to name some names and omit others.

The evening ended with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture arranged for four pianists on two pianos. There were no cannon or church bells, of course (as the original orchestral work specifies) but the effect was nonetheless rousing and stupendous, as it was meant to be. It certainly formed a fitting finale.

PV