Vam Lung Wharf recognised as national historical site

The the final stop on the Ho Chi Minh Sea Trail, Vam Lung Wharf, Ngoc Hien district, in the southern province of Ca Mau, was recognised as a national historical site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on October 23.

The ‘Phuong Dong I’ (Orient 1) was the first ship to dock at Vam Lung Wharf on October 19, 1962. It underwent many hardships and fierce enemy interventions to deliver 30 tons of weapons and military equipment to patriots in the South.

From 1962 to 1972, 76 unnumbered ships landed in Ca Mau province and 68 of those docked at Vam Lung Wharf transporting a total of 4,300 tons of weapons and military equipment to the Southern front.

The Unnumbered Ships' Memorial and other projects are being built at Vam Lung Wharf to commemorate the glorious feats of arms along the Ho Chi Minh Sea Trail.

Hoi An Town needs to restore its ancient heritage buildings  

Hoi An Town in the central province of Quang Nam has a total of 1,017 ancient heritage buildings, 103 of which are badly in need of repairs from which 40 are already becoming fast crumbling ruins.

The Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation Center has asked the People’s Committee to order immediate closure of four private heritage homes that are badly in need of repairs in Hoi An Town to ensure tourist safety.

Despite being in bad condition, owners are using various construction materials to hold up them up temporarily and continue to use them for businesses and tourist destinations.

For instance, Lo Thi Chuong and Lo Thi Hac’s ancient home on 26 Bach Dang Street is in a shockingly poor state and badly in need of repairs, yet it has been let out for selling bamboo souvenir items.

Similarly, Tran Van Sung’s old house on 96 Bach Dang Street has been dilapidated for years, but continues to welcome hundreds of travelers who arrive there for sightseeing and meals.

Previously, Hoi An Town had adopted a program to restore private heritage buildings. The program supported from 25 to 75 percent of the total restoration cost. However, only a few of these homes were restored as the owners could not raise the rest of the expenditure.

The Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation Center has proposed to the People’s Committee of Hoi An Town and the Quang Nam provincial authorities that the government should cover the cost of restoration for the most badly dilapidated houses. The house owner must be allowed to repay the cost incurred from rental of the building.

Hoi An town is a UNESCO-recognized natural heritage site, and needs to set a restoration program to repair its ancient heritage homes or else stand to lose its ancient cultural architecture, which is fast crumbling into ruins, if they don’t act in time.

“Bi, don’t be afraid” movie makes debut at Asian Film Festival in Berlin

Vietnamese movie “Bi, don’t be afraid” by director Phan Dang Di has made its debut at the Asian Film Festival which opened at the House of World Cultures in Berlin on October 26.

The event was attended by Minister Counselor Bui Manh Cuong, his wife and representatives from the Vietnamese embassy in Germany.

The film features the complexity of personal relationships in a family where each and every one cares nothing about each other and follow different directions and rules.

After the film was screened, director Phan Dang Di had an exchange with the audiences.

The Asian Film festival will run through to October 30.

Famous comedian named talent show’s first judge

Famous actor and comedian Thanh Loc has been named the first judge of the Vietnamese version of Britain’s Got Talent which will be on VTV3 this December.

Though he didn’t like the idea of judging a competition at first, Thanh Loc said he liked Vietnam’s Got Talent’s concept of finding and developing talents in every Vietnamese.

Vietnam’s Got Talent will be faithful to the original format and open to contestants of all ages, sexes, and professions who have talents in performing arts.

Thanh Loc said he would be an honest and friendly judge and would give comments to help contestants grow instead of discouraging them.

The show’s copyright has been acquired by Ho Chi Minh City-based entertainment company BHD and the Vietnam Television.

Four contestants will reach the final and the winner will be chosen by audiences for a VND 400 million (US$19,200) cash prize.

The British show produced by FremantleMedia and SYCOtv has been reproduced in nearly 50 countries.

The most famous discovery in Britain’s Got Talent so far is possibly Susan Boyle, a 50-year-old Scottish singer who rose to international fame in 2009.

The Vietnamese version, which is still looking for a host and two more judges, will be aired on VTV3 at 9pm every Sunday from December 18.

Vietnamese youths began SEA journey on ship

A Vietnamese delegation of young people left Hanoi to attend the 38 th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Programme (SSEAYP) 2011 in Japan on October 25 .

After two months of training, the 29-member delegation was equipped with knowledge of the political and socio-cultural situation in Japan and the Southeast Asian countries where the ship will call on during the 53-day journey.

The delegation brings with them exhibits to create a model of Vietnamese villages and plans to perform traditional music performances on the ship.

From now until December 16, the SSEAYP ship will dock in the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam where the participants will pay courtesy calls to state leaders and engage in cultural exchanges and social activities.

The ship will anchor in Saigon port in Ho Chi Minh City on December 4.

Vietnamese festival to come to New York

A series of activities introducing Vietnamese culture will be held during a two-day festival at Long Island Children’s Museum in New York City next month.

Titled “Dragon and Fairy Descendants: Vietnam through Traditional Folk Tales,” the festival will include a series of traditional cuisine, costume and crafts exhibitions, drama and folk song performances and lion dances.

The highlight of the festival will be a play titled “Dragon and Fairy Descendants” by director Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc that introduces five well-known fairy tales in Vietnamese folk literature.

Vietnamese – American actors such as Tienne Vu, Tina Duong, Tiffany Rothman and Khoa Nguyen from Off-Broadway Theater will also take part.

The festival, to be held by the New York Vietnamese School in collaboration with the Saigon Children's Charity in the U.S, will start on November 5.

Hanoi painters sell works at discount

To attract the public, a group of young painters in Hanoi are offering a 90 percent discount on their paintings.

Titled “Sale-off,” the exhibition of young artists Trieu Tuan Long, Nguyen Dinh Vu and Do Hiep, is considered unprecedented.

The artists said they were discounting their paintings to find out whether it was high prices that prevent Vietnamese from buying paintings.

Prices range from US$50 to $300.

“We want to see if people really want to buy paintings,” Hiep said.

According to Hiep, some experienced painters say they won’t sell their paintings for less than $1,000.

“But with such a high price, few people will want to buy paintings,” he said.

“They would prefer copycats."

The exhibition will be held at 16 Ngo Quyen Street until November 4.

Interactive art on show

An exhibition of joint creations by Vietnamese and artists from 35 countries will open next month in Ha Noi.

One example on show will be the result of pieces of a completed painting by Dutch painter Rienke Enghardt sent to artists in Viet Nam, South Africa, Russia and Australia.

The four artists have developed the pieces into new paintings, which will be on show.

Other such art projects initiated by Enghardt will be on display. Vietnamese contemporary artists involved are Daêng Xuan Hoa, Ha Tri Hieu, Tran Luong, Trong Vu and Chau Giang.

The exhibition, entitled Hope Box Happening, will also feature street art from other countries. It will open at Art Talk Cafe, 12 Quan Su Street on November 5.

Folk music for schools

Renowned cultural experts have called for introducing the southern folk music dan ca in schools to educate the younger generations about traditional Vietnamese music.

Speaking at a seminar on preserving and promoting the art form in HCM City on Tuesday, respected traditional music researcher Prof Tran Van Khe said dan ca was based on Vietnamese proverbs and folk songs, depicted daily life, and served as folk music for children and even as lullabies.

Dang Hoanh Loan, former vice chairman of the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, said cultural houses should organise dan ca performances regularly so that more people could attend and learn about it.

Several city museums, who preserve original songs, organised such shows.

Vo Trong Nam, deputy director of the HCM City Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, said his department would look at offering dan ca in school and build public libraries to provide information about the music.

The department has ordered Bong Sen Theatre to organise a show featuring original folk songs later this year, and Nguyen Dinh Chieu Film Studio to make films on dan ca artists for TV.

VN brides integrate in Korea

The Association of Overseas Vietnamese in South Korea has commenced their first language and culture courses for Vietnamese brides living in Incheon and Gwangju.

Supported by the Vietnamese Embassy and the Korean Investment & Securities Company, the programme aims to help Vietnamese women integrate into the local community.

Addressing the opening ceremony in Incheon on October 22, the First Secretary of the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea, Pham Quang Tuyen, emphasised the great appreciation for the Overseas Vietnamese Association in supporting the Vietnamese community, especially migrating women.

Tuyen said he hoped the women would do their utmost to acquire knowledge for themselves, and quickly integrate into society and their families.

At the ceremony, as many as 52 women in Incheon and Gwangju applied for the course.

Tran Hai Linh, president of the Overseas Vietnamese Association said that the association plans to open classes in other regions to assist more Vietnamese women in the near future.

Six finalists to compete at Vietnam - China Singing Contest

Six contestants, from both Vietnam and China, will take part in the final round of the Vietnam – China Friendship Singing Contest 2011 scheduled in Ha Long City, in the northern province of Quang Ninh on November 12 – 13.

This was announced by VTC Digital Television and the Quang Ninh Radio and Television Station in Hanoi yesterday.

The competition, an annual event hosted alternately by the two countries, attracts performers from both sides and, according to the organising board, this year’s contest features many promising singers.

The top six contestants from each country who make it through the qualifying rounds will perform two songs apiece in the final round, one in Vietnamese and one in Chinese, to determine the ultimate winner.

The contest contributes to promoting friendship, cooperation and cultural exchange between Vietnam and China.

Vietnam to host World Congress of Esperanto

The 2012 World Congress of Esperanto will be held in Vietnam, said the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam Esperanto Society, at a press briefing in Hanoi on October 26.

Hundreds of participants from 60 countries and territories will attend the congress from July 27 to August 4, 2012, to discuss ‘burning issues’ toward the development and dissemination of the artificial language Esperanto worldwide.

This is the first time a global congress of Esperanto will take place in Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Loi, President of the Vietnam Esperanto Society, said Vietnam is ready to host the event.

Loi said the use of Esperanto for promoting peace, friendship and development among nations is in line with the Party’s policy to befriend all countries in the world.

PV