Writer publishes war notes, diaries diaries

A compilation of war diaries and notes, entitled From Military Zone 5, was recently published by the Literature Publishing House.

The book is based on writer Phan Tu's experiences in Military Zone 5, which stretched from Quang Nam to Binh Dinh Province, during the period of 1962-75.

Content covers Tu's leaving the popularisation and training section of Military Zone 5 in order to enforce the liberation of the central province of Quang Nam until his return to Ha Noi.

Tu wrote his notes and diary entries while under fire, bombardment, hunger and in bad light, due to which his eyes eventually became seriously affected by myopia.

"Along with War Diary by Chu Cam Phong, Dang Thuy Tram's Diary and Twenty Forever by Nguyen Van Thac, From Military Zone 5 once again affirms the important role literature played in the country's liberation," Literature Publishing House director Nguyen Van Cu said.

In order to keep his material secret, Tu wrote hundreds of pages in French, Russian and Lao, eventual translation of which lasted five years (2005-10) with assistance from ten translators, according to Da Nang city Writers' Association vice president Le Anh Dung, one among four of the book's editors.

"Using dictionaries to translate out of date abbreviated words we managed to put together a great work, consistent in both writing style and concept," Dung said.

Tu's wife, Dinh Thi Phuong Thao, having preserved his diaries and notes, was sceptical about making them public (seeing) as her husband had wanted to keep them from public view, writing, "Secret – private notes of Phan Bon (a war alias), nobody is allowed to read", on the front cover.

After reading Tu's notes, his elder sister Le Thi Kinh realised their great literary value and decided to persuade her relatives to publish them. In spite of her old age, she also took part in translating his French notes.

Phan Tu (real name Le Kham) was born in Quang Nam's Que Son District in 1930. Infected by Agent Orange during his time spent in Military Zone 5, he suffered various diseases, including pencreatitis, diabetes and rheumatism, before passing away at the age of 65.

With works such as Beyond the Border, Mother Bay's Family and Countryman, Tu posthumously received the Ho Chi Minh Award for Literature and Arts in 2000 for his great contribution to modern Vietnamese literature.

Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia music and dance festival wraps up

The Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia music and dance festival closed in Dong Ha city in the central province of Quang Tri on July 26.

The event, held by the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Quang Tri provincial People’s Committee, brought together 10 Vietnamese art troupes, the Lao National Art Troupe and the Cambodian Royal Art Troupe.

The five-day festival featured nearly 120 performances praising the land, people, and traditional solidarity and friendship between the three Indochinese countries.

The organising board presented gold medals to three art troupes from Phu Yen, Quang Tri and Lao Cai provinces.

VN moviemakers bad at making money

The Vietnamese film industry knows little about making money, Hollywood legendary film instructor Dov Siemens said frankly at an interview with Tuoi Tre following his arrival in Ho Chi Minh City last weekend.

Widely known in Hollywood for his teaching techniques, Dov Siemens comes to Vietnam this time to instruct more than 100 Vietnamese filmmakers and students in a 3-day training course.

Dubbed “Mr. Hollywood” by the American MovieMaker magazine for his popular short courses where he teaches film professionals across the US, Dov said he does not teach art because the work of producing and selling films is more important.

To Dov, after all, film industry is a show business, not a show art, he spoke bluntly.

Despite being a foreigner, Dov said he knows several talented Vietnamese overseas filmmakers such as French-Vietnamese Tran Anh Hung with his award-winning trio The Scent of Green Papaya, Cyclo, and The Vertical Ray of the Sun.

More recent independent works including The Buffalo Boy or The White Silk Dress have also been known internationally.

Art films targeting a niche market aside, commercially-successful films are becoming more common as the Vietnamese economy has been growing in recent years with more and more cinemas being built.

However, profit is a problem for Vietnam’s film industry, as best filmmakers, actors and directors there do not enjoy much pay, which only comes at around US$1,000-$1,500 per person for each movie, Dov observed.

“I know it sounds shocking but the film production process in Vietnam resembles 99 percent that of Hollywood because you already have a system from producing to distributing and screening,”

The biggest differences, he said, lie in the government’s policy towards developing the industry.

Another difference is the ratio of cinemas over population as Hollywood boasts 15,000 cinemas for its 300 million-strong audience and while Vietnam has a mere 150 theatres to serve its 80 million population.

Ticket price for a Hollywood movie is also 3-5 times higher than that of Vietnam.

“Therefore, I think you have to get rid of the thinking that you are making films to compete with any other countries,”

“Just focus on your city or country and try to make profit from your film here,”

“You have all that is needed to produce a movie, you just haven’t shown any potential in making actual money from it,” he said.

commercial success is an important indicator to a producer like Dov Simens as filmmaking is not an individual activity; it involves a group of people working together.

A film producing both critical and commercial success is always better than an artistic film that doesn’t earn any profit, Dov said.

In case of failure, it is really hard for filmmakers to find partners for their next projects, he warned.

However, Vietanmese filmmakers enjoy many competitive advantages, as the low production cost and payment for staff in the country makes it easier to produce a profitable film.

A US$100,000 – 500,000 budget would be an ideal number for a made-in-Vietnam movie, while in Hollywood, the figure has to reach US$10 – 100 million.

Marketing and PR campaigns have to play a strategic part in the whole process, he stressed.

The natural and beautiful landscape of Vietnam also adds another plus point to its film industry, the producer said, as it is what Hollywood can’t artificially create even with millions of dollars.

US publisher to sue Vietnam firms for piracy

American publisher Compass Media Inc. said it would sue at least three companies in Vietnam for pirating its books including the popular TOEFL iBT 2011 series.

On July 26, Joanne Jalbert, business director of Compass Media, said it will sue the firms in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi for the violation.

Compass Media has found that some English-teaching centers in Vietnam are making unauthorized copies of the TOEFL iBT 2011 series and selling them to learners.

“It makes bad influence on Compass Media’s brand”, she said. “We want the copyright violation to be stopped from now”.

Meanwhile, Compass Media’s Vietnamese partner First News is considering a similar lawsuit.

Vietravel online photo contest open to all

Vietravel has just launched an online photo contest with the theme ‘Vietnam in four seasons’ from now until September 25.

The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers alike to share their beautiful snapshots of landscapes, cultural heritages, nature and lifestyle in Vietnam.

The best entries will be chosen for an exhibition to promote Vietnam’s tourism to the world. Participants are advised to send photos directly to the website www.travel.com.vn. Each entrant is allowed to send a maximum of ten photos. The photos need to have been taken from 2010 onwards and not have been part of a previous local or international photo contest or been in any exhibitions.

Vietravel will grant a first prize of a five-day tour to Hong Kong & Macau, two second prizes of a four-day tour to Singapore, three third prizes of a three-day tour to Cambodia and five consolation prizes of a four-day tour to the coastal city of Nha Trang. Each prize is for one person only.

Phu Yen gets ready for Vietnam Film Festival

The Cinema Department and Phu Yen Province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism are preparing for the 17th Vietnam Film Festival which will take place in the locality in December, reports Phap Luat.

The opening ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. on December 16 at Sao Mai Theater in Tuy Hoa City, with the closing award ceremony on the evening of December 18.

During the event, there will be screenings of feature movies, videos, cartoons, scientific documentaries, a discussion on ‘how to bring Vietnam’s movies closer to the audience’ and a ‘40 years of Vietnam Film’ exhibition. Artists will offer incense at Uncle Ho’s worshipping house and Nui Nhan war memorial and join in charitable activities and meet with fans.

PV