Ha Noi concert to feature top S Korean bands

Thirteen young music bands from South Korea will perform at a K-pop Festival 2012 Concert in Ha Noi tonight, the likes of which has never been held in either country.

Part of a cultural series to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and South Korea, the concert will feature bands SNSD, Dong Bang Shin Ki, Beast, Sistar, B.A.P, T-ARA, Sondambi, Kara and miss A.

Vietnamese singers Thanh Lam and Tuan Minh will also perform.

Lighting and audio experts from South Korea are working at My Dinh National Stadium to prepare for the event. Up to 50,000 fans are expected.

Information is available at www.kwave.com.vn.

Halloween no longer fun for young this year

Young Vietnamese see the Halloween festivities, only recently introduced in the country, and usually held on the night of October 31 - the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows - as a chance to have some fun. However, this year sale of Halloween items has been very dull throughout the country.

Typical Halloween activities include trick-or-treat, attending costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

As soon as October nears, stores begin to display Halloween festive costumes for disguising such as ghost masks, skeleton-like clothes, long black cloaks or scythes.  People don masks or costumes to disguise their identities and play pranks on their friends and neighbours.

However, this year shop assistants in stores along the City streets like Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Hai Thuong Lan Ong, Phan Dinh Phung, Bui Vien, and Tran Quang Khai complain that only a few customers have bought these items.

Fear of lead contamination this year could be a reason, after U.S. customs officials have seized nearly 1,400 Chinese-made disguise clothing which were contaminated with lead. In order to save money and have their own unique outfits, most young people have begun to make costumes at home.

Mrs. Dung, a shop owner in Tran Quang Khai Street in District 1 sighs saying the festival only comes once yet very few people have asked to buy disguise clothing and other items, even old clients such as hotels, restaurants, bars or students of universities or colleges.

Another shop assistant on Bui Vien Street in District 1, a backpacker’s area in downtown Saigon and a great tourist attraction for foreigners coming to Vietnam, is surrounded by four streets: Pham Ngu Lao, De Tham, Bui Vien and Do Quang Dau, said even in this area sales are dull this year as compared to previous years when these festive items sold like hot cakes.

A dermatologist warned that young people while making clothes and masks for the festival should be careful not to overuse paints or chemicals to put on their faces especially on eyes and mouth as these paints and chemicals have unclear indications of origin and ingredients.

New calendar features Ho Chi Minh's insights

An Hao Company and the National Political Publishing House have published a block calendar on President Ho Chi Minh, the first to feature images and famous sayings of the late leader.

Studying and Following President Ho Chi Minh's Moral Example, the 365-page book is filled with 200 portraits of the beloved leader, 365 quotes from his thoughts and poetry, and recommendations for the Party and the Vietnamese people.

It is spiral bound to allow users to change the pages without tearing them so it can be saved as a reference book on him.

In the coming years, the calendar will be printed in different sizes.

The calendar aims to provide Vietnamese people with a deeper understanding of the President, who is recognised by UNESCO as a Great Man of Culture.

Twenty thousand copies of the calendar costing VND405,000 (US$20) each have been published.

Seminar highlights Korean-Vietnamese family culture

A seminar was held in the Republic of Korea (RoK) on October 28 to discuss the cultural diversity of Korean-Vietnamese families.

The event, jointly held by Pusan National University and the Association of People loving Vietnam in the RoK (VESAMO), was of great significance to the two countries which are concerned about the same issue.

VESAMO President Park Kwang-joo said the seminar was part of activities marking the 20th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Vietnamese Minister Counselor Nguyen Manh Dong said a society of multi-culture is becoming a future trend.  At present, there are about 50,000 Vietnamese wives in the RoK, and the figure is likely to rise in the coming years.

Korean-Vietnamese families have played an important factor in tightening ties between the two countries, and their children will contribute greatly to the sustainable growth of bilateral relations in the future, he noted.

The Vietnamese diplomat thanked the RoK government and people for having assisted the Vietnamese community living and working in the country.

Participants in the seminar touched upon issues related to employment for Vietnamese women in the RoK as most of them are low-income earners.

They stressed the need to help Korean-Vietnamese couples stabilize their lives on the way to building a happy multi-cultural nest.

Vietnam Int’l Jewelry Fair kicks off in HCMC

The 21st Vietnam International Jewelry Fair (VIJF), the largest Gem and Jewelry show of its kind in Vietnam since 1992, will be held from November 1-5 in Phu Tho Stadium on 221 Ly Thuong Kiet Street in District 11,  the Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC) has announced.

The main aim and purpose of VIJF is to enable a productive interaction between buyers and jewelry manufacturers.  
VIJF has expanded over the years since its inception in 1982. The annual event has flourished from a homegrown exhibition to a jewelry show of international standards.  

VIJF is a platform for both domestic and international companies to interact and establish business contact and build lucrative relationships.  It is also a chance to honor the achievements of gold and jewelry enterprises across the globe.

The show will have 140 booths, divided into two sections. One will be for local and international jewelry display and the other for display of machinery and material.

In addition, event organizers will give away awards for Golden Craftsmanship and 3D Designs to artists. On November 2, there will be a seminar on ‘Knowledge and Understanding of Natural Diamonds and other Semi-precious Stones’.

VIJF 2012 is expected to attract more than 80 exhibitors from China, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong (China) , Israel, Japan, Thailand and the US as well as thousands of trade and public visitors.  

The domestic market will be represented by major brands such as SJC, Zela, Goodman, Unique, Golden Dew, PNJ, Cao, Doji, Sacombank, Phuong Nam, Compa, to name a few, who will showcase their collections of fine jewelry and gemstones.  

The vibrancy and glitter of the showpieces will be complemented by an exciting line-up of event highlights.

The event fulfills the City People’s Committee’s objective of creating an active environment for business enterprises in the jewelry trade.  

VNN/VOV/VNS/SGGP