Hoi An’s website now online

The Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation Center has set up the website http://hoianheritage.net in a bid to provide information on the town which is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourist locations.

The website features an introduction of Hoi An, which is a world cultural heritage, Cu Lao Cham - the world biosphere reserve - as well as other ancient buildings and pagodas.

The website is being upgraded to meet the growing need for information on the ancient town in Quang Nam Province.
 
Art in the Auditorium comes to city

Art in the Auditorium - a selection of short film and video art by artists from Germany, Norway, Turkey, Lebanon, Chile, New Zealand and the U.S. - will be screened at Saturday Cafe, 37 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street in HCMC’s District 3 at 8 p.m. on October 7.

The program, organized by San Art in collaboration with Saturday Cafe and Whitechapel Gallery, London, was initiated in London, and has toured all countries of participating artists.

Art in the Auditorium presents techniques of stop-motion graphics; documentary collage; performance and short film narrative to illustrate personal stories that are at times religiously zealous, culturally specific, fictionally surreal or just simply hilarious.

Artists featured include Elodie Plong, Marthe Thorshaug, Ergin Cavusoglu, Jalal Toufic, Kelly Nipper, Cristabel Loen and Rachel Rakena and Dinh Q Le.

Admission is free and all screenings will be subtitled in Vietnamese.

The program will also be held at Hanoi’s Goethe Institute at 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street on October 8.
 
‘Cham Colours in Binh Thuan' exhibition opens

A fine art exhibition entitled ‘ Cham Colours in Binh Thuan’ opened in the province on September 27 as part of the Cham Kate Festival 2011.

The exhibition displays 28 paintings and five sculptures by 12 artists from the Binh Thuan Provincial Literature and Arts Association. The works were inspired by the artists’ special interest in Cham culture.

Many of the exhibits were previously showcased at the Southeast Region Fine Arts Exhibition and received praise from art lovers.

The exhibition, held jointly by the the Cham Cultural Exhibition Center, Binh Thuan provincial Literature and Arts Association and Bac Binh district Sports- Cultural Center, aims to raise awareness of preserving the tangible and intangible cultural heritage and traditions of Cham culture.

‘Cham Colours in Binh Thuan’ will run through October 7.
 
Vietnam’s largest jade Buddha displayed

A jade statue of the Buddha Shakyamuni has been recoginsed as the largest of its kind in the country by the Vietnam Guinness Book of Records and was honoured with a ceremony at the Tung Van pagoda in Tho Tang town, Vinh Tuong district, Vinh Phuc province, on September 15-21.

The sculptural masterpiece, 2.1 metres tall and weighing 3.5 tonnes, was made from a 20-tonne block of blue jade found in Van Chan district of northern mountainous Yen Bai province. It is considered the largest piece of pure jade found in Vietnam so far.

The statue is based on the terracotta Buddha Shakyamuni that dates 300 years, which is also worshipped at the pagoda.

In May of this year, the jade statue was carried in a procession during the Lord Buddha’s birthday celebrations in Thai Nguyen province .

Tung Van pagoda, built 327 years ago under the reign of King Le Huy Tong, is the largest ancient pagoda in Vinh Tuong district. The seven-section pagoda is home to many precious objects including bronze bells and terracotta statues. The pagoda was recognised as a national cultural heritage site in 1964.

The ceremony, held jointly by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the Vinh Phuc provincial Buddhist Sangha, drew a large number of visitors and Buddhist followers and pilgrims from across the country.

Japanese conductor recognized for ten-year devotion to Vietnam  

Tetsuji Honna, music director of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) since 2001, was just given an award by the Japanese Foreign Minister for his ten-year devotion in sharing his conducting talents with the Vietnamese.

“I love the people, food, and scenery here,” said the artist, whose brilliant history of awards includes the first prize in the 1985 Tokyo International Music Competition for conducting; second prize in the 1990 Toscanini International Conducting Competition; first prize in the 1992 Budapest International Conducting Competition; and the 1997 Osaka Stage Arts Encouragement Award.

“I feel at home when I am in Vietnam,” said Honna, who has conducted numerous orchestras including the Hungarian State Philharmonic, the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.

According to Honna, his connection with Vietnam started in 2000 when he participated in the Toyota Classic Tour to eight Asian countries, landing him in Hanoi with the Nagoya Philharmonic.

“VNSO’s director Ngo Hoang Quan met me in the changing room after the show, asking me to help the orchestra,” Honna said.

The Japanese artist was invited to work as music adviser and conductor, giving lectures to the local artists to improve their musical skills.

“Their goal for the first five-year contract with me was to help VNSO become a leading orchestra in ASEAN, and by 2010, the orchestra would reach world tour level. It surprised me since it is impossible to achieve in a few years, however, I did accept it as the artists really wanted to improve,” he said.

Since then, Honna has invited several good foreign musicians to Vietnam to perform and work with the orchestra. “I keep telling them about Vietnam and persuade them to come here. Many came to Vietnam as volunteers for a period of time and expressed that they will come back.”

In addition, in 2004, the conductor led VNSO with great success on a Japan tour to Tokyo and Osaka, and opened every concert season since 2005.

During their first years, Honna and the Vietnamese artists performed popular works by Johann Strauss and Leroy Anderson, and then they continually worked on longer, difficult compositions by Gustav Mahler.

“Sooner or later Vietnamese will love Mahler,” Honna said.

“It is normal to spend money on a concert ticket, however, after some years, many Vietnamese friends still ask for free tickets from me,” he said.

Honna said that all tickets for the concert in Hanoi on September 15-16 were sold out.

The foreign artist also admitted that it is hard to tell the position of VNSO among other orchestras in the region and in the world.

However, he said, “Their skills have improved much more compared to before. There’s been a big change in their expressive abilities.”

“I appreciate their sensitivity in music, but it is not enough if they lack knowledge of music, especially the history of composers and different musical instruments.”

In addition, Honna complained that his orchestra members are often late, which was a no-no when he worked in Korea, China or his home country.

“Vietnamese artists, however, still have the opportunity to become one of the best orchestras in Asia as long as they are willing to practice and study more,” said Honna, who has performed with world famous artists, including Martha Argerich, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Antonio Meneses, and Cecile Licade.

Actress Ly Nha Ky selected Vietnam’s tourism ambassador  

Actress Ly Nha Ky has been selected by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as Vietnam’s Tourism Ambassador from September 2011 to September 2012.  
             
A Tourism envoy is chosen for his or her overall personality and communication skills in promoting the image of the country at home and abroad via community activities, media, communication links, the arts, photography and many other forms.

Ly Nha Ky (real name Tran Thanh Nhan) is known for her many roles in TV serials such as Kieu nu va dai gia (Beautiful women and rich men), Tinh yeu con mai (Being in love forever), Chuyen tinh yeu (Love story), Gia mua mot thuong de (how much for a God), Em muon lam nguoi noi tieng (I want to be a famous person), Vang trong cat (Gold in sand) and as an extra in the movie “Shanghai”, directed by Swedish filmmaker Mikael Hafstrom.

She is also an Ambassador for Operation Smile in Vietnam since 2009, and Vice chairwoman of the Sheen Hok Charitable Organization in Hong Kong. She is currently the Chairwoman of Sheen Hok Charitable Organization in Vietnam.

Born in 1982 in Vung Tau, Ly Nha Ky moved to Germany to pursue her studies when she was 16.  In 2006, she returned to Vietnam to work and to be closer to her family. Attributed with a pretty face and attractive features, she was invited to participate in several TV serials.

She started her own business in 2006. Lynk Investment, Trading & Services Co. Ltd. specializes in investment projects, trading, real estate and property consultancy, film productions and public relations.

‘Ngo Boat Race’ of ethnic Khmer people to be held in November  

The much awaited ‘Ngo Boat Race’ of the ethnic Khmer people of the Mekong Delta will take place during the annual Ooc Om Boc Festival on the Máspero River in Soc Trang Province on November 9-10 this year.
 
Besides the participating 40 teams from Soc Trang, there will be teams from neighboring provinces such as Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Vinh Long also taking part in the event.

The boat race will mark the 2nd Vietnam Rice Festival 2011. Organizers expect to make the traditional boat race into a national annual event in future.

Over the two days leading up to the tenth full moon day of the year, when rains cease and rice is ripening in fields, the Khmer people in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang entreat their moon deity for a bumper crop and good fortune during the festival of Ooc-om-boc.

The festival will offer plenty of entertainment too, in the form of concerts and stage shows, traditional sports and games, releasing of buoyant paper lanterns into the air and on the river.

The ritual moon-worship ceremony is observed in the yards of pagodas and private homes.

People pray for good luck, happiness, good weather and a bumper crop, and express their sorrow and worries and pray that their god will bestow favors on them and give them a better life.

After worship and prayers, both young and old  get together to play games or dance and sing in the moonlight. Everyone has a good time and it’s a great opportunity for making friends and bonding together.

Soc Trang lies in the Mekong Delta and is 230 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnamese designer to bring collection to China

The collection titled “Duong chan troi cua nuoc (Horizon lines of water)” by Vietnamese renowned fashion designer Minh Hanh will be showcased on October 3 within the framework of Liuzhou’s annual Water Festival in China.

This year festival gathering 9 designers from Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, India, Malaysia, China and Indonesia aims to raise awareness to the environment as well as national traditional values.

Thirty outfits of the collection made from traditional materials such as silk, brocade and hand-made embroidery aims to convey the pure beauty of water.

The show will see catwalk performances of China’s leading professional models and some models from America and Europe.

In related news, early this month, an ao dai collection made from hand-made traditional fabrics like silk and An Giang province’s distinctive My A linen by well-known designer Vo Viet Chung impressed Japanese fest-goers at the “Beloved Vietnam” festival which concluded on September 19 at Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park.

Food and hotel fair opens in Ho Chi Minh City

The sixth International Food and Hospitality Trade Event which promotes trade links in the food, restaurant and hotel industry opened today in Ho Chi Minh City at District 7’s Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center.

US Ambassador to Vietnam David Shear and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Acting Under Secretary Michael Scuse were present to cut the ribbon of the US National Pavilion.

With Poland as the newest addition this year, Food and Hotel Vietnam 2011 has a total of 8 national pavilions, the largest number in its history, which introduce high-quality food and hotel products from Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Korea, Singapore and the US.

Robert Kloos, Vice Minister of German Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection said the event was a valuable opportunity for German producers to get to know Vietnam’s market and foster growing business ties among the two countries.

This trade fair has attracted 373 companies, 74 percent of which are international ones which hail from 30 countries in the world like Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Held every two years by the Ho Chi Minh-based VCCI Exhibition Service Company and Singapore Exhibition Services, the fair is considered Vietnam’s most established international food and hospitality trade event.

Stephen Tan, director of Singapore Exhibition said the trade event has expanded significantly in recent years to meet the demand of a growing food and hotel industry in Vietnam.

“In the last four years of 2011, the average food consumption rise up 10 percent, the total revenue of alcoholic drinks 9.6 percent and non-alcoholic drinks 10.7 percent”, Bui Thi Thuc Anh, head of VCCI said.

The country’s tourism has also grown tremendously, Ms. Anh said, as the first 7 months of 2011 saw an increase of 17.3 percent of international tourist visits, which has triggered many new international-standard hotel and resort projects in 2012.

“Thus this time our exhibition area has increased by 26 percent and the number of companies signing up for exhibition also goes up 12 percent compared with 2009,” Mr. Tan said.

A number of culinary competitions from coffee making, chef challenges to wine serving which are judged by international connoisseurs such as Justin Metcalf and Roderic Proniewski will also be held at this event.

“These contests will contribute to improving the quality and standard of service of Vietnam’s food and hospitality industry.” Ms. Anh said.

The International Food and Hospitality Trade Event will remain open until 5pm, September 30 at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center, 79 Nguyen Van Linh, Tan Phu, District 7, HCMC.

New Open World head extols Ha Long Bay’s beauty

Chairman of the New Open World organisation Bernard Weber has extolled the beauty of Ha Long Bay, describing it as a special landscape, different from other places of the world.

Speaking to reporters in Hanoi on September 28, he said this is his first visit to Vietnam but the name of Vietnam sounds familiar to him. Many years ago, he had joined millions of peace lovers to demonstrate against the war in the country.

This is the first time he has visited Ha Long Bay, a well-known landscape of Vietnam which has twice recognized as a UNESCO world natural heritage. It is among 28 candidates in the final round of voting for the honour of being named as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, Weber said.

He hailed Vietnam’s efforts in the campaign, saying that the Vietnamese people actively voted for Ha Long Bay and other landscapes on the world and the Government encouraged the people to join the campaign. He attributed the high response to the voting to the close link between Government and people.

Weber said he hopes that Ha Long Bay will receive enough votes to become a new wonder of the world.
Jean Paul De la Fuente, Director of the organisation, said the voting result is expected to be released on November 11, 2011.

The two senior officials of the New Open World organisation are on a visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh.
During the visit, Bernard Weber handed over a certificate of Ha Long Bay’s candidacy in the final round of voting to Vietnam.

Minister Anh said the current visit to Vietnam by the two officials is of great significance to Ha Long Bay, helping to increase the organisation’s understanding of the bay and attract votes for Ha Long Bay around the world.

PV