Photo exhibition shows solidarity with Palestine

Solidarity between Vietnam and Palestine is the theme of a photography exhibition being held at 93 Dinh Tien Hoang in central Hanoi from November 29 to December 4.

The exhibition is organized by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations and the embassy of Palestine in Vietnam.

The 120 photos on display are divided into three groups, the first presenting images of a gentle and beautiful Palestine,  the second illustrating the close ties between the Vietnamese and Palestinian people, and the third introducing the Palestinian embassy’s people-to-people diplomacy activities.

On this occasion, the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations established a committee to canvass for creating a Vietnam-Palestine Friendship Organization to strengthen the solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Palestine for world peace.

The committee members are Vietnamese who studied or worked in Arab countries and those who support Palestine.

Int’l photos exhibited in Hanoi

Two hundred and fifty of the best photos at the sixth International Artistic Photo Contest in Vietnam are now on display at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi.

The contest was launched in May by the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA), under the sponsorship of the International Federation of Photographic Art.

There were 10,500 entries by 1,600 photographers from 55 countries including Germany, Hungary, Myanmar, Turkey, Slovenia, France, Australia, Spain, the US and the UK - a record number for a photo competition in Vietnam. The competition was sponsored by NIKON.

"The entries are varied in topics, which reflects fairly well the life in many countries in the world," said Vu Quoc Khanh, chairman of VAPA and head of the judging board.

The exhibition will run until December 30.

Hanoi street concerts bring music to the masses

During each of the last three weekends, a group of 20 string musicians from the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO), the Vietnam National Opera – Ballet, and the Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAM), have played for free on the pavement of a Hanoi street.

Conducted and directed by violinist Xuan Huy, they perform famous classical pieces, from Strauss’s Emperor Waltz, to Mozart’s Divenmento No 136 and No 137.

To an audience who still feels intimidated by classical Western music, and even use the term “scholarly music” to refer to the genre, the weekly street shows seem like a practical approach to bring the music closer to the locals.

The Luala Concert, as the series is called is a community music project sponsored by luxury fashion and lifestyle retailer DX Group, VNSO, and state-owned Music Publisher to shorten the distance, both literally and figuratively, between the general public and the genre.

Taking the classics to the streets and performing for a random crowd full of people who may be more familiar with pop or rock is not an easy job, according to one project organizer.

He explained that the musicians have to maintain both the audience’s interest and their professional standards while playing at an open air location, which is rarely considered the best venue for classical concerts.

“[Besides bringing the music to the public], the concerts are a challenge to us professionally. We would like to receive feedback on the project from music professionals both within Vietnam and from around the world.”

“Usually, people in Vietnam place little value in what is given for free, but we can assure that with the Luala concert, the quality of our performances is the first priority,” music composer Tran Manh Hung said.

Hoang Cao Minh, a local resident who lives near Hoan Kiem Lake, said he had never been to the Hanoi Opera House for its concerts, and that he did not really understand the genre either.

“But every Sunday morning I feel very relaxed and peaceful while listening to the music coming from a street corner,” he said.

On November 20, another street concert project, named “Toi yeu su chia se” (I love to share), kicked off its first performance at Ly Thai To Park.

Unlike the Luala Concert, “I love to share”, featuring students of the VNAM, plays more than just classical music. The shows will include solos and ensembles of jazz and folk music, as well as more contemporary works by both Vietnamese and international artists.

After drawing large crowds who seem to enjoy the music at the open air venue immensely, “I love to share” is expected to spread to other cities and provinces across the country.

“Every passerby, whether they are truly interested in the performance or not, spends at least 2 -3 seconds listening to our music, giving the person and society a chance to get closer to classical music,” Hoang said.

While the Luala Concert takes place every Saturday and Sunday from 15pm – 17pm, as well as 10am-12pm on Sunday at 61 Ly Thai To until February, “I love to share” will be held every Sunday morning at Ly Thai To Park till the end of 2012.

Local young orchestra holds concert on environment protection

Vietnamese young orchestra, Rhapsody Philharmonic, is holding a concert to raise the public awareness of environmental protection in Hanoi on November 30.

Titled “CUNTROL – Earth’s Story,” the concert, held by the orchestra in collaboration with the Hanoi-based Climate Change Resilience Center, will tell a story of how the Earth, a beautiful place for all creatures to live, has been destroyed by human beings.

The concert will feature works composed and arranged by the orchestra along with world-renowned pieces.

Founded in 2010, Rhapsody Philharmonic consists of 50 members aged 17 to 22 from the Vietnam National Academy of Music.

The orchestra has become well-known for their performances combining Vietnamese traditional music instruments with modern electric ones.

It has also introduced symphony music to the youths through performances of recent hit songs such as “Poker face” and “ Telephone” by Lady Gaga or “Love the way you lie” by Rihana.

“CUNTROL – Earth’s Story” will take place at 8pm at L’Espace at 24 Trang Tien.

Tickets cost VND159,000 and VND199,000 VND.

Ethnic costumes go on parade in Hanoi

The first ever national ethnic costume show displaying more than 200 costumes from Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities was held last night at the Cultural and Tourism Village of Vietnam’s Ethnic Minorities in Dong Mo, Hanoi, The Thao Van Hoa reported Tuesday.  

Held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event aimed to keep track of the traditional costumes of the 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam and promote the preservation of these cultural heritages, some of which have come under serious threat from urbanization and modernization.

A member of the organizing committee said ethnic groups with a population under 1,000 such as the Ma, Ruc, Cong, Pa Then and Sila minorities who live within a larger community of a different ethnicity are most vulnerable to losing their own costumes.

235 young men and women from 54 ethnic groups took their audience through an impressive parade of their traditional costumes, from their daily dresses to more special ones reserved for important occasions such as weddings and festivals, complete with their traditional accessories such as necklaces, bracelets and ear rings.

Song composer An Thuyen, one of the organizers said he felt lucky to be able to see all of these traditional costumes and was amazed at and proud of the diversity and colorfulness of Vietnam’s culture.

A ministry’s official said they planned to organize this event every two to three years.

Earth’s story to stir up capital on Wednesday

A thought-provoking concert ‘Earth’s story’ by Rhapsody Philharmonic will begin at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the French Cultural Center L’Espace in Hanoi.

The local band will tell, through their music, the story of earth’s creation and how mankind has put its future in jeopardy.

Rhapsody Philharmonic was founded by drummer Nguyen Hung Cuong and Luu Quang Minh, chairman of the Student Association of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Comprising of over 40 members, the group uses classical and modern music genres such as pop and rock accompanied by a symphony orchestra, electric musical instruments and a DJ.

Tickets are available at VND159,000 and VND199,000 at 24 Trang Tien, Hanoi.

Festival spotlights creativity of young artists

One hundred and fifty five paintings, graphic works, sculptures, installations and video-art pieces are now being displayed at the Young Artists Festival 2011, which opened at the Vietnam Cultural and Arts Exhibition Centre, No. 2, Hoa Lu Street in Hanoi on November 28.

The works on show focus on various issues in contemporary life as well as the country’s national construction, defence and achievements during its process of industrialisation and modernisation.

The artworks, selected from more than 953 entries submitted by 479 artists from across the country aged between 18 and 35 years old, reflect the artists’ creativity and aesthetic sense through a fresh new language of artistic expression.

The biennial event, the second of its kind, is held jointly held by the Vietnam Fine Arts Association and the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The exhibition will close with an awards ceremony on December 10.

Hanoi contemporary female artists to exhibit women’s conflicting status  

A new art installation at the Goethe-Institute in Hanoi will explore the changing dimensions of gender politics in modern Vietnam by featuring the work of six young Vietnamese female artists.

Phap Phong (Throbbing) will run from Dec 1 until Dec 13.

The artists, including Ha Thi Hong Ngan, Nguyen Thi Hoai Tho, Pham Thu Thuy, Huong By Nguyen, Pham Hong, Vo Ngoc Hue, confront themselves as well as their audience with images of women via installation and visual art.

The exhibition was prepared by Tran Luong, one of the most famous artists and curators in Vietnam, together with the artists. The showing will include an artist talk on Dec 2

According to a press release from organizer, phap phong is the lingering worries, anxious expectations, fragility and vulnerability, hopeless waiting and spontaneity that haunt Vietnamese women.

Curator Tran Luong writes about the exhibition in the release, that “Legitimate as they are, gender and sexuality issues are still something that most of us mention with lot of shyness and discomfort. Citizens of a country that has not been through a sexual revolution, we are under an oppressive pressure of the vestige of Confucian morality.

“It is another unfortunate instance of the market opening period, known as mo cua, when there is an opportunity for instinctive needs to erupt and explode, but in a very wild and pathetic fuller picture, where moral values degrade unceasingly in all social aspects. In the sexuality area only, abortion could have hit a record, while sexually transmitted diseases and infertility are increasing at an uncontrollable speed!”

“Caught in such a grey zone, women citizens must always change their colors to act in different roles in some very typical circumstances. On the surface of what we see, Vietnamese women of today seem to have been much released. But if we get to know how carefree they really are when they are with their friends, we will clearly see the artificiality and the pressures they must suffer from as they need to frequently change their look and style, trying to dilute themselves in places where moral norms are expected. Workplaces, schools, public spaces, in-laws’, homelands, among many other places, become stages where they are forced to act!,” the release says.

“A status of conflict smolders, between wanting vs. not wanting, erupting vs. squeezing, desiring vs. suppressing, ignoring vs. playing cool, being happy vs. being stunned, screaming vs. being silent, getting mad vs. getting blank, and much more.”

Goethe-Institute Hanoi is located on 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh District. Free Admission.

Hanoi painters reveal Vietnam landscapes, people at new exhibit  

A painting exhibition titled “Landscape Painting”, a collection of works by local artists Nguyen Ngoc My and Tran Tuyet Nga, will run until Dec 10 at Korean Cultural Center in Hanoi.

The artists exhibit very different styles but both of their works show the beauty of the Vietnamese landscape and the Vietnamese people.

Both artists were born and grew up in Hanoi. Tran Tuyet Nga graduated from the Hanoi College for Industrial Art while Nguyen Ngoc My graduated from the University of Hanoi Theater.

The duo are very passionate about the arts. They have both had their oil paintings and lacquer paintings displayed in many exhibition all over the country.

Both artists focus mainly on natural landscapes and the every day lives of normal people.

Tran Tuyet Nga focuses more on lacquer paintings while Nguyen Ngoc My prefers oil paintings.

Korean Cultural Center is located on 49 Nguyen Du Street.

Hanoi to feature French play  

French actress Catriona Smith and actor Chad Chenouga will portray Hermione and Phoenix in Andromake.

French and Vietnamese actors will perform the tragedy Andromake at 8 p.m. at Hanoi Opera House on Dec 15 before touring France next year.

Directed by Jean-Marie Lejude with a script by Jon Fosse, the play is based on works by French classical playwright Jean Racine (1639–1699) and will be performed in French with Vietnamese subtitles.

According to organizer, L’Espace in Hanoi, it is the story of Oreste who is in love with Hermione, who is chasing Pyrrhus. Pyrrphus is in love with Andromaque – who has a heart for her son Astyanax and her deceased husband Hector.

Andromaque is in prison and her son is captured by the enemy.

French artists Chad Chenouga, Catriona Smith, Pierre Olivier Mornas, and Gisèle Tortérolo, together with Hoang Lam Tung, Nguyen Vinh Xuong, Pham Ngan Hoa, and Phung Khanh Linh will take part in the play.

Tickets, priced from VND100, 000 to 200, 000, are available at Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street.

Young children receive prizes at Vietnam-Denmark writing contest  

Vu Huong Nam from the central highland province of Dak Lak and Vu Thi Thuy Dung from Dong Nai Province won first prizes at a writing contest which was part of a joint Vietnam-Denmark children literature project.  

Vu Huong Nam got the highest marks for her work titled “Miraculous snail shell” in the prose category for age 10-14, themed “Green dream”.

Chu Thanh Huong from the northern province of Lang Son and Tran Duc Tien from the coastal city of Vung Tau in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province won the second and third prizes respectively in the category “Dream in a storm” and “The little angel in blue dress”.

Vu Thi Thuy Dung won over the jury for her work “The spider has fallen into oblivion” in the comic category for age 3-6, themed “First friend”.

Two second and third places belonged to “Best friend forever” by Tran Huynh Phu Khanh and a compiled double comic “Gathering bats” and “Little worm” by Dang Ngoc Minh Trang of Ho Chi Minh City.

The Vietnam-Denmark children literature project was launched a year ago by Kim Dong Publishing House and the Danish Writers’ Association, receiving about 290 submissions from young readers.

Joint activities between the two countries aim to encourage children to read books and practice writing, as well as maintain children’s reading clubs and publish children’s literary works created by the two countries’ young writers.

In addition, a series of cultural activities celebrating the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Denmark bilateral relations will be held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from now until December 7, such as Denmark film week, art performances and exhibitions.

HCMC to host fund raising concert for overseas Vietnamese  

A fund raising concert for overseas Vietnamese living in Laos and Cambodia will be held at the Ho Chi Minh City Television Theater on November 30 and December 1.  
                      
People’s Artist Thu Hien, Meritorious artists Le Thuy and Quynh Lien, singers My Tam, Nam Khanh, Trang Nhung and artists of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music will join the concert.

The event is being organized by the Fund for Overseas Vietnamese Community (FOVC) and the International Communication Company, and will be broadcast live on HTV9 channel.

FOVC was established to help and support overseas Vietnamese communities and work towards mobilizing overseas Vietnamese, helping them stabilize and develop, help in preserving the Vietnamese identity and also contribute towards construction of the country.

FOVC is a non-profitable organization.
 
HCMC Circus Troupe performs in France  

The Ho Chi Minh City Circus Troupe of 24 artists has arrived in France for performances to be held from now until December 23, on the invitation of the Elles Company.  

This is the ninth time that the municipal circus troupe has accepted an invitation to perform in France during the last nine years.
 
The group will present to the audience in various cities such as Monao, Lion some very exceptional items.

The performance, “Power of the Arm’ by circus artists Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep of the HCMC Circus Troupe will be one of the highlights. The performance has earlier won the Silver Lion award on October 31 at the 13th Int’l Circus Festival in Hebei Province in China.

The performance has also won three prizes at the13th International Circus Festival in Italy from October 13-17, which included a silver medal and two minor titles awarded by the world’s leading circus groups, Monte Carlo Circus and Cirque du Soleil.

“Power of the Arm” performance has also won the first prize at the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia young circus talent competition in 2009 and a gold medal at the Hanoi International Circus Festival in 2010.

Earlier the HCMC Circus Troupe took part in the 10th International Circus Festival "Circuba 2011" in August in La Habana in Cuba.

Columbian Pacific Salsa group to perform in Vietnam  

The Columbian Pacific Salsa group will hold workshops and performances in Vietnam on December 2 and 4 as part of a cultural exchange program organized by Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.   

The Columbian Pacific Salsa has a very distinctive style and mainly focuses on amazing footwork and fluid hip movements.

On this occasion, the amazing Latino dancers will bring the hottest Cali salsa ever to be seen in Hanoi, with great performances of belly dance, chair dance by  Swing Latino and other Vietnamese dance studios in Vietnam, namely, ISIS world dance, Sfire and ODC.

The Salsa Gala Night on December 4 will be dedicated to the ‘Heartbeat Vietnam Foundation’ which helps poor children to have free heart operations.

The Salsa workshop for Instructor level on December 2 will take place at the ISIS World Dance Centre at 256 Ba Trieu Street in Hanoi. The workshop will be conducted free and participants must call in advance as seats are limited.

Life Club at 194 Tran Quang Khai Street in Hanoi will be venue for the workshop on December 4 with tickets priced at VND 80.000 per person for advance booking and VND 100.000 per person for current booking.