National fine arts exhibition to open in Hanoi
 
More than 800 of art from 2006-2010 will be displayed at the Vietnam Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre in Hanoi from December 1-5. 

It was announced at a press conference in Hanoi on November 29 that they were selected from more than 5,000 entries sent by artists nationwide in four years from January 2006-August 2010.

The event aims to review and assess the state of Vietnamese fine art over the past five years. According to the organising board, the chosen art works reflect the creativity and professional skills of contemporary Vietnamese artists, especially the new young painters.

Tran Khanh Chuong, President of Vietnam Fine Art Association, who is also deputy head of the organising board, said that the exhibition aims to display work by artists during the renewal process.   

Vietnam’s national art troupe performs in Canada
 
Seven artists from the Vietnam’s National art troupe led by the People's Artist of Quang Tho performed in Canada from November 10-29.

Their performances were held in many cities in Canada including Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and received great applause from overseas Vietnamese audiences.

This was the first time the Vietnamese residents in Canada were entertained with traditional music.

Apart from Vietnamese famous songs performed by People’s Artist of Quang Tho and young singer Khanh Linh, there were many solo performances on monochord, the T’rung, and bamboo flute.

Photo exhibition on Hanoi opens in France
 
55 pictures of Hanoi taken by contemporary French photographers are on display at the  “Hanoi – 1,000 years” exhibition which opened at Gustave Courbet primary school, Romainville, France on November 29.

The event was co-organised by the France-Vietnam Friendship Association and the Centre for Information and Documentation on Vietnam and the Vietnamese Association in France with the assistance of the Vietnam Culture Centre in France.

This is part of the France-Vietnam cooperative project which involves the French primary school Gustave Courbet and Tran Phu Gifted High school in Vietnam’s Hai Phong port city.

The photo showed Hanoi’s development through different periods of history to the Doi Moi (Renewal) process.

The Headmaster of Gustave Courbet school, Olivier Catayee said that the exhibition aims to strengthen cultural exchange and discover cultural heritages of the two nations.

Under the project, there will be student exchanges between the two schools in the next four years. 24 students from Gustave Courbet will go to Vietnam and 25 students from Tran Phu high school will go to France for a ten-day visit.

European music festival opens in HCM City
 
The opening ceremony for a European music festival was held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 28.

Addressing the event, Sean Doyle, Head of the EU Delegation to Viet Nam, said the 2010 annual festival celebrates the 20th anniversary of Vietnam-European Union (EU) relations (1990-2010). 

This year’s 10th annual event this year will feature 22 artists from Wallonia Brussels (Belgium), Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain who will perform classical, jazz and pop music.

The festival will last until December 4.

Photo exhibition marks 60th anniversary of Vietnam-China ties
 
A photography exhibition is being held at the Ha Khau-ASEAN Commercial Centre in Lao Cai from November 26-30.

This is part of a series of activities in 2010 by Vietnam’s Lao Cai province and China’s Yunnan province to mark the 60th anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic ties.

Many of the more than 300 exhibited photos have been shown to the public for the first time. They recorded the periods of development in the relationship between the two countries over the past 60 years as well as economic, political, cultural and social achievements of both Yunnan and Lao Cai provinces.

The exhibition presents visitors with a comprehensive overview of diplomatic ties between the two countries, especially the friendship and comprehensive co-operation between Lao Cai and Yunnan. It also aims to strengthen mutual understanding between the two provinces and friendly ties between the two countries.

RoK-Vietnam Cultural Exchange Gala in Ho Chi Minh City
 
The programme aims to promote friendly relations and cultural exchange between the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnam.

Hwang Eui Hoon, KPA head, expressed his hope that the cultural exchange will gather all people who want to build a long lasting friendship between the RoK and Vietnam.

The gala held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 26 by the Korean People’s Association (KPA) and the RoK General Consulate attracted Seouls Pops Orchestra – one of the leading orchestras in the RoK.

Seouls Pops Orchestra was established in 1988 by Ha Sung Ho. Over the past 22 years, it has been the leading and most successful orchestra in the RoK.

The orchestra is in the Guinness World Records with more than 3,000 performances. After playing in Vietnam, the orchestra will perform in Laos and Thailand.

Ship for Southeast Asian Youth to dock at southern hub
 
The 2010 Ship for Southeast Asian Youth will dock at Saigon port in Ho Chi Minh City on December 5, bringing ashore more than 300 young delegates from ten Southeast Asian countries and Japan.

This is the 11th ship of this kind, which left the Japanese port of Yokohama on October 4 for Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam, and is scheduled to return to Tokyo on December 11.

During their four-day stay in Ho Chi Minh City, the young delegates will take part in exciting activities such as cultural exchanges with local youths, sightseeing, visiting local students, and homestays.

The Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program is primarily funded by the Japanese Government and receives cooperative assistance from the governments of ASEAN nations. It aims to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between young people from Japan and Southeast Asian countries, and to provide a chance for them to expand their view of the world, develop their creativeness, and get to know about each other’s culture on board.

Villager gives ancient documents to nation
 
A family in the central province of Quang Binh has given 15 ancient documents to the State Record Management and Archives Department.

The documents were title promotion decrees issued by Kings Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh, who took the reign from 1820 to 1925.

They were conferred to military mandarin Pham Si, a son of the sixth generation of the Pham family, for his contributions to helping the Kings to defend the country from the 15th year (1834) of Minh Mang King to the 9th year (1924) of Khai Dinh King.

Pham Van Khoi, a representative from the ninth generation of the Pham family in Trung village, Vo Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, said his family’s decision on donation aims to preserve these invaluable documents and to serve the research into the national history.

PV