Famed circus show returns to Hanoi

“Lang Toi” (My Village), the circus show featuring Vietnamese culture and its roots, will return to Hanoi next month after touring many countries.

The show, which was performed in France, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Germany, Britain and the Netherlands by the Vietnam Circus Association, uses the language of circus and theatre to depict Vietnam’s peaceful and traditional country life, as well as traditional customs and folk games.

With a stage decorated mainly with bamboo, the plant closest to Vietnamese people’s life, the show was also a hit in its native country four years ago, when its premier was held at the Hanoi Opera House. “My Village” stirred much attention and excitement from the public, who had rarely seen a circus performed in such a different manner, with the background music of traditional folk songs.

According to Le Tuan, one of the show’s directors, the artists use bamboo on their stage in the hope of reminding young Vietnamese living in Vietnam, as well as overseas, about their roots and to introduce Vietnamese culture to the world.
“My Village” will take place at the Hanoi Opera House on August 10.

Paralympic photo contest to raise funds for the disabled

Vietnamese and foreigners working in Viet Nam have been invited to join a photo contest to celebrate the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

Entitled Inspire Sports, the contest will support a programme being run by the East Meets West Foundation in Quang Tri Province to help people with disabilities take part in sporting activities.

Photo entries must feature disabled people involved in sporting activities. They must not be more than two years old.

Photos must be sent to the organisation board by October 8. For further information, visit website http://khoanhkhac.thethaovanhoa.vn for the Vietnamese version or at http://www.eastmeetswest.org/page.aspx?pid 782 for the English version.

Winners will receive prizes ranging from VND15 million to VND2 million (US$700-950). Winning photos will receive a certificate from the Viet Nam Artistic Photographers' Association.

Selected entries will be showcased at an exhibition at the end of October.

The event is held with help from the British Embassy in Viet Nam.

Toyota Concert in Phnom Penh helps foster ties with Cambodia

The Toyota Concert 2012 for Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia got underway in Phnom Penh for the first time on Saturday as part of activities to mark the 45th anniversary of the Viet Nam – Cambodia diplomatic ties and boost cultural exchanges between the two peoples.

The event was jointly organised by the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) and the Toyota Viet Nam Foundation.
Under the baton of Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, the event also saw the presence of Vietnamese singer Trinh Thanh Binh and other artists from Cambodia and the VNSO.

Participating artists performed works written by Vietnamese musicians Trong Bang and Hoang Viet, and former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk, as well as classical pieces by world-renowned composers Johann Strauss and Leroy Anderson.

Cambodian Secretary of State of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts Minh Kosny spoke highly of the event, saying that it showed the inseparable friendship between the two countries.

Trans-Asia Bridge Span Festival kicks off

The highly anticipated 3rd Trans-Asia Bridge Span Festival for Greater Mekong Sub-region countries officially opened on July 28 in Dong Ha city in the central province of Quang Tri.

Politburo member, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC), Secretary and Head of the CPVCC Commission for Communication and Education, Dinh The Huynh attended the opening ceremony.

The annual event aims to boost co-operation and cultural, economic and tourism exchanges between the countries in the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC), and promote the friendly relationships among nations of the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

A wide range of activities are scheduled during the three-day event from July 28-30, including a trade fair, an international seminar on economic and tourism development in the EWEC, and a seminar on developing tourism in the three provinces of Mukdahan (Thailand), Savanakhet (Laos) and Quang Tri (Vietnam).

The EWEC is one of the three economic corridors established under the framework of Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) cooperation initiated by Japan and the Asian Development Bank.

The 1,450km corridor begins in the Myanmar's port city of Mawlomyine and runs through Thailand and Laos, entering Vietnam via the Lao Bao international border gate in Quang Tri province and ending at the port of Tien Sa in Da Nang, Vietnam.

VNN/VNS/SGT/ND