Local website to use copyrighted songs legally

NCT Corporation, the owner of popular Vietnamese music website www.nhaccuatui.com, will sign a contract with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment on Tuesday for the right to use their songs.

According to the contract, NCT will pay these two labels for the songs it will use for its audio and video services.

The website also said it would offer a new “Premium Content” service to provide “high quality” music for a fee by the end of this year.

NCT’s general director Nhan The Luan said the website would continue to provide free music but the latest albums and “high quality” music would now be charged a fee. “But the fee would be very low,” Luan said.

Luan said it took NCT two years to negotiate with the two labels because they charged as much as VND1million for a song per year.

Ron Kamnuanthip, General Director of Universal Music in Southeast Asia and Angela Pong, Director of Business Development of Sony Music in Hong Kong said with the deal with NCT, the two labels would be distributing their songs officially to Vietnamese users for the first time.

Established in 2007, NCT has also used Vietnamese songs under copyright legally.

City exhibition features minority arts, traditions

An exhibition featuring artworks by ethnic minority groups is being held at the District 5 Cultural Center of in Ho Chi Minh City.

The show, being held by the HCMC Ethnic Minority Literature and Arts Association, has 121 works including lacquer paintings by Cham artists, photos depicting the daily life and religious festivals of the Khmer, and several traditional costumes and music instruments.

The association is also showcasing an “Ancient poems collection” by renowned Vietnamese poems written in calligraphy.

The exhibition, on at 105 Trần Hưng Đạo B Street, will be open until September 18.

Europe meets Vietnam in contemporary dance

A contemporary dance programme entitled “Europe meets Vietnam” will be held at the Youth Theater in Hanoi on September 8-9 to introduce trends in the European contemporary dance.

The event is part of a collaborative project between the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and the Vietnam Opera and Ballet (VNOB).

The programme includes three different pieces, with “Fire Fly’s Season” - a new piece presented first by the VNOB about love in its various forms.

Then at the invitation of the delegation of Wallonie-Bruxelles, Belgian artist Ricardo Machado will perform “Benedetto Pacifico” - a mysterious, dark piece about the fears that we all carry within ourselves and the mysterious figures they embody that haunt our imaginations.

Belgium has a particularly innovative dance scene, which will be seen for the first time in Vietnam with “Benedetto Pacifico”.

In the last part of the programme, a German-Vietnamese co-production takes the stage. The German choreographer Hans Henning Paar, invited by the Goethe Institute, developed a new piece with dancers from the VNOB. To the passionate music of Franz Schubert, the dance piece “Death and the Maiden” was created to tell a story of Death wooing a young girl.

Hans Henning Paar had previously worked with the VNOB in realizing the choreography of the music theater piece “Through the Valley,” which was performed early this year at the Hanoi Opera House.

Vietnamese dishes introduced in Hong Kong

The Vietnamese Cuisine Month was launched at Habour Plaza Metropolis Hotel, Hong Kong on August 29.

The event is aimed at offering Hong Kong people a chance to enjoy Vietnamese traditional dishes such as Pho Hanoi (Hanoi’s noodle soup), sea-crab spring rolls, and Southern spring rolls.

The Month, co-sponsored by the Vietnamese Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau, the Habour Plaza Metropolis Hotel, Vietnam Airlines, and a Hong Kong-based travel ageny, is part of activities to celebrate Vietnam’s National Day.

Nguyen Thi Nha, Vietnamese Consulate General to Hong Kong and Macau, said Vietnamese dishes are appreciated all over the world.

Although there are many Vietnamese restaurants in Hong Kong, never has there been any official introduction of Vietnamese dishes, Nha said.

World heritages displayed at photo exhibition in Da Nang

A one-week photo exhibition themed Vietnam's World Heritage will open in Da Nang on August 30.

The event will show 206 photos of 11 exhibits which were recognised as world heritages by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

They include Ha Long Bay, My Son Sanctuary, Hoi An ancient town, Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park and relics of the Thang Long imperial capital and the Hue ancient capital.

The Giong Festival, Bac Ninh love duets, gong culture, ceremonial songs and court music will also be displayed.

The event is being organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The photos will later be exhibited in other provinces and cities and abroad, organisers said.

Can Tho hosts race for radio-controlled boats

Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta hosted an open race for radio-controlled boats on Sunday.

The event attracted 10 radio-controlled boat clubs from Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat City in Lam Dong Province, Vung Tau City in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai Province and others from the Mekong Delta provinces of An Giang, Tra Vinh, Ca Mau and Can Tho City.

Long Xuyen Club from An Giang won the first prize in the 26cc engine boat category. The second and third places were taken up by Da Lat Club and Saigon Fost Club from Ho Chi Minh City respectively.

Thanh Da Club from Ho Chi Minh City won the first prize in the 29cc engine boat category, while Ca Mau Club and Bien Hoa Club grabbed the second and third position.

HCM City exhibition on goong music

A photo exhibition displaying works on the Central Highland’s goong musical tradition for the first time is taking place at the HCMC Museum at 65 Ly Tu Trong Street in District 1.

The HCMC Museum and Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts co-organized the event, which features nearly 90 pictures selected from French archives, including Ecole Francaise d’extreme-orient (EFEO), Societe des Missions Etrangeres de Paris and Quai Branly Museum in Paris.

From the 1930s to 1960s, French colonial and military officials, evangelists and scholars took these photos, in the hope of recording life in highland villages of some ethnic groups such as Bahnar, Jrai and Mnong at that time.

The exhibition covers four areas, including the goong orchestra’s structure, the custom of goong playing, the background of goong music and the break with tradition.

The event, which runs until September 31, is part of a series of activities aimed at preserving and promoting values of the Central Highland’s goong culture.

Thousands join ‘Aiming for zero cavity’ festival

More than 10,000 people joined ‘Aiming for Zero Cavities’ Festival at Le Van Tam Park which was held in the city for the last two days by Odonto-Stomatology Department of HCMC University of Medicine & Pharmacy and supported by the Colgate brand of Palmolive Vietnam Co., Ltd.

At the festival, children and their families joined in entertaining activities and received free dental check-ups and consultations provided by specialists from Odonto-Stomatology Department. Parents had an opportunity to talk, share and listen to opinions on oral healthcare with specialized doctors coming from Vietnam Odonto-Stomatology Association and the university.

This is the first time a festival of this nature has been organized during the Oral Health Month from August 15-September 15, offering an opportunity for families in HCMC to engage themselves in learning and receiving free consultations from leading experienced specialists to improve the public’s oral health.

The Oral Health Month sees annual activities including free dental check-ups and consultation while offering oral care gifts to Vietnamese kids at hundreds of dental clinics and universities in HCMC, Hanoi, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, Can Tho and Hai Phong. The program also expands to primary schools at some central provinces as well as industrial zones in the South.

Glass painting craft still alive in the delta

Coming to An Giang Province’s Cho Moi District, tourists should not ignore the traditional glass painting craft village in Long Dien B Commune on Ong Chuong Islet.

The craft has been alive since the 1950s and developed strongly in Long Dien, Long Kien, Long Giang and Long Dien B communes and has been handed down from generation to generation.

In the past, residents in the countryside in the delta have often used glass paintings to display in altars and decorate living rooms.

To make a glass painting, artists need to finish four steps, including cutting the glass, screen-printing on the glass with patterns, coloring and finally putting it in a frame.

Most glass paintings depict religious stories and characters, landscapes, fruits and flowers or some meaningful proverbs.

Many local firms making glass paintings create jobs for hundreds of laborers in the commune and neighboring areas. Each month, one worker can earn from VND1.5-3 million per month.

Nguyen Thanh Hoa, a local artist, said: “The products now are not loved by many people but the commune tries to preserve it as a traditional craft to hand down to younger generations.”

Coors Light CD promotes local, foreign artists

Six local and international singers/bands contribute new songs to an exclusive CD named ‘Amplify your refreshment’ by Coors Light Beer Vietnam.

An event to mark the album’s debut was organized at Hard Rock Cafe HCMC last Friday night with the participation of Thao Trang, Antoneus Maximus, Thanh Bui and the 365 Band, who have songs in the album, and other celebrities.

After an event to mark the 11th birthday of the Rock Fan Club, the biggest community of Vietnamese rock fans, Coors Light Vietnam continues its journey to bring music to customers with an album featuring both talented Vietnamese and foreign artists including Trang of Vietnam Idol 2007, Maximus - a Vietnamese-American rapper/producer who has cooperated with some world famous artists like James Duval, Patrick Swayze, the Black Eyed Peas and rapper Tha Dogg Pound; singer/songwriter Bui; Jayson Norris, the Opshop band and the Vietnamese 365 (Three Sixty Five) Band.

The ten track album is a compilation of six different styles from East to West, from a passionate Trang in the songs Party and Mien Yeu Thuong (beloved region); trendy Maximus with Miss Bonita and Me And You; romantic Bui with Bay Len (flying high) and Cho Nhung Doi Thay (changes); the youthful 365 Band with Khac Biet (differences) and Music in Me while Jayson Norris and the Opshop band lure listeners with songs Love Someone and Pins And Needles.

From now until October 26, customers can receive this special album when they buy a pack of six Coors Light cans at supermarkets and retail outlets nationwide.

Those who enjoy Coors Light beer at restaurants and bars can swap six bottle caps for a CD.

For further information, access the website www.coorslightmusic.vn or call 3512 7357.

Red River Delta Fine Arts exhibition opens

The Red River Delta Fine Arts exhibition opened at the Hai Phong Fine Arts Centre in Hai Phong city on August 28 to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and the National Day (September 2).

The exhibition displays 240 paintings, graphics and sculptural works by 150 artists from Hai Phong city, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh and Thai Binh provinces.

In addition to the major themes praising the Party, Uncle Ho and national struggles, the works also focus on agriculture, farmers, and rural life, as well as the country’s sea and islands, presenting them in fresh styles and a variety of media.

Bui Van Lang from Hai Phong city won the A prize for his composite sculpture entitled ‘Mua Roi’ (Puppetry) while the B prize was presented to ‘Ngay Moi’ (A New Day) by Do Duc Khai from Hai Duong province and Nguyen Tuan Long from Thai Binh province earned the C prize for his work ‘Giai Dieu Ba Vi’ (Melody of Ba Vi).

The exhibition aims to promote artistic works in the region as well as provide an opportunity for artists exchange ideas and present their work to public.

The exhibition, co-organised by the Vietnam Fine Arts Association and the Hai Phong provincial Union of Literature and Arts Associations, will run through September 6.

PV