Exhibition on images of old Hanoi marks National Day

An exhibition themed ‘Hanoi-Corner of Time’ will be held at Exhibition Hall on 45 Trang Tien Street in Hanoi from August 30-September 4.

The event will present to viewers 100 exhibits including 3D photos and films featuring Hanoi’s old quarter, Opera House, Dong Xuan Market, Long Bien Bridge and daily activities of Hanoians from the late 19th century to mid 20th century.

The display has been co-organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Hanoi Cultural Fund and Hanoi 3D Company, on occasion of National Day (September 2).

Exploring musical roots

Vietnamese veteran composer Quoc Trung, along with several local and foreign artists will co-operate to introduce traditional music from Vietnam and around the world at a show titled “Khoi Nguon” or The Beginning, which will take place on September 1 at the Hanoi Opera House.

This is set to be the first in the long-running ‘Nguon Coi’ or The Roots project.

The local celebrity Thanh Lam, young singer Kieu Anh, the Vietnamese-French jazz artist Nguyen Le, Tunisian composer, singer and oud player Dhafer Youssef and Moroccan-German percussionist Rhani Krija will gather to work with Quoc Trung for the largest project in his career, which will run through next year.

According to the producer, who gained fame for his accomplishments in world music with ‘Duong xa van dam’ or The road to forever project ten years ago, Nguon Coi will also introduce both traditional and experimental Vietnamese music, jazz, electronic and many other types of music from around the globe.

“Nguyen Le, Dhafer, Rhani, Thanh Lam, and Kieu Anh are all in tune with the trends in world music, but still hold a special love for the traditional folk music of their individual countries,” Trung said. “For this reason I decided to invite them onto my project, which will feature the roots of each artist's nationality along with modern tinges of adaptation. Along side traditional Vietnamese musical instruments and melodies, the show will feature music from other places, such as the Middle East and Africa."

The composer also said that ‘The Beginning’ will be divided into three parts. The first part will feature Nguyen Le and Dhafer, with introductions to works, including some Vietnamese folk songs which Nguyen Le has remixed. The second part will be Trung’s latest works and some old songs in Duong xa van dam but, also remixed and performed by new artists. The third portion of the show will be Thanh Lam, who will perform her songs in a mixed world music style, along with some other songs from her latest album, produced by Nguyen Le.

He added that the young singer, Kieu Anh, who performed traditional ca tru in his Duong xa may trang show last year with great appreciation from the audience, will join Nguon Coi on this occasion.

Tickets are available at the Opera House at No.1 Trang Tien Street and on website www.vntic.vn. Prices are from VND500,000 to VND2.5million.

The Roots Project hopes to produce two albums in addition to the show, by Quoc Trung and Thanh Lam.

Trung said that he hopes the albums would be an example in international collaboration and plans to introduce them at various international music festivals.

Argentina center promotes Vietnamese culture

The Vietnam-Argentina centre was inaugurates in Buenos Aires on August 29 to introduce Vietnamese culture and promote mutual understanding between the two countries.

A Vietnamese delegation lead by the Head of Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions Vi Kien Thanh attended the opening, along with leaders from the Argentina-Vietnam Cultural Institute (ICAV) and other officials.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chairman of the centre Dr Pham Lien said the center aims to bridge two countries through various events such as Vietnamese talk shows, film screenings, seminars and art exhibitions.

It also hosts fashion shows, tourism fairs, traditional dance, theatre and music performances, as well as culinary art and teaching Vietnamese language.

Ambassador to Argentina Nguyen Van Dao applauded the activities held by the Argentina-Vietnam Cultural Institute over the past 15 years that promoted friendship and solidarity between the two nations.

The ceremony was wrapped up with a fashion show featuring a collection of Vietnamese traditional clothes modelled by Argentine women.

The centre was designed to implement the cultural cooperation program in the 2010-2012 period as signed by both nations’ leaders during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s official visit to Argentina in 2010.

Tokyo to host Viet Nam-Japan Programme

The Viet Nam-Japan Programme 2012 will be held in Tokyo from September 13-17.

The programme will include an art performance, a forum on investment promotion, a seminar on developing human resources and a Vietnamese cultural festival.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung, who is also co-head of the organising board, said the programme would help Japanese people understand more about Viet Nam and give visitors the chance to enjoy Vietnamese food and see handicrafts being made.

The programme has been held each year since 2008, attracting thousands of Japanese people and foreigners living in Japan. It highlights co-operation in the fields of culture, tourism, trade, education and job training.

Int’l balloon festival open in Binh Thuan

The first International Hot Air Balloon Festival (VIHABF 1012) opened in the southern Binh Thuan province on August 31.

The event attracted nearly 60 pilots and aerial experts from 12 countries, including the US, the Netherlands, the UK and France.

21 balloons of different shapes and sizes will fly up to 100m-200m above the round in a radius of 25km.

Nguyen Thanh Tam, Deputy Head of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said VIHABF has become a prominent cultural event in Vietnam, attracting large crowds of both local and foreign spectators.

Other activities include hang-gliding, aircraft and traditional kite demonstrations and performances as well as a marine tourism trade fair having a total of 150 stands.

Festival to feature best of German cinema

The ten best German films produced in the past year will be shown in six Vietnamese cities including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Ho Chi Minh city during the third German Film Festival in Vietnam from September 6 – October 4.

The cinematographic works, which have won numerous prizes at both local and international film festivals and been appreciated by audiences and critics alike, are arranged in various topics, ranging from family bonds, friendship and love to films about children and adolescents.

Different from the two previous film festivals, this year’s programme will also focus on the lives of immigrants in Germany, who have created a multi-cultural society in the country. Their thoughts, difficulties and integration into the community are featured in the films ‘When We Leave’, ‘Three Fourths Moon’ and ‘Winter Daughter’.

At a press conference in Hanoi this morning, Almuth Meyer-Zollitsch, director of the Hanoi Goethe Institute that organised the festival, said “We hope that the programme will open a window to German life, culture and society and make Germany more attractive for Vietnamese people.”

The Goethe Institute launched a website at http://goethe.de/german-filmfestival-vietnam to provide viewers with an overview of the festival with more information and trailers of the featured films.

Films will be screened at the National Cinema Center in Hanoi from September 6-13; Cong Nhan Theatre in Hai Phong from September 21-25; the Center for Culture and Information in Hue from September 14-19; Le Do Cinema in Da Nang from September 13-18; Khanh Hoa Cinema Centre in Nha Trang from September 20-23; and BHD Star Cinema in Ho Chi Minh City from September 28-October 4.

In the three years since it was created, the event has become a cultural bridge between Vietnam and Germany and popularising German cinema in Vietnam.

VNN/VOV/VNS/ND/SGGP