Ancient relics on show in Ho Chi Minh City

An exhibition of ancient artifacts collected during the last 10 years has opened in Ho Chi Minh City.

It features more than 300 Vietnamese items including ancient coins, Oc Eo ceramics from An Giang Province dating back to 1 – 630 CE, Go Sanh ceramics from the central region from the 13th to 15th centuries, and a bronze drum from the 8th – 10th century.

It also has relics from other Asian countries, like ceramics from China and Thailand.

The exhibition, on at the Vietnam History Museum, 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, will run until December.

Circus artists to perform Romeo and Julliet

The Ho Chi Minh City-based Circus Art Troupe will perform the famous play “Romeo and Julliet” by William Shakespeare using a mixture of acrobatics and acting at a show on August 20 in the city.

Unlike previous dramas like “Cau Be Rung Xanh (The Jungle boy)”, “Bay Quy va Vien Ngoc Than (Evils and the Magic Gem)”, “Mu Phu Thuy va Cay Dua Than (The Witch and the Magic Wand)” in which stage actors played main characters and acrobats played supporting roles, circus artists this time will be in charge of all characters.

Outstanding Artist Doan Ba, general director of the VND400million show said it is a big challenge since circus artists have no idea about playing drama. They have to focus not only on acrobatic performance but also the dialogues.

After 2 months practicing, the circus artists have been acquainted with acting.

“We’re trying our best to blow a fresh air to the art of circus”, Ba said.

Phi Vu, director of circus techniques said the show will attract both adults and children due to its famous plots and interesting circus performances.

“No one can say if the show will be successful since we have to consider feedback from audiences”, he added. “If it succeeds, we want to continue with a “Pinochio” show”.

The artists also hope to bring their performance on an international tour later.

The show will take place at the circus at 23/9 Park in District 1 on August 20.

Vietnamese student receives VND1 billion scholarship

Female Vietnamese student Ha Vi Chau has won a full scholarship from the United World Colleges (UWC) worth nearly VND1 billion per year to study abroad in the 2011-2012 academic year.

Chau, currently in the 11th grade at Nguyen Binh Khiem Gifted High School in Quang Nam province, left Vietnam on July 31 to continue her studies in Norway.

When she was in the ninth grade, Chau won first prize at a provincial literature contest. She has also been awarded second prize in a provincial level English competition and a consolation prize at a national level competition.

Chau surpassed thousands of other Vietnamese students to win the scholarship, which covers tuition and accommodation for two years abroad.

Sea village festival opens

The Viet Nam Sea Village Festival opened yesterday in the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan with participation of troupes from the south-central coastal provinces.

The opening ceremony will be organised tonight and broadcast live on the Viet Nam Television. It will be highlighted by an art performance by actors from the Viet Nam Opera and Ballet Theatre and art troupes of the province.

Dubbed Ninh Thuan – A Destination for Vietnamese Sea Culture, the festival includes a wide range of activities such as a traditional cuisine show to introduce local folk foods, a photo exhibition honouring daily life and the socio-economic development of fishermen, as well as an art performance and sporting event to highlight traditional cultural characteristics of villages along the coast of Viet Nam.

The festival will involve more than 1,000 folk artists, actors and actresses from south - central coastal cities and provinces, including Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and HCM City.

The festival offers a chance for localities to promote cultural and marine tourism, raise public awareness of and appreciation for the country's sea and islands, said Phan Quoc Anh, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

"This is also an opportunity to respect folk games and traditional festivals of the local people," he said.

Each province participating in the festival will introduce one particular folk ritual from its sea villages.

The festival is organised by the provincial People's Committee and will run until Friday.

With a long seaside and high mountains near the coast, Ninh Thuan is famous for destinations such as Vinh Hy Bay, Ninh Chu and Ca Na beaches and Nam Cuong Sand Dune.

Vietnamese artist to receive Dutch award

Artist Le Quang Dinh is set to receive an award for his contribution to contemporary arts from the Prince Claus Fund on August 8 at the Dutch Consulate General in HCM City.

Dinh, born in 1968, won fame for his combination of modern graphics and traditional Vietnamese techniques in such works as East Sea Pishkun (2009), depicting a helicopter falling into the sea as American troops withdrew from Sai Gon.

The artist is a co-founder of the Viet Nam Arts Centre in Los Angeles as well as San Art, the first independent and non-profit exhibition space in HCM City. He also serves on the management board of the Viet Nam-Denmark Cultural Development and Exchange Fund.

The Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, launched on 6 September 1996 and based in Amsterdam, aims to expand insights into cultures to promote interaction and development.

First children’s reality show on HTV7

HCMC Television Station and MCV have cooperated to produce the first reality show for children in Vietnam called Con da lon khon (You’ve grown up), reports Tien Phong.

This show, which made its debut on Saturday on HTV7, is sponsored by TH True Milk and will be broadcast every Saturday.

The show’s format is based on that of Nippon Televison in Japan and is adjusted to match the

Vietnamese culture. It features the first tasks that children aged between 2.5-5 years old have to do for their parents.

To secretly record the incidents, the production team disguise themselves as different people, such as joggers, street sweepers or sellers, and the camera is disguised as a small box, handbag or shopping bag. All the footage is natural and occurs without the intervention of the director or the parents.

Hi School Fair hits capital

A book and educational products fair will be held at Giang Vo Exhibition Center in Hanoi on August 3.

Hi School Fair will have the participation of over 50 local and foreign companies, and publishing houses will introduce thousands of books for the younger generation. Parents and children can also receive effective book reading consultancy as well as help in choosing the right book for a particular reader.

Parents also have the chance to talk to experts in education, healthcare and nutrition and discuss effective ways to help take care of their children.

Students and young people can join in numerous entertainment activities like singing, drawing, computer game contests and lucky draws.

The activity is in response to the national program to protect children from in the term of 2011-2015, and the year of children 2011, and is organized by information and communication services center, the Ministry of Information and Communications and Vietnam Exhibition and Fair Center.

The exhibition runs until August 8.

War-time items found under tomb in central Vietnam

Huynh Thi Nhan from Tam Ky City in the central province of Quang Nam discovered an decayed ammunition box containing two flags, letters, and a collection of Uncle Ho’s poems when she exhumed the tomb of her sister last Saturday.

Dan Tri newswire quoted some elder residents in the area as saying these items may have been buried between 1956 and 1970 when the American War escalated by Vietnamese soldiers.

The Military Steering Committee in Tam Thanh Commune, Tam Ky City on Monday received the items for preservation and research.

Photos of old Sai Gon shown out of doors

Photos depicting HCM City at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century are being displayed outside the HCM City Museum .

The Sai Gon Xua (Sai Gon Before) exhibit showcases 60 black-and-white photos featuring cultural and daily activities of people, including lion dancing and demonstrations against the US during the military conflict.

Images of famous sites, such as Nha Rong and Sai Gon harbours, are also included.

The exhibition, which will open until the end of August, is at the HCM City Museum at 65 Ly Tu Trong street, District 1.

PV