Exchange promotes VN culture in Canada

A musical and cultural exchange took place at Vietnam House in Canada on May 2, with the participation of many Canadian friends and Vietnamese people in the country.

Jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada and the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, the exchange aims to promote Vietnam ’s culture.

Speaking at the opening, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Sy Vuong Ha said the event is expected to contribute to strengthening understanding and friendship between Vietnam and Canada .

The embassy wants to introduce the special characteristics of Vietnam ’s culture through traditional handicraft products and photographs featuring the beauty of Vietnam ’s land and people to international friends, Ha said.

Participants were impressed with photographs of Ha Long Bay, float markets in South Vietnam and scenery at localities across Vietnam .

They also enjoyed several performances including a violin concerto and guitar solo by young Canadian and Vietnamese musicians.

Nguyen A’s lens captures ‘good’ popular faces

‘Tam va Tai – Ho la ai?’ (Heart and Talent – Who are they ?) by photographer Nguyen A on Wednesday opened at HCMC Youth Cultural House, featuring 300 photos.

The collection is portraits of characters whom Nguyen A considers as talented and have ‘good’ faces in the fields of culture, education, economy, science and sports. He includes familiar faces such as Professor Tran Van Khe, song-writers Pham Tuyen and Trinh Cong Son, People’s Artists Le Thuy, Dinh Bang Phi and Kim Cuong, meritorious artists Thanh Loc, Huu Chau and Cong Ninh, singer My Linh, saxophonists Quyen Van Minh and Tran Manh Tuan, businessmen Gian Tu Trung and sprinter Vu Thi Huong.

“The photos depict daily life and natural features of characters, and Nguyen A helps viewers  spot talent as well as the contributions of those people to this society,” said singer Kyo York.

The photographer has invested VND1 billion in the collection. He came to the public’s attention with his exhibitions ‘Young Volunteers in Nguyen A’s eyes’ in 2007 and ‘That is how they live’ in 2009.

The exhibition runs until May 10 at the cultural house, 4 Pham Ngoc Thach Street in District 1.

‘Sixth International MANGA Awards’ open

Entries for the ‘Sixth International MANGA Awards’ will be accepted from April 27, with guidelines for application and entry forms available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: www.manga-award.jp.
Logo of the sixth International MANGA Awards

The Golden Prize for the Sixth International MANGA Awards will be given to the best MANGA entry and three other distinguished works will receive the Silver Prize. In addition, the Japan Foundation will invite the prize winners to Japan to attend the awards ceremony. They will also meet with other Japanese MANGA artists and visit publishing companies, etc., while in Japan.

Both published and unpublished works are eligible as entries, except works that have already received Manga Awards in the past. Eligible entries must be of 24 or more pages and produced in countries outside of Japan.
 
MANGA works should have been produced within three years of the date of entry. They must be submitted in printed form as per rules. Overseas publishing companies are permitted to apply for the Sixth International MANGA Awards only if they confirm that their MANGA artists have consented to their works being submitted.

Entries must arrive no later than June 15. They should be sent to i). P.O. Box MBE 703, Sixth International MANGA Award Executive Committee, Yanagiya Taiyo Building 1F, 4-3-16 Nihombashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0022, Japan or ii). Japanese Embassies or the Consulate-General of Japan.

Two copies of works must be submitted and the entry form must be duly filled either in English or Japanese, and attached to the works.

The awards ceremony will be held in Tokyo in January 2013.

The International MANGA Awards were established to share Japanese pop culture and help promote an understanding of Japan. They were created to honour MANGA artists who have contributed to the promotion of MANGA overseas.

This is the sixth such award, the selection of which will be officially decided by the Sixth International MANGA Awards Executive Committee.

Information about the past International MANGA Awards is available on website: www.manga-award.jp

‘Face to Face’ depicts young artists’ self-portraits

Eighty artists from Hanoi, Hue and HCMC jointly present their own portraits at ‘Face to Face’ exhibition at Mai gallery, 12 Quan Su Street in Hanoi.

On display are pictures capturing various feelings and states of mind of the artists in different colors. Artist Tran Van Ninh depicted himself in a black and white painting made of oil on canvas as a man smoking with a pensive expression and long fingers. Oil-on-canvas works feature the pale and cold face of Mai Dai Luu and the cheerful, pure and upright face of Hoang Duy Vang.

Le Thi Minh Tam portrays herself in an abstract style, while Dang Tu Thu haunts viewers with a somber face reflecting a painful and writhing look.

The gallery’s owner Tran Phuong Mai said she had came up with the idea to host a self-portrait exhibition for young artists when collecting portraits of Vietnamese painters for a foreign friend a decade ago.

*‘Speeches of walls’ exhibition, featuring visual arts works by Lolo Zazar, opened on Wednesday at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street in Hanoi.

The French sculptor has lived in Vietnam for five years and has been inspired by the continuous and rapid changes in Hanoi. The working progress on the capital city’s walls was recorded by Zazar’s fine and poetic view.

Last year, Zazar hosted the same exhibition themed ‘Garbage of walls’ at Module 7, 83 Xuan Dieu Street in Tay Ho District with over 100 pictures of concrete drilling and cuttings of advertisements.

The event runs until June 11.

Song composition contest begins in Da Nang

The Da Nang People's Committee is hosting a song composing contest dedicated to the coastal city that will run from this month until February 2013.

The organising committee will select the best 20 songs composed by Vietnamese musicians for the final round from December 10 to February 2.

Awards will be given to the first-place composer, two runners-up, three third-place finishers and six notable others in a ceremony in Da Nang on March 29.-

Hue Festival attracts 2m visitors

Some 2 million visitors came for the nine-day Festival Hue last month, a 62 per cent increase compared to the previous edition two years ago, according to provincial authorities.

Almost 100,000 foreigners came, a 54 per cent increase compared to 2010, most of them from Thailand, France, Germany, and Australia.

The next Hue Festival will open on April 12, 2014.

Photo exhibition to help Hanoian difficult families

More than 200 photos depicting the daily life and landscapes of Viet Nam are on display at the French Cultural Centre in Ha Noi.

The theme of the exhibition is "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth", which are the five basic elements in nature according to Vietnamese tradition.

Visitors to the show can observe the carved details on a temple, the green terraces of the rice fields, the waters of Ha Noi lakes and Ha Long Bay, and the flames of burning votive paper, among other characteristic sights.

The photos were taken by members of the humanitarian association Coup de Pouce Viet Nam and will be available for sale until next Thursday at 24 Trang Tien St. The proceeds will be used to help needy families in Ha Noi.