Vietnamese girl finishes 3rd at beauty contest

18-year-old Cao Hoang Yen, a Vietnamese girl in the Czech Republic, finished 3rd at the Miss Princess of the World held in Prague last Saturday.

Carmen Isabel Chavez from Mexico grabbed the crown while Michaela Karaková from Slovakia finished 2nd.

The Miss Princess of the World is organized annually for unmarried girls from 16 to 23 of age.

Foreign artists to show works in Nha Trang, Hanoi

Three exhibitions featuring photos and paintings by foreign artists will be showcased in Nha Trang and Hanoi this month.

Titled “Panorama of Vietnam,” the photo exhibition by French photographer Thiery Beyne showcasing 18 photos about Vietnamese life and customs as well as the country’s development since 1997 has just opened in the coastal city of Nha Trang.

Part of the money collected from selling these photos will be donated to NGO Friends of Needy Children in Nha Trang, of which Beyne and his wife are members.Graduated from Paris College of Art in 1978, Beyne first came to Vietnam in 1997 and afterwards, visited the country every month.

He has been living in Nha Trang since last September. The exhibition is being held at Novotel Hotel at 50 Tran Phu Street and will run until October 31.

Another exhibition featuring 40 black and white photos taken by British photographer Sean Sutton will also be opened at Maison des Arts in Hanoi on Thursday.

Titled, “Impact for Peace,” this exhibition will provide a look at the lives of people still affected by wars and as well as the impacts of UK-based not-for-profit organization Mines Advisory Group (MAG)’s work in removing unexploded ordnance.

Sean Sutton has worked with MAG for the last 14 years and has traveled to many countries such as Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Vietnam and Sudan to document the lives of people during and after wars through the lens of a camera.

His photographs have been widely published in newspapers and magazines all over the world.

The exhibition will be held at 31A Van Mieu Street until October 16.

Also in Hanoi, an exhibition showing paintings by world-renowned artists Tracey Emin and Louis Bourgeois together with several Vietnamese painters is taking place at Bui Gallery at 23 Ngo Van So Street until November 15.

The exhibition “What We Talk about When We Talk about Love” features works about love, identity, sexuality and fear of loss and abandonment.

Born in 1963, Tracey Emin has worked on monoprint, painting, photography, book and sculpture.

Louis Bourgeois, born in 1911, was known for her contributions to both modern and contemporary art.

In late 1990s, she made her reputation by a nine-meter-high steel and marble giant spider sculpture titled “Maman.”

She died of heart failure last May.

Traditional music group opens new venue

Traditional music group Ca Tru Thang Long in Hanoi will open its second performance venue on October 5.

Starting with a weekly show at Quan De Temple at 28 Hang Buom every Saturday a few years ago, Ca Tru Thang Long will expand its activities by organizing daily performances at 87 Ma May.

Besides performances of ca tru, or northern chamber music, the group will also hold information sessions introducing the origin and history of this art in both Vietnamese and English.

Pham Thi Hue, head of the group, said there was a growing demand for ca tru performances from both local and foreign tourists. She said it was thus a high time to meet this demand.

“Ca tru tro lai” or “The Comeback of Ca tru” will be held every night from 7 – 8 pm at 87 Ma May, Hanoi with tickets costing VND 100,000 (US$5) for locals and US$ 10 for foreigners.

Online film fest kicks off

The local online film festival YxineFF 2011 has started screening its best entries on its website.

Phan Xi Ne, a film director and organizer of the event, said this year the fest had seen an increase in quantity and quality of the entries.

Oversea filmmakers from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have also sent the films, Phan Xi Ne said.

YxineFF is organized annually by Sai Gon Media Company, local film aficionados and cinema practitioners with an aim to broaden the independent film-making community in Vietnam and offer local filmmakers an opportunity to promote their works worldwide.

The 112 film entries are screened on www.yxineff.com everyday at 7 pm.

Painting exhibition on East Sea in California

A painting exhibition on the East Sea by Vietnamese artists Viet Ann Phong and Nguyen Viet Hung will take place in Westminster, California on October 8-9.  

Born in Ho Chi Minh City and arrived in the US in 1981, Phong is now living in southern California and works as a lecture at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She has taken part in 60 personal exhibitions across the US.

Nguyen Viet Hung, also born in Ho Chi Minh City, has been living in the US since 1982. His works have been displayed in a number of art galleries, art centres and museums.

Flamenco gala celebrates Spain’s National Day

The Spanish embassy in Hanoi will organize two flamenco performances in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate Spain’s National Day (October 12).

Five famous dancers from Spain will perform three dances inspired by the poems of Federico Garcia Lorca at each performance, which has been specially designed to appeal to Vietnamese audiences.

Spanish ambassador Fernando Curcio said the cultural programmes held by the Spanish embassy in Vietnam aim to strengthen diplomatic and cultural ties between the two countries.

“We hope to introduce the Vietnamese public, especially the younger generations, to the main features of Spanish culture,” he said.

Flamenco is a famous Spanish art form combing music and dance which originated in the Andalusia region of Spain.

Sean Sutton displays positive post-war stories

Impact for Peace by photographer Sean Sutton will open on Thursday at the Maison des Art, 31A Van Mieu Street in Hanoi.

The show will display 40 black-and-white photos taken during Sutton’s 20 years behind the lens. All photos are stories about people who are victims of war as well as brave acts of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in removing old mines and those creating positive impacts in communities.

This exhibition is a celebration of more than a decade’s work by MAG in Vietnam, and at the same time to highlight that there is a still an ongoing and future need for the clearance of these explosive remnants of war in Vietnam.

For more than 20 years Sutton has traveled around the world to document the lives of people during and after conflict on film.

From 1989 to 1991 he photographed the Karen in Burma and then for the next five years he traveled to the former Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Angola, Albania and Laos.

His photographs have been widely published in newspapers and magazines and he has received a number of awards and exhibitions of his work have been held all over the world.

The show runs until October 16.

PWA, PKRA surfing contests in Phan Thiet

Authorities in Binh Thuan Province have allowed the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to collaborate with AHI company to host the windsurfing contest PWA Vietnam 2012 and kitesurfing tournament PKRA Vietnam 2012 at Doi Duong resort in Phan Thiet City.

Not only famous for its stunning beaches, sand dunes and historical relics, Phan Thiet is also the ideal place for surfers. It has hosted many national and international surfing contests, including kitesurfing, windsurfing and boardsurfing.

The PWA Vietnam windsurfing cup will take place from February 10-18 and the PKRA is scheduled be held from February 25 to March 3. So until then, the department will steer travel agencies to promote and improve tourism services.

Previous windsurfing contests have been held in Jibe’s Beach Club in Mui Ne, Ham Tien Ward, while kitesurfing events are usually at Sakura tourist site also in Mui Ne. Surfing contests often attract more than 100 entrants from all over the world.

Italian author Beppe Severgnini talks to Hanoi readers

Readers and lovers of Italian culture in Hanoi had a chance to enjoy an interesting talk with journalist and writer Beppe Severgnini, author of the Head of the Italians, at the 'Creative Space Club', 36 Dien Bien Phu street on October 3.

The event, co-organised by the Italian embassy and Nha Nam Publishers, was within the framework of the Italy-Vietnam Programme 2011 and marked the 11th World Italian Language Week.

‘The Head of the Italians’, translated and published in Vietnam in November 2010, is a tour across Italy the author took with some foreign friends to discover the country by visiting thirty different places in ten days. He presents an overview of Italy through its lifestyle and specific cultural values from the North to the South, including food and sports to morality and politics.

The ‘Head of the Italians’ has been translated into 14 different languages and become a bestseller in Italy, the US, Germany and Vietnam.

Vietnam and Italy share many things in common from their geographical shape to interesting cultural differences between the North and the South and the people of both countries are dynamic and treasure traditional family values but always look toward the future, said Beppe Severgnini at the talk with Hanoi readers.

He also expressed his hopes that book will help Italian and Vietnamese people further understand each other and grow closer.

Beppe Severgnini has been writing for the Corriere della Sera, Italy’s most renowed newspaper, since 1995 and has also collaborated with the Economist and the New York Times Syndicate. In 2004, he was voted 'European Journalist of the Year' in Brussels. Severgnini’s books, published in Italy by Rizzoli, are all bestsellers.

'Solar Square' showcases Russian fine art in Hanoi

'Solar Square' marked its return to Vietnam with an exhibition of fine arts which opened at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Hanoi on October 3.

The exhibition, held jointly by the Solar Square International Fine Arts Association, the Vietnam Fine Arts Association and the Russian Centre for Science and Culture, showcases 24 paintings and four sculptures by outstanding Russian artists from the 'Solar Square' Association.

'Solar Square' first appeared in Vietnam with exhibitions in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue and Vung Tau in 1997 and 2010.

Unlike the previous displays, this year's exhibition has no common theme. Each work stands on its own and bright colours are dominant, expressing both classical and innovative characteristics, said Meritorious Painter and Chairman of the Solar Square International Fine Arts Association, Stephan Sagaiko.

At the opening, the Russian painter also expressed his delight at Solar Square’s return to Vietnam on the occasion of its 20th founding anniversary. The exhibition aims to create a cultural link between Russia and Vietnam, he added.

The exhibition will run until October 10.

Live TV programme on 50th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh sea trail  

Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV) will broadcast live on HTV9 channel a television programme on October 11 to mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary Ho Chi Minh sea trail.

The golden jubilee program titled “50 years of Legendary Trail” will be organized jointly by Sai Gon Giai Phong, Quan Doi Nhan Dan newspapers and HTV.

The legendary Ho Chi Minh sea trail was once a vital route in fulfilling its mission for transporting hundreds of ships with weapons, goods, medicines, cadres and soldiers from remote parts of the north to the frontline, to bolster the people contributing towards the revolutionary war of liberating the south from US imperialists and subsequently reunifying the country.

The program also aims to remind the youth in the country to understand the profoundness of this important historical milestone and President Ho Chi Minh's journey that led to national liberation. Viewers will see through images, documents and interviews with researchers and historical witnesses, the deep moral lesson left behind by this major event in the country’s history.

During the live TV broadcast, viewers will have a chance to enjoy special musical performances by singers and artists featuring images of the nation’s beloved President and greatest of all leaders.

PV