British singer to perform with Vietnamese artists

World renowned tenor Adrian Ward from the UK will perform Symphony No.9 in D minor Op. 125 together with three Vietnamese singers at the Hanoi Opera House on December 7 and 8.

They are baritone Vu Manh Dung, mezzo-soprano Le Thi Vanh Khuyen, and soprano Ha Pham Thang Long.

The audience will see a large chorus set up by the Vietnam Opera Theatre, the National Culture and Arts College, the Hanoi Freud Association, and the Hanoi International Chorus.

The concert, directed by British conductor Graham Sutcliffe under the baton of Japanese conductor Honnoa Tetsuji, will be held by the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra in cooperation with the Australian embassy in Vietnam.

Symphony No.9 in D minor Op. 125, which was finally completed by Beethoven in 1824, is considered one of the most famous works of the western classical repertoire.

Tourism head opposes Ha Long’s rising ticket price

On Monday, Nguyen Van Tuan, head of the Central Tourism Department, told Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper that he did not agree with Quang Ninh’s new pricing scheme regarding excursion tours around Ha Long Bay.

The northern province has sparked widespread opposition in both tourist and business communities towards its directive No 3620, which almost doubled admission fees for Ha Long Bay excursions as of December 1.

According to the decision, tourists departing from Ha Long port and following any of the five excursion routes will be charged from VND40, 000 to VND130, 000 a person (US$2 - $6.5), nearly twice the previous rates.

Tuan said that he had discussed the issue with the leadership of Quang Ninh and suggested that the province suspend its plan, as “it is not the right time to hike the price,” he said.

The department head also requested Quang Ninh to devise a reasonable pricing scheme which incorporates discounted prices for domestic tourists.

“There also have to be reasonable proposals accepted by the tourism business community,” he stressed, adding that he believed the province would soon make adjustments to its policy.

Thus far Quang Ninh’s senior officials have yet to make any official comments regarding the issue.

Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy head of Quang Ninh’s People Committee and the official who authorized the scheme, has failed to respond to all requests by Nguoi Lao Dong’s reporters.

Rock version of late composer’s song causes stir

A rock cover version of the famous song “Noi vong tay lon” (Circle of Unity), written by late composer Trinh Cong Son, and performed by leading Vietnamese rock bands, has recently caused a stir on the Internet.

The song was performed by well-known local bands including The Light, Buc Tuong (The Wall), Thuy Trieu Do (Red Tide), Unlimited, Buratinox, Microwave, Lazee Dolls, Sagometal, Final Stage, and Prophecy.

The music video of the song, which was made in 2007 but was only released on Youtube on December 1st, has attracted more than 85,000 views with over 4,000 likes from Youtube users.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for such a great Vietnamese rock song. You go guys,” a netizen nicknamed 123hutrang commented on Youtube.

The 5-minute clip also features beautiful landscapes from around Vietnam, from the north to the south, such as Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake and Ho Chi Minh City’s Ben Thanh Market and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Many fans said the cover is not only good for its music, but also because it keeps the song’s spirit of calling for unity among people.

“I can’t stop hitting the replay button. I’m so proud of Vietnam, Vietnamese people, Vietnamese rock and Trinh Cong Son’s music. The cover is so great!,” lovets1312 wrote.

The song was written by the legendary composer in 1968 and released on April 30, 1975 to celebrate Vietnam’s Reunification Day.

Popular singing show winds up

Singer Doan Trang and her partner Tran Thanh were crowned the winners of the local version of British TV singing show “Just the Two of Us” last night.

Pop star Dam Vinh Hung and actress Kim Thu finished second and singer Ngoc Anh and Actor Quach Ngoc Ngoan occupied the third place of the first season of the show, whose Vietnamese title means “The Perfect Couple.”

Actor and TV show host Tran Thanh was moved to tears when accepting his award and said this was the first he came first in any competition.

In the final, the three couples had to sing 3 songs of 3 categories, fast beat, slow beat and classic.

Doan Trang and Tran Thanh took great risks by performing two new songs “Chi co doi ta” (Only Us) and “Nu than” (The Goddess).

The couple won an impressive 10/10 for their performance of “Nu than” from director Le Hoang, who played the role of the difficult judge in the 4-member jury panel.

Eating and Sleeping exhibition to take place in Ho Chi Minh City  

Eating and Sleeping is the name of an exhibition by Vietnamese artist Lim Khim Ka Ty that will take place at Craig Thomas gallery in Ho Chi Minh city beginning December 2.

Through paintings, the artist gives an insight and artistic opinion of working people, as well as the role of women in Vietnamese society.

Focusing on the hardship inherent in their lives as well as evoking the bittersweet burden that marriage and family place on Vietnamese women, Ka Ty's paintings are filled with a great compassion and empathy.

The award-winning artist was born in Ho Chi Minh City to a Vietnamese mother and a Cambodian father.

She has held solo exhibitions in Thailand, Macao and Vietnam.

Craig Thomas Gallery is located at 27I Tran Nhat Duat Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi exhibits award-winning photos  

A photo exhibition featuring best works submitted to the 6th International Artistic Photo Contest held in Vietnam in May are now on display at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi until December 30.

The exhibition, which opened on November 26, presents 250 photos selected from 10,612 entries submitted by 1,602 photographers from 55 countries and territories worldwide to the contest held by the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) and sponsored by the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP).

It includes award-winning entries that won 40 prizes (VAPA and FIAP medals) in different categories, including black and white, color, and “Images of Vietnam through international lenses.”

Some of winning entries are: Tam tau (trio performance) by Vietnam’s Ha Van Dong (VAPA golden medal - color); Rising planet-10 by Mikhail Bondar of Ukraine (FIAP award); Ba chi em H’mong (Three H’mong sisters) and Qua khu mot trieu dai (A dynasty’s past) by Vietnamese photographers Tran Thiet Dung and Nguyen Quang Tuan (black and white FIAP and VAPA awards).

Vietnamese music gala held in France

A Vietnamese music gala was held at the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France on December 3.

Vietnamese singer Hoang Lan, and French pianist Olivier Salon performed at the event, drawing many Vietnamese residents and students in France and French friends living in Paris and its surrounding areas.

Over the past 10 years, Hoang Lan and Olivier Salon have performed Vietnamese-French pieces of music at many European classic music shows in Lille, Nantes, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, and other French major cities during Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays.

Bazaar for camera lovers at Lighthouse Cafe
 
The second bazaar for camera lovers took place over the weekend at Lightbox Cafe in HCMC’s Phu Nhuan District, luring hundreds of guests with 19 booths available.

The event, organized by members of the photo forum www.vnphoto.net, featured models and accessories of popular brands such as Lieca, Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Sony. The bazaar also had vintage cameras from brands such as Leica, Mamiya, Carl Zeiss and Hasellad. There was also the Argus model, manufactured in 1936, which appeared in the Harry Potter movies, the Yashica which reporters based in war-torn countries used in the 1960s and the Hasselad which is used with 6x6 film.

Visitors can trade, exchange knowledge or discuss their passion or share experiences and techniques.

Pham An Duong, marketing director of Intel Vietnam and founder of the website www.vnphoto.net, said the demand for the bazaar is high, thus it will be held on the final Saturday of every month.
 
Plight of working class and women on display

Solo exhibition named ‘Eating and Sleeping’ by Vietnamese artist Lim Khim Ka Ty which has opened at Craig Thomas Gallery in District 1 focuses on Vietnam’s working class and examines Vietnamese women.

In paintings about the working class, she portrays the hardship inherent in their lives but also shows a great compassion and empathy for their situation. Her choice stems from her deep respect and affinity for those hard-working beaten-down people in whom she finds great strength and beauty.

The works see people working away, chatting, their facial expressions or sleeping in worksites in HCMC under the pouring rain and the sunlight. Ka Ty spent a lot of time talking to people about their lives and her interactions with them were filled of laughter and warmth, but she depicts the hardship of life with expressions of sadness, starving and struggling. She wants to call public attention on the urban underclass to empathize with the great challenges imposed on them by poverty and dislocation.

Ka Ty also depicts the bitterness and unequal burden that marriage and family place on Vietnamese women. Her paintings of women often portray their roles as wives and mothers who are required to sacrifice their own personal dreams and aspirations.

Ka Ty was born in HCMC to a Vietnamese mother and a Cambodian father. She has held solo exhibitions in Thailand, Macau and Vietnam.

The exhibition runs until December 15 at the gallery, 27i Tran Nhat Duat Street in District 1.
 
National ‘Cheo’ festival concludes

The National ‘Cheo’ (popular opera) Festival 2011 wrapped up at the Thai Binh provincial Labour Cultural House on December 4 after nine days of competition.

Three gold prizes went to art troupes from the Vietnam Cheo Theatre, the Hanoi Cheo Theatre and the Thai Binh provincial Cheo theatre. The Thanh Hoa and Vinh Phuc provincial Cheo troupes and the Army Cheo Theatre took home silver prizes.

The organising board also presented 27 gold and 50 silver medals as prizes in individual categories.

The festival featured 16 performances involving nearly 500 artists from 13 Cheo troupes across the country. The performances, which were composed in the past five years, focused on contemporary issues that have attracted public attention.

The event, held jointly by the Vietnam Stage Artists’ Association, the Thai Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Performing Arts, provided an opportunity for Cheo artists to exchange experiences and encouraged more creativity to meet audience demands.

Photo contest highlights beauty of Vietnam contemporary architecture  

A collection of 32 works that made the finals of this year’s Masterpiece Photo Contest 2011, which focuses on Vietnam’s contemporary architectural works, will be displayed in Ho Chi Minh City from December 9-17.
According to Martell XO, which organizes the contest, the finalists were chosen based on four criteria, uniqueness, artistry, technique, and identity of Vietnamese architecture.

They were selected from 2,800 entries submitted nationwide.

The contest winner will be announced at an award ceremony to be held on December 18 at the Vincom Center, where the exhibition takes place.

Besides the first prize of VND100 million and 30 consolation prizes, the organizer will also award a special prize for the photo which receives most votes from netizens on website www.masterpiece.vn.

The Masterpiece Photo Contest 2011, following on the success of the event last year, opened in October.

French photographer catches glances from children around the world  

An exhibition titled “Land of Glances – Our similarities in our differences” by photographer Yan Lerval will take place at Idecaf in Ho Chi Minh City from December 7-17.

Lerval is a French freelance photographer living in the city. The exhibition is a selection of the photographs he took on visits to several South Asian nations including India, the Himalayan region, Africa and Europe.

He plans to end his "Tour du Monde des Enfants" (Children around the world) in South America early next year.

Lerval has travelled to many countries and worked for famous magazines and photography agencies

For nearly one year, he has been working to realize an old dream - producing a book of children's glances.

Idecaf is located on 28 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

5th tri-annual Khmer Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival ends  

The 5th tri-annual Khmer Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival ended at the Xuan To industrial zone in Tinh Bien District of An Giang Province on December 4.  

The festival received nearly 1,500 artists and 900 sportsmen of 12 art and sports troupes from 12 cities and provinces in the region and attracted more than 150,000 visitors.

The event included music performances, traditional costume shows, traditional rituals of the Khmer ethnic people, a sports competition, a book exhibition, display of various cultures of ethnic minorities in the country, and photographs of ethnic minority groups from the mountainous regions.

There were seminars on Science, Integration and Development; the preservation of historical and cultural sites; introduction of cuisine culture of the Southern regions and of Cambodia.

The festival has a special political significance and is an opportunity to honor and highlight the culture of the Khmer ethnic group and strengthen solidarity and exchange amongst the Khmer community.

The Khmer Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival is organized every three years.

City opens Christmas holiday season with Hollywood blockbusters  

With Christmas and New Year holiday season round the corner, Ho Chi Minh City is preparing a series of Hollywood blockbusters and Vietnamese films to be screened in cinemas throughout the city.  
      
"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1”, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner opens the season and is attracting large numbers of young audience.

Sentimental and action films are usually an indispensable food for the mind during the holiday season, such as  ‘Beautiful Lies’ (De vrais mensonges) by Pierre Salvadori and ‘Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol’, starring Tom Cruise and the fourth installment of the spy thriller.

There is also ‘Darkest Hour’; ‘Alvin and The Chipmunks 3-Wrecked' and Arthur Christmas, 3D-animated family comedies; a Korean movie, ‘Mr. Idol and 'Legendary Amazons’, a Chinese film based on stories of the Yang Clan Generals.

The Vietnamese movie market is also bustling this year, with breakthrough titles including the horror movie Cot moc 23 (the mysterious number 23), comedy films Hoan doi than xac (Body swop) and Toi nay 8h (Tonight at 8 o'clock).