Vietnamese stand in Sri Lanka attracts a large number of visitors

The Vietnamese Embassy joins other countries and international organizations from India, Russia, the US, Japan, Malaysia and the UN in an exhibition in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka from February 4-7.

This is the first time Vietnam has taken part in the event of this kind since the establishment of its embassy in the country in April last year.

The Vietnamese stand shows video images of the country’s people and land, as well as lacquer products, souvenirs, and publications on bilateral ties. It has attracted great attention from visitors, including Sri Lanka Foreign Minister G.L Peiris.

This is the biggest annual event on Sri Lanka’s development achievements to mark its National Day.

Also on February 4, Sri Lanka held a grand meeting to mark its National Day. In his speech, President M.Rajapaksa called on joint efforts to protect the achievements of the country since its independence in 1948 and rebuild the country in peace despite facing difficulties and outside interference.

Vietnamese State President Truong Tan Sang and other Vietnamese leaders have sent congratulations to their Sri Lankan counterparts on this occasion.

Hoi An increases pedestrianisation

The World Heritage Site of Hoi An is intended to be entirely pedestrianised, an official has announced.

Le Van Giang, Chairman of Hoi An City People’s Committee, said that the old town was trying to preserve its tranquility, and was mitigating potential threats to it’s widely recognised status as a peaceful holiday get-away.

“Due attention should be paid to every daily activity in order to prevent the town’s architecture being damaged, especially the areas around the Japanese Bridge, which is the symbol of Hoi An,” Giang emphasised.

As part of these efforts, the city’s government has decided to ban vehicles from entering the town at certain times beginning from February 2.

During the day, all motorised vehicles, including electric bikes will not be allowed to enter the old town from 8-11am and from 2-4pm, six days a week.

These vehicles are also banned in the town from 4:30-9pm for seven days per week.

Since the town has been pedestrianised, it has attracted more and more tourists, including foreigners.

In 2011, Hoi An welcomed 1.52 million tourists. The town, together with Hanoi, was among Asia’s top tourist destinations during the year.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) is carrying out a project to develop Hoi An into Vietnam's first eco-town.

"The project will help the city carry out green economic activities in small- and-medium-sized enterprises and will focus on energy saving and environmental aspects of tourism and craft industries," said UNIDO Vienam official Le Thi Thanh Thao.

Phuong Nga debuted in Russian film on Vietnam War
 
A Russian TV drama on the Vietnam War starring Miss Vietnam in Russia 2007 Truong Ho Phuong Nga will be screened on Russian channel NTV this year.

A four-minute trailer that reveals the film’s story centering on Pavel, a Russian soldier deployed to Vietnam to help assassinate a Saigon officer, has been aired recently on the channel.

Pavel met and fell in love with Mai, a revolutionary fighter played by Nga, a popular emcee at upscale events in Vietnam who is dipping her toe in the movie industry’s water with her first movie role.

“The soldier,” as the film is named in Russian, was shot for three months starting last February in Ho Chi Minh, Hoi An, Cu Chi and Nam Cat Tien Park.

Trung Dung, another Vietnamese actor who is known for many local TV drama and theatre roles, will also star in the film, playing Mai’s uncle and Pavel’s close Vietnamese counterpart.

The Russian-speaking mini-series has four episodes, running a total length of 180 minutes, with 90 percent of its scenes filmed in Vietnam.

Phuong Nga, who for the first time strips naked for a steamy scene with the leading actor, said she decided not to use a double to ensure the authenticity of the scene although the crew had already prepared one for her.

“I was quite nervous as this was my first acting experience, and my partner was really nervous too. Neither of us said a word to each other.”

“We shot in a loft and only a few people were allowed to be there. After three shots, finally we made it,” Nga said.

Born in 1987, Nga lived in Russia for 9 years, hence her fluent Russian. She won the Miss Vietnam in Russia in 2007 and came back to live and work in Ho Chi Minh since 2009.

The beauty said she would continue her emcee work while pursuing an acting career this year.

Vietnamese horror film receives US film festival invitations

‘Ngoi nha trong ngo hem’ (The House in The Alley) a Vietnamese horror film directed by Le Van Kiet, has received invitations to join several US film festivals after its trailer was posted last month on the entertainment website the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).  

The festivals included New York's Tribecca Film Festival - one of the world's largest, which began in the wake of the September 11 attacks - as well as the Seattle International Film Festival and Houston's Fantastic Festival, which seeks horror films from around the world.

The film features Rebel and Clash star Ngo Thanh Van and Tran Bao Son, and is expected to be released on Valentine's Day this year.

The trailer appeared on the IMDb website after Twitchfilm, one of the world's leading websites for horror films, commented that people had forgotten the appeal of horror films as date movies. Vietnamese writer-director Le Van Kiet will bring scary suspense to Vietnam's screens on Valentine's Day.

"The freshly released trailer is raw in all the right ways, the dominantly handheld camera work dropping you right into the middle of the action and the atmosphere seems bang on," the Twitchfilm website said.

The film focuses on the tragic miscarriage a young couple endure, when after a long stint in hospital, the wife returns home and is tormented by the loss and begins acting strangely. Their house also undergoes a bizarre transformation. The husband, despite trying to help, becomes increasingly frantic, and when things get out of control, the couple are forced to fight together and find out what is happening to their house.

Vietnamese beauties present gifts to needy people

Miss Vietnam 2010 Ngoc Han and winner of the Beach Beauty title in the same contest, Nguyen Thi Loan have presented gifts to poor households and disadvantaged children in Nghi Xuan commune in the central city of Vinh.  

They gave each family 100kg of rice and offered lucky money to disadvantaged children to encourage them to study well.

Top Vietnam Idol wins Favourite Song Award

Winner of the 2010 Vietnam Idol contest, Uyen Linh, won the first Favourite Song Awards live show in Hanoi on February 5 for singing ‘Nguoi hat tinh ca’ (The Love Song Singer) composed by Luu Thien Huong.  

The programme attracted popular Vietnamese singers including Thanh Lam, Hoai Tram, Duy Khoa, My Linh, Ha Hoai Thu, Thanh Le and Dong Nhi, as well as Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy; winner of the Beach Beauty title in the Miss Vietnam 2010 pageant, Nguyen Thi Loan; first runner-up in Miss Queen of Jewelry Vietnam 2009, Huong Giang, and models Thuy Hanh and Truong Tung Lan.

Vietnam attends Cultural Bazaar in Cuba

The Vietnamese Embassy together with other diplomatic agencies in Cuba took part in Bazaar 2012 in Havana on February 4.

The fair introduced traditional handicraft products, food and culture from many countries.

The Vietnamese stand displayed traditional cultural products such as Ao dai (traditional long dress) and embroidery pictures, as well as specialities like spring rolls, attracting a large number of visitors.

The annual fair aims to raise funds for charitable activities in Cuba.  

Festival in Ha Nam celebrates famous general

A food-distributing festival will be held on February 5 night at the Tran Thuong Temple where 80,000 food parcels will be handed out, containing such staples as corn and rice.

The temple is located in the Nhan Dao commune of Ly Nhan district, in the northern province of Ha Nam, roughly 50km south of Hanoi. It is one of the three largest in the country dedicated to Tran Hung Dao (1228-1300), his family and other generals who made great contributions in the fight against the invading Mongols in the 13th century.

Local residents have long organised food distribution ceremonies at the beginning of the lunar New Year to commemorate the general's achievements and to educate younger generations about the importance of saving and stockpiling food for emergencies.

Nowadays, the symbolic portions are considered a lucky charm for the New Year and many locals and visitors from other regions flock to the festival to receive them.

This year, the festival is expected to be bigger than usual, and is set to exceed last year's figure of 30,000 food parcels distributed.

Renowned French pianist makes fourth visit to Hanoi

French pianist Michel Bourdoncle will perform with Vietnam’s National Symphony Orchestra in Hanoi next week.

At the concert, the artist will perform Johannes Brahms’ renowned works including Piano Concerto No.1 D minor op.15 and Symphony No.1 minor op.68.

Born in Marseille in 1960, Michel Bourdoncle studied at the Paris Conservatoire, winning first prizes in chamber music and piano in the classes of famous French pianists Geneviève Joy and Dominique Merlet.

In 1986 and 1987 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory.

He has performed under the direction of renowned conductors, and with many symphony orchestras including the Orchestra of Madere, Pro Arte Orchestra of Paris, the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra, and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Bourdoncle performed at the Hanoi Opera House for the National Day of France in 2008 and 2009 and at L’Espace in 2010.

The concert will take place on February 15 and 16 at the Hanoi Opera House at 1 Trang Tien Street.

Tickets costing VND200,000, VND350,000 and VND500,000 are available at the venue.

Around 30 singers unite for Valentine song

Around 30 local pop singers will lend their voices to a music video to celebrate this year’s Valentine Day, which is a week away.

Titled “Love Out Loud,” this rock and roll song written by musician Vo Thien Thanh will be performed by young voices including My Tam, Uyen Linh, Thao Trang, Thanh Bui, Minh Hang, Dong Nhi, Noo Phuoc Thinh, Thu Thuy, Wanbi Tuan Anh, Ngo Kien Huy, Dang Khoa, Anna Truong, Thanh Hang, Karik and Vmusic band.

“Love Out Loud” carries the message “Be confident and speak out about your love” and is produced by MTV Vietnam and will be broadcast on the music channel on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Talent show’s contestant swallows live fish

Nguyen Hoang Tu scared both the judges and audiences of Vietnam’s Got Talent last Sunday when he swallowed dozens of live fish for his performance.

In the show’s 6th episode broadcast on national channel VTV3, Tu showed up on stage with a large glass bowl containing live goby fish.

He then took them out and swallowed them one by one.

Tu said his uncle taught him the trick and when he first practiced it, the fish’s teeth really hurt his throat.

“I coughed a lot, not to mention my often upset stomach. But gradually I learned to swallow them in a safer way. Then I started to perform it in public and was cheered by many people,” he said. “Now, I can even swallow light bulbs and razors.”

Tu said the fish would normally stop moving and turning in his stomach after 5 minutes. But Tu’s “talent” didn’t win the judges.

The other contestants demonstrated more conventional abilities. Belly dancer Banh Duc Hai Yen in particular gave a beautiful performance that musician Huy Tuan praised as the sexiest performance he had seen on the Vietnam’s Got Talent stage.

Studying ballet at 6 and then moving on to contemporary dances, Hai said dance was an inseparable part of her life and her mother, who was sitting in the audiences, was her biggest fan.

Elderly contestants Khong Tat Ung (73) and Nguyen Thi Ngay (71) also won applauses for their youthful tango routines and singing.

High-school group Ivoice whose Acapella performance was highly praised by the judges and high-heel dance troupe Mix also shined in the episode.

Vietnam’s Got Talent’s 7th episode will be broadcast at 8pm on February 12 on VTV3.

Local movie featured abroad before home premiere

Local horror movie “Ngoi Nha Trong Hem” (The House in the Alley) has been introduced on some international movie websites though it has not yet made a debut in Vietnam.

“It's surprising how often people forget that horror films can make for great date movies.

But Vietnamese writer-director Le Van Kiet gets it and he's bringing the chills to Vietnam's screens on Valentine's Day with The House In The Alley,” the English language Canadian website Twitchfilm, one of the leading horror movie sights, commented last month.

Since then, the movie has been introduced on IMDB, one of the world’s biggest online movie information database. Moreover, several US film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, the Seattle International Film Festival in Washington, the Fantastic Festival in Houston and the Hawaiian Film Festival have said they would like to invite the movie to screen.

Directed by Le Van Kiet, the movie stars well-known local actors, including Ngo Thanh Van and Tran Bao Son. It tells the story of a couple’s discovery and struggle against supernatural phenomena in their house, after the wife has a miscarriage.

“Ngoi Nha Trong Hem” will be among the many blockbusters to entertain audiences nationwide this month, with its premiere on Valentine's Day, February 14.

Diane Witherspoon sings in Hanoi

American jazz vocalist Diane Witherspoon will perform at a five star music lounge in Hanoi starting this February.

A talented performer since she was a child, Diane has performed with well-known jazz names like the American trio Cedar Walton, saxophonist John Handy, the band Calvin Keyes, and the late Teddy Edwards, aninfluential saxophonist.

Based mainly in Los Angeles, California, she has toured in live concerts and recorded with many other well-known artists.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Diane began singing as a child (with 8 siblings) and often performed in her church choir.

As a singer, composer and producer, Diane has taught music and conducted workshops for students in California public schools and in Tokyo, Japan.

Her experience has been very international, with tours and concerts stretching from New York to Bangkok, Dubai, Japan and Guam.

Her second cousin is the renowned blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon and her sister is Shirley Witherspoon, a former vocalist with the famous American Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Diane Witherspoon will perform at Le Club at the upscale Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi in Hanoi until May. Her performances are from 10h45 every night.

HCMC to hold Hoi An cultural day

A cultural festival featuring the ancient town of Hoi Anwill take place in Ho Chi Minh City for the first time from February 10 to celebrate 40 years of the establishment of the Society of Hoi An Fellow – Countrymen in HCMC.

Titled “Hoi An Day in Ho Chi Minh City 2012,” the 2-day event, which is organized by the Hoi An City’s People’s Committee in collaboration with the Hoi An Fellow – Countrymen in HCMC and the Alumni Association of Tran Quy Cap high school, is also to mark the school’s 60th year of establishment .

At the press conference on February 4, Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of Hoi An City’s People’s Committee, head of the event’s organizing board announced that the venue will be a simulation of a small Hoi An with the town’s architecture including pagodas and ancient houses.

According to him, the event aiming to promote the cultural values of the ancient city will also include exhibitions featuring historical photos, documents and objects related to the development process of the city.

A culinary program introducing the city’s specialties like “cao lau,” mi Quang,” “hen tron,” and “yen sao Cu Lao Cham” together with classes teaching calligraphy and pottery, as well as a music extravaganza will be held at the festival.

In addition, visitors can join in with many folk games including “bai choi”(Bingo-in-huts) and “breaking pots,” among others.

Also, Hoi An City’s authorities will have a meeting with around 100 businesses in HCMC on the last day of the event.

The organizers said they have given around 800 invitationsto Tran Quy Cap school’s alumni and Hoi An people living in HCMC and expect to welcome a larger amount of spectators to the event.

“I strongly believe that the Hoi An Day in HCMC will draw much attention from not only Hoi An people living in HCMC but also the residents from here,” Vo Phung, director of the Hoi An Center for Culture and Sport said at the conference.

“We will also make instruction boards, brochures and posters in English,considering that there will be a lot of foreigners coming to the event,” he added. “We will even offer some interpreters to make it easy for foreigners to follow the event.”

Asked about the event’s frequency, Nguyen Su, chairman of the Hoi An Town People's Council said the organizers will consider making Hoi An Day in Ho Chi Minh City an annual or biennial event depending on the result of this year’s event.

As the schedule, the “Hoi An Day in Ho Chi minh City” will be opened from 3:30pm on February 10 at Dong Ho Area at 16A Le Hong Phong Street in District 10.

Admission is free.

Attempt to set record for folk singing draws fire

An attempt to set a Guinness record for Quan Ho at the Lim Festival in Bac Ninh has been criticized for jeopardizing the authenticity of the traditional folk singing.

3,500 Quan Ho singers performed in a massive choir for the attempt to set a new national and World’s Guinness record.

Researcher Dang Hoanh Loan said traditionally, Quan Ho singers performed in pairs or alternating groups of female and male singers to challenge and respond to each other.

“3,000 people singing Quan Ho at the same are not an image true to the spirit and format of this age-old folk art. For researchers like us, preserving its originality is the most important thing,” he said.

“I can’t imagine what they have turned Quan Ho into when they do that,” he said.

But for organizers like Nguyen Huu Trong, the program is to promote the ancient heritage to worldwide audiences.

As a Vietnamese folk music style originated in what is now Bac Ninh Province during the 13th century, Quan Ho was recognized as a Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2009.

The annual Lim Festival has two parts: religious ceremonies and entertainment including folk games, contests, poetry readings and Quan Ho performances.

This year’s festival is held until Saturday in Noi Due, Lien Bao and Lim town, Bac Ninh Province.

Museum receives President Ho Chi Minh artifacts

One hundred and eight documents and objects related to President Ho Chi Minh were presented to the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Thua Thien Hue province on February 3 to mark the 82nd anniversary of the Vietnamese Communist Party (1930-2012).

The artifacts include a mourning band commemorating Uncle Ho’s death in 1969, stamps and paper money featuring images of the President, as well as the period when the beloved leader lived and worked in the province in the early 20th century, such as a betel tray, slaked lime pot and books.

The items were donated by Ho Vinh, Ho Doi, Nguyen Huu Hoang, Nguyen Thi Duc and Huynh Van Be from Phong Dien district and Hue city to show their respect and gratitude to beloved Uncle Ho and add to the museum’s exhibitions.

Phu Yen Museum inaugurated

An inauguration ceremony for the Da Nang Museum was held in Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen province on February 3.

Construction of the museum began in July 2010 at a cost of VND 96.9 billion (around US$ 4.6 million). The three –storey building covers nearly 4,000 square metres on Tran Phu street, ward 5, Tuy Hoa city.

The museum’s first and second floors are dedicated to exhibition space while the third floor will be used for cultural activities. The indoor displays are arranged according to three major themes: the history of Phu Yen province; the story of its struggle against foreign invaders; and local life in the province today.

In addition to the indoor exhibition spaces, the museum also has outdoor space for military artifacts such as aircraft, tanks and cannons.

The museum’s inauguration was significant as it coincided with the 82nd anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) on February 3, and demonstrates the Party’s care for preserving and protecting the province’s historical and cultural heritage, affirmed Party Central Committee member, Secretary of Phu Yen provincial Party Committee Dao Tan Loc at the ceremony.

He also called on the museum’s management board to diversify the exhibitions and make it an attractive place for visitors.

Earlier the same day, the Phu Yen provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and Fatherland Front Committee held a ceremony to mark the 82nd anniversary of the CPV.

Addressing the event, Secretary Dao Tan Loc reviewed the history of Party Committee and people of Phu Yen in the national struggles for liberation as well as the significant achievements recorded by the locality’s army and people under the Party’s leadership.

Phu Yen is a land rich with cultural traditions and home to much tangible and intangible ethnic cultural heritage such as ramparts, temples and valuable relics from the ancient culture of Champa.

Australian film screening to mark anniversary of apology  

The award-winning Australian comedy Bran Nue Dae will be screened in Ho Chi Minh City on February 13 to mark the fourth anniversary of Australia saying sorry to the "Stolen Generations" and indigenous Australians.

The event is organized by the Australian consulate in the city. The National Apology was issued by the former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 13 February 2008.

Australian consul John McAnulty said Bran Nue Dae is a "charming new Australian-based, music-driven comedy which centers on the romantic adventures of a young aboriginal couple set against a spectacularly beautiful Australia.”

The 2010 film, which depicts Australian indigenous culture, traditions, and humor, has won numerous awards, including the Melbourne International Film Festival Award and Audience Award for Best Feature Film.

It will be screened at the Youth Cultural House, 4 Pham Ngoc Thach street, District 1.

For free tickets, contact Ms Hang at the Australian consulate at (08) 35218134.

Music stars to raise fund for children patients

Local diva Thanh Lam and quirky singer Tung Duong will hold a concert on the day of love, Valentine’s Day, in Hanoi to raise fund for cancer children patients.

Inspired by Tuoi tre Newspaper’s charity fund for cancer children patients, “Uoc Mo Cua Thuy” (Thuy’s Dream), the two artists will performs around 20 love ballads by renowned musicians like Pham Duy, Pham Dinh Chuong, Doan Chuan, Tu Linh, Thanh Tung and Duong Thu in a show titled “Thuong” (Love).

The event will also display and auction paintings by famous painters Le Thiet Cuong and Dao Hai Phong and those by children patients.

“The instinct to love children comes with a woman’s instinct to be a mother. As a mom of three kids, I feel so bad for children who are in miserable circumstances. I want to do whatever I can to help them,” Thanh Lam shared with Tuoi Tre the reason she made the show.

“I have been unable to shake off the image of a young mother I saw on TV recently. She was holding her baby in hands, with tears rolling down her face, and saying thanks to generous donors whose money helped save her child,” she added.

All the proceeds from the show will be donated to the children patients at the K Hospital, the National Institute of Hematology and Blood and the National Institute of Paediatrics in Hanoi. Part of the donations will also be used as scholarships for children patients with good academic records in the school year of 2012 – 2013.

“I hope the audiences, especially lovers, can share a bit of their love with others around them,” Lam said.

For his part, Tung Duong said he hoped the show “Thuong” will become an annual event dedicated to helping cancer children patients.

“Going beyond the love between women and men, ‘Thuong’ here means love for the community you live in,” Duong added.

“Thuong” will take place at 7:30pm on February 14 at Hanoi’s Opera House at 1 Trang Tien Street.

Tickets cost from VND 600,000 to VND2million.

Chinese-Vietnamese community celebrates ‘Tet Nguyen Tieu’  

The Chinese-Vietnamese community is presently celebrating their traditional cultural festival ‘Tet Nguyen Tieu’ from February 3-6.

Many interesting cultural activities like musical performances, the kylin and dragon dances, folk games, an exhibition of calligraphy paintings and a Chinese food fair will take place during the festival.

Highlights of the event are the lantern festival and a parade of 19 kylin and dragon dance groups with a total of 500 performing artists.

The Cultural Centre in District 5, various Chinese-Vietnamese clubs, the Au Lac Park, Xom Cai Apartment block and An Dong Plaza also organised many art programmes during ‘Tet Nguyen Tieu.’

Tet Nguyen Tieu is usually celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

In related news, hundreds of motorbikes and automobiles headed towards Chua Ba (Pagoda of Goddess) festival which opened on February 5 in the southern province of Binh Duong, resulting in a huge traffic gridlock.

Tens of thousands of visitors flocked to the Tran Temple Festival in Nam Dinh City on the same day.

The Tran Temple Festival honours the Tran Dynasty and its famous victory over the Mongols. The event is an opportunity for people to pray for good fortune in their lives and their businesses.

One of the most anticipated activities is the seal procession ritual in the early morning hours on February 6. Thousands of people stand outside the fence to wait for the seals at the Tran Temple. Though guards try to keep order, many people try to climb the fence to get into the temple and struggle to get the seals.

‘Quan Ho’ folk singing attracts thousands at Lim Festival  

For the first time this year, the organising committee of the Lim Festival, which opened in Bac Ninh Province on February 3, will introduce a national record for the maximum number of quan ho singers participating in the event.  

Thousands of visitors flocked to the festival, which will feature traditional rituals, quan ho (love duet) singing, and folk games such as swinging, wrestling, calligraphy writing and poetry recitals.

According to the organising committee, the idea of setting a Vietnamese record at the traditional festival for the highest number of people to wear the quan ho distinctive costume and sing quan ho duets was thought of a few months ago and received approval from many people.

The organising committee estimated that there would be 2,012 people who would wear the quan ho costume and sing quan ho duets at the event, but on February 4, the number of people registered for the event numbered 3,500!

At the foot of Lim hill, 3,500 people sang quan ho, a Vietnamese folk music style originated in what is now Bac Ninh Province during the 13th century.

This is the first time Bac Ninh Province has organised a national record for the Lim Festival. The idea was initiated by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Association of Quan Ho Fans.

Quan ho was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2009, and has traditionally been associated with spring festivals such as the Lim Festival that follows soon after the Tet Lunar New Year, on the 12th and 13th of the second month on the lunar calendar.