Vietnamese war novel published in Iran

The Farsi version of “Noi buon chien tranh” (The Sorrow of War), a novel by writer Bao Ninh, has been released in Iran.

This is the first Vietnamese novel to be translated into the Farsi language, with 2,000 copies published by Iran’s Ofoq private publishing house.

Some Vietnamese books published in Farsi are President Ho Chi Minh’s “Nhat Ky Trong Tu” (Prison Diary) and General Vo Nguyen Giap’s “Hoi Ky ve Dien Bien Phu” (Memoirs of Dien Bien Phu).

Nguyen Du’s “Truyen Kieu” (Kieu’s Story) is being translated by former Iranian Ambassador to Vietnam Seyed Kamal Sajjadi.

In 1994, the English version of “The Sorrow of War” translated by Phan Thanh Hao was published.

“The Sorrow of War” features an infantry soldier from Hanoi. With his youth and pains of adolescent love during the bloody battles of the war, and then his attempts, as a struggling writer in postwar Hanoi, to come to grips with the savageries he has witnessed, to make sense of death, love, and loss -- and his own survival.

French duo to hit Hanoi stage

French maestros Ancuza Aprodu and Thierry Miroglio will perform for the capital crowd at L’Escape at 8 p.m. on March 15.

The two artists will thrill local audiences via modern and traditional instruments of piano and beating set, featuring contemporary pieces by Debussy, Ton That Thiet and Ohama among others. Aprodu has been active as a global solo pianist, while Miroglio is one of the elite few percussionists in the world to pursue such a high level of solo activity with a repertoire of over 300 solo and concert works.

Tickets are available at 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi priced at VND120,000 with L’Escape students only paying VND60,000.

2nd Hanoi int’l piano contest kicked off

The 2nd Hanoi Int’l Piano Competition has been kicked off with new rule changes aimed to raise quality and judging standards.

The 2012 competition will be held from September 4 - 13 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music in Hanoi with 3 categories for competition: aged 10-13, 14-17, and 18-25.

The biennial competition was first held in 2010, drawing 40 contestants from Vietnam and 23 from other countries.

In the 2010 final, the youngest contestants were asked to first play a piece by Chopin, and the 1st, 2nd or 3rd movements of sonatas by Mozart, Haydn, or Kuhlau.

Pianists aged 14-17 played two 15-20-minute pieces by Chopin in addition to one work by a romantic or 20th century composer, and the oldest contestants played Chopin's Concerto No 1 or No 2 with Polish conductor Jacek Rogala and the Ha Noi Philharmonic Orchestra.

This year, not only the 18-25 age group but contestants of the 14-17 group will also have to play with the orchestra. Besides, more complicated pieces will be required of all age groups.

As this year marks the 150th birthday of French composer Claude-Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), some of his works may also be chosen for the contest.

This year’s contest will have 3 new judges, Japanese professor Fumiko Eguchi, Polish musician Ewa Poblocka, and American professor Tamas Ungar, in addition to 2010’s four-member panel: Tran Thu Ha, Michel Bourdoncle, Hae Won Chang and Snezana Panovska.

As Honorary Chairman of the Judge Committee and its Art Director, Vietnam’s world-renowned pianist Dang Thai Son will also judge the final round.

This year’s competition, which has been recognized by contest observer Alink Argerich Foundation, will offer a total cash prize of USD 10,000.
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Documentaries highlight Vietnamese, international cultures

A week-long documentary programme will be launched from March 9-15 to introduce the cultures and development process in Vietnam and other foreign countries.

The event, organized by the UNESCO office in Vietnam, is within the framework of the Culture and Development Week to be held for the first time in Vietnam.

Four Vietnamese documentaries will be shown during the week including Cho Dem (Night Market), Xich Lo Pho Co (Cyclos in the Old Quarter), Mo Mat, (Open Eye), and Tham Hu Yang, thiet thoong qua (A Village Festival).

Several foreign films that were shown at the Margaret Mead 2010 International Film Festival will also be screened such as “Because We Were Born”, “In the Garden of Sounds”, “Shooting with Mursi”, and “There Once Was an Island”.

Installation exhibition features immigrant lives

An installation exhibition entitled “Light Night” opened in Hanoi on March 6, featuring the daily lives of immigrants near Long Bien market in the capital city.

On display are works created by both professional and amateur artists from  the Institute for Development and Community Health (LIGHT) - a non-government, non profit organization committed to improving the health and quality of life of disadvantaged people throughout Vietnam.

The three-month exhibition, held jointly by LIGHT and the Vietnam Women’s Museum, is part of the activities to mark International Women’s Day (March 8). It highlights the difficulties facing local immigrants and calls for the community to join hands to combat domestic violence and ensure social justice.

Vietnamese traditional ‘Cheo’ opera to perform in France  

The Vietnam National Cheo Theatre will present a performance of a famous Cheo (traditional northern-style opera) play, the ‘Quan Am Thi Kinh’, at the Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris from March 16-17.  
 
The performance will be presented to international audiences on the occasion of the 16th Festival de L’Imaginaire, which is being held in France from March 9 to June 17.

Since 2002, the festival has been a cultural melting pot, offering traditional and contemporary music, dances and traditions from around the world.

Cheo traditional opera originated from the Red River Delta area in the North of Vietnam. Cheo is a narrative genre of folk theatre, recounting historical, legendary and folk humorous stories through a combination of music, singing and dance.
 
Vietkings to establish Laos Record Book Centre  

The Vietnam Record Book Centre (Vietkings) and Laos State Publishing and Book Distribution House have signed a cooperation agreement on establishing the Laos Record Book Centre.

According to Le Tran Truong An, Director of Vietkings, the Laotian culture, its pagodas, various embroidered handicrafts, its exotic cuisines all contain a rich diversity and will prove interesting to visitors.

Accordingly, experts from Vietkings will travel to Laos to give training courses on management, technology, finance, printing and publishing of the yearbook.

The centre will also help Laos to establish the Laos Record Book Centre. An Indochina meeting that will present around 100 records of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, will be held for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2012. This will contribute to enhancing tourism and help preserve the cultures of the region.

The Vietnam Record Book Centre is an official representation of the Asian Book of Records. The centre is the first of its kinds in Vietnam working towards documenting and recognising records in the country since 2008.

Big cities ready for Women’s Day

Big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are organizing a number of art activities for women on the occasion of International Women’s Day, which is just one day away.

In Hanoi, the “Dream Men Night” concert, with the participation of 30 male artists including Quang Dung, Dam Vinh Hung, Minh Quan, Phan Dinh Tùng, Quach Ngoc Ngoan, Ngo Kien Huy, and Anh Tuan, will be a special gift from V-pop’s gentlemen to local ladies on their day.

The show, which will also feature catwalk performances, will be on March 8 at the Giang Vo Exhibition Center at 148 Giang Vo Street in Ba Dinh District.

A concert titled “Ru Tinh” (Lull Love to Sleep), which will also mark the 11th anniversary of music composer Trinh Cong Son’s death, will be held on the nights of March 7 and 8.

The show featuring Trinh’s songs will be include My Linh, Thanh Lam, Dam Vinh Hung, My Tam, Quang Dung and Tan Minh.

“Ru Tinh” will take place at the Vietnam- Soviet Friendship Workers Cultural Palace at 91 Tran Hung Dao Street.

Tickets cost from VND500.000 to VND1.5million.

Love songs written by famous local musicians like Trinh Cong Son, Ngo Thuy Mien, Phu Quang and Thanh Tung and sung via the sweet voices of singers My Linh, Thanh Lam and Trong Tan at the “Hoa Cuc Vang Thang 3” (Golden Daisy on March) show on March 7 and 8 promises to add more romance to women’s special day.

For those who want to celebrate their day with fun and laughs, “Tinh Yeu Cuoi” (Smiley Love), a comedy directed by actor Chi Trung, will be a nice choice.

The play will be performed by the Performing Troupe 2 from Hanoi’s Youth Theater at Au Co Theater at 8 Huynh Thuc Khang Street on March 8.

Elsewhere, HCMC’s Women's Culture House will also celebrate the day with its own activities.

On March 8, there will be a cooking contest themed “Delicious Dishes from Wheat Powder,” a photo exhibition titled “Life of Hats – Life of human” featuring photographer Ong Van Sinh’s works on the traditional conical hat, which has been accompanied with Vietnamese women, folk games and music performances.

For its part, the city’s Fine Art Association is showcasing more than 40 works by women painters from the association at an exhibition titled “Toi Nhin Toi” (Me Looking at Me) until the end of March 8.

142 pictures taken by 75 female photographers across the country are also on show at Lam Son Park in District 1 from March 6 to 11 at the exhibition named “My Homeland’s Beauty.”

The city’s Federation of Labor, in collaboration with the Labor Culture Palace, will hold an event for female workers who have suffered from labor accidents on March 8, while the Youth Cultural House will showcase a play titled “Duyen La Hon Hoang” that same night.

While Hanoi’s Youth Theater’s Troupe 2 performs in Hanoi, Troup 1 is touring in HCMC from March 7. To celebrate the holiday of women, the troupe will perform two plays including “Nha Co Nam Anh Em Trai” (The House with Five Borthers) and “Co Gai Doi Mu Noi Xam” (The Girl Wearing A Grey Beret).

A number of well-known local singers will also join in to celebrate the day by gathering for a show titled “Sao Hoi Tu Mung 8-3” (Stars Gathering for March 3) held by VTV9 and Jet Studio.

The event will see performances by famous names including Siu Black, Phuong Thanh, Lam Truong, Thu Minh, Nhat Tinh Anh, Quang Vinh, Bao Thy, Dương Trieu Vu, Phuong Vy and many more.

The concert will take place at Lan Anh Stage at 291 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street in District 3 the night of March 8.

Tickets cost from VND150.000 to VND350.000.

Audiences across the country can also enjoy “Ngoc Vien Dong” (Pearls Of The Far East), the movie honoring Vietnamese women’s beauty, from March 8.

“Ngoc Vien Dong,” directed by Cuong Ngo and starring famous local actors who agreed to work without pay, like People’s Artist Nhu Quynh, Truong Ngoc Anh, Hong Anh and Ngo Thanh Van, was recently awarded the “Best Music” and “Best Cinematography” prizes at the 14th California Independent Film Festival in San Francisco.

Hanoi composer launches free chamber music space

CEG Music Club, the first venue to offer free chamber music performances in Vietnam, will have its first show today in Hanoi.

Renowned local music composer Nguyen Cuong, the club’s art director, said he and his fellow songwriters had long dreamed of a chamber music space like this for the local audience.

“Vietnamese are not in the habit of going to chamber music concerts and it takes a lot of money to bring such complicated works to them. Thus, although there are new works being written, few of them can reach listeners.”

Cuong said he and his colleagues, like songwriter Nguyen Thuan, the club’s managing director, wanted to create a venue for chamber music fans and composers to introduce their new works.

The club operates on a volunteer basis, as composers have to pay for musicians who perform their pieces and the venue’s renting fees themselves. “We don’t have sponsors or any financial support as the ultimate goal here is music. We can only help with mixing these works and bringing them to the audience,” Cuong said.

CEG Music Club is expected to bring more of the world’s classical compositions and Vietnam’s chamber music works to the locals.

Scheduled to be held every two months, each of its shows will have two parts, the first of which will feature the world’s best classical pieces performed by young Vietnamese musicians, followed by works composed by local composers.

CED Music Club’s opening show takes place at 8pm on March 7, at Vietnam Music Publisher (61 Ly Thai To, Hanoi).

Local movie comes third at global 48 Hour Film project

Vietnamese movie “Canh Ba Ba” (Turtle Soup) by Yeti group, winner of the Ho Chi Minh City leg of the 48 Hour Film Project international filmmaking contest, has just won the Second Runner Up prize for Best Film category at the Filmapolooza 2011, the finale for the 2011 48 Hour Film project festivals around the world.

According to the official website of Filmapolooza, which was held from March 2-5 in New Mexico, America, “Canh Ba Ba” also received the “Honorable Mention for Writing” award.

The winner and the first runner-up for Best Film are “In Captivity" by Jpixx Films, from Hampton Roads; and “My Darling, I'm So Sorry" by so36portraits from Berlin, respectively.

The top 20 films will also be screened at this year’s Cannes film festival.

“A Good Day To Die,” last year’s global winning entry, was selected to be screened at Cannes in May that year after impressing audiences and experts at the Filmapolooza festival.

Created in the US in 2001 by Mark Ruppert and Liz Langston, the 48 Hour Film Project requires contestants to write, shoot, edit, and complete a short film within two days. It saw the participation of nearly 3,500 shorts in 84 cities around the world in 2010.