Painting, sculpture exhibition in HCMC Museum of Fine Arts  

An exhibition of paintings and sculptures is being held at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts.

The event titled “Beauty of Spring” displays 130 art works by painters and sculptors of the Mekong Art Club, such as Le Trieu Dien, Hong Linh, Luong Truong Tho, Kim Phien, Nguyen Sang, Thanh Nhan, Mai Ngoc, Thuy Van, Ngoc Suong, Huynh Phuoc, Nguyen Van Thuan, Nguyen Thi Lien and Bao Trung.

The exhibits present a diversified creativity by the artists in various mediums such as oils, lacquer, paper, pottery, stone and bronze.

The exhibition is on until January 15.

Quan Ho’ singing to be promoted in France  

‘Quan Ho’ singing or folk love duets will now be promoted in France, by the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts and the Vietnam Culture Centre in France in coordination with the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang.  
                            
Accordingly, an exhibition featuring 50 photographs and valuable objects on ‘Quan Ho’ singing, recognized as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ by UNESCO in 2009, will take place from January 22 to February 22 at the Vietnam Culture Centre in France.

The exhibits have been selected from collectors and archives, both at home and abroad.

There will also be screenings and talks on ‘Quan Ho’ singing during the exhibition event.

Two delegations of 17 artists, experts and lecturers from the country will travel to France to perform and introduce the Vietnamese traditional art form in Paris and other French cities.

Musical performance raises nearly VND12 billion for the poor

A charity musical fundraiser was held by the Red Cross in Ho Chi Minh City on January 7, aiming to help the poor have a warm and happy Tet holiday.

The VND11.8 billion donated by individuals, organizations and businesses at the programme will be sent to poor people, Agent Orange victims, orphans and disabled people in 24 districts of Ho Chi Minh City and remote, mountainous areas across the country, as well as overseas Vietnamese people in Cambodia.

Anyone wishing to donate money for the poor can send a text message ATMX via 1480 at VND16,000 per sms.

The programme hopes to raise VND12 billion for the poor.

The city Red Cross said if it raises a lot more money than the set goal, it will be spent on building houses and providing free eye surgeries for the poor.

Nearly 100 houses have been built so far using money from the “Am tinh mua xuan” (Warm Spring) programme fund.

Earlier, the Red Cross presented Tet gifts to disadvantaged people in the central and Mekong Delta regions. Over the next few days, the organization will provide 1,500 gifts for poor children at Dam Sen Park.

The “Tet for the Poor and Agent Orange Victims” programme raised more than VND17.6 billion for charity in 2011.

VND2.5 billion spent on Vietnam-RoK exchange

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a programme to introduce Vietnamese culture in the Republic of Korea (RoK) was signed between Hanoi Open University, the RoK Television Information University and Lock & Lock Co., Ltd.
 
The programme will provide information on Vietnamese history, culture, and society, as well as its economy and education, for the overseas Vietnamese community and multi-culture families in the RoK.

It aims to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.

As a sponsor of the programme, Lock & Lock Co. Ltd will spend about VND2.5 billion on activities under the programme; Hanoi Open University will provide the content related to Vietnam, and RoK Television Information University will offer technological support and broadcast the Vietnamese programmes on Korean television.

Vietnamese movie to be shown at Berlin int’l film festival

The movie “Hot Boy Noi Loan” (Lost in Paradise) by director Vu Ngoc Dang will be sent to the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012.

The film, the full title of which is the longest in Vietnam cinema’s history, is the first in Vietnam to feature a positive view of homosexual life. It will be shown at the festival’s Panorama category.

Earlier, Lost in Paradise was screened in the Toronto film festival in September 2011, then shown in Vancouver, Canada, and Pusan, the Republic of Korea. The Berlin Festival is the film’s first venue in Europe.

In Vietnam, the film won many prestigious awards, including: Best Director for Vu Ngoc Dang, Best Supporting Actor for Ho Vinh Khoa, and Best Cameraman for Nguyen Nam.

In 1995, the Panorama category included a Vietnamese film for the first time, named “Giot le Ha Long” ("The Teardrop Pearl of Ha Long") directed by Tran Vu and Nguyen Huu Phan.

Ho Chi Minh City artists record Tet album for soldiers

A new album featuring songs by 150 famous singers in Ho Chi Minh City will send Tet (Lunar New Year) festival greetings to soldiers stationed on islands across Vietnam as part of a special cultural programme.

Titled ‘Mua Xuan Bien Dao’ (Spring on Islands), the album consists of songs about the country, peace, love, spring and the bravery of soldiers, composed mostly by veteran musicians and song writers.

A few highlights in the album include: Tran Long An's ‘La Thu Ngay Tet’ (The Letter to Mother on Tet); Ton That Lap's ‘Tinh Ca Mua Xuan’ (Love Song for Spring); Tran Tien's ‘Mua Xuan Goi’ (Spring's Sounds); and Pham Dang Khuong's ‘Truong Sa Truong Sa’ (Spratly Islands).

'I'm very happy to sing for our soldiers. My family, friends and I will enjoy a happy Tet, thanks to them,' said pop star Siu Black, who spent hours in the studio to record her voice for the album.

Young singers like Bao Thi and Duong Trieu Vu also worked hard to complete the album.

More than 1,000 copies of the album will be sent to troops stationed on the nation's island outposts.

'Together with the DVD, our artists and young volunteers have made greeting cards and gift-wrapped confectionery and other presents to send to the soldiers,' said Quynh Hoa, head of the HCM City Youth Cultural House's culture and arts office.

Last weekend, a music gala at the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Culture House attracted 120 singers, MCs, cai luong (renovated opera) performers, and movie and theatre actors like Thanh Loc, Que Tran, Thoai My, and Ngo Thanh Van.

The singers performed their best items and also conversed online with soldiers on Truong Sa Island and oil rig protection post No1 (DK1). More than 1,000 youngsters joined the event.

Classical music ushers in new year
 
The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will celebrate the New Year with a chamber music and opera show by South Korean and Vietnamese artists at the Opera House on January 9.

Korean cellist Joo Hye-young and pianist Joo Eun-Young will open the concert with Beethoven's Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major.

The former returned home with a master's degree from the Vienna State Conservatory in Austria and joined first the Seoul Sinfonietta orchestra and later the Seoul Millennium Orchestra, and has taught at Sahmyook University in Seoul.

Eun-young graduated from the same Vienna school and did her master's at the Moscow Gnessin Academy. She is now a professor in the piano department at the HCM City Conservatory of Music (HCCM).

She will then join violinist Tang Thanh Nam to play the Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, a romantic piece by Belgian composer Cesar Franck.

Nam topped his graduate class at the HCCM, and went for a post-graduate degree at the Conservatoire National de Boulogne Billancourt in France. He is currently the concertmaster for the HBSO Symphony Orchestra.

The three along with soloists from HBSO will next play the Sextet Overture on Hebrew Theme by Sergei Prokofiev for clarinet, string quartet, and piano.

In the second part of the programme, chorusmaster Ly Giai Hoa and the HBSO's Opera Orchestra will perform the comedic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (The Lass That Loved a Sailor) by Arthur Sullivan and Gilbert.

The story takes place aboard the British ship H.M.S. Pinafore and is about the love between the captain's daughter and a sailor.

The event will begin at 8pm.

Tickets, costing VND150,000 to VND250,000, are available at the venue at 7 Lam Son Square, District 1.

Director Vu Ngoc Dang among Men of the Year title winners

Thirteen outstanding Vietnamese gentlemen working in different fields won Men of the Year awards for 2011, at a recent ceremony held in HCM City.

Winners included movie director Vu Ngoc Dang, actors Luong Manh Hai, Ho Vinh Khoa, and Hieu Hien who starred in the hit film Lost in Paradise which focused on homosexual relationships.

Composer Duong Khac Linh, Vietnamese-Australian singer Thanh Bui, theatre director Viet Tu, comedian Thai Hoa and fashion designer Cong Tri were also among this year winners, as well as 2010 Singer of the Year recipient Tung Duong.

Randy Dobson, general director of the California fitness & yoga centres, was the only foreigner to make the list.

All winners were selected for significant contributions to their fields and for their positive influence in society.

Outdoor sculptures on display in Vietnam metro  

The third Ho Chi Minh City outdoor sculpture exhibition opened on January 5 at Van Thanh Tourist Area in Binh Thanh District.

The exhibition features 64 works by 50 artists nationwide, half of whom are young ones, including Chi (Point) by Nguyen Tan Cuong, Tai tao (renewable) by Tran Tuan Nghia, and Noi toi (My grandfather) by Nguyen Van Chuoc.

According to the exhibit organizer, the city’s Association of Fine Arts, the exhibition will run until February 5, after which the best sculptural works will be featured at Nguyen Hue flower street during Tet holiday.

The exhibition also includes a display book of Ho Chi Minh City Sculpture, from 1975 to 2010. The book highlights the history of the art and outstanding works created during the period, and is translated in English and Vietnamese.

The 300-page book is co-invested and published by five artists, Uyen Huy, Bui Hai Son, Nguyen Xuan Tien, Nguyen Hoai Huyen Vu and Hoang Tan.

At the press conference, sculptor Bui Hai Son, head of the city’s sculpture department under the association of Fine Arts, raised questions whether after the exhibition, such works will be appreciated and purchased by local visitors or sent back to the artists' homes or to the warehouse, like previous events.

“We have no idea about these works’ future after the exhibition, said Son, member of the organizing board, worrying about the future of the city’s sculpture."

The press conference spontaneously turned into a discussion of how to promote and develop the art in the city.

This year’s event, which is held every five years, features various subjects, including urban living space, weather changes and environment. However, the works’ quality has regressed, compared to the show in 2007.

According to the organizer, senior artists are no longer interested in the exhibition, whereas, the younger ones don’t have enough material to “invest” in their works, which could possibly explain the degradation.

Most importantly, according to artist Uyen Huy, head of the association, because there’s no support and sponsor for the city’s sculptors, the artists are too tired of spending their own money to create artworks, carrying them to the exhibition and collecting them back.

Uyen Huy, who was quoted by Tuoi Tre newspaper at the conference, stressed on the importance of the local government’s support in promoting the art.

War history narrated in program for workers  

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority organized a mobile history museum for workers in companies to bring them closer to events that shaped the country.   

As soon as the lunch bell rang at noon, workers of the Hoshino Company in the Vinh Loc Industrial Park in Binh Chanh District were beckoned by a young man with a smile, inviting them to follow him to an exhibition in front of the company.

He invited workers to a display section requesting them to spare only 5 minutes from their   break time.

The young man, Ho Minh Thien, then narrated stories of war hero mothers and Vietnamese women who participated in the past war.

The path from the gate to the production section was covered with banners, pictures and documents of the war. Two usherers were waiting to guide workers to tell them about Vietnamese women who lived and worked during war time.

Stories of a mother in Quy Nhon City in the central province of Binh Dinh attempting to bring her children across a river to a bombproof shelter in 1965; an appealing glance of an old woman to an American soldier who wanted to burn her house. On another wall there were pictures of wives who were taken to watch their husbands being shot.

Voice of usherers continued; “Despite deep loss and sorrow, Vietnamese women kept calm so as to look after their children and fight the enemy and produce rice for food consumption.”

The delivery of the history lesson only took 5 minutes as Thien promised. Many workers cried after hearing such painful stories. Phan Thi Thu Diem said young people will never forget their history if they attend such talks, and learn that women in war time are very resilient and can endure much loss and suffering.

The program to narrate past history to workers aims at educating workers coming from rural country sides who have never made a tour of any museum in downtown city areas.

Since its launch, the program has come to workers in Linh Trung, Tan Tao and Vietnam-Singapore Industry and Export Processing Zones. War Remnants Museum will deliver special subject talks on workers and enterprise requests; for instance it will tell workers of love in war time, children in war time, memories of war and victims’ lives affected by Agent Orange, etc.

Displays will be up for three days in each company. Ho Minh Thien said many workers showed their interest in the program; they lingered after delivery was over or some of them listened many times ask the usherers plentiful questions on various topics related to the war.

Fuji Waru, General Manager of Hoshino Company, said the program told about virtues of Vietnamese women in war time and most of workers in the company are female; so management boards expect them to continue to nurture those good qualities.

Duong Thi Lan, from the War Remnants Museum, said the program has received positive feedback from enterprises, some of who sent a thanks you letter to the organizers.