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Da Lat flower festival 2012 to open December 30
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The event, “Da Lat: city of a thousand flowers,” will present to national and international visitors its vast variety of flowers along with many cultural activities.
A flower exhibition will be held on Ho Tung Mau and Le Dai Hanh Streets, alongside the Xuan Huong Lake, Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Park and Lien Khuong Airport. The Da Lat flower market, an international flower exhibition introducing famous flowers from the region will be displayed at the Da Lat Flower Park. Music events, fashion shows, an international trade-expo, a seminar on flowers and a night wine festival will also be part of the Festival.
There will also be a flower road display at the Palace Hotel and tours of flower villages, fields, valleys, hills, villas and a trade village fair. A gala night of street dances and flower balloon performances will also be part of the Festival celebrations.
One of the highlights of the Festival will be a flower bridge, themed “Europe in the city of a thousand flowers”. For this, the Ong Dao Bridge will be decorated with flowers and installed with LED lighting.
Organizers are hoping that the Ong Dao Flower Bridge will be recognized as “Vietnam’s most beautiful flower bridge”.
Da Lat flower festival is an important event for the region as not only does it highlight the beauty of Da Lat flowers and promote Da Lat flower growers, it also boosts the local flower industry and acts as a center for local and international flower lovers and growers to interact and exchange experiences.
The festival was organized for the first time in 2005 and subsequently held every two years.
Michelin-Chef Brochot shows French gastronomy
Michelin-star Chef Jerome Brochot from France, a world-renowned cook, has arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for a five-day culinary class featuring favorite dishes from his restaurant in Montceau-les-Mines.
Brochot, 34, Chef of “Le France” restaurant in Montceau, is serving a course in cutting-edge Gallic cuisine with a Burgundy-inspired menu at the five-star hotel Caravelle Saigon from August 8 to 12.
During a short class Monday, the Michelin-star Chef cooked three dishes for 20 people, serving them with Guinea fowl, beef tenderloin and quercy-style lamb rack.
The guinea fowl was glazed with its juices, spiced guinea fowl meat sausage, with crunchy green asparagus and beans.
The dish was followed with beef tenderloin, butter-search with duck liver and bone marrow, with pan juice drizzled macaroni gratin.
The short class ended with quercy-style lamb rack and loin on garlic comfit, with sweet pepper stew pastille.
The lesson was priced at VND 980,000 and included Taittinger Champagne, a light tasting menu and desserts.
For five nights, Monday till Friday, at the Caravelle’s Reflections Restaurant, the Chef offers a French menu and two set menus of favorite dishes from his restaurant in France.
Hanoi set to host Asian Youth Orchestra
The Asian Youth Orchestra, which comprises 100 best music students in Asia chosen annually by audition, will perform in Hanoi twice next week as part of a three-week international tour.
The shows will feature masterpieces including “Carnival Overture” by Dvorak, “Symphony No. 2” by Rachmaninoff, “Symphony No.1” by Prokofiev, “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” by Camille Saint-Saëns, and “Symphony No. 4” by Tchaikovsky.
The orchestra will be joined by American solo violist Stefan Jackiw under the baton of two conductors, James Judd and Richard Pontzious.
Cellist Nguyen Thanh Tu and obist Nguyen Hoang Tu of the Vietnam National Music Academy will be the Vietnamese representatives in the orchestra.
Since its inaugural concerts in 1990, the orchestra has performed at 307 concerts in Asia, Europe, the US, and Australia and on television channels like CNN, CNBC, NHK, RTHK Hong Kong, and Star TV.
The concerts on August 15 and 16 will be held at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien.
Film on ao dai to be screened at Australia gala
Tuoi Tre journalist Trung Nghia’s documentary on the ao dai, will be screened in Brisbane, Australia, this week as part of “Hello Vietnam!,” a cultural event organized by the Overseas Vietnamese Students Association at the Queensland University of Technology.
“Brisbane, my lover” juxtaposes the beauty of the traditional Vietnamese tunic with the tranquility of the city of Brisbane, and depicts the efforts made by Vietnamese student studying aboard to promote Vietnamese culture.
The screening will also feature traditional folk music performed by Vietnamese students and an exhibition of Nghia’s photos depicting Vietnam and its culture.
“Brisbane, my lover” will be screened at the university’s Garden Theater August 11.
Dong Van stone plateau popular with visitors
The Dong Van Stone Plateau in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang attracted 30,000 tourists, including over 10,000 foreigners, helping raise the province’s tourism revenue to VND41 billion in July.
Covering a total area of nearly 2,400 sq.m., the Dong Van Stone Plateau housed 34 percent of the province’s population.
The recognition of Dong Van as the first geopark in Vietnam and the second in Southeast Asia by the Global Network of National Geoparks (GGN) in October last year had created an impetus for local tourism development.
Ha Giang province developed community cultural villages and tourism infrastructure in an effort to lure more than 350,000 tourists in 2011, bringing in around VND300 billion in revenue.
Also, since 2007, Ha Giang province invested over 989 billion VND to build 91 water reservoirs on the Dong Van Stone Plateau, of which 37 have been completed and put into use.
The operation of the reservoirs helps solve long-lasting water shortages and improve the lives of ethnic minority people in the province’s four poor mountainous districts, namely Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac.
They also help boost economic development and maintain political stability in the border area of the nation.
Vietnamese beer joins Berlin Beer Festival
Vietnamese beer has been present along with 2,000 other kinds of beer at the 15th Berlin International Beer Festival, which took place on Karl Marx Boulevard in the heart of Berlin from August 5-7.
Eberhard Schollmeier, who is called King Gambrinus (the Beer King) spoke highly of the presence of Vietnamese beer in annual beer festival in Germany for 11th consecutive years, saying many people wished to know more about Vietnam after tasting the country’s beer.
The festival attracted 300 beer manufacturers from 86 countries around the world to display their beer on 2.2 km of the boulevard.
On this occasion, the Association of Hanoians in Germany raised over 5,400 EUR to help disabled children in Hanoi, particularly child victims of Agent Orange.
Hue relic restoration could be self-defeating
Authorities have started to partially dismantle the Thai Binh Lau (Royal Library) in the Forbidden City in the former imperial Hue city in an attempt to restore it but experts are afraid such efforts could bring harm instead.
This is part of the Centre for Hue Relic Conservation’s 2-year restoration process estimated at VND24 billion (US$1.2 million).
But experts worry the dismantling could bring the opposite effect.
Thai Binh Lau is the most intact building in the Forbidden City to stand today.
The relic was decorated with porcelain mosaics, a Vietnamese unique art in the early 20th century.
According to Nguyen Minh Bieu, director of the Management Board of the center, at the first step, the center will pull down part of the roof after which it will invite scientists to evaluate and decide to continue the dismantling or not.
Thai Binh Lau was constructed from 1919 to 1921 under the reign of Nguyen Dynasty’s King Khai Dinh. It was the place for the King to relax and read books.
Vietnam music fans say enough is enough
Vietnamese music fans are striking back. After putting up with much trash masquerading as music – just because some of it attracted incredulous eyeballs – they are taking the initiative to wrest music back from the purveyors of such trash.
Music sharing website http://nhacso.net/, for instance, announced last week it would delete everything related to Phuong My, one of the singers typical of this new wave.
My, an enthusiastic follower of Lady Gaga who often shows up in a white wig and oversized glasses, is one of many musicians like Phi Thanh Van and the band HKT who create music that evokes incredulity for its quality rather than admiration.
My’s disastrous “Noi doi” (Lie) caused a stir on social media websites with its meaningless lyrics and blatantly bad music, and topped one million views on YouTube.
Her interview to newswire Vietnamnet in May sparked further indignation when she said having her song classified as a “Vpop disaster” only helped her achieve fame.
“To protect our users from trashy and meaningless music and to act on their feedback to our site about this, Nhacso has decided to leave out all of Phuong My’s music,” the site explained.
Last week The Gioi Giai Tri, a Ho Chi Minh-based company that manages artists, organized a concert called “Savior Show” to take a stand against the “disaster” phenomenon that is polluting the entire industry.
Featuring young and rising pop singers and boy bands, the show featured Vietnam’s biggest hits from the 1990s and world classics to celebrate the real value of music.
But one swallow does not make a summer, and what the industry needs is more concerted action.
Singapore, Japan feature in Vietnam contests
The Vietnam – Singapore Friendship Association organized a painting contest for children in Ho Chi Minh City Saturday to mark Singapore’s National Day, August 9.
Ninety children drew 30 paintings about the country and people of Singapore. The winning entries were auctioned and the money donated to the city to fund social activities.
Elsewhere, the Hoi An people’s committee has announced a photography contest within the framework of the two-day “Vietnamese – Japanese Culture Exchange Festival” to be held in the city from August 20.
The organizers have called for entries depicting cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Japan from 2003 to 2010.
Vietnamese contestants can send in up to 10 color and black-and-white photos to the Hoi An Relics Preservation and Management Center 10B Tran Hung Dao Street, or to nghiepvubaotang.hoian@gmail.com before August 15.
The awards are scheduled to be given away at a ceremony on August 21.
K-pop contest calls for submission in Vietnam
The first-ever Korean-language singing competition is accepting applications from solo and group performers this month.
Applicants can continue to apply through August 26.
The local competition was jointly organized by the Korean Cultural Center of Vietnam and the Office for Korean Tourism and Culture.
A short-list of qualified applicants–aged between 15 and 45 – will be released between August 29-31.
After the elimination rounds in Ho Chi Minh City (September 3,) and Hanoi (September 10,) the finalists will compete in Hanoi on October 1 at the Au Co Art Center (8 Huynh Thuc Khang Street.)
The panel of judges will select the winner based on performance style, Korean pronunciation, costume and effort.
The winners will go on to compete at the K-pop International Contest in Korea on November 26.
For more information about registering email kpopcontestvn@gmail.com or visit the Korean Culture Center at 49 Nguyen Du Street, Hanoi.
Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2011 programme to be launched
The Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2011 programme, the second of its kind so far, will be officially launched in Ho Chi Minh on August 16 and in Hanoi on August 23
All Vietnamese aged between 18 and 25 and at least 1.68m tall, can register for the contest, which will be broadcast live on VTV3 channel very Sunday night as from September 25.
Vietnam’s Next Top Model programme is produced to the format of a famous TV programme called “America’s Next Top Model”.
It aims to create a good environment for young models to improve their professional skills with assistance from leading fashion experts in Vietnam and abroad.
Last year, Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2010 winner Khieu Thi Huyen Trang won the “Best Asia” title at the World 2011 Best Model competition.
Gabriel Tran Phuong Nam piano solo at Sofitel
A solo piano performance by artist Gabriel Tran Phuong Nam will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza in District 1.
The program is organized by the consulate general of France in HCMC, the Sofitel Saigon Plaza, Groupama insurance company and Air France.
Nam will perform some classics by well-known composers including Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Kurtag and Liszt.
The young Overseas Vietnamese pianist, who was born and raised in Noisy-le-Sec town on the outskirts of Paris, comes from a family music tradition. His grandfather plays violin and his father plays piano at a local church. Nam is a third-year student at Paris Conservatoire.
He performed successfully the piece ‘Jeux d’Eau’ by Maurice Ravel when he was just 13 years old and has won many international awards. In 2008, Nam performed together with ‘Jeune Philarmonie’ de Seine Saint-Denis and took part in ‘Master class’, a performance about Debussy and Chaplin.
He has performed solo at the Cathedrale Sainte Croix des Armeniens and the U.S. Embassy in Paris. The Saigon Plaza is at 17 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, HCMC.
Ancient Saigon at Cosmo Cafe
Photography and history lovers should head to Cosmo Cafe at the back of HCMC Museum before the end of this month to witness the photo exhibition themed Sai Gon xua (Ancient Saigon).
According to organizers, HCMC Museum of Fine Arts and HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there are 70 pieces by various authors on display at the exhibition and all of the photos have structure and meaning and were taken in a journalistic style as the authors went about their daily business.
Visitors can imagine the daily lives of Saigonese in the early 20th century. There are images of street vendors, a pavement cafe outside a French-style hotel, a mobile beer-selling vehicle, and costumes of Southern women and the activities of Saigon’s intellectual women among others.
To cultural scholars, this exhibition is a precious entity to preserve the typical cultural features of ancient Saigon.
Cosmo Cafe, located at 86 bis Le Thanh Ton, District 1 opens from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m daily.
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