Symphony concert opens Asia-Europe New Music Festival

The first-ever Asia-Europe New Music Festival opened on October 8 with a special symphony concert at the Hanoi Opera House.

The opening featured nine works performed by artists from France, Norway, Uzbekistan, Austria and Russia. Host Vietnam showcased two symphonies −‘Diem Hen’ (Rendezvous) by Nguyen Thien Dao and ‘Doi Thoai’ (Dialogue) by Do Hong Quan.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stressed that Vietnam hosting the festival was a vivid illustration of equal integration for the mutual development of Aseian and European countries.

The Vietnamese Party and State are committed to supporting and expanding international cultural relations in, he added.

The Deputy PM also expressed his hope that the festival would serve as a meeting place for world-leading composers and performers to introduce the land, people and cultural identities of their countries to their colleagues, and boost co-operation and development.

The festival features a series of daily concerts held at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, introducing different genres including symphony, concert, folk, opera, chorus and contemporary music.

The festival will wrap up with a closing ceremony held at Hanoi Opera House on October 12.

Initiated by the Unions of Composers of Russia and Tatarstan in 1993, the Asia-Europe New Music Festival has become a prestigious music forum in the world. The biennial event has so far attracted the participation of 45 countries and territories from the two continents.

Saigon has new cultural club

Saigon Ranger, a new cultural club, has just opened its door at 5/7 Nguyen Sieu Street in HCMC’s District 1 with an aim to be a gathering venue for art lovers.

Saigon Ranger is a place for multi art performances to take place. A wide range of activities such as singing performances, film screenings, art exhibitions, cultural events and album debuts will be selected for the club.

Located on the second floor with modern facility and equipment, Saigon Ranger is said to be suitable for screening short and featured movies and organizing workshops. It accommodates 200 people. Old items are made as its signature furniture while pictures of old Vietnamese singers are there to remind guests of the history of Saigon in the 20th century.     

In the coming time, Saigon Ranger will bring masterpieces of underground arts, i.e. those outside the mainstream arts, to the public, apart from periodic art events and mini festivals.

“Le Courrier du Vietnam” attends Francophone journalism forum

“Le Courrier du Vietnam”, a weekly magazine published by the Vietnam News Agency, was invited to represent Francophone media in the Asian-Pacific region at an international Francophone journalism forum in Montreal, Canada.

Launched on October 8, the forum provides Vietnam ’s only French language magazine the chance to share its experience in developing a popular publication in a country where French is hardly used today, and to report on the Vietnam News Agency’s efforts to use IT to reinvent itself in order to become a modern multimedia agency.

The forum, inspired by the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), brought together more than 50 participants, including managers of radio and television broadcasting organisations, journalists, media experts and academics from French-speaking countries.

Speaking at the event, Canadian Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie, Christian Paradis, said Francophone media outlets should take full advantage of the progress made in the field of information technology in a bid to adapt to reader’s habits.

During the three-day forum, delegates will evaluate the current status of journalism in the French-speaking world, examine the effects of technology on transmitting information, and predict multimedia trends with a view to helping the Francophone journalism community adapt to the new media landscape.

The ideas raised during the forum will be used to draft a strategic development plan for the media sector in the next decade.

The event ends on October 10.

Film week salutes capital’s Liberation Day

A number of documentaries and films about Hanoi will be screened in the capital city to mark the 60th anniversary of the capital’s Liberation Day (October 10).

The film week is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Cinema Department in coordination with film distributors in the city from October 8-14.

A documentary on Dr Tran Duy Hung, an outstanding doctor who is also the chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee during the fiercest years of the anti-US war, and the movie “Song cung lich su” (Living with history) which honours the great victory of Dien Bien Phu were chosen for the week’s inaugural screening on October 8.

The film week will take place at Vincom’s cinema 191 Ba Trieu and the National Cinema Centre at 87 Lang Ha, featuring the films “Hanoi, 12 Days and Nights,” “Hanoi, the Winter of 1946” among others. All the shows are free.

Multimedia contest seeks Ha Noi artworks by youth

A competition featuring artworks of the capital including photography, painting, graphic design and film has been launched for young people between 15 and 35 years old.

Titled Chat Ha Noi (Ha Noi' Features), the competition aims to highlight the city's cultural features, strengthen residents' love for the capital and encourage creativeness.

Entries can be submitted between October 25 and November 22 before the final shortlist is announced on December 12. The entries will be judged by a panel of experts and a public vote at www.chathanoi.com.

The organisers will present prizes for four categories worth a total VND500 million (US$23,800).

Photographers gear up for “Innovative Sweden” contest

The Embassy of Sweden in Vietnam has initiated the photo contest “Innovative Sweden” open to Vietnamese photographers at all ages.

Participants can submit a maximum of 10 pictures featuring innovations made in Sweden in daily life in Vietnam. Some of the typical innovations are the Celsius thermometer, monkey wrench, refrigerator, car seat belt, Gamma scalpel, Bluetooth, and Skype, among others.

Photos can be taken by any devices, from professional cameras to cellphones in the format of JPEG file with sizes from 1 Mb to 5 Mb.

The first prize winner will receive a two-way air ticket, Schengen visa fee, four night stays at business class, transportations and entrance fees to 80 museums in Sweden, including the Nobel and ABBA museums. The second prize winner will get a return air ticket to Phuket by Thai Airways. Photos with the most Like hits on the embassy’s Facebook page will also receive a two-way air ticket to Phuket, Thailand.

The best artworks will be displayed in HCMC and Hanoi.

Deadline for registrations is October 25. Entries are to be sent to Embassyofswedeninhanoi@gmail.com or to the Embassy of Sweden at 2 Nui Truc Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

Wedding fair in HCM City to offer advice, accessories

A two-day wedding fair beginning on October 19 at Queen Plaza in Phu Nhuan District will feature 20 leading wedding service providers who will offer everything from free trials to counselling for prospective couples.

At Queen's Day 2014 – The Love Story, counsellor Huynh Van Son will offer couples professional advice about marriage while ladies can try free make-up and wedding dresses and accessories and learn how to pose to achieve the best wedding photos from stylist Toan Tran.

Ten finalists of a contest called Miss HCM City through photo will compete for the winner's prize on October 20.

The contest began last month with 264 contestants. The jury includes Son, Miss Egypt International Truong Ngoc Anh, and Miss Viet Nam Tourism 2006 Phan Thi Ngoc Diem.

There will be an online photo contest dubbed Love and Get Married offering a cash prize of VND70 million (US$3,300) to the winner.

The fair hopes to attract 6,000 visitors.

Architects advocate for natural beauty

Architectural and cultural experts together with local leaders share the same view on the need to preserve the present vista around Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi.

At a workshop held here on Wednesday, architect Truong Van Quang said that city planners should ensure harmony between modern architecture and the Hoan Kiem Lake environment so that new buildings would not infringe on its beauty and open spaces.

"Special old buildings like the Opera House, Government House, the State Bank, the central Post Office, Thuy Ta restaurant should be preserved and regularly upgraded," he said.

"And spiritual places such as Ba Kieu Temple, Ngoc Son Temple, Ba Da Pagoda and Ly Thai To Park deserve to be similarly respected," he said.

Sharing a similar view, architect Pham Thanh Tung said that special landscapes and architecture should be respected. He said no more new buildings should be built in the area.

"We should not be too interested in the idea of turning the area into a pedestrian-only zone because the existing one-way traffic system surrounding the lake is very convenient and safe," he said.

To Anh Tuan, from the Viet Nam Urban Planning and Development Association, said that a pedestrian zone surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake was a choice with "not very high convenience".

"Before we change the area into a pedestrian zone or any other functional area, we should take great care of the area's existing pre-eminent values," he said.

"Any project harming the values and making the area less attractive and less busy will be an expensive failure."

Many participants said that preserving and bringing into full play architectural, cultural and historical space of Hoan Kiem Lake required cultural managers and the whole community.

Centre for research on Ha Noi set up

A centre for improved scientific research of the capital city of Ha Noi was launched at Ha Noi National University yesterday.

The Ha Noi Studying and Development Centre will be a place for leading scientists to research about the long history and traditions of the city that is more than 1000 years old.

The centre is expected to help the Ha Noi People's Committee to resolve urgent issues in the fields of economy, politics, society, culture, environment and international co-operation.

Professor Phan Huy Le presented a plan for the establishment of the Ha Noi Studying Centre to the Ha Noi People's Committee and got support for the plan.

The idea to establish the centre was formed in the year 2000 by two history professors, namely Phan Huy Le and the late Tran Quoc Vuong. Ten years later, professor Le presented a plan for the establishment of the Ha Noi Studying Centre to the Ha Noi People's Committee and got support for the plan.

"Ha Noi is among the 13 largest capitals in the world. With history and culture that are more than 1,000 years old, the study of the capital will be boundless. The scientists are required to do key, useful and systematic research," said professor Le.

Escape Hunt Experience, a game that has been active in many other countries, has attracted lots of players in Vietnam since its debut last month.

The game with its Vietnamese name Truy tim dau vet simulates the plot of the world-renown Sherlock Holmes novel. Participants in the game have to dress up like a detective to discover some clues in a mysterious case that happened in Saigon 100 years ago. Each team consists of two to five members who try to figure out the suspects in a maximum time of 60 minutes to escape the game room.

Escape Hunt Experience originated from Thailand and then dramatically developed in Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, and the U.K. Many parents choose this game for their children to improve the brain development. In Vietnam, Escape Hunt Experience has six rooms with three different themes, including a mysterious murder in a building; a case of blackmail in a pub and a kidnapping at an opera theater.

The prices for this game are quite high but to many customers “it is worth every penny” as it brings them an exciting experience. A team of two, three, four and seven will be charged respectively VND920,000, VND1.2 million, VND1.5 million, and VND1.7 million.

Ho Tran Van Nhan, general director of the software company Saigon Tira, said: “I’ve once tried this game in Singapore and it was very exciting. When I heard that Escape Hunt Experience has been launched in HCMC, I asked my staff to join to have relaxation and help them build team-spirit.”

According to Do Quynh Trang from Escape Hunt Experience in Vietnam, the location is overloaded during weekends. The venue also has events for local companies to train their employees’ skills. During play time, there are two people supervising how players are interacting and working together then these supervisors will make profiles of each player. “After the game, we give participants different tasks to evaluate their problem solving skills. Finally, we will give detailed results of each person joining the game,” she said.

After the game, players have 30 minutes to relax and chat about the investigation process and take souvenir photos together.

Escape Hunt Experience is looking for investors to expand its game service in the country under the franchising format. People who wish to try this game can come to Level 2, 60-62 Cach Mang Thang 8 Street, in HCMC’s District 3 (the ground floor is Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf store).

Celadon City to host charity day next month

The developer of the residential complex Celadon City will hold a charity day entitled Run for the heart 2014, or Chay vi trai tim 2014, in HCMC’s Tan Phu District at 7 a.m. on November 2.

This year’s event will be held at Celadon City’s 16-hectare-wide park at 88 N1 Street in Son Ky Ward in HCMC’s Tan Phu District to follow the success of the 2013 charity day.

The annual Celadon’s Charity Day, held by Celadon City and the charitable fund Nhip tim Vietnam (Vietnam’s heart beats), is aimed to raise funds for Vietnamese poor children who suffer from heart disease. Featuring famous singer My Linh as its Goodwill Ambassador and singer Ngo Thanh Van along with the 365 Music Band as Nhip tim Viet Nam’s ambassadors, the event is expected to attract more than 5,000 participants and raise about VND700 million to cover the expense of 35 heart surgeries for poor children nationwide. Last year, the event attracted more than 3,000 participants with VND345 million raised to give 15 heart surgeries to underprivileged kids.

To take part in the event, ones will have to fill in a registration form and pay a fee of VND50,000 or VND100,000 (including a T-shirt of the event) before October 23. All the proceeds will be donated to the charitable fund Nhip tim Vietnam. More generous donations are highly appreciated.

Hotline for registration: 08 6252 8888. Email: chayvitraitim@celadoncity.com.vn.

US finances Hue’s relic restoration

The US Department of State has decided to provide a non-refundable aid for central Thua Thien Hue Province to preserve Trieu To Mieu (Trieu To temple) in Hue Imperial City.

The aid will be channeled through the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

The project, worth VND16 billion, will focus on restoring the front composition of the temple, which was degrading.

In early 2014, the US Department of State financed US$30,000 for the province's preservation of Trieu To Mieu.

Trieu To Mieu lies southeast of the Imperial City. The temple was built for the worship of Trieu To and his wife, the first ancestors of the Nguyen Dynasty. It was erected in 1804. Today it is a fine example of Vietnamese architecture of the 19th century.