Local film to debut at Berlin International Film Festival

The much-talked about film – Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories – directed by Phan Dang Di will make its international debut at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.

This is the first ever Vietnamese film to screen at the festival, which is to run February 5-15, and it will be shown as part of the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards competition.

Other prominent Vietnamese cinematographers that will participate at the event include director Phan Dang Di, actress Do Thi Hai Yen, female documentary film director Nguyen Thi Tham and writer Nguyen My Trang.

Vietnam joins Singapore’s Chingay parade

The Vietnam National Music, Dance and Vocal Theatre will represent Vietnam at the Chingay Parade to be held in Singapore on February 27-28.

Chingay 2015 will be the biggest and grandest festival in the Chingay history from 1973 with the number of tourists to enjoy the coming Chingay to be doubled to at least 80,000, Ang Hak Seng, Chief Executive Director of the People’s Association, told media on January 14.

The two-hour programme will be conducted by 3,000 parade volunteers and 11,000 volunteer performers. A total of 1,000 performers from 19 international contingents from 15 countries and territories in Asia, America, Africa, Australia and Eurasia will be part of Chingay 2015 to celebrate Singapore’s golden jubilee.

Ang told the Vietnam News Agency’s Singapore-based reporter that Chingay 2015 will be joined by “very good friends from Vietnam to come and show with us the unique culture of Vietnam”. He said Vietnam’s participation in Chingay 2015 will help promote not only the relationship between Singapore and Vietnam but also the understanding between people of the two countries.

The relationship between the People’s Association of Singapore and the Vietnam Fatherland Front has gone from strength to strength and the two organisations have recently signed an MoU, which sees cooperation in training, he added.

“Through this training, we hope to build ties between young leaders in the future of Singapore and Vietnam,” he stressed.

At least 30 international media, including TVs, print and online media as well as wire agencies, including the Vietnam News Agency, have been invited to cover Chingay Parade Singapore 2015.

A Swiss-based international non-governmental organisation, the Dariu Foundation, in coordination with Maersk Viet Nam has donated a special library converted from a 40-foot shipping container to Long Binh Dien Secondary School in Cho Gao District in Tien Giang Province.

It is the first container library in Viet Nam, and cost VND250 million (US$11,900).

This was the first time that the company worked together with the Dariu Foundation to transform a container into a special container library for use by 900 Vietnamese pupils.

This special library has over 1,000 books which have been donated by Maersk Viet Nam staff to help students living in the Mekong Delta area.

There is a wide range of books such as textbooks, dictionaries, and books on science and literature.

Six computers have been donated by Maersk Viet Nam and the Dariu Foundation for the students' use. There is also air-conditioning in the library to create a comfortable space for reading.

Koreana mag launches Vietnamese edition

Vietnamese readers can now enjoy reading Koreana magazine in their native tongue, due to the recent efforts of the Korea Foundation.

The project was funded by the Foundation's Ha Noi office and carried out by the faculty of the Korean Studies department at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities at Viet Nam National University in HCM City.

Koreana magazine was first launched in 1987 accompanied by an English version so as to bring to the international community a taste of the Republic of Korea's traditional and modern culture and arts.

The magazine has since been translated into 10 languages including the most recent Vietnamese version, introduced to readers at the beginning of 2015.

Korea Foundation Chairman, Yu Hyun-Seok, said the Vietnamese edition would build understanding between Vietnamese and Korean cultures.

Especially for students of Korean studies and language, the new version of Koreana will be a valuable reference tool.

The Observatory will host a three-night show featuring international and local musicians on January 15-17.

The UK's DJ and music producer Toby Tobias will present a show of underground house and techno on January 15. Since his debut in 2006, he

has released one album and dozens of singles and extended plays, and toured to Russia, Lisbon, Japan, Italy, Croatia and Brazil. Ticket costs VND100,000.

The January 16 show will feature a mixture of hip hop, funk and soul performed by local DJ duo Cheezy Gangztaz with support from DJs Maraphoria and Mark Do. Tickets cost VND50,000.

The last show on January 17 will highlight disco, boogie, funk, soul and jazz with performances from resident DJs Datodeo and Starchild.

Entrance is free.

All three music nights will start at 10 pm at 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4.

Choreographer to hold fusion dance workshop

The Dancenter will host a two-day contemporary jazz-fusion dance workshop with Mylene Riou, a choreographer, stage director, and professor in jazz and contemporary dance, on January 16-17.

The event will start with a warm-up consisting of floor-work techniques. Its main part will focus on choreographic work.

Riou trained at the Alvin Ailey School of New York at the age of 18. She has also worked for the Rick Odums Jazz Ballet of Paris.

The workshop will take place from 7pm-9pm on January 16, and 9pm-11am on January 17. The centre is at 53 Nguyen Dang Giai Street in District 1.

Entrance fee is VND100,000 for professional dancers and performing art students, and VND250,000 for teenagers and adults.

FVH hosts weekend city walks

Friends of Vietnam Heritage will host two city walks next weekend.

The first one on  Saturday, January 24 will be around Hoan Kiem Lake – the "centre of Ha Noi". Walkers will learn about the founding of the city, the French colonisation of the area, the history and legends of the lake, the old temples that stood and stand at the lake and the major French architecture of the area.

The next day, January 25, the walk will commence at St Joseph's Cathedral and travel through some of the streets of the Old Quarter including Ly Quoc Su, Yen Thai, Hang Quat and Hang Trong. It also includes visits to two important temples and two community houses.

The walks cost VND70,000 each. To join, contact Jura at jura.cullen@cantab.net for the walk on January 24 and Loan at phuongloan2704@gmail.com for the one on January 24. Both tours will be conducted in English and take place from 9-11.30am.

AmCham members get to wine and dine

AmCham members are invited to an exclusive wine tasting taking place tomorrow (Jan 16) at Red Apron Boutique (28 Xuan Dieu Street).

For VND200,000, AmCham members will enjoy a variety of wines served and explained by the experts at Red Apron, along with a selection of meats, cheeses and breads from the nearby Saint Honore Bakery and Deli. Advance registration is required. Please visit the event page

amchamhanoi.com/event/year-end-networking-event/ to complete the online registration form. The event will take place from 6:30-8:30pm.

Art photos from 27th national contest showcased in Hai Phong

Selected entries to the 27th National Art Photo Contest are being exhibited at the Centre for Fine Art and Exhibition in the northern port city of Hai Phong after being on display in resort Da Lat city, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

According to the organisers - the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism - 198 photos were chosen from 6,718 works that 1,046 professional and amateur photographers nationwide sent to the Contest.

Among the entries, 1,430 photos feature the Central Highlands’ beauty and 1,325 others capture the sea and islands of Vietnam, reflecting patriotism and strongly affirming the nation’s sacred sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The display vividly depicts the beauty of landscapes possessed by Vietnam and Vietnamese people’s lives as well as highlighting outstanding achievements in the nation-building and defence cause.

At the 7 th Art Photo Contest, the Organising Board awarded two gold, four silver, six bronze medals, and 14 consolation prizes to outstanding works.

Two gold medals went to “Chord” by Tran Thi Minh Ha from Ho Chi Minh City and “Start” by Phung Duc Dung from Da Nang city.

The Hai Phong exhibition will run until January 22.

Hanoi to host turn off lights festival

In response to the “Earth Hour” campaign which will take place from 20.30 to 21.30 pm on March 28, a launching ceremony of “Turn off the lights, turn on the ideas 2015″ contest and “I ride a bike today” campaign will be held at Laca Coffee in Hanoi on January 15, with the participation of hundreds of young people.

The two major activities are organized by Redraw The Line – Vietnam and BooVironment, Go Green and 350 Vietnam.

Contestants in ‘Turn off the lights, turn on the ideas 2015” will have to build up characters representing 3 environment protection activities such as garbage collection, planting trees and energy saving.

The best entries will be printed on T-shirts and sold to raise funds for environment protection activities.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to support reforestation in Thua Thien-Hue.

The “I ride a bike today” campaign with the message “You should change your habits before the climate changes you”, supports the use of bicycles for short-distance journeys.

Each short-distance journey will slowly form the habit of cycling and turn it into a sustainable and green lifestyle, an environmentally-friendly trend of today’s young generation.

‘People may not notice one environment-loving yet lonesome biker, but the joint effort of many will make biking an integral part of a green lifestyle, as well as a new trend for everyone to follow’, says Redrawtheline’s website.

‘Greater changes and success will come about much easier if we stand side by side and act together’.

Thua Thien-Hue invests VND150 billion to repair 22 relics

In 2015, the Hue Relics Conservation Centre planned to invest VND150 billion (US$7 million) to repair and restore 22 relics at the Hue Citadel relic site in order to promote the relics’ value to tourists.

Among the relics to be repaired and preserved are Phu Van Lau, Nhat Thanh Lau, relics inside the Hue Citadel, Tu Duc King Shrine and Thieu Phuong Garden. Relics which continue to be preserved are Ngo Mon, Trieu Tri King Shrine, Tu Duc King Shrine, Trieu To Temple and Tang Tho Floor.

This year, the centre expects to welcome 3.1-3.3 million tourists, including 1.1-1.3 million international tourists, bringing in VND170-175 billion (US$8-8.2 million) from entrance tickets.

In 2014, the centre invested VND105.4 billion (US$4.9 million) to repair and restore 17 relics in accordance with Decision 1880/QD-TTg by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on preserving and promoting values of the Hue Citadel in the 2010-2020 period.

The centre also studied, compiled, translated and published over 20 books about Hue cultural heritage sites and dozens of important royal musical works, while studying and successfully staging 15 royal dances, two ancient royal plays and 25 classical drama excerpts for festivals and cultural exchanges.

Over VND139 billion (US$6.5 million) was made from selling entrance tickets, reaching 111.2% of the year’s plan, while VND18 billion was earned from services, twice the turnover as 2013.

Art programme to combine water puppetry and Cheo singing on one stage

The Hanoi Cheo (Traditional Opera) Theatre will launch a daily arts programme combining Cheo singing and water puppetry on one stage on January 16.

The stage includes a pond for water puppets and a wooden floor for Cheo artists.

Instead of being controlled by performers behind the curtain like normal water puppetry shows, the marionettes are controlled by Cheo singers while they perform Cheo melodies for audiences, creating a unique show for audiences.

According to Meritorious Artist Thuy Mui, Director of the Theatre, the show is part of the theatre’s project on preserving and developing the traditional arts.

The programme seeks to offer audiences, particularly children and foreigners, a brand new entertainment experience, where they can enjoy Cheo melodies while watching funny water puppetry, two Vietnamese folk art forms, she said.

There will be also performances of Xam singing (ancient folk songs performed by blind beggars), chau van (spiritual signing) and solos of traditional instruments during the event.

The show is set to kick off at 8 pm every day at No 15, Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Hai Ba Trung district.

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