VTV3 to broadcast Miss Ao Dai Vietnam live

The winner of the Miss Ao Dai (traditional long dress) Vietnam pageant will represent the nation at world pageants in 2015, including the Miss World, Miss International and Miss Supranational pageants.

VTV3 channel is broadcasting the contest, in form of a reality television show, starting September 29.

A representative of the organizing board said eight experts in fashion, catwalk, photograph and behaviour are working with contestants as trainers of the contest.

The qualifying round is set for September 20 in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City one day later.

Fun Run 2014 expects to draw 9,000 people

British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV) will host the 14th Fun Run at Tan Trao Street in Phu My Hung Urban Zone in HCMC’s District 7 at 7 a.m. on September 28.

Participants will follow a 4km route from Tan Trao Street to Tan Phu Street to Road 32, Nguyen Luong Bang Street and then back to Tan Trao.

The organizer expects to attract 9,000 people to the event and raise around VND900 million to benefit charity activities in Vietnam.

BBGV has raised nearly VND6 billion from 13 previous events with 47,000 attendees. Last year there were 8,500 people joining the program with the proceeds totaling VND750 million.

Some charity activities funded by Fun Run include a swimming teaching program for children in the central city of Hue, a computer teaching program for children in the south-central coast province of Binh Thuan, vocational training for disabled children in the southeastern province of Binh Duong and scholarships for students, among others.

For registrations, contact the BBGV office at 25 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, HCMC, tel: 08 3829 8430, email: info@bbgv.org or Snap Café at 32 Tran Ngoc Dien Street in HCMC’s District 2, tel: 08 3519 4282.

“Free Hugs” to raise funds for chronic kidney failure patients

A group of youngsters from the social project “15 giay chia se yeu thuong” (15 seconds to share love) successfully held a “Free Hugs” event to raise funds for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure in HCMC.

At the event, the group presented a short and touching humanitarian video clip called “Suy than man tinh - Song canh cai chet” (Chronic kidney failure- Near-death Life) which spread like fire among communities. This short movie tells real stories about patients at HCMC’s Thu Duc District Hospital, who are fighting for life every single day and spend 12 hours a week attaching themselves to bloody ducts of the dialysis machine. One of the stories is about Ha Thi Mo, a 51-year-old janitor, whose main job is cleaning up and selling bottles to earn money for dialysis, wishing that she can live for more years with her two small daughters. The movie also tells a story about 27-year-old Nguyen Van Thanh, a patient who has suffered from the chronic kidney failure for more than two years. When he was a student, Thanh used to deny his first love to protect her from being hurt by his misfortune. “I used to be very worried and desperate that I did not want any more treatment but death. But I still have my parents and sisters at home to support me, so I do not want to disappoint them.”, said Thanh in the movie.

The video clip lasts just six minutes and fifteen seconds but has moved many compassionate people to tears. To most patients, chronic kidney failure is considered a death sentence for it has no cure but leaves only economic, physical and psychological burdens on their shoulders. However, despite all hardships, those patients are very optimistic that they never think of giving up their hopes.

A second fund raising event will be held to donate 300 kidney dialysis devices to poor patients in HCMC on October 12.

“Those chronic kidney failure patients, who are fighting everyday for their life, more than anyone, they really need the loving warmth from the community to give them strength and hope,” said a member of “15 giay chia se yeu thuong”.

For more information about “15 giay chia se yeu thuong”, contact Ms. My Hang- (08) 38224024- or visit the website: https://www.facebook.com/15giaychiaseyeuthuong.

Link of the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUqsYvLtIfo.

Documentary narrates story of Khanh Hoa plane crash

The recent visit by the sole survivor of a plane crash that happened 22 years ago has inspired Vietnamese filmmakers to produce a documentary based on the incident.

The plane had crashed in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa, killing 30 passengers and crew members.

The film's scriptwriter Tran Thanh Hung came up with the idea of making the documentary when the crash survivor, Annette Herfkens, came to Viet Nam last month to meet those who had rescued her and the relatives of some of the passengers who died in the accident.

However, instead of focusing on Herfkens, the film focuses on the widows of the pilots of the plane and the Mi-08 rescue helicopter which also crashed. The helicopter was piloted by Captain Nguyen Quang Vinh.

Hung said the film entitled Anh Sang Giua Tang Khong (Light in the Air) concentrated neither on the accident, nor on the life of the victims' family members after the crash or the days Herfkens spent battling death.

"The film conveys a simple message that what belonged to the past is the past of the present. The past is the seed that enables the present to spout," said Hung, who is also Deputy Director of Viet Nam Television branch in the central Phu Yen Province.

The narrator in the film is journalist Huynh Dung Nhan who was then a reporter with the Lao Dong newspaper and closely followed the incident. He was lucky to escape death because the pilot of the rescue helicopter had refused to let him in.

Produced by Viet Nam Television in Phu Yen's Cinema Division, the documentary was shot in five days in HCM City and Khanh Hoa. However, it took more than a month to be completed.

The 24-minute documentary, directed by Ho Nhat Thao, will be screened at the Ha Noi International Film Festival that will be held from November 23 to 27.

Party to feature Ha Noi's social life

The event "18.9.1999", a special snapshot party with artist Veronika Radulovic, will be held at Manzi Art Space tomorrow night.

On September 18, 1999, a group of Vietnamese and foreign gay and lesbian people dressed as drag queens and kings and had a very special party at the Press Club Hanoi. Radulovic captured party snapshots of a unique and almost historical moment for the city. After 15 years, photographs of the event have become historical documents on Ha Noi's fancy social life.

The party tomorrow will include 160 of Radulovic's archival pictures; a video-interview of Tran Van Thang, a drag-queen at the party, by the German documentary filmmaker Heiko Kalmbach in 2014; and an archival video of Therese Zambra on the second drag party in 2001.

Radulovic is a Berlin-based artist, lecturer and curator who played a significant role in introducing contemporary art in Viet Nam as a lecturer of DAAD (German Accademic Exchange Service) and the University of Fine Arts Viet Nam.

Entrance to the party, which begins at 8pm at 14 Phan Huy Ich Street, is free. The photographs and videos will be on display at Manzi until September 28.

Special events highlight French wine

Connoisseurs will discover the unique character and vintage of France's wine-producing regions at special events which Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi organised from September 20 to October 30.

They will have a chance to sample the exclusive Miraval wine, a unique blend of Hollywood A-list celebrity actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Hoang Anh Tuan, the hotel's Head Sommelier, will also hold a wine class that will take participants on a journey of discovery in the world of French wine on September 27.

In October, food connoisseurs can experience a sumptuous wine flight, pairing cold cuts and cheeses with a selection of red and white wines from a renowned region of France, or savour cocktails created by the hotel's resident mixologists.

Cuba documentary premiers, showing Vietnam today

The Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) on September 17 released the documentary film Viaje al pais que ya no existe (Journey to a Country that no Longer Exists) by famous actress and filmmaker Isabel Santos in the capital city of Havana.

The film aspires to bring the current face of Vietnam today to the Cuban public and update their perception of Vietnam as it is engaged in its “Doi Moi” renovation process.

It is a tribute to ICAIC Latin American Newsreel’s cameraman, Ivan Nápoles who covered the ravages of the US war with Vietnam and his return some forty years later, a heart wrenching emotionally charged contrast that made him laugh and at times cry.

Vietnam Ambassador to Cuba Duong Minh conveyed his sincere appreciation to the filmmaking group for producing this special documentary which helps the Cuban public grasp a deeper understanding of Vietnam and its renovation process.

3rd Hanoi International Film Festival 2014 attracts 200 movies

Almost 200 films from 26 countries and territories around the world will be screened at the 3rd Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) that is scheduled to take place from November 23-27.

The event will include a series of activities such as competitions, panoramic screenings, a Vietnamese film program, a HANIFF campus, a film project market, exhibition and seminars.

A reputed international Jury Board will judge and award prizes in categories, including The Best Feature Length Film, The Best Short Film, The Best Director For Feature Length Film, The Best Young Director For Short Film, The Best Leading Actor, The Best Leading Actress, The Netpac Prize, The Special Jury Award For Feature Length Film And The Special Jury Award For Short Film.

The event aims to give a chance for insiders to exchange, share experience and promote the film industry in Asia- Pacific region for “Cinema – integration and sustainable development”.

The 3rd  Hanoi International Film Festival is organized by the Cinema Department of Vietnam under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Belgian writer set for VN book tour

Famous Belgian writer Nicolas Ancion will meet Vietnamese readers to introduce his book Quatrieme Etage (Fourth Floor), which was recently translated and published by Nha Nam Publishing House.

The event will take place at Manzi Art Space, 14 Phan Huy Ich Street, at 3pm on September 24.

As part of his Viet Nam tour, Ancion will also write a novel in public in 24 hours: 12 hours in Ha Noi and 12 hours in HCM City.

He previously performed this literary challenge at the Brussels Book Fair in 2010 and in New York in 2013.

On September 26, he will conduct a workshop on short story writing at the National Library, where he will share his experience with university students.

Film experts to speak at City forum

Five film industry stalwarts, two of them from France, will speak about careers in movies at a conference at the Sai Gon International Film School today.

They are meritorious artist and director of the Film Vietnam studio Ngoc Hiep, cameraman Nguyen Tuong Nguyen Phuong, cartoon filmmaker Nguyen Minh Hoan, sound engineer Yannick Alnet, and film editor Brian Simard.

They will talk about every aspect of filmmaking like direction, scriptwriting, sound direction, cinematography, editing, acting, and production.

Entry to the conference to be held at 15A Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Binh Thanh District, is free. It will start at 2pm.

12 qualify for HTV's emcee contest

Twelve contestants have entered the final round of HCM City Television's 11th annual Nguoi Dan Chuong Trinh (The host) contest for emcees and television hosts.

The preliminary round was held in Ha Noi, Can Tho, and HCM City with 400 contestants.

The finals will be broadcast live every Friday night from today until October 24 on HTV9 at 8.30pm.

Two contestants each will be eliminated in the second and third weeks, and four in the fourth. The four remaining on October 10 will be sent abroad for training and testing their ability to host in an international environment.

Two contestants will compete on the final night for the cash prize of VND100 million.

Vietnam daily life through Italian painter’s eyes

A painting exhibition opened at on September 18 at Casa Italia No. 18, Le Phung Hieu Street, Hanoi, featuring images of contemporary daily life in Vietnam through the personal perspective of Barbara Pellizzari, an Italian artist.

The event, part of the ‘Italian Year in Vietnam’ programme, was held by the Embassy of Italy in Vietnam and runs until October 9.

Under the theme ‘Attimi - Imagines of the ordinary in Vietnam’, the exhibition offered ordinarily moments in daily life such as flying a kite, taking a siesta and returning home or reading a newspaper.

Painter Barbara said, “I cannot detach myself from what surrounds me. My work is the means of revealing how we can all be as deeply involved in our surroundings as I feel myself to be”.

She said that the paintings capture moments of quotidian existence, which are deeply resonant with suggestiveness and a surprising originality in the Vietnam of 2014.

Especially, the Italian artist used ‘Do’ papers, Vietnam’s time-honored paper. “I enjoyed some painting using ‘Do’ paper but this is first time I contemplate painting using ‘Do’ paper inlaid on canvas,” said Hai, a visitor.

Meanwhile a visitor from France, Fabien, said that the unique colours, tones and technique of composition showcased the personality of the artist.

Barbara expressed her admiration for contemporary schools of Popular Realism in Vietnamese Art. As an artist of Italian origin, she feels that her sojourn in Vietnam has permitted and contributed to her artistic discovery of significance in the most ordinary of circumstances and everyday settings in this beautiful country.

Barbara Pellizzari was born in Turin, an important economic and cultural centre in northern Italy, and is qualified in fashion, theater design, and painting conservation.

She has worked in the field of art restoration with several art institutes in the US, Austria, Pakistan, and China, and gave art lessons at Shanghai Community International School in 1996.

In 2011, the artist organized her “Pebbles in My Pocket” expo in China whose artworks mainly used Chinese ink. Barbara and her family moved to Vietnam in September 2012.

Last year, she put on ‘Cargo’, an exhibition that was aimed at promoting the dynamic and modern features of Ho Chi Minh City.

VNS/VOV/SGGP/ND