German DJ brings beats to HCM City

The Goethe Institute and Heart Beat Saigon will present a performance by German music producer and DJ Schleep Geist at the Cargo Bar on September 5.

The 34-year-old musician, real name Sebastian Geist, became interested in house and techno when he was in his early twenties. In 2007 he moved to Berlin and started to focus on production. He has performed at many music festivals in his hometown Rostock and in many big clubs and events in several countries.

The event will feature DJ Drew Tudose of Romania, DJ B.A.X. of Viet Nam, and VJ Erol of Sweden.

The show will start at 8pm at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, District 4. The entrance fee is VND100,000 but free for students.

Thousands flock to Hanoi for “Next Top Model” tryouts

Thousands of young people turned out on August 20-21 at The Garden Shopping Centre in Hanoi for “Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2014” auditions.

The superstar hopefuls came out with songs in their heart and aspirations of fame as Vietnam’s Next Top Model held its try outs for its fifth season.

Contestants competed in four events: catwalk in selected costume, body show in swimsuit, interview, and posing for photos.

This is the occasion for both professional and amateur models to strut their stuff and improve their catwalk skills, said Quynh Trang, production director of the contest.

Trang said the jury board of this year’s competition includes Adam William – a famous catwalk expert from Australia who took part in last year’s similar contest.

Sweden launches photo contest in Vietnam

A photo contest entitled “Swedish innovation through Vietnamese lenses” was launched in Hanoi on August 20 as part of activities celebrating the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Sweden diplomatic ties this year.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Nguyen Phuong Ha, deputy head of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the contest seeks to promote bilateral relations between Vietnam and Sweden.

Contestants are encouraged to submit photos that vividly depict the use of Swedish innovations in the everyday life of Vietnamese people.

She expressed her hope that through the contest Vietnamese photography lovers will discover an innovative and dynamic Sweden and that will tighten friendship between the two nations.

To mark Vietnam’s National Day (September 2) this year, Ha said her ministry in collaboration with the Vietnamese embassy in Sweden will open an exhibition to introduce Vietnam’s handicraft products to the public in Sweden’s Stockholm capital.

Swedish ambassador to Vietnam Camilla Mellander stressed the important role of renovation in the process of economic growth in any nation. She also expressed her wish to contribute to promoting and developing an innovation culture in Vietnam.

She hoped that many Vietnamese people will actively respond to the photo contest, helping raise public awareness about mutual understanding and cooperation between the two nations.

The event takes place from August 20 to October 12 for all Vietnamese citizens. The awards ceremony will be held in HCM City on November 10.

The winner will receive a trip to Sweden where he/she visits the Swedish Museum of Photography and other destinations in Stockholm.

Mong textiles displayed in capital

A display showcasing textile products of the Blue Mong ethnic group from Hoa Binh will open to the public from 10am on Saturday.

Taking place at the Ha Noi Design Centre, 91 Au Co Street, the two-day event aims to present the quintessence of Mong culture.

Visitors will have the chance to learn about the rich artistic and spiritual world of the group through batik, applique and embroidery. They will have the chance to see how they are made, and the meanings behind the motifs.

The event will also exhibit new collections inspired by Mong textiles to spark a conversation about bringing ethnic traditions to contemporary, international markets.

This event is a part of the "Improving Livelihood of Ethnic Minority Women through the Sustainable Development the Ethnic Textile Value Chain", a project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and executed by VietCraft.

Caribbean carnival comes to CAMA ATK

CAMA ATK is set to celebrate the Notting Hill Carnival – one of the world's biggest street carnivals and celebrations of Caribbean culture.

To welcome Skank the Tank Soundsystem to bring the noise on Saturday, the CAMA crew will create the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Caribbean in the Far East. Carnival participants will enjoy a full night of reggae, dance hall, calypso, cumbia, drum ‘n bass and dubstep.

The event will start from 8pm at 73 Mai Hac De Street.

Cooking centre offers class for children

The Ha Noi Cooking Centre will host a children's cooking class on Saturday where kids can try their hand at cooking up something other than trouble. The class is a chance for them to put their summer to good use in the kitchen by whipping up something scrumptious.

The Ha Noi Cooking Centre is at 44 Chau Long Street. For more information, visit hanoicookingcentre.com.

HCM City orchestra to stage anniversary concert

The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a concert on September 9 at the HCM City Opera House.

In the first part, People's Artist Ta Bon will play on the violin a work by Nguyen Van Thuong, Tro Ve Dat Me (Return to the Motherland), followed by songs by others. Phan Thi Hong Chau and Dam Duc Thuan will perform a duet from ballet Ngoc Trai Do (Red Pearl) by Ca Le Thuan, while Nguyen Hong Nhung, will perform concerto Mien Dat Thieng (Sacred Land) for flute and orchestra (1st movement) by Nguyen Van Nam.

The second part of the show will feature opera Nguoi Giu Con (Dune's Keeper) by composer Ca Le Thuan which combines cai luong (reformed opera) and classical music. It will be performed by HBSO's choir, ballet, and symphony orchestra with three conductors – Ta Bon, Tran Nhat Minh, and Nguyen Anh Son.

Conservation of Hue Imperial City’s oldest relic completes

Ta Tra building, an important relic of the Hue Imperial City in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, was reopened on August 20 after a period of conservation.

Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, said Ta Tra, built in 1804 – the oldest in the city, is part of the Dien Tho Palace. It served as a relaxation and reception place of Queen Mothers under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945).

It cost the centre 11.1 billion VND (nearly 528,600 USD) to restore the building comprehensively from wood frame, roof, foundation, walls, to ornamental details as it was seriously downgraded due to war and weather impacts. The work was carried out by the centre and the branch of the Institute for Building Science and Technology in the central region.

The Dien Tho Palace, grouping more than 10 buildings located within a rectangular area some 100m in width and 150m in length, is a major part of Hue Imperial City – a UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage since 1993.-

Artworks on display at youth fine arts festival

Up to 112 pieces of prominent artworks by 100 artists on display at the third youth fine arts festival in Hanoi have exposed the public to contemporary paintings as well as creative graphic ideas, like sculptural installations.

Picked out of 762 entries created between 2011 and June 2014 by young artists aged 18-35, the pieces illustrate various imaginative approaches to techniques and topics that intertwine and create a unique material entity.

The triennial event, running between August 20 and September 5, is to encourage creativity and honour artworks featuring contemporary life through the lenses of young Vietnamese artists, said Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien at the opening ceremony.

As a joint effort between the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition and the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, the festival will honour winning entries with one first prize, two second prizes, three third prizes, 10 consolation prizes and many other valuables.

The first festival of this kind was held in 2007.

Ha Tinh to celebrate poet Nguyen Du’s 250th birthday in 2015

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has given a nod to the People’s Committee of Ha Tinh Province to hold a ceremony celebrating the great Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du’s 250th birthday in 2015.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has chosen the great Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du among other world famous personalities to deliver a speech at its 37th General Assembly in Paris last year.

Poet Nguyen Du has been recognized by UNESCO for his Truyen Kieu (Tale of Kieu), a masterpiece of Vietnamese classic epic poetry.

Truyen Kieu has been translated in more than 30 languages.

The literary masterpiece tells a tragic tale of a woman of great beauty and talent whose fate turns tragic. The young lady named Vuong Thuy Kieu is forced to sell herself to save her family, even though she is very learned. She overcomes many hardships in a lifelong pursuit of her doomed lover Kim Trong.

Truyen Kieu is a unique work that has created a ‘Kieu culture’ such as telling of fortunes from a text of the Kieu story and writing of poetry inspired from the tragic life of Thuy Kieu.

Nguyen Du was recognized by the World Peace Council as one of the world’s cultural celebrities in 1965.

Vietnamese young contemporary artists – chances and challenges

Contemporary art, mostly with the involvement of young artists, has developed in Vietnam for decades characterized by the use of a

dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that challenges traditional boundaries. Young artists while indulging themselves in on August 20’s contemporary art want to raise their voice on the varied and changing cultural landscapes of identity, values, and beliefs as well as to reflect a wide range of social issues.

In Vietnam, playgrounds for young artists are not deficient. They have Biennale of Young Artists for those aged from 18 to 35 to showcase latest contemporary artworks. Moreover, the HCMC Association of Fine Arts also holds annual group exhibitions for artists while the HCMC Museum of Fine Arts also organizes exchange exhibitions with international artists from many countries around the world.

Recently, Galerie Quynh has launched a non-profit initiative called Sao La to serve not only as a platform for exhibitions, film and video screenings, workshops and lectures but also as an informal space for young Vietnamese to experiment, challenge and develop their creative practices. Young artists can also join ‘San Art Laboratory’ - a studio and three-month residency program initiated and managed by San Art in HCMC to share creative ideas via critique and discussion with participating local and international artists.

If Hanoi has contemporary art spaces such as Manzi, Muong House, and Hue has New Space Arts Foundation, then HCMC also has ZeroStation, a venue for art workshops, talks, and exhibitions for contemporary local and foreign artists. Moreover, every year, Vietnamese artists can apply for many international artist residency programs such as WOLO Artist Residency in Malaysia whose deadline is until late November next year, the 2015 JAPIC Animation Artist Residency whose application can be submitted until September 10, the FLACC Visual Arts Residency in Belgium with application deadline being until late next year, the Visual Documentary Project 2014 – People and Nature in Southeast Asia with the deadline running until October 21, and many others.

However, young artists need a more professional art scene, more care of the public and more investment from the government and collectors.

“The public seems not to know well about art activities as in exhibitions at galleries and museums, we just see artists, their friends and families, some curators, a few foreign collectors and galleries’ owners. We do not meet many visitors who are residents from other careers such as engineers, doctors, singers, property traders or teachers,” says Bui Hai Son, a sculptor. “That is why we need a stronger change in the education system and updates from media for the public,” he said.

Hanoi hosts youth arts festival 2014

The third youth arts festival opened at Hanoi University of Fine Arts on August 20.

Artworks were made between 2011 and 2014 by young artists aged 18-35 from across the country.

The arts council has selected 112 out of 762 entries from 100 young artists in 19 cities and provinces nationwide. On display are paintings, graphics, sculpture, installation, and video arts.

At the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien praised young artists for their passion and creativity which he said help elevate Vietnam’s art circles worldwide.

The awards ceremony will be held on September 5.