“Impressions on Mongolia" art exhibition opens in HCMC

Ho Chi Minh City Union of Literature & Arts Association and HCMC Fine Arts  Association will organize art exhibition named “Impressions on Mongolia” from January 27 to February 7 at 81 Tran Quoc Thao, District 3, HCMC.

30 oil & lacquer paintings, over 100 art photos and  sketch of 14 female artists in HCMC featuring Mongolia’s culture and life will be on display during the event.

The organization board plans to bring this exhibition to Ha Noi in July 2015 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Mongolia’s independence (11.7.1921-11.7.2015)

TNT Theatre tours across Viet Nam

The British TNT Theatre will perform Frankenstein – The Monster and the Myth from March 17 to 21 in Ha Noi and HCM City.

The play is directed by Paul Stebbings, with music and sound effects by composer Paul Flush.

Too many stage and film adaptations of Frankenstein ignore that the story is not just a novel, but a myth that has grown out of Mary Shelley's original.

TNT Theatre's production will combine actor Boris Karloff's skill with the intrigue of the original story to create a fascinating and entertaining new work.

The play will be performed at the Ha Noi Opera House on March 18 at 8pm. HCM City's shows will be held on March 20 at 11am, and March 20 and 21 at 8pm.

Concert to celebrate friendship with Japan

Pop singer My Tam will share the stage with Japanese guitarist Oshio Kotaro on April 5 in a concert in Osaka called Dreaming Together.

The two artists were invited to represent Viet Nam and Japan at the concert held in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Viet Nam-Japan Friendship Association in the Kansai region.

My Tam will sing her biggest songs in Vietnamese, Japanese and English, and the guitarist will perform his own pieces. They'll also perform together.

Bank's support brings theatre to communities nation-wide

A Sai Gon - Ha Noi Commercial Joint-stock Bank project (SHB) called Strengthen the Belief will fund the Youth Theatre's 100-concert tour through Ha Noi and 15 other northern and central provinces and cities.

The Youth Theatre will perform the play Ai La Thu Pham (Who is the Culprit), composed by the late, renowned playwright Luu Quang Vu, in high schools, colleges and universities across the country.

Under the project worth VND4 billion (roughly US$200,000), about 70,000 tickets will be delivered through the bank's transaction agencies system and 1,000 vocational scholarships will be given to students.

Last year, the project funded three performances in Ha Noi.

Four Vietnamese contemporary artists have their work on exhibit at Art Stage Singapore 2015, which commenced in Singapore on January 22.

Do Hoang Tuong, Hoang Duong Cam, Phi Phi Oanh and Richard Streitmatter-Tran make their appearance in the Southeast Asia’s flagship art fair, a space to discover, experience, and understand contemporary art.

Among the many highlights of the fair is the Southeast Asia Platform by Singaporean curator Khim Ong. The 1,000 square metre show features artwork by 32 emerging and established artists from the region.

Khim Ong said Southeast Asia’s contemporary arts have drawn global attention in recent years, bringing the works of regional artists to the international stage and including mediums ranging from film, photography, performance and installations, she noted.

She also spoke highly of the Vietnamese contributions, notably Phi Phi Oanh’s installation works and Hoang Duong Cam’s photos.

Art Stage Singapore 2015 features 200 galleries from 29 countries and will run until January 25.

Apart from the Southeast Asia Platform, the fair introduces a number of art projects, including a Video Stage and special exhibits by artists from Russia, Malaysia, and the Republic of Korea.-

Hue bronze casting products deemed “collective marks”

The bronze casting products of the Phuong Duc bronze casting village in the central city of Hue have been declared a “collective marks” by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam.

The move not only brings fame to the village’s bronze casting products, but also develops earning potential for the bronze casting establishments.

According to Nguyen Van Nhan, Chairman of the Association of Bronze Casting Villages in Hue city, the city now has 50 bronze casting establishments, mainly located in Phuong Duc and annually producing over 20 billion VND (936,800 USD) in revenue.

Phuong Duc is famous for its bronze bell casting, which possesses a secret ratio of tin, lead and zinc and has been passed down through 14 generations.

Many famous products such the Big Bell, the Thien Mu pagoda, numerous bronze pans and bronze fringes in the Royal Palace, nine cannons in

front of the Southern Gate, and particularly the Nine Dynastic Urns with 162 sculptures each, have all been casted by craftsmen in Phuong Duc.

Phuong Duc also produces a wide range of commercial products such as Buddhist statues, statues of prominent leaders and businessmen, and drums, which are famous across the nation thanks to master craftsmen like Nguyen Van Sinh and Nguyen Van De.

Collective marks provide a useful basis for association between various small and medium-sized businesses, making similar products, helping them enhance recognition and build a reputation for their products.

Art performance marks Party anniversary

A special art performance entitled “Mai mai niem tin theo Dang” (Viva the trust in the Party) was broadcast live on Vietnam Television on January 24 to mark the 85th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) (February 3, 1930).

The event saw the presence of former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Tong Thi Phong and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, among others.

The show highlighted the glorious struggling history and growth of the CPV, founded by late President Ho Chi Minh, over the past 85 years, with interviews with typical figures who had made significant contributions to the national construction and development.

The guests recalled the milestones of the Party and its leading role in every important affair of the country, especially during the struggles against the French and US forces as well as the nearly 30-year renewal process.

The annual programme also featured various art performances, praising the Party, late President Ho and the country’s development and integration.

Festival in Da Nang brings Thai guests

A performance troupe from Thailand will take part in the Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) Festival on Son Tra peninsula, central Da Nang city, on April 5-7, according to the organising board.

The annual festival held at the Quan The Am Pagoda is one of the area's leading cultural events, calling upon crowds of up to 10,000 visitors in past years.

The main festival, which falls on the 19th of the second lunar month, includes many activities such as calligraphy, tea drinking, drum and local dance performances, a painting exhibition, a boat race and a folk music performance of bai choi (a card game in which players sitting in a hut simultaneously play and sing).

The unique delicacies and flavours of international cuisine and entertainment have once again attracted thousands of visitors to the annual food festival held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Thousands thronged the diplomatic compound at Van Phuc, 298 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh in Hanoi on January 24 to sample the diverse selection of traditional local cuisine prepared by various participants.

All told the festival attracted the participation of 55 nations, including 30 embassies, 2 cultural and commercial centres, 13 agencies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 10 foreign diplomatic corps.

Present at the event were Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga, who is the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister along with Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Ambassador Nga said the festival was a great platform for all participants to promote their exotic food and drinks thus safeguarding their traditional culture.

FM Binh in turn said food festivals such as this one are educational for everyone, enabling all participants to learn more about other country’s food and culture.

Visitors to the festival also had ample chance to enjoy music and dance performances at the more than 70 food displays and learn more about culinary arts other countries.

There were also a wide variety of charitable events raising money for the needy and disadvantaged for which the donations have been earmarked for the support of orphans and people with disabilities.

UK magazine honours Vietnamese food

The Huffington Post website has run an article to explain why people should start eating Vietnamese food.

Accordingly, the website says that Vietnamese food is not only delicious but also really healthy.

“Low in fat, gluten-free and jam-packed with vitamins and minerals, it is the perfect food to boost your immune system, aid weight loss and give your energy” says the Huffington Post.

It caught up with health-conscious restaurant Pho to find out seven reasons why foreign people should all be eating more Vietnamese food. They are:

- To keep looking young

- To boost immune system and fight fatigue

- To regulate blood sugar

- To improve digestion

- For strong, healthy hair

- To avoid sugar

- To lose weight

Coin collector's thousand-year journey

An amateur coin collector has amassed a huge hoard of ancient Vietnamese money dating back nearly a thousand years in his life-long quest to preserve part of the country's history.

Nguyen Van Thao, 49, from Bac Ninh Province, has a collection of coins weighing six tonnes and dating back to the 10th century Dinh Dynasty.

He became interested in old coins when, as a child, he found a bag of coins in a junk shop and bought them.

Years later, he came across an excavation by villagers after heavy rain had exposed ancient ceramic and porcelain in a hillside. He was drawn to old coins uncovered by the rains and excavation and was fascinated by their different shapes and designs.

On business trips, he would search out old coins, which were often traded at low prices before being sold to collectors in China.

Thao studied the coins he collected and found many had early origins and high historical value.

"My wife and I spend most of our wages on old coins," Thao said. "There was a time we even mortgaged the house so I could buy jars of coins."

Thao quit the job to devote more time to his coin search, travelling to remote and mountainous areas hunting for rare coins. On one occasion, he wanted to buy ancient coins from a H'Mong ethnic village, but the leader refused. Thao said he persisted, visiting the village regularly, and eventually managed to exchange a jar of coins for some fried fish with sauce.

After 20 years, Thao's collection spans from the Dinh Dynasty (968-980) to the last emperor, Bao Dai, who ruled (1926-1945). He also has paper money from the French colonial period and the American War, and bars of gold and silver used as forms of payment.

Thao said he hopes his efforts will contribute to the preservation of Vietnam's culture and history for future generations. The Vietnam Book of Record Organisation is considering recognising Thao for having the country's largest private ancient money collection.

Lively and colorful drawings for child patients

“The Adventure of Color Wheel”, a project to re-design the Pediatrics Ward at the HCMC Eye Hospital by adding colorful drawings and interior furnishing items, has been launched by Art Labor group comprising visual artists Truong Cong Tung, Phan Thao Nguyen and Arlette Quynh.

The project was carried out from July to September last year and supported by San Art, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Kansai Paint, Mango Art Material and Prince Claus Fund, among others.

Doctors at the hospital shared their medical knowledge with Art Labor members, introduced the group to child patients and facilitated their job to transform the whole interior of the ward.

Art Labor gave weekly art classes to child patients and encouraged them to play with colors creatively and enthusiastically. At the same time, the group studied their aesthetic perception and gained more knowledge of eye treatment.

Such collaboration helped create a unique, friendly and artistic environment for child patients under treatment.

Tran Anh Tuan, director of the HCMC Eye Hospital, said the project has brought child patients closer to doctors and nurses.

Mongolia’s impression through local strokes

A painting exhibition named “An tuong Mong Co” (Mongolia impression) featuring 14 female artists will open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday in HCMC’s District 3.

The exhibition will present 32 artworks by the artists who made a ten-day trip to Mongolia on the occasion of the international art exhibition “Her Presence in colors – XI) by the International Women Artist’s Council (INWAC) at the Mongolian Modern Art Gallery, Ulan Bator, Mongolia last July.  

Fourteen artists, including Dang Thi Duong, Nguyen Thi Anh Dao, Cao Thi Duoc and Tran Thuy Linh, will showcase their pieces in acrylic, oil-on-canvas, lacquer and water color, inspired by the landscape and people in Mongolia.

The event is hosted by the HCMC Fine Arts Association and Union of Literature and Arts Associations at 91 Tran Quoc Thao Street in HCMC’s District 3 until February 7.

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