Tuyen Quang to host biggest street festival

The northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang will hold the Tuyen Quang City Festival from September 5-7, with the participation of performance troupes from the Republic of Korea, Laos, China and Belarus.

The street event will entail a range of activities, such as sport competitions and musical performances, looking to promote the province’s cultural and historical value, as well as attract tourists.

A parade of large, beautiful locally-made lanterns will form part of the Tuyen Quang City Festival which is held annually, often on the occasion of the Mid -Autumn Festival of children.

Giant lantern – an indispensible object enticing children during their festival, has contributed to the naming of the Tuyen Quang City Festival as the one having the biggest lanterns by the Vietnam Guinness Book.

Tuyen Quang has more than 300 places of interest, including the nationally important sites of Tan Trao, Kim Binh, Kim Quan, and Lang Ngoi – Da Ban.

Steeped in revolutionary history and diverse ethnic cultures, Tuyen Quang is celebrated as a place of cultural exchange for ethnic minorities in the North, and is featured in traditional festivals, legends and folksongs.

Vietnam Days in Japan set to kick off

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung. 

At least 98 organisations and 150,000 visitors are expected to participate in this year’s Vietnam Days in Japan festival to take place at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo on September 13-14.

Speaking at a press briefing in Tokyo on August 26, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung expressed his hope that this year’s festival  themed “Hand in Hand”, will continue in the tradition of prior festivals, nurturing the close relationship between the two Governments and peoples.

Former Japanese Senator Matsuda Iwao, co-head of the organising board, echoing Ambassador Hung’s sentiments, said the festival has always been a popular event for Japanese citizens and Vietnamese people residing in Japan.

“The most wonderful thing is that down through the years the festival, featuring cultural and sports activities, has contributed to a heightened sense of closeness in the traditional ties of friendship between the two nations,” he said.

The highlight of this year’s festival is the debut of traditional Vietnamese water puppet shows, which are anticipated to be warmly received and highly appreciated by local audiences.

Fayçal Salhi Quintet to perform in Vietnam

Fayçal Salhi Quintet will impress Hanoi audiences with sounds of traditional Oud and western instruments including Sax and Contrabass during a World Music/Jazz concert at the French Cultural Centre L' Espace in Hanoi on September 11.

The four members, coming from Italy, Uruguay, Holland, and Algeria, will present a new combination of modern jazz and Arabic rhyme.

Entrance tickets are available at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Str. Hanoi.

The quintet is set to perform in Ho Chi Minh City on September 12.

Vietnamese ancient porcelains exhibited in Singapore

Vietnam ’s ancient porcelains and their sophistication and creativity are being introduced to visitors to the ongoing exhibition entitled “China Mania! The Global Passion for Porcelain 900-1900” at the Asian Civilisations Museum of Singapore .

Among them is a blue and white vase made in the north of Vietnam from the 15 th century, which is showcased in the centre of the exhibition.

According to the organising board, although the method to create the blue of the vase has yet been known, it can be affirmed that such sophisticated colouring technique in Southeast Asia at the time was held only by Vietnamese artisans.

The vase also bears impressive, vivid decorative patterns of fish and Makara, a mythical creature that is part-animal, part-reptile, and part-fish, and often seen in art in Southeast Asia .

Kan Shuyi, a curator at the Asian Civilisations Museum of Singapore, said Vietnam held a position in the global and Southeast Asian history of the porcelain-making art since it was one of the largest producers and exporters of the product from the 14 th century.

She emphasised that many Vietnamese porcelains have been found in the Philippines , Java, Sulawesi, the Malay peninsular, and even Japan and Turkey .

Running from August 2 to September 14, the exhibition displays 150 items coming not only from China but also many countries around the world to feature how international trade and cultural exchanges had impacted the making of porcelains globally.

Drama students set to stage tragicomic tale

Students from the Drama Club of the HCM City University of Social Science and Humanities are preparing to stage their latest dramas on National Day, September 2.

The students will stage Tam Va Hoang Hau (Tam and the Queen), a tragicomedy based on the popular Vietnamese fairy tale titled Tam Cam.

The play is adapted by cultural researcher Nhat Chieu, who works as a lecturer for the university.

It tells the life of Tam, a poor girl, who faces challenges to find her true love.

The young artists will perform on a stage with sound and light effects.

"The university's mini-club is composed of amateurs from the city's many prestigious stages. But our 11-year-old club brings students closer to the art," said student Thien Huan, head of the Drama Club.

"The club is our own place where we can play, meet and share our views," he said.

Huan's colleagues, Huynh Nhu and Thu Van, who are also studying literature and linguistics, have adapted dozens of plays from popular Vietnamese literary works.

"We are very nervous about performing Tam Va Hoang Hau because it's funny, but also contains valuable lessons," said Nhu.

Nhu also plays the role of a fairy, who, with his magic, helps Tam escape from her wicked stepmother.

"I am very involved in the role because I don't want to disappoint my audience," he said. "Staging on the holiday is our chance to make an impression and show drama lovers what we can do."

Theatre critic Ngoc Uyen, who has worked with the club's members, said all their plays are a big challenge.

"Students have tried to perfect their work in the hope that their club will become a place for young people to enjoy the art in different way."

Uyen said that the club is part of the university's drive to be recognised as a specialist university.

"By having this club, the university can give its teachers and students the opportunity to develop their techniques and their knowledge of emotional expression, and can develop their talents while still at school," she said.

Tickets for the play Tam Va Hoang Hau are VND20,000 (nearly US$1).

The play will be staged every night, from August 29 to September 2, at 8pm at the USSH, 10-12 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1.

Photos highlight sea sovereignty

A new exhibition of nearly 200 photographs and news reports, with the theme Young People Participate in Protecting Viet Nam's Sea and Island Sovereignty, is on display at the Youth Cultural House in District 1 in HCM City.

The highlights include photos, news reports and video clips about China's deep-water oil rig HYSY981, which was illegally placed in the country's waters.

The event also showcases old maps and a collection of administrative records that show the country's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spartly) archipelagos.

"For people who have or have not once experienced the salty taste of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, the photos and reports at the exhibition left a very strong impression. Through the event, they can learn lessons from the islands and soldiers and become more patriotic as well," said Captain Le Trung Thanh of the sea police ship CSB 4033.

The event, part of cultural activities to celebrate National Day, September 2, will run through September.

Cambodian artist discusses work

Cambodian artist and performer Than Sok will speak about his art that has encompassed installation, drawing, performance, video, and sculpture in HCM City on Saturday.

He will also share his experiences of the past month of working with the Khmer and Vietnamese communities in the city as a part of an artist-in-residency programme by San Art called Prod/Ponder.

The programme seeks to stimulate creative activity in Viet Nam, engaging various ideas stemming from the contemporary artistic process, and consists of lectures and workshops.

He will be speaking in Khmer with translations in Vietnamese and English.

Sok, who is currently studying architecture at Norton University in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, has held several solo and group exhibitions in Cambodia, Viet Nam, Singapore, the US, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

New book on Viet Nam's history published

The The Gioi Publishing House will be releasing to the public a new and comprehensive history of Viet Nam written by Vietnamese professor Le Thanh Khoi this week.

A ceremony was held at the French Cultural Centre, L'espace, last night for A History of Viet Nam, From Origin to the Middle of the 20th Century (Lich Su Viet Nam, Tu Nguon Goc Den Giua The Ky XX).

The new book actually combines two books on Vietnamese history and culture entitled Viet Nam, History and Civilisation (Viet Nam, Lich Su va Van Minh) and Vietnamese History, From Origin to 1958 (Lich Su Viet Nam, Tu Nguon Goc Den Nam 1958).

The publishing houses of Minuit Paris and Sue-Est Asie released the two books in French in 1955 and 1982. These scholarly references have served as comprehensive and systematic sources of relevant information for Vietnamese researchers.

Born in 1923 in Ha Noi, Khoi studied in France in 1947. He has written and co-authored more than 40 books and was awarded the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2003.

German Film Fest offers 50 free screenings early next month

Audiences in Hanoi, Haiphong, Danang, Hue, HCMC and Thai Nguyen can check out 10 popular German movies in 50 free screenings during the 5th German Film Fest from September 4 to 21.

At the opening ceremonies in Hanoi, Hue, Danang and HCMC, the organizers will present two German filmmakers from Berlin, Constanze Knoche and Leis Bagdach of the drama movie Visitors (Vietnamese: Cuoc vieng tham bat ngo) to exchange with local audiences.

This year’s films are about family ties and identity, about tolerance and desperation, but also about freedom, friendship and fantasy. This year’s event offers audiences a selection of film highlights by popular German directors and filmmakers who won prizes at international film festival. They are the drama Visitors (16+); the comedy Parents (12+); the drama/adventure Exit Marrakech (12+); the comedy Fack Ju Göhte (16+); the comedy 119 Minutes (16+), dramas Color of the Ocean (12+) and The Taste of Apple Seeds (16+) and Scherbenpark (16+) and children’s film The Little Ghost and drama/fantasy Rubinrot (12+) and drama/thriller Two lives (16+).

The movies will be in German language with Vietnamese or English subtitles/voiceovers.  

In HCMC, audiences can collect free tickets at Goethe-Institut HCMC at 18 Road No. 1, Do Thanh Condo, District 3 from on August 26 to watch the movies at Cinebox, 212 Ly Chinh Thang Street in District 3 from September 5 to 12.

The organizers also run an online contest where participants have to answer a film quiz to win some interesting prizes. Further information can be found at www.goethe.de/german-filmfestival-vietnam or people can contact the Goethe-Institut HCMC on (08) 3600 9587.

Films will be screened in Hanoi from September 4 to 11, in Haiphong from September 5 to 14, in Hue from September 11 to 17, in Danang from September 12 to 21, Thai Nguyen from September 15 to 21.

The four previous festivals attracted around 50,000 people.

Filipino band Powerjam Live returns to Hard Rock Café HCMC

The PowerJam Live Band, who won The Battle of the Band in the Philippines in 1996 as well as first runner-up of a song writing contest for MTV Asia, will return to Vietnam and rock at Hard Rock Café HCMC from Tuesday, September 2.

The band’s versatile repertoire includes dance hit numbers, classic rock tunes, contemporary pop music, rhythm and blues, funk, soul, popular Latino music, acid jazz and ballads.

Formed in 1996 in Manila, the Philippines, PowerJam Live, a 6-piece band, have traveled to entertain and share their passion in music throughout Asia including Singapore, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Its six members include Patrick Querubin (Band Leader/Drummer), Joey Cuenca (Lead Guitarist), Denice Camille P. Prado (Lead Vocalist), Jesmar Sioteco Bognot (Lead Vocalist), Reymund Carlos Mabbayad (Bass Guitarist) and Jay-o Orduña (Keyboardist).

Daisy Phuong Vu, general manager of Hard Rock Café HCMC, said: “Hard Rock Café HCMC has recently introduced many young and energetic bands such as Radio City and Jogadanz to music lovers in the city. Given PowerJam Live’s good feedbacks during the first tour in Vietnam, we have decided to

invite them back and hope Hard Rock Café HCMC will continue to be the place to party with more entertaining live performances, good food, great drinks and kick-ass services.”

Audiences can enjoy the band’s performances nightly, from Tuesday to Sunday, at 8:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 9 p.m. on weekend (free entry), starting September 2.

The restaurant also offers Free Shuttle Service to all of its guests from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily (except public holidays). It is running some promotions of free snacks and Buy 1 Get 1 (drink) and food and drink package for group of 4-6 persons.