Artists paint a picture of Mongolia's wild beauty

Camel as canvas: Dem He O Thao Nguyen (Summer Night on the Steppe), an oil painting by Nguyen Thi Duong, is one of 32 works on display at the An Tuong Mong Co (Mongolian Impression) exhibition.

Landscapes, portraits of daily life, and the beauty of women of Mongolia are the themes of a painting exhibition that opened at the HCM City Union of Literature and Arts Associations on Tuesday.

Works on show at the An Tuong Mong Co (Mongolian Impression) include the latest oil, acrylic, lacquer and watercolour paintings by 11 artists of the city's Women Painters Club as well as three male artists.

Painter Dang Thi Duong said: "Last July, the female artists were invited to participate in the biannual international exhibition Her Presence in Colours in Mongolia. On display are the paintings which are results of our 10-day trip to the beautiful and peaceful country."

For the exhibition, Duong has displayed four oil landscape paintings.

She has used vivid colours of blue, pink and red along with dark colours to make the painting stand out, especially in the work Dem He O Thao Nguyen (Summer Night on the Steppe).

The youngest of the group, Nguyen Thi Anh Dao, has one oil painting and one lacquer painting that express her feelings while she was visiting the steppe.

Dao said: "I burst into tears when I saw the immerse steppe with huge grassland, horses, and nice tents."

Her works, including Huong Co (Scent of Grass) in lacquer and Ky Hoa Thao Nguyen (Sketch on Steppe) depict colourful flowers and landscapes, predominantly in pastel colours.

The exhibition also features oil paintings of Mongolian women by Cao Thi Duoc and abstract paintings by Tran Thuy Linh.

Three male artists, including Phan Oanh, Ly Khac Nhu and Nguyen Trung Tin, presented paintings about the country's landscape.

The exhibition, organised by the union and the city's Fine Arts Exhibition, will also travel to Ha Noi.

It will remain open until February 7 at 81 Tran Quoc Thao Street in District 3.

Spring concert to benefit music talents

A performance titled Concert for Spring, featuring the most talented musicians in Ha Noi, will be held tonight at 8pm at Manzi Art Space, 14 Phan Huy Ich Street.

Five members of the young Ha Noi musicians' group, who graduated from the Viet Nam National Academy of Music and other recognised music conservatories, will delight their audience with classical pieces written by world-famous composers such as W A Mozart, Bernhard Crusell and Antonio Vivaldi.

The price for the first drink is VND250,000 (US$12). The night's earnings will go to the musicians and help with organisational costs.

Swiss-VN combo present italo

On Saturday, join Mercury from Switzerland and Ha Noi's local duo Vaggio for a night of soulful house, throbbing italo – a form of house music originating in Italy – and disco beats.

Mercury is represented by Mel, a former hip-hop DJ who recently discovered his love for gay rock music and ethno-influenced 80s synthesiser pop. He plays and produces neoclassic house music. His music is soulful, with some gospel influences. It is percussion-oriented, bass-driven and has a slight vintage timbre.

The Ha Noi duo Vaggio is a mainstay of the dance scene in Ha Noi. These two can transform any tame party into a wild night with their music.

Ticket costs VND80,000 (US$4) and VND50,000 ($2.5) for students. The venue, CAMA ATK, is at 73a Mai Hac De Street. The performance will start at 8pm .

Pyjama reading party at Bookworm

On Sunday, February 1, Bookworm Too will present the event Reading in Pyjamas with Katie for children 4 to 9.

Katie, a Bookworm Too volunteer, will host a free pyjama party for young readers at the venue, where she'll read a selection of books. Kids can attend in their favourite pyjamas and must be accompanied by parents or guardians.

The reading party will start at 10.30am, and will have free cookies and fruit. Bookworm Too is located at Lane 1/28, Nghi Tam Village.

Participants will get a 15 per cent discount on all children's books. Notify the store ahead of time: bookworm@fpt.vn or (04) 3715331.

Open-air market features Tet products

The Tet (Lunar New Year) Market featuring traditional products and food for the festive season will open at Vista Walk on January 31.

The two-day event will include a market, traditional folk games, a kid's playground and Vietnamese traditional food and drinks.

Dragon dances and live music performances will be presented from 6.30pm. There will be a lucky draw as well.

The fair will take place from 10am to 6pm at 628C Ha Noi Highway in District 2. Entrance is free.

NZ food, wine to raise funds for girls' shelter

The Wine and Food New Zealand 2015 themed "Give" will raise funds for Ba Chieu Girls Shelter at RMIT University on February 7.

The event will feature New Zealand cuisine prepared by seven of the city's finest hotel culinary teams, wines sponsored by many wineries in the country, and live music performances.

It will open from 4pm to 10pm at 702 Nguyen Van Linh Street in District 7.

Tickets priced at VND1.6 million (US$80) are on sale at Metropolitan Building and Caravelle Saigon in District 1, AIS Reception, Cherry Blossom and APSC Compound in District 2, and Boomerang Restaurant in District 7.

Saigon Outcast serves up the ‘elements'

A music party called "Elements" featuring a mixture of rap, hip hop, funk, soul reggae and rock will be launched at Saigon Outcast bar on January 30.

The show will include international DJs The West Country Warlord, Binaural Dropout and Soulpatch, and soul and hip hop artist Adrienne Mack-Davis.

Breakdancers, graffiti artists and rappers are invited to join the party.

The event will begin at 7pm at 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong Street in District 2. Entrance is free.

Hanoi’s students learn about their roots

A programme themed “Back to the roots – Experience Hanoi’s intangible cultural heritages” was launched by Hanoi’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on January 27 in the celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet).

The event is a continuation of the “Discover world heritage sites in Hanoi, the city for peace” contest successfully conducted by the Hanoi Cultural Fund under the department in December of last year.

The most popular intangible cultural heritages of the capital are its traditional festivals; handicraft villages like Chuong village of “non la” (the traditional conical hat) and Xuan La village of “to he” (a traditional toy made from rice powder); and folk music, including “Xam”, “Ca Tru”, “Chau Van” and Water Puppets.

The programme aims to provide students in the city with experiences of local intangible cultural heritages to promote the value of the city’s legacies and tourism.

Students who join the event will learn about their roots through a series of activities, including touring heritage sites, taking part in performances and making handicrafts.

Heritage site tours are scheduled to start on March 7 and run through mid-May of this year.

UNESCO Vietnam active in advertising country’s image

The Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO (UNESCO Vietnam) has been active in promoting the image of Vietnam to international friends

Deputy Secretary-General of UNESCO Vietnam, Nguyen Manh Thang made the statement at a conference held in Hanoi on January 27 to review the commission’s operation in 2014.

The commission’s sub-committees have promoted their positive roles at multilateral forums and have fulfilled its membership obligations of the World Heritage Committee while increasing UNESCO presence in Vietnam.

It has also co-ordinated with localities in their efforts to seek UNESCO acknowledgement for heritage sites, as well as in preserving and promoting the values of UNESCO-recognised heritage sites..

In addition, the commission has supported the country’s bilateral diplomacy and political diplomacy in safeguarding national sovereignty and resolving issues related to democracy and human rights, he added.

A wide range of programmes have been launched by the commission to expand education on sustainable development, gender equality, reproductive health, and school-related gender-based violence.

Addressing the event, Deputy Foreign Minister and UNESCO Vietnam President, Le Hoai Trung spoke highly of achievements made by the commission over the past year, stressing that its effective operation reflected Vietnam’s commitment to its active and full participation in UNESCO activities and the conventions that Vietnam is a member of.

He urged the commission to work closely with relevant ministries, sectors and localities in order to balance heritage preservation and sustainable development.

Park Hyatt Saigon has new Chef de Cuisine

As one of the top 20 of The Daily Meal’s “101 Best Hotel Restaurants Around the World”, Square One restaurant of the Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel has picked Jamie Celaya as its latest Chef de Cuisine.

Illinois-born chef Celaya earned a degree in Culinary Arts from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, an affiliate of the renowned Le Cordon Bleu. He had four years working at NoMi restaurant at Park Hyatt Chicago before moving to the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in the U.S. His recent position was Chef de Cuisine at Hyatt Regency Guam’s La Mirenda restaurant.

In his new role at Park Hyatt Saigon, he will work closely with executive chef Marco Torre and the team at Square One, keeping up the high standards of this signature restaurant.