Nearly 150 Vietnamese cultural antiques introduced

The exhibition attracts many visitors 

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Antique Association opened an exhibition of 130 valuable antiques featuring Vietnamese history, culture and cultural exchanges in the region, on November 28.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, the artifacts were selected from collections of 27 antique collectors. In addition, a number of the ancient artifacts were collected by the Museum over many years.

The artifacts are divided into a number of topics, including weapons; seals; the structure of Vietnamese administrative organisations through feudal historical periods; enamel bronze products; and Lai Thieu pottery through the civil products in the lives of the Southern people.

The exhibition’s highlight is a collection of Cay Mai pottery, which is one of the characteristics of wet rice farming, creating the special characteristics of Oriental culture in general and of Vietnam in particular.

According to Nguyen Van Quynh, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Antiquities Association, the introduction of the antiques to the public reflects the enthusiasm of the members of the Ho Chi Minh City Antique Association in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the ancestors.

The exhibition runs until March 31, 2019 at Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.

On the occasion, the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History launched three adjustment exhibition rooms in the road map modernisation display system on the history of Vietnam. The room was designed with the application of scientific and technological achievements, graphic design and cataloging techniques.

Dak Nong to host first Vietnam Brocade Festival

Applied brocade products are introduced at the press conference. 

The first Vietnam Brocade Festival will be held in Gia Nghia town, in the Central Highland of Dak Nong, from December 28-30.

The information was released at a press conference held by the Dak Nong provincial People’s Committee on November 27.

Accordingly, the festival will feature a wide variety of activities including an opening ceremony, an exhibition of brocade products and cuisine, a seminar on traditional Vietnamese brocade, a fashion show of applied brocade and a street festival.

The event aims to preserve and promote traditional patterns and costumes of the ethnic minority groups around the country, particularly those in Dak Nong province.

The festival is also expected to introduce the cultural heritage values and potential for tourism development of the locality to domestic visitors and international friends, as well as strengthening the national unity bloc, contributing to the country’s socio-economic development and improving the spiritual lives of the people.

The provincial People’s Committee also announced that the Dak Nong Investment Promotion Conference will be held, with the participation of many large corporations and enterprises.

At the event, the province will grant investment certificates to several enterprises with total investment of over VND5 trillion (US$213.4 million) and sign the minutes of investment cooperation with businesses worth total over VND92 trillion (over US$3.9 billion) in numerous fields, such as ecotourism, agricultural restructuring and solar power.

Concert provides a combination of contemporary and ancient music

The Hanoi New Music Ensemble 

A concert named “Old is new, new is old” will take place in Hanoi on December 1, entertaining audiences with an interesting music experience through a combination of contemporary and ancient music of Vietnam.

During the programme, the Hanoi New Music Ensemble and the music group Dong Kinh Co Nhac will perform pieces by contemporary Vietnamese-French classical music composer Nguyen Thien Dao.

The composer worked in the field of contemporary classical music and researched traditional Vietnamese music.

The composer was also a member of the presidium of the Vietnamese People Association in France for numerous tenures. He has actively participated in patriotic Vietnamese community movements over the past 50 years, and helped introduce the Vietnamese spirit to France through music. He was honoured with the Resistance War Order, third-class, of the Vietnamese State in recognition of his contributions to the struggle for national liberation.

Hanoi New Music Ensemble was the first professional contemporary music ensemble in Vietnam, founded in 2015. Its mission is to present new Vietnamese music throughout the country and to represent Vietnam to international audiences. Its members are amongst the nation’s best professional musicians and teachers, serving as professors at the Vietnam National Academy of Music and performing with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.

Meanwhile, the artists of the Dong Kinh Co Nhac Group studied and restored ancient singing and ancient playing styles.

Italian wine on show

The Italian Trade Agency (ITA), with support from the Embassy of Italy in Vietnam and the Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City, is organizing “Borsa Vini Italiani 2018” in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi from November 28 to 30.

Thirty-one wineries from 12 regions in Italy will showcase their wine in both cities. Winemakers from northern Italy are from Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Emilia Romagna, while those from central Italy are from Tuscany and Marche and those from the south are from Campania, Apulia, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia. Of the 31, eleven are special wineries from the south. All are introducing excellent wines that are quite new in the international market.

“With $88 million in wine imported into Vietnam in 2017 and growth of 27.4 per cent on average over the last four years, I am optimistic about the future of Italian wine here,” said Mr. Paolo Lemma, Trade Commissioner at ITA in Vietnam. “Vietnam’s wine market is highly attractive to Italian wine exporters.”

Ranking third among wine suppliers to Vietnam, after France and Chile, Italian wine held an 11.2 per cent market share in 2017. In the last five years, the average annual increase of Vietnam’s wine imports from Italy has been 42.2 per cent, reaching a record $9.8 million last year.

2017 was the third year in a row that Italian wine held top spot in the world, with about 4.3 billion liters exported worth more than $6.82 billion. Main markets are the US, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Canada and France. In Asia, following Japan and China (including Hong Kong), ASEAN countries imported Italian wine worth $47.29 million, of which the top three importers were Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Occupying a large space at the Food - Hotel- Hanoi (FHH2018) exhibition at the I.C.E National Exhibition Centre, 91 Tran Hung Dao Street, the Italian wine booths are always crowded. Visitors have the chance to taste wine, discuss potential cooperation, and attend seminars on food and wine pairing.

“We plan to launch more wine trade fairs to introduce our ‘national beverage’ to Vietnamese consumers,” said Mr. Lemma. “I also believe that, with extremely competitive prices, Italian wines will soon become familiar among local people.”

He also shared his personal experience in pairing Vietnamese food with Italian wine. “Having a glass of red wine while eating ‘pho bo’ (noodle soup with beef) is outstanding,” he said. “Italian wine helps support the digestion process, and at the same time helps raise the strong taste of a hot bowl of noodle soup.”

He expects white wine to become more popular in the country, since “the Vietnamese habit of eating vegetables, fish and seafood rather than meat as well as the hot weather will make white wine the best pairing,” he said.
Concert to feature old, new music

Hanoi New Music Ensemble will perform at the concert. — Photo courtersy of the organiser

Traditional and contemporary Vietnamese  music will be featured at the upcoming concert ‘Old is New, New is Old’.

In this programme, Hanoi New Music Ensemble and the Đông Kinh Cổ Nhạc troupe will perform tuồng (classical drama), chèo (traditional operetta), zen music and some pieces which French-Vietnamese composer Nguyễn Thiện Đạo wrote for monochord and 16-string zither.

The concert will take place on December 1 at L’Espace, 24 Tràng Tiền Street, Hà Nội.

Síu Phạm’s documentaries to be screened

Director Síu Phạm will present her documentaries at Manzi. 

Two documentary films by director Síu Phạm, Swallow an Angel and Fog over the Summit will be screened on December 1 at Manzi Art Space with English subtitles.

The 70-year-old director, who has won international and domestic prizes, will talk with the audience after the screening. 

Fog over the Summit is a story about the conflict between local life and foreign culture. Meanwhile, a friendship can be created between people who don’t understand each other’s language. Between the differences, they still have a mutual respect and share an emotional connection with nature.

Swallow an Angel is an artistic film about a Butoh (Japanese dancer).

Manzi Art Space is at 14 Phan Huy Ích Street, Hà Nội. 

Street culture festival

’Feel It’, the street culture festival, will be held from 10am to 11.30pm on December 12 on the rooftop of Q.Industries Building on Street No.7 in HCM City’s District 7. — Photo ticketbox.vn

’Feel It’, a street culture festival, will be held from 10am to 11.30pm on December 12 on the rooftop of Q.Industries Building on Street No.7 in HCM City’s District 7.

“Feel It” is a public arts and emerging music festival that celebrates street culture and honors local young brands.

Providence, Datmaniac, Thái Sơn Beatbox and bands Weed Elephant and Hem Hem will perform at the festival.

The festival is an intersection of music, street arts, sports, crafting, creativity and originality.

Tickets are VNĐ175,000 including a free drink and free archery game. 

Christmas art market in District 2

The Tropical X-Mas Art Market will be held from 10am to 6pm on December 1-2 at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre on 15 Nguyễn Ư Dĩ Street in HCM City’s District 2. — Photo saigoneer.com

The Tropical X-Mas Art Market will be held from 10am to 6pm on December 1-2 at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre on 15 Nguyễn Ư Dĩ Street in HCM City’s District 2.

The Tropical X-Mas Art Market will include a Hàng Trống Folk painting display by artisan Lê Đình Nghiên and an "Everyday Graphic Calendar" installation by the Ordinary People Design Studio, as well as a Katagami - Paper cutting workshop with AXA Studio.

The event will have more than 50 vendors, featuring the most loved independent artists, artisans and local designers of Saigon. The Art Market will also offer workshops and creative talks.

Entry is free. 

Gong festival to open on Friday

Gongs symbolise wealth and power to local people in the Central Highlands.

Over 1,000 artists will be performing at the Highlands Gong Culture Festival 2018 this weekend.

“The Central Highlands has preserved its gong culture well,” said researcher Nguyễn Quang Tuệ.

Gongs symbolise wealth and power to local people, who play them during most rituals and ceremonies.

The gong culture in Tây Nguyên was recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.

Since September, the gong team from Groi 2 Village in Đak Đoa District have been gathering every Saturday night to rehearse their performance for the festival.

“The villagers are really pleased to know that we will be performing at the festival, and we’re really happy too. We all try our best not to miss a rehearsal,” said Alip, a team member.

Visitors to the fesitval will also have the chance to watch locals perform weaving, folk singing and sculpture carving, while enjoying local specialties such as grilled chicken, grilled pork and local wine.

Local rituals will also be demonstrated to give visitors a better understanding of the local culture.

Coffee, a signature drink of the region, will also be served in Đại Đoàn Kết Square, where the event will take place.