Prisma – The Night Run slated for late November

Prisma – The Night Run organized by HCMC-based Pulse Active Ltd. will be held for the first time in Vietnam on November 22 in HCMC’s District 2.

The organizer, who also held the Color Me Run event in HCMC’s District 7 earlier this year, aims to bring participants an event  that combines sport, music and visual effects.

People to the event will have a chance to join in a 5km run with different activities at each checkpoint. Especially, some popular artists like DJ Lil Jon, Atran and Mandfred (Singapore), Katsy Lee and Ace Ramos (the Philippines) will entertain participants at the final stop of the run.

Tickets for early birds from September 22 to October 19 are priced at VND550,000. Late buyers will pay VND650,000 to VND700,000.

For more information, call: 0919 327 323 or access www.facebook.com/theprismarun.     

Photo exhibition on Hanoi against the French colonialists

An exhibition featuring photos of relic sites in Hanoi during the resistance war against the French colonialists from 1946-1954, opened on September 26in Hanoi, at 48 Hang Ngang Street.

The exhibition is part of activities to mark the 60th anniversary of Hanoi Liberation Day (October 10).

The event, introducing 60 important historical revolutionary relics in Hanoi during the resistance war against the French colonialists from 1946-1954, is divided into three parts, namely revolutionary bases, important battles and Hanoi’s army and people during the resistance war.

The photos also reflected the iron will of the Hanoi army and people.

The exhibition aims to honour the contribution of Hanoians, who sacrificed their lives to protect the nation's sovereignty.

Photographers capture Vietnam in Canon competition

More than 3,000 professional and amateur photographers gathered at Quan Ngua Sports Complex here to participate in the Canon Photo Marathon 2014 event.

Now on its 12th consecutive year, the competition for the best photographs of unforgettable moments taken under deadline pressure centre on themes highlighting Viet Nam, her culture and people.

The top prize includes professional photography training in Japan and other awards. A similar event will be held on Saturday at Military Zone 7 Gymnasium in HCM City.

Most participants are young, but some of them are senior citizens, including Nguyen Tan Vinh, 83. "I've participated in the Canon PhotoMarathon six times, and this is my seventh. This is a real competition for photography lovers," said the Ha Noi resident.

Audience to have their say as local DJs hit the decks

Six promising young Vietnamese DJs will participate in a 12-week competition called BUDJs launched last week in HCM City.

For 12 weeks, the six competitors will be divided into two groups and trained by famous DJs Kim&Kat to develop their skills and performance. The competition will air on MTV and YouTube so that audiences can choose the best DJ.

As a part of a global programme titled "Made for Music", the competition is organised by Budweiser, with the main aim of using music to connect and inspire people.

While the programme has been organised in many countries, this is its first appearance in Viet Nam.

The organiser told Viet Nam News that six promising competitors had been chosen this year. Next competition, they will expand the competition and choose more candidates.

VN model takes career to new heights

Model and entrepreneur Jessica Minh Anh will transform the Eiffel Tower into a catwalk next month at the J Autumn Fashion Show.

During the show, collections from eight countries will be presented on a two-tiered outdoor catwalk spanning over 150m across the first floor of the symbolic tower. Anh will model the new collection by celebrity haute couture designer Hoang Hai, which features hand-beaded details and creative cuts.

The event will be Anh's eighth history-making catwalk. She previously modeled on London's Tower Bridge, Grand Canyon Skywalk and One World Trade Center.

"The most exquisite designs should be displayed at architectural masterpieces," Anh said. "The Eiffel Tower represents an artist's dreams, and inspires their many creations. I want to make those dreams attainable."

She added that she was "completely mesmerised" by Hai's designs, calling him "an expert at accentuating a woman's body."

The model has worn many of the young designer's haute couture pieces to the front row at Paris Fashion Week. Hai has also showcased his collections in London, Paris, Milan, Florence, Tokyo and Dubai and dressed stars for Cannes Film Festivals, Miss World and Miss Universe.

This year, he organised the Aimer show in Ha Noi, where he showed 100 pieces. Earlier this month he visited the President of Republic of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, at her villa, where he welcomed her to his show celebrating the 40-year anniversary of Viet Nam and Malta's relationship.

Rapping the News wins creativity prize

Rapping the News of VietnamPlus won the top award in the Digital First category of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

This special category honours the news publisher that most creatively engages the young through mobile telephones, tablets and other digital devices.

VietnamPlus, an online newspaper of Vietnam News Agency, launched their rap news broadcast on November 12 last year in celebration of the newspaper's fifth anniversary.

The news, also known as RapNewsPlus, appears twice a week, brings news and messages through rap to many young viewers. The first edition received a record one million views in only 48 hours.

All the rap news can be found at vietnamplus.vn/rapnewsplus.vnp.

RapNewsPlus has been featured in local and international media such as BBC, The Guardian, VOA and Deutsche Welle.

The WAN-IFRA also presented awards in other categories. The Norwegian local media group Amedia was named World Young Reader News Publisher of the Year for putting young people at the heart of its overall readership strategy.

Mindener Tageblatt from Germany won A Great Help for Azubify, a multiplatform set of tools to help companies and youth connect about apprenticeships.

And Volksblad of South Africa took the Brand award for SkoolBLUES, an interactive comic strip for teenagers.

The awards will be presented at the WAN-IFRA World Young Reader Summit and Ideathon on November 24-26 in Bali, Indonesia. It is a free event open to all news publishers, with priority given to WAN-IFRA members and past prize winners.

Workshop promotes musical game

Amid the changes of modern life, arts researchers are concerned that traditional activities could disappear. They are particularly worried about bai choi, a traditional musical game from the central coastal region.

The issue was discussed at a workshop on Saturday in the central province of Binh Dinh, known as the cradle of the musical game.

"We focused on the history and culture of the art; music used in the art; its condition in localities; and an action plan to protect and develop its value," said Nguyen Binh Dinh, head of the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, which co-ordinated with Binh Dinh Province to hold the event.

The workshop was one of several activities Viet Nam has organised in order to compile a national dossier to seek UNESCO recognition of bai choi singing as human intangible cultural heritage. The practice was recognised as National Intangible Cultural Heritage last month.

Bai choi, which can be described as Vietnamese bingo in huts, is often played at local festivals. The game was created by Dao Duy Tu, an outstanding mandarin under the reign of the Nguyen Lords (1558-1777) about 400 years ago. The unique beauty in the stilt bamboo huts that peasants erected to watch their fields inspired Tu to create a community game called bai choi. The game features songs that describe local festivals, life and work.

The traditional musical game is still played in 11 central cities and provinces, with Binh Dinh the key "contributor" to the dossier. The province currently has about 150 artists, including 28 groups and 22 associations, according to head of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Dung. There is also a scheme to establish one group of artists in every hamlet by 2020. The project encourages senior artisans to educate younger generations, in addition to organising seminars, performances at tourism areas and exchanges with other localities in the region.

"In recent years, we have brought bai choi singing to the province's traditional festivals to introduce the unique cultural art form of the central region to people nationwide and abroad," said Dung.

At the one-day workshop, managers, researchers and artists discussed the art form's uniqueness, in addition to shortcomings in preservation and development.

"To maintain a loyal audience and to sustain bai choi, we need to create ‘products' of good quality and attach more importance to including the art form in school education," said artist Hoang Minh Tam, dean of Nha Trang City's Culture, Arts and Tourism College.

Wrapping up the conference, vice minister of culture, sports and tourism Dang Thi Bich Lien ordered localities to examine the state of bai choi and propose a practical conservation and development plan.

Competition for DJs begins

Six promising young Vietnamese DJs will participate in a 12-week competition called BUDJs launched on Thursday in HCM City.

For 12 weeks, the six competitors will be divided into two groups and will be trained by famous DJs Kim & Kat to develop their skills and performance. The competition will air on MTV and YouTube so that audiences can choose the best DJ.

As a part of a global programme titled "Made for Music", the competition is organised by Budweiser, with the main aim of using music to connect and inspire people.

While the programme has been organised in many countries, this is its first appearance in Viet Nam.

The organiser told Viet Nam News that six promising competitors had been chosen this year. Next competition, they will expand the competition and choose more candidates.

Azerbaijan centre opens in Ha Noi

The Centre for Azerbaijani History and Culture Studies was established in the capital city yesterday.

The centre's director, Ngo Kim Thu, said it would reinforce cultural exchanges between Viet Nam and Azerbaijan.

"The centre's establishment marks an advance in the diplomatic relationship and strengthens mutual understanding between two countries," she said.

She said it would help connect people of both countries who are interested in each other's culture and history.

Some senior Vietnamese experts will work at the centre as advisors in researching local culture and introduce the nation's traditional values to the people of Azerbaijan.

In the future, the centre will host diplomatic and cultural activities relating to Azerbaijan, Thu said, adding that those interested in the country's culture can visit the centre at 80 Tran Thai Tong Street in Cau Giay District.

HCM City hosts Japanese culture show

Vietnamese and Japanese food and beverage companies and distributors took part in a Japan Drinking Culture Exchange programme held in HCM City on Thursday.

Japanese drinking etiquette and the origins of rice wine sake and how to make it were featured at the programme.

There was also traditional Japanese music performances and tasting of sake and sushi and other Japanese foods and drinks.

The country's deputy consul in HCM City, Yakabe Yoshinori, said in the process of economic and commercial co-operation between Viet Nam and Japan, cultural exchanges are being organised frequently.

There are 250 restaurants serving Japanese food and drinks in the city, he said.

Folk songs and ca tru featured in Czech Republic

The annual ASEAN Family Day held in Prague on September 27 cast the spotlight on Vietnamese Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) and folk songs.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Philippines Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Victoriano Lecaros and Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Prague said the event aimed to strengthen solidarity and mutual understanding among ASEAN delegations to the Czech Republic.

After the opening speech, participants enjoyed traditional and unique cuisine and art performances from different nations. Audiences were most impressed with ca tru performances by Vietnamese family band artists – Son Huong and Kim Dung – and the northern region’s folk songs by two small Vietnamese actresses Phuong Thao and Ba Duong.

Most notably, a Philippines folk song performed by the Ambassador Victoriano Lecaros and his wife received great applause.

Vietnam Ambassador to the Czech Republic Truong Manh Son said this year he will take over the Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Prague and revealed the Vietnam Embassy plans to build a diverse program imbued with the cultural identities of nations in the South East Asian region.

At present, more than 65,000 Vietnamese nationals are living in the Czech Republic and many of them are good at sports, culture and arts, Son said.

The annual event was co-organised by the Embassies of Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and the Czech Republic.

Installation exhibition connects Vietnamese, French cultures

An installation exhibition themed “Information Transmitted by Horse Riding” by artist Trieu Tuan Long is set to get underway at the French Cultural Centre L' Espace in Hanoi from September 30 to October 26.

At first glance, the exhibition is merely a herd of seven horses calmly grazing in a meadow. If one looks more closely, the horses are carefully crafted from Boi papers, a Vietnamese traditional material, and are covered with randomly arranged pictures conveying meaningful life lessons.

Each horse bears various images including Long Bien Bridge, Eiffel Tower, Ta Hien old quarter, and Hanoi Opera House. Besides, images of French people’s daily life in Hanoi, exchanges between French and Vietnamese children will be on display.

The organizing board said the exhibition aims to connect Vietnamese and French history as well as their cultures and promote them to the Francophone community.

Centre for Azerbaijan History and Culture Studies debuts

The Centre for Azerbaijan History and Culture Studies was officially launched in Hanoi on September 26.  

At the launching ceremony, Centre Director Ngo Thi Kim Thu said the centre’s aim is  to seek cultural similarities between Vietnam and Azerbaijan, providing a premise for  cross - cultural exchange and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

It also connects Azerbaijan’s people who are interested in Vietnamese culture and history and vice versa.

“The centre will introduce traditional cultural and historical values in each country to deepen mutual understanding between the two peoples”, Kim Thu noted.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov highlighted the great significance of the centre’s establishment as a contribution to boosting Vietnam-Azerbaijan bilateral relations.

VNS/VNA/VOV