Photo contest promotes VN landscapes, daily life

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the online newspaper Vnexpress will promote Vietnam's beauty with a contest focusing on landscapes and slices of daily life, said deputy minister Vuong Duy Bien.

Vietnamese people living locally or overseas can enter the contest, which ends on October 27. Participants can submit photo entries in two categories: landscapes or daily life. Photos capturing precious moments among Vietnamese people anywhere will be accepted.

"The photo contest coincides with a Ministry of Culture programme to promote the country's image to the world. This is the first time the ministry has coordinated with Vietnam's leading online newspaper to hold this contest," Bien said at the launching ceremony in Hanoi on September 29.

A panel of foreign jurors will judge entries based on creativity and professionalism. They will award two first-place prizes, two second-places and two third-places for each category. The prizes together total VND500 million. Vnexpress's readers can also vote online for the best photos each week during the contest's run.

The ministry and Vnexpress have received 12,000 photos by 5,700 photographers since the competition began in August. More than 700 photos selected from the qualifying round have already been posted online: http://photo.vnexpress.net.

The winners' work will appear in local and overseas photo exhibitions to promote Vietnam's culture, landscape and people. The best photos will be added to the ministry's digital photo library and used for cultural events around the world.

Mai Thi Ha crowned Miss Vietnam in Czech Republic

The 21-year-old Mai Thi Ha triumphed at the fourth Miss Vietnam Czech Republic beauty pageant held in capital Prague on September 28.

The 1m67-tall winner, studying at Newton College, also pocketed three other prizes including Miss Ao Dai, Miss Talent, and Miss Fashion.

First runner-up prize went to Le Ha and second runner-up prize was presented to Nguyen Thu Trang.

On this occasion, organizers and sponsors also raised funds for victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam. Vietmedia company donated VND15 million while Dekonta, a Czech company, doled out VND105 million.

Exhibition of paper horses focuses on France-VN ties

An exhibition of paper horses that convey the relationship between the French and the Vietnamese people, and the bilateral cultural exchange will open tomorrow in Ha Noi.

For instance, young artist Trieu Tuan Long shows a herd of seven horses that are calmly grazing in a meadow in his latest installation entitled Information Transmitted by Horse Riding at the French Cultural Centre in Ha Noi.

The exhibits have been carefully crafted with Boi papers, a traditional Vietnamese material, and are covered with randomly arranged pictures conveying meaningful life lessons.

The viewers will be able to relate to the horses as they depict the ups and downs of the French sentiment towards the Vietnamese people and vice versa.

To that end, each paper horse bears a particular subject such as the Long Bien Bridge – Eiffel Tower; the French colony; Ta Hien old street; French architecture such as the Ha Noi Opera House, the Ha Noi Cathedral, Hang Dau Post, and others; French performances in Ha Noi: French and Vietnamese children: and the France-Viet Nam cultural exchange.

The exhibits will also enable the visitors to think and learn about the messages that the horses convey, instead of sitting in front of computers or TVs to understand what is going on.

The exhibition will run from September 30 to October 26 at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, Ha Noi.

Ha Long Bay among 12 greatest coastlines in the world

Ha Long Bay of Vietnam has been selected as one of the 12 greatest coastlines in the world by US travel website WhenOnEarth.

According to WhenOnEarth, Ha Long Bay features many tropical plants and animals, floating fishing villages, and unique formations of eroded limestone, including a multitude of small islands and huge caves.

The UNESCO-recognised world heritage site is considered a popular coastal destination in northeastern Vietnam.

The 12 greatest coastlines include Lofoten Archipelago in Norway, Na Pali beach in Hawaii, Cape Town in South Africa, Algarve in Portugal, and Great Ocean in Australia.

Footballers inspire comic book series

A comic-book series, inspired by Viet Nam's Under 19 football team, will be released by Tre (Youth) Publishing House on October 6.

Titled, Hoc Vien Bong Da (Football Academy), the 10-issue series will be released over a five-month period. It is aimed at audiences eight years and up.

The series centres around a team of footballers training at the Arsenal JMG Academy based in Gia Lai Province narrating their losses and triumphs.

The main characters are based on key players from the U19 team.

The series also features the fictional Delia, daughter of French coach Guillaume Graechen and his Vietnamese wife. Delia helps soften and diversify the largely male cast.

Bach Le, one of the artists directing the series, said he and his team of writers and artists spent time at the academy studying players' training times and everyday life to construct the characters.

According to Nguyen Minh Nhut, director of Tre Publishing House, the series doesn't simply praise the U19 players.

Rather, it tells stories about following one's passion and overcoming difficulties - topics that go beyond the football field and touch the everyday life of youths.

"When the players read the series, they will realise how their hard work is watched and appreciated. They will be motivated to always do their best," he said.

Doan Nguyen Duc, owner of the academy was happy about the series.

"My players are good role models and show a promising future for the country's football," he said. "They do not only play fair, but are also good men in real life."

"Footballers at the academy work hard," he said, "but I hope they will work even harder when they know how much they are loved by fans."

Book compiles photos by ethnic minority children

Images captured by ethnic minority children are featured in I Tell You My Stories, a photo book that will be released today.

The photographs were selected from thousands taken by children from ethnic Mong, Cham, Raglai and Mo Nong groups in the central province of Ninh Thuan, the northern province of Lao Cai and the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong.

The children were provided with cameras and trained in character photography and story building.

The photos reflect their awareness of urgent issues such as hygiene and environment, as well as offering a glimpse into local culture, childhood games, traditional festivals and daily activities.

The book was published under a project funded by Oxfam, an international organisation working to end injustice and poverty, and the Institute for Social Research, Economics and Environment (iSEE).

An exhibition of the photos was organised at the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology in May.

HCM City youth organisations launch free music performances

HCM City's Youth Union and Youth Cultural House have instituted a free new music programme at schools, universities, industrial parks and export processing zones to entertain cash-strapped students and workers who cannot otherwise afford such shows.

The event, called Hat Ve Thoi Hoa Do (Singing on the Youth), will see pop stars Nguyen Vu and Nguyen Phi Hung, popular young singers like Tanh Linh and Chi Thien, and pop bands like Lua Viet, Phu Sa, and M-Sky perform regularly at these places.

It will debut this weekend at the HCM City University of Agriculture and Forestry in Thu Duc District, before going to six other universities and secondary schools this year.

Exhibition showcases history of Hanoi and books

As part of the 2014 Hanoi Book Fair, the Vietnam National Library (VNL) has held an exhibition themed ‘Book’s journey’ with nearly 500 precious documents and artifacts collected through history.

The valuable documents made of wood, ‘do’ paper and palm leaf are selected by the VNL from libraries and museums across the country and displayed to showcase the history of books and Hanoi’s image through books. Dozens of books about Hanoi in French and Vietnamese published during wartime are also exhibited.

The exhibition will last until October 2.

YouTube sensation wins Vietnamese version of ‘The Winner Is’

A Vietnamese student who caused quite a stir two years ago with her cover of a foreign hit on YouTube has won the second season of the local version of American singing show “The Winner Is.”

Lan Anh, a student at Ho Chi Minh City Foreign Trade University, beat Nam Huong, a strong opponent, in the September 28 finale to be crowned the champion.

The finale, which took place at Maximart Cong Hoa Stadium, saw the fiery battles between four finalists, Lan Anh, Nam Huong and two established singers Phuong Trinh and Truong The Vinh.

Phuong Trinh is the winner of the 2006 “Ngoi Sao Tieng Hat Truyen Hinh” (Project Superstar) singing contest, which is organized annually by Ho Chi Minh City Television.

According to expert opinions, Nam Huong has a more striking singing voice and better techniques than Lan Anh.

With her cover of “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” posted on YouTube on March 27, 2012 and a catchy mashup, Lan Anh – who is loved for her clear voice and small build – won the majority of 101 jurors’ votes, including the main one.

“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” is a song in the studio album “Stronger” released in 2011 by American pop recording artist Kelly Clarson.

The song is the album's most successful release and Clarkson's most successful single overall, according to Wikipedia.

It topped the charts in the United States, Poland, Denmark, and Slovakia and has attained top-ten positions in over 20 countries around the world, the encyclopedia says.

The “The Winner Is” title earned Lan Anh VND300 million (US$14,120) and a recording contract with Universal Music Group (UMG), one of the largest music corporations in the world.

Hai Chau, the winner of last year’s season, which closed in August 2013, is also a university student.

“The Winner Is” is not the first or only music competition whose prize is a working agreement with American music corporation UMG.

Other contests including “Sao Mai Diem Hen” (a Vietnamese singing competition) and “Vietnam Idol” – the Vietnamese version of “American Idol” – also gave a similar contract as the grand prize in the past.

However, 21-year-old Chau is the first contestant and singer to accept the prize, as the winners of other contests often collaborate with their own team instead of UMG.