DJ ranked 42nd in world to hit Chill Sky Bar

Portuguese DJ and producer Kura, who ranks No 42 on DJ Mag's Top 100 in 2014, will provide a night of electro house music called "Made For Music" at the Chill Sky Bar today.

Kura, whose real name is Ruben de Almeida, received the award for Best Portuguese DJ in Radio Nova Era's annual awards in 2014.

The show will begin at 9pm at 76A Le Lai Street in District 1.

Mass kissing contest to mark Valentine's Day in Hanoi

Some 100 couples will take part in a kissing competition on the Valentine's Day this year at the Water Park in Hanoi, with judges to choose the 10 best pairs of kissers.

The event, to be held February 13-14, will also feature a romantic cocktail festival, a "Romeo and Juliet" house, love dancing and a love story.

Couples will kiss in the Romeo and Juliet house, surrounded by roses. The organising board will select ten outstanding couples to give them prizes. The winning coupes will throw lucky roses to the audience.

Bronze statue of President Ho cast

Work began on a new statue of President Ho Chi Minh yesterday at a bronze casting workshop in HCM City's Thu Duc District.

The 7m statue will feature President Ho standing on a platform.

Le Hoang Quan, chairman of the city's People's Committee, said after the leaders chose the design by sculptor Lam Quang Noi, it was sent to the noted Phuong Nam Bronze Casting Workshop owned by artisan Pham Van Hai.

The statue was being cast to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the President's birthday and the 40th anniversary of reunification, he said.

The statue will be erected on Nguyen Hue Street in front of the city's People's Committee to replace the previous statue of President Ho sitting with children, which has been moved to the Children's Cultural Palace in the city.

Tra Que village opens vegetable fair

The Tra Que Village in the tourism hub of Hoi An has opened a vegetable fair in order to attract more visitors to the suburban area.

Tra Que Village, a few kilometres from Hoi An ancient town, is home to 200 families farming vegetables. An 18ha farm grows different kinds of herbs which are used for local specialities at restaurants and resorts in Hoi An.

The village already offers tours where visitors learn how to farm in the traditional manner.

Charity drive for children starts

A charity drive for orphans, disabled children and agent orange victims was launched yesterday in Ha Noi.

The drive, Mua Xuan Vi The Gioi Tre Tho (Bringing Spring to Children), is run by the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha and the Viet Nam Association for the Support of Disabled People and Orphans.

Together the two organisations are encouraging businesses to donate their products from February 4 to March 28.

Around Lunar New Year celebrations, charity activities will be ongoing such as gifts presenting to children at the Thien Phuc Charity Centre, National Paediatrician Hospital and the Viet Nam Blind People Association.

A photo exhibition will be held at Soft Water Resort to raise funds to support charity programmes. Cash contributions can also be sent to the bank account 10201 0000 309 921 at VietinBank's Ha Noi branch.

Other forms of aid can be donated on the 10th Floor of Building D, Hacinco Sport Hotel, Le Van Thiem Street, Ha Noi, or at the Four Seasons of Love Fund at Trung Van New Urban Area, To Huu Road, Ha Noi.

VN-American artist's work shown

The Leavers, an exhibition of new work by Brooklyn-based artist Trong Gia Nguyen, will open at 6pm today at Galerie Quynh in HCM City.

Nguyen and his immediate family of 11 in addition to three relatives left HCM City on April 30, 1975, the day of Viet Nam's reunification.

"The colourful and playful paintings belie a deep reflection on history, culture and the psyche of those uprooted and transplanted to foreign lands," a press release from the gallery says.

"Sourced from old family photographs, the paintings depict coloured book images that have been filled in but with the black outlines removed, suggesting the skewed ways in which we remember, shape, and colourise the past," it continues.

The paintings were informed by his ongoing film project, DONG, an exploration of family history through the imperfect lens of memory.

Nguyen, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, is a multi-disciplinary artist known for his diverse works from iPhone applications (Metaphysical GPS) to installation, film, painting, sculpture, performances and web-based projects.

Galerie Quynh is located at Level 2 on 151/3 Dong Khoi Street in District 1.

Phu My Hung to welcome Tet with flower fest

A spring flower festival to celebrate Tet (the Lunar New Year) festival will be held in Phu My Hung in HCM City's District 7 from February 11 to 17.

Hoa Dong Co Noi (Flowers and Grass of the Country) will celebrate rural culture with a focus on Mua Gat or the Harvest Season.

The Harvest Season Festival will recreate fields with ripe paddy that has turned bright yellow. Yellow will dominate the festival site by Crescent Lake, implying a wish for prosperity for all.

There will be a spring-themed garden with a variety of flowers and fruits, a food area offering Vietnamese Tet specialities and music performances to welcome Tet.

The festival will have four distinct areas — "Spring Road – The Golden Harvest on Streets"; "Spring Garden – The Season of Cabbage Flowers"; "Spring Wharf – Flower Boats in a Rush"; and "Contributions to Spring – Strange Flowers, Extraordinary Plants".

A countryside flower and bonsai competition will be held in addition to contests related to orchids and frangipani.

There will be awards worth VND400 million (nearly US$19,000), according to the organisers, Phu My Hung Co. Ltd.

Friends of VN Heritage to visit villages

On Saturday, February 14, the Friends of Vietnam Heritage will host an English-speaking excursion to the countryside near Ha Noi to see how people prepare for the Lunar New Year celebration.

Starting at 8.30am, the group will drive to Phung Market, where fruit, flowers and handicrafts are sold for the new year holiday, and taste local specialities.

The trip will continue to Tay Tuu Flower Village, where visitors will walk on the field to enjoy different kinds of flowers grown for the Tet holiday. A visit to a vineyard in nearby Dien Village is also included.

After a lunch at a local restaurant, the group will drive back to Dong Ngac ancient village on the bank of the Red River to visit a village with many old Vietnamese houses.

Cost is VND450,000 per head including private group transport, entrance tickets, a bottle of water and insurance. Register with Loan at phuongloan2704@gmail.com.

VN Military History Museum receives 30 new war objects

The Vietnam Military History Museum received nearly 30 objects donated by war veterans, high-ranking officers, painters, and sculptors across the country on February 3.

The objects feature those from modern wartime, including mails, diaries, binoculars, net rope hammocks, and medals.

They are also fine arts pieces depicting the country’s resistance wars, such as the paintings – “Dien Bien Phu tren khong 12 ngay dem” (12 Days and Nights of Dien Bien Phu Air Battle) by Nguyen Son Ka and “Lich su da chung minh” (History has proven) by Tran Thi Bich Hue, and the sculptures – “Noi dao xa” (Far away islands) by Luu Thi Thanh Lan and “To quoc” (The Homeland) by Vu Quang Sang.

The donated objects will be exhibited in the museum as well as themed exhibitions to educate young generation on the country’s history and tradition.

Established in July 1956 in the central Hanoi, the Vietnam Military History Museum is among seven national museums of Vietnam.

The museum contains a remarkable collection of war relics and photographs from Vietnam’s long struggles for freedom, where visitors can learn about guerrilla and communist troops and the history of the present Vietnam People’s Army.

It also has a large collection of preserved military wreckage displayed outside in the spacious courtyard.

The museum is viewed as a must-see site for visitors to Hanoi.

Italian architecture exhibited in Hanoi

“Small Utopias”, an exhibition on Italian modern architecture, will run in Hanoi from February 6 to March 2.

The exhibit features ten panels on outstanding works of creativity as selected by the Italian museum of the 21st century arts, MAXXI, at Casa Italia (18 Le Phung Hieu street).

The displayed designs were inspired by current issues, including sustainable development, new technologies and public space.

The event is organised by the Uni-Italia Association.-

Series of events to popularise Vietnamese literature

A series of events will be held in early March to popularise Vietnamese literature among the international community, which will collectively draw about 550 writers, poets, and translators from the country and 40 other nations and territories.

Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association Huu Thinh confirmed the third international Vietnamese literature conference will commence in Hanoi on March 2. An exhibition on Vietnamese literature and foreign audiences as well as the second Asia-Pacific Poetry Festival will open in the capital city on the same day.

On March 3, workshops on Vietnamese prose and poems will be organised in Hanoi as an international poetry recital takes place in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

This year’s Vietnam Poetry Day, with a theme of seas and islands, is scheduled to kick off at Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi on March 5.

Huu Thinh said the events are intended to publicise Vietnamese literature’s achievements and unique identity. They are also meant to serve as a platform for local writers to share their experiences with international translators, researchers, and publishers.

Traditional musicians set to jam

An one-hour experimental music concert on February 7 will feature dan tranh (16-chord zither), dan bau (monochord) and bamboo flute played by German composer and percussionist Burkhard Beins and Vietnamese traditional musicians.

The concert results from a four-day workshop held by Beirns and DomDom Centre for Experimental Music and Sound Art from February 2 at 3/61 Luong Ngoc Quyen Street.

Beins is known for his percussion performances in combination with a wide variety of objects as well as for his work with electronic instrumentsand devices. He has been invited to perform at festivals worldwide since the 1980s.

Vietnam to participate in play camp

Dang Thi Minh Thu will represent Vietnam at the Innovation Camp on February 22 organised by the British Council and Yamaguchi City Foundation for Cultural Promotion.

Thu is art director of Kidstallation, a playground launched in Vietnam by Tohe Social Enterprise. She has taught art for children, researched art projects and opened art and cultural events in Hanoi since 2003.

She is among the originators of the 12 leading ELEVATE StartWell Challenge ideas for Reimagined Play across Asia-Pacific and the UK launched by the British Council and Singaporean Lien Foundation with the goal of rethinking the priorities of childhood.

The fellows work with local and international experts to develop and refine their ideas. At the end of the camp, they will resubmit their ideas for the opportunity to secure a portion of the 37,000 USD funding available to develop their concepts further.-

Reproduction of Lao Cai traditional markets in Hanoi

Traditional markets in the northwestern mountainous province of Lao Cai, including Bac Ha, Van Ban and Sa Pa love market are being reproduced in the Spring Festival 2015 in Hanoi from February 2-15.  

Bamboo houses, images of baggage horses, traditional brocade booths and Lao Cai’s unique produces will offer a clear insight into the Tet markets and traditional culture and cuisine of the indigenous ethnic groups.

In addition to it, an exhibition will display the progress made by Lao Cai province in economy, culture and tourism.

Other activities will also be held in the framework of the Spring Festival 2015 including an exhibition on folk paintings, a book display and art performances.

Vietnamese resort among world’s top luxurious overwater bungalows

The Huffington Post website has cited Vietnam’s Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang, in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa as top 9 overwater bungalows to escape winter blues.

According to the website, the resort is famed, however, for housing the only overwater spa in the world.

“The Vincharm Spa features private massage huts suspended above the ocean, allowing guests to enjoy 360 degree views while experiencing complete relaxation of the body, mind and soul”, says the Huffington Post.

Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang lies on Hon Tre Island and is accessible by a seven minute luxury yacht transfer.

Guests are greeted by 84 villas on the shoreline, complete with terraces overlooking the white sand beaches and distant mountains. 

Local group takes over, upgrades MTV Vietnam

A local media firm on Monday announced its takeover of the Vietnamese version of MTV and plans to turn it into the country’s top-notch entertainment channel.

MTV Vietnam has officially joined IMC Group, a Vietnamese media corporation, after staying under the management of BHD, another local media group, for three years, according to Lam Chi Thien, IMC’s board chair and CEO.

Thien added his group has already had plans to develop the channel into the country’s leading entertainment hub, which will also serve to promote local artists at MTV’s global and Asian versions.

The group is also looking to introduce international celebrities to Vietnamese fans in the time to come.

Thien noted signals of MTV Vietnam will be available in more localities in Vietnam so that all local households with cable TV can gain access to the channel.

Since officially launched in Vietnam in July 2011, MTV Vietnam has enjoyed a firm footing and fans’ enthusiastic support by offering scores of captivating programs such as MTV8, MTV Now and Chart Attack.

However, the channel has yet to achieve its desired success due to inadequate signal provision and investment.

One of the country’s currently leading multimedia groups, IMC Group has run several popular TV channels including TodayTV and RailTV, along with some magazines on lifestyle and entertainment such as “The Gioi Dien Anh” (Movie World) and “Me Yeu Be” (Mothers Love Kids).      

Late last month, the group also launched YouTV, one of the country’s few TV channels dedicated to women and families.

Whole series of Japanese robot cat released

Kim Dong Publishing House announced to finish the famous robot cat - Doraemon series and release printed series and the first 3D film named “Stand by me, Doraemon- Close friends” on February 6.

Local fans of Doraemon will have a chance to enjoy their own space at an event in Ho Chi Minh City about the Japanese renowned comic book on Feb. 6.

The series include comic books and cards. The comic book "Doraemon -Close friends" tells on the trips of the famous robot cat Doreamon and Nobita- a primary student when they first meet and say good bye.

The famous robot cat wants to change Nobita’s unlucky fate, it has to return the past to help Nobita by using magic toys.

Since then, they become close friends. After finishing his duty, the cat says goodbye to Nobita to return his real world in the future.

Readers will have good experience with the new publication which helps children to develop their brains with animated pictures and practicing exercises of learning alphabet, how to do mathematic problems and how to recognize cubes.