DRD to hold third concert for disadvantaged people

Disability Resource and Development (DRD) will hold its third music show on July 10 at Hoa Sen University in HCMC to encourage disadvantaged people to move on in life.

With an aim to change the preconception that disadvantaged people are the heavy burden for family and society, the concert will send out a message about positive changes among disadvantaged people.

The event will start at 7:30 p.m. Hoa Sen University is located at 8 Nguyen Van Trang Street, District 1.

Founded in 2005, DRD has been working to promote equal opportunities for deprived people in all social fields, helping the community know more about the true values and capacities of the disadvantaged to help them integrate into society.   

Poster of Festival Hue 2016 announced

The organizing Board of the 9th Hue Festival announced a poster for the Hue Festival 2016 yesterday.

Under title of “the 710th anniversary of Thuan Hoa- Phu Xuan- Thua Thien Hue;  Cultural heritage with integration and development”, Hue Festival is scheduled to take place from April 29 to May 4, 2016, aiming to mark the 710th anniversary of Thuan Hoa- Phu Xuan- Thua Thien Hue and 380 years of Hue city.

Within the framework of the Hue Festival 2016, the organizational board will organize many activities of culture, tourism and art performance.

The biennial festival is considered as a favorable chance for boost images of Vietnam’s culture in general and Hue’s culture in particular at home and aboard.

BikeNBrunch to host summer cycle

BikeNBrunch will organise the "Ha Noi Summer Cycle" on Saturday, July 11 starting at 8.45am.

As usual, the cycle will start at Daluva Restaurant & Bar. However, as the summer weather is quite hot, the cycle will be short and relaxed, before bikers reward themselves with a refreshing brunch at Daluva.

Register for the Ha Noi Summer Cycle by emailling to ole@exoticvoyages.com. Rental bikes can be arranged on request at VND100,000 before Friday at 6pm.

Film group to screen Trainspotting

Tomorrow, Friday, July 10, the Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) will screen the British movie Trainspotting by director Danny Boyle.

Trainspotting is a dark comedy drama film from 1996. It was adapted by John Hodge from the acclaimed novel by Irving Welsh.

The movie is set in the late ‘80s, about a group of heroin addicts in an economically depressed area of Edinburgh. The feature also explores other social issues such as urban poverty.

The film was a phenomenal hit in England, Scotland and (to a lesser extent) the US.

The screening will start at 7.30pm at the TPD, 51 Tran Hung Dao Street (4th floor). Warning: The movie is not suitable for children under 16 years old due to violence and disturbing images.

Entry: VND20,000 (donation for TPD's fund for movie talents).

Viet Nam to host International Fingerstyle Guitar Festival

Viet Nam's 2015 International Fingerstyle Guitar Festival will take place at Ha Noi's Viet Nam Youth Theatre on July 17.

The festival will feature six fingerstyle guitarists from Spain, mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and Belgium.

The musicians will play original pieces, including Sunflower, Jungle, Night Groove and See You Again My Friend.

Among the guitarists, China's Paddy Sun is well-known in Viet Nam for his hit Sunflower. It became a big hit on YouTube in 2009. He has also influenced the growth of the new guitar genre in Viet Nam.

"Paddy Sun's performance will be great motivation for a lot youngsters learning to play fingerstyle guitar," said Do Duong Tung, chairman of the Viet Nam Fingerstyle Guitar Organisation.

The event in Ha Noi is part of a series of international fingerstyle-guitar festivals organised around the world since 2010. This year it will be held in July in South Korea, Malaysia, mainland China, Taiwan and Viet Nam.

Manzi to kick off Old Sounds of the New Day

The first encounter in Manzi's traditional music series Old Sounds of the New Day will start next Friday, July 17, with a xam performance featuring two masters of traditional music, Xuan Hoach and Thanh Hoai, and other talented musicians.

Originally born on the street and performed by wandering artists, xam is a form of folk music deeply rooted in the people, especially the inferior and outcast. With simple lyrics and brutally honest attitude, the narratives in xam songs often describe life's hardships, satirically comment on social degradation and discuss hotly debated political issues.

Surcharge at door: VND150,000 (including one free drink).

Due to limited seating capacity (30 people), please email manzihanoi@gmail.com before Wednesday, July 14, to reserve seats.

Old Sounds of the New Day is a series of traditional music concerts hosted by Manzi in an effort to support these traditional values, and to tell a real story about traditional music in Viet Nam.

Manzi Art Space is at 14 Phan Huy Ich Street.

Cargo Bar presents weekly dance, music party

Cargo Bar will organise a weekly dance and music party called Manifesto featuring the world's leading DJs and resident artists every Saturday.

This week's show will highlight DJ Rufus Miller and DJ duo Soul Central with Andy Ward and Timmy Vegas from the UK.

The event will start at 9pm at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4. Entrance fee is free before 11pm and VND100,000 after the time.

Shakespeare's Hamlet to be staged in HCM City

The Globe Theatre from London will bring William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet to HCM City's audiences on July 13 as part of its two-year world tour to the 450th anniverary of the birth of the playwright.

The two-hour play will feature 12 actors of the theatre.

The show will open with a pre-show cocktail reception from 6pm, while the performance will begin an hour later, followed by a private meet-and-greet with the cast.

The event will be held at Gem Centre at 8 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1.

Tickets cost from US$20-80 for pre-show cocktail reception and show admission, and from $100-120 including post-show reception, cast meeting and autographs, and gift bags. For booking tickets, contact email at infoVietnam@quintessentially or call (08) 35125185.

Underground music show features British jams

The Heart Beat Saigon will present an underground music show featuring British electronic music producer and DJ Ed Davenport, based in Berlin, at The Observatory on July 17.

The 29-year-old Davenport, also known as Inland, began to develop his music career in 2008 when he moved to Berlin. In 2013, he created his own label Counterchange Recordings, and a year later, he teamed up with DJ David Summer to launch Infrastructure New York label.

Two artists of Heart Beat Saigon, B.A.X from Viet Nam and Chris Wolter from German, will support the artist at the show, while Swedish visual artist Erol will present live visual performances.

The show will start at 9pm at 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4. Entrance fee is VND150,000 after 11pm, and VND100,000 for students.