Horror flick shows on Valentine's Day

Famous comic actor and theatre director Thai Hoa appears to have further enhanced his talent in a leading role in the new horror film Qua Tim Mau (Vengeful Heart).

Hoa and his partner, Vietnamese-American director Victor Vu, worked together on his script for the film that will be released on Valentine's Day.

The 90-minute film features secrets about Linh (played by Nabi Nha Phuong), Phuong (played by Tu Vi) and Cu Hu (played by Hoa).

The film includes visual and sound effects by Christopher Wong.

After its premiere in HCM City yesterday night, Qua Tim Mau was praised by many viewers.

Hoa said he worked hard to "prove himself to the talented director Victor Vu".

Based on a script by Hoa, the film was rewritten by director Victor and Doan Nhat Nam.

Vu is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in US. He won the jury prize at the International Film Festival in Ha Noi in 2012 for his kung fu film, Thien Menh Anh Hung (Blood Letter).

Last year, his Bi Mat Tham Do (Scandal), a work about the dark side show business, received the Golden Kite Prize for best director, presented by the Viet Nam Cinematography Association.

Spring book fest targets young readers

An ongoing spring book festival in downtown HaNoi, featuring hundreds of new books by young authors, is especially targeting young readers.

The books cover various subjects such as literature, science and life skills. Being held under the theme "Praising reading culture, enhancing knowledge," the festintroduces new works by young authors like Luong Dinh KhoaAi, Le Ngoc Man and Hoang Anh Tu.

Various sales promotions are being offered, including discounts between 10 and 60 per cent. "Chibi" and "henna" painting services are also being offered atthe site.

This first big book fest of the year in the north attracts major publishers

from across the country such as Literature, Nha Nam, Alphabooks andSkybooks publishing houses.

The festival is open between8am and 6pm till Thursdayat the Ha NoiLibrary, 47 Ba Trieu Street.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2015 may be moved

Nguyen Hue Flower Street, the annual flower show, may not be organized on Nguyen Hue Street in next year, said Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City’s People Committee Hua Ngoc Thuan at the concluding ceremony of the event on February 10.

The show may move to Le Loi and Ham Nghi streets for 2015 due to the relocation of the “Uncle Ho With Children” monument and construction of Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line No.1 and Nguyen Hue walking street.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street is the highlight of Tet culture in Ho Chi Minh City in the past 11 years. The event attracts more than one million visitors.

The local authorities will offer new additions to the flower show 2015 to mark the 40th anniversary of National Reunification Day.

Ceremony receiving UNESCO certificate for Don Ca Tai Tu held in HCMC

The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism in cooperation of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee is organizing a ceremony to receive the UNESCO certificate  recognizing Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the Reunification Palace on February 11.

Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo, also known as southern amateur traditional music, was recognized for the prize at the 8th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Baku, Azerbaijan on December 2013.

It has been a long-standing cultural tradition in the Mekong Delta since the end of the 19th century.

Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo meets the criteria because it is passed down through generations in southern provinces, re-creates via cultural exchanges, presents a concord and respects among ethnic groups, according to the Department of Cultural Heritage.

Tea farmers celebrate their trade in spring festival

The annual spring tea festival opened in the northern mountainous province of Thai Nguyen – a locality famous for good tea in Vietnam, on February 10.

The annual festival aims to honour growers and promote traditional tea products, particularly those made in Tan Cuong commune, which are said to be the best in the country.

It began with a procession of the commune’s most beautiful and oldest tea tree, followed by a demonstration of the local tea ceremony.

The highlight of the festival was a contest of processing tea leaves for farmers from eight villages of Tan Cuong commune.

Ngo Thi Mau from Hong Thai 1 village said her village began preparing for the contest one month ago, caring for the trees in order to grow good tea buds which will give the best taste.

After plucking, the fresh tea buds are rolled and dried over small fire until dry. According to local farmers, it takes three hours to make one kilo of dried tea the traditional way i.e by hand, and the quality of dried tea depends much on the skills in rolling as well as in stirring the tea over the fire and the heat.

Many tea-drinking lovers were excited to have the chance to see how their favourite tea is made and to taste the tea right after it is processed.

This is the seventh year tea grown in Tan Cuong has been granted ge ographical indication (GI), making it one of five products having their GI protected.

Thai Nguyen province has designated tea production as one of its key sectors, which is expected to help promote the locality’s economic growth in the coming time.

Thanks to favourable natural and weather conditions, Thai Nguyen tea products are popular nationwide and are also exported to foreign markets. The province accounts for one third of the country’s total tea export value.-

Ham Yen buffalo fighting festival attracts crowds

A traditional buffalo fighting festival took place in Ham Yen district in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang on February 10, attracting a lot of visitors.

The annual event aims to develop the local tourism sector.

This year’s festival was competed between 16 buffaloes. The first prize went to the buffalo belonging to To Hoang Anh from the district’s Phu Luu commune.

Ceremony marks King Ly Nam De’s enthronement

A ceremony was held at Muc Temple in northern Thai Nguyen province on February 10 to commemorate 1,470 years since King Ly Nam De acceded to the throne.

During the event, participants recalled the history as well as the life and career of the king.

This annual ceremony offers a chance for people in the province and Vietnam as a whole to commemorate King Ly Nam De’s great contributions to the country.

It also aims to educate local people to preserve historical relic sites related to the national hero.

Ly Nam De (503-548), whose real name was Ly Bi, was born in Co Phap village, Tien Phong commune, Pho Yen district, Thai Nguyen province.

In spring 542, a mass uprising led by him overthrew the Liang rulers. Over the next two years, Ly Bi continued to defeat the Chinese, who twice returned to invade Vietnam.

By 544, Ly Bi had declared the land an independent country, which he named "Van Xuan", literally meaning ‘Thousands of Springs’- as he hoped the country would exist for eternity. He crowned himself Nam De (King of the Southern land).

To commemorate his contributions, locals set up Muc Temple in his birthplace, where every 12th day of the first lunar month he is celebrated.-

MTV Vietnam offers Malaysian festival trip for lucky fan

For the first time a Vietnamese music fan is in with a chance of winning an all-expenses trip to one of Southeast Asia’s biggest shows, Future Music Festival Asia 2014 (FMFA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

  It is expected that over 55,000 fans from Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, China and Japan will join FMFA 2014. Malaysia is the second nation to host the music event after Australia. It takes place from March 13-15.

  MTV Vietnam is launching the contest locally with music fans from all over ASEAN able to enter the contest. Local contestants can register for the contest by watching videos posted on Facebook pages of two MTV Asia’s VJs - Hanli and Alan, then answering questions at MTV Asia’s website at http://music.mtvasia.com/mini/fmfa-2014.

 The winning prize, which is only available for contestants aged 18 or more who are able to communicate in English, is a pair of tickets to FMFA 2014 in Mines Wonderland, Kuala Lumpur, return flights, accomodation expenses for meals for three days for the winner and his/her friend. The deadline for the contest is 10:50 p.m. on Thursday.

FMFA 2014 has the participation of leading artists from all over the world such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Pharrell Williams, Armin van Buuren, Tinie Tempah, Eric Prydz, Paul Van Dyk, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Rudimental, Chase & Status, ATB, Naughty Boy, and popular Southeast Asian artists.

Jerome Reuter makes Asian debut at Yoko Bar

Singer-songwriter Jerome Reuter will be in town with his band Rome for a one-off show which is also his first appearance in Asia on Friday at Yoko Bar thanks to the support of the French Institute of HCMC and Vanity Productions.

  The Luxembourg artist founded his band Rome in 2005 and has since recorded and released groundbreaking albums in the underground folk and post-industrial music world at a breathtaking pace. Rome’s musical and lyrical world is genuinely unique, blending traditional songwriting craftsmanship, unusual arrangements and fine poetry into one monstrous and intimate musical output.

  His lyrics are inspired by world literature from Camus to Genet and his frequent use of collage and sampling techniques serves to create a new kind of intertextuality between word and sound. The lyrical beauty of Reuter’s compositions, the depths of his poetry and the complex experimental arrangements make Rome an unusually challenging musical experience.

  Yoko Bar is located at 22A Nguyen Thi Dieu in District 3. Tickets for the Rome gig are available at VND150,000.