Free tickets for Trinh Cong Son music show

A music show in commemoration of the late musician Trinh Cong Son will take place at Phu My Hung’s Crescent Park in HCMC’s District 7 Saturday.

Themed Nhung Som Mai Viet Nam (Vietnam dawn), it will present a number of familiar and previously unreleased songs by Son, especially Moi Ngay Toi Chon Mot Niem Vui (joy for every single day).

This year’s event will feature many well-known artists and singers including Thanh Lam, Hong Nhung, Cam Van, Tung Duong, Duc Tuan, Tran Manh Tuan, Viet Thanh and the late musician’s younger sister Trinh Vinh Trinh after her long absence from stage.

It will also feature some child singers from Vietnam’s Got Talent and The Voice Kids. The spectacular program is directed by Nguyen Quang Dung while Tran Manh Tuan is in charge of the music section, thus promising a high-quality and unforgettable night.

The organizers will also reserve 2,000 tickets for expats.

To register a seat, email to trinhfoundation@trinhcongson.vn or httram@trinhcongson.vn

Int’l Kite festival to kick off in Ba Ria Vung Tau

The fifth International Kite festival is set to get underway in Vung Tau and Ba Ria cities from May 8-12, announced Ho Van Nien, Deputy Chairman of Ba Ria Vung Tau province’s People’s Committee.

More than 150 artisans from 26 nations and territories from around the world and six local teams are expected to participate in the event.

Scheduled activities include a kite exhibition at Intourco Hotel, foreign artisans’ training course on making kites, Rokkaku Kite competition, and flute kite contest along the Thuy Van-Paradise beach, Tau said.

The festival contributes to strengthening cooperation in culture, sports and culture between Vietnam and other nations.

It also offers an opportunity for the business community to introduce and promote their trademark at home and abroad.

Photo contest on Haiphong’s impression

Haiphong City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched a photography contest on Haiphong’s impression.

The event aims to find the most beautiful pictures of the city’s landscape, local folk, and unique cultural spots and tourist destinations.

It also aims to develop a documentary about tourism and design advertisements on Haiphong.

The competition’s organizer encourages works of art that highlight nouveau views of the city.

Vietnamese professional or amateur photographers, overseas Vietnamese and foreigners living in Vietnam are all eligible to take part in the contest.

Entries should be single color or black and white pictures (combinations of images not allowed) and there is no limit on quantity of entries by a single participant.

First prize is VND10 million. Two second prizes are VND7 million each. Three third prizes are VND5 million each. Eight consolidation prizes are VND2 million for each.

Contestants can submit their works to the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 17 Lach Tray Street, Ngo Quyen District, Haiphong City by November 15.

Fish praying festival in coastal Vietnam

An annual festival praying for a good fish harvest commonly known as – Cau Ngu Festival – is an indispensable part of the spiritual life of people living in Vietnam’s coastal areas.

This year’s festival is currently taking place in the central coastal province of Phu Yen as part of activities under the framework of the 2014 Seafood Festival.

During the festival, traditional prayer rituals offer up sacrifices to the gods to secure good weather, peaceful sea and a good fishing harvest.

There are also performances re-enacting fish catching and other activities of local fishermen to preserve the traditional cultural heritage and humanitarian values.

Photos feature wild side of life

More than 150 photographs on display at an exhibition in Da Lat City offer visitors a sample of the wilder side and special cultural features of the Central Highlands region.

The photographs were selected from submissions made to a creative camp held to support the Year of National Tourism 2014 – Central Highlands-Da Lat.

Called Dai Ngan Tay Nguyen (The Central Highlands Jungle), the camp attracted 15 professional photographers from across the country, including three women, who visited different places in the region.

From March 19 to 31, the photographers worked from dawn until late in the night, captured with their lenses thousands of images depicting the region's picturesque landscapes and unique cultural features.

A fairy-tale like dawn on the Lac Lake, the serene Tuyen Lam Lake, buffalo herds swimming through a river in Gia Lai Province, a lone sampan and fisherman on the Bao Loc River, and a gong performance around a fire in the Langbiang Plateau – show that the region is blessed with natural beauty.

The photographers have also succeeded in showing vivid images of daily life in the region, showing how a farmer or fruit vendor ekes out a living, for instance.

Vuong Duy Bien, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the exhibition would enable visitors to learn more about the Central Highlands region and its people while promoting its natural beauty and rich ethnic culture.

Selections from this exhibition will be shown at the National Artistic Photography Exhibition held in October in Da Lat.

Bao Son Paradise to hold values-honouring event

A series of activities to honour the country's tangible and intangible cultural values will be held at Bao Son Paradise Park from April 5 to 9.

The event aims to celebrate the Hung Kings' death anniversary, which falls on the third day of the third lunar month. The activities will include flag-hoisting, incense offering, handicraft exhibition, Vietnamese product fair, beauty contest and fund raising for underprivileged children.

The flag-hoisting ceremony will begin on the morning of April 5. The flag has five traditional Vietnamese colours of white, green, blue, red and yellow, symbolising metal, wood, water, fire and earth respectively.

The flag, measuring 18m by 18m, honours 18 generations of Hung Kings. It will be offered to the kings at the Thuong Temple today before being hoisted at the Bao Son Paradise.

The incense will be offered by a procession of 250 people who will pray for peace, prosperity and happiness.

An art show, to be held on April 9, will be broadcast live on Viet Nam Television.

Railway to General Giap's grave to be built

The central Quang Binh Province will build a railway route to the grave of General Giap, to transport thousands of daily visitors to the site.

Yen Islet, where the grave is located, is in a remote coastal area in the province's Quang Trach District. Authorities noted that roads leading to the site are difficult for bikes and automobiles to negotiate.

The new rail line will be 60km long, running from Dong Hoi Town's railway station to the islet. The Ministry of Transportation is conducting research to build a transit station that connects the national railway lane running from Ha Noi and the islet.

Light fest to commemorate nation's great father

Alongside music and calligraphy, a light show will be staged this week at Binh Da Temple Festival in Thanh Oai District, west of central Ha Noi.

Legend says the nation's great father Lac Long Quan passed away in Ba Go (also called Tam Thai Hill). To mark the event, an annual festival is held between the third and sixth days of the third lunar month, which falls on April 3-6 this year.

"We are trying to upgrade the local traditional festival in an attempt to get State recognition of the temple as a national historic site," said Phan Long, a local official. "This year, local authorities co-operated with the Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies to organise a light show at the temple."

This is the first time modern contemporary light shows have been organised at a historic site, said researcher Bui Quang Thang from the institute.

"The light show will consist of three chapters," he said. "The first chapter will tell the story of ancient temples in other cultures like the Greeks, Egyptians and Mayans. The second chapter will tell the legend of Lac Long Quan, who was said to be a dragon born in water.

"The third chapter will describe the history of today's Lac Long Quan Temple, which was first built in bamboo and soil, then upgraded in wood and stone as you can see it today."

Musician Tri Minh's band will provide the soundtrack and calligraphy artist Le Quoc Viet and his colleagues will draw a large calligraphic painting to display alongside it.

"I want to create a contemporary event at a traditional festival," Thang said. "Otherwise, all traditional festivals will be exactly the same."

In addition to light shows, music and calligraphy, the festival will include traditional processions and worship customs.

Lac Long Quan (literally "Dragon Lord of Lac") is considered the second Hung king of the Hong Bang Dynasty of ancient Viet Nam (known then as Van Lang and before that as Xich Quy). Lac Long Quan was the son and sole successor of Kinh Duong Vuong (the first Hung king), who ruled over Xich Quy. He is thought to have become king in 2793 BC and figures prominently in many legends. In one, his wife, Au Co, gave birth to a sac containing 100 eggs from which 100 children were born; this is the origin of the 100 Vietnamese family names, or so the story goes.

HCM City to host Vietnam-Thailand friendship concert on April 4

A concert to celebrate the Vietnam-Thailand friendship will be organized in Ho Chi Minh City early next month, according to The Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra.

The “Somtow in Saigon: Viet-Thai Friendship Concert” will be held on April 4 at 8:00 pm at the HCMC Conservatory of Music at 112 Nguyen Du Street, District 1.

Concert performances by The Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra & The Opera Siam will be presented under the baton of well-known Thai conductor Somtow Sucharitkul.

They will feature such famed works as Tannhauser overture, WWV 70, "Suriyothai" Suite and Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36.

A famous opera conductor in Thailand, Somtow Sucharitkul is the first recipient of the Thai Ministry of Culture’s “Distinguished Silpathorn” award, given to artists who have made and continue making a major impact on Thai culture.

The Saigon Philharmonic is the resident orchestra of the HCMC Conservatory of Music, which was established in 2010.

Besides local artists, the orchestra is also comprised of 16 musicians from other Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

Da Lat ends ‘Mighty Central Highland’ photo exhibition

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hosted a ceremony to end the photo contest “Mighty Central Highland” at Da Lat City on March 30.

The event is part of the National Tourism Year of the Central Highlands - Dalat in 2014.

Fifteen well-known photographers participated in the contest including Kim Manh, Viet Van from Hanoi, Tuyet Mai from HCMC, Nguyen Van Thuong, Phu Loc from Lam Dong Province, and Le Bu from Nha Trang.

The photographers displayed over 450 high-quality photos, including 150 photos selected to showcase at Composing House of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Dalat City.

Programme to honour Vietnamese culture

A cultural programme entitled "Mua xuan ton vinh van hoa dan toc 2014", or ‘Spring Honours National Culture 2014" will take place at Bao Son Paradise Park from April 5-9 as part of activities to honour the country’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

The Vietnam Journalists‘ Association (VJA) and Bao Son Paradise Park announced the information at a recent meeting in Hanoi.

A series of cultural activities is planned for the event, including a Vietnamese Goods Fair, an exhibition on Vietnamese businesses, a Vietnamese Cultural Space and an incense offering ceremony to the Hung Kings.

The highlight of the event will be an art progamme entitled ‘Khat Vong Mua Xuan‘ (Aspiration for Spring), which aims to raise funds for poor Vietnamese children.

According to VJA's chairman, Thuan Huu, this will be the first time such event is organised, with the participation of the VJA, the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Vietnam Advertising Association, the Vietnam Craft Village Association, the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and several other social organisations.

Art performance celebrates youth union’s anniversary

A performance celebrating the 83rd anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the 75th birthday of poet, musician, and Politian Vu Mao was held in HCMC on March 29.

Former President Nguyen Minh Triet and Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Le Thanh Hai attended the event.

Artists including Thanh Thuy, Van Khanh, Cao Minh and Thanh Truc performed revolutionary songs about national heroes and honored citizens of the country.

Poet, musician and politician Vu Mao was member of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Vietnam from 1982-2006.

He currently is president of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association.

Book Festival attracts 1 million attendees

The 8th Ho Chi Minh City Book Festival at Le Van Tam Park, District 1 attracted over one million visitors from March 24-30.

The event’s revenue from book sales was more than VND 38 billion. FAHASA Company profited VND 12 billion.

Publishing houses Tiki, Phuong Nam, Vinabook and Tre Publisher also had their highest turnover at the book fest.

Bestselling books were by Anh Khanh, Nguyen Nhat Anh, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Hamlet Truong, Iris Cao, Jun Pham, Dan Brown, Gosho Aoyama.

The festival displayed over 500 stalls from local and foreign publishers with more than 20 million copies of 200,000 titles. There were many promotions and discounts during the event.

Seminars, speeches from authors and readers, exhibitions on rare and valuable works, story time for children were presented during the event.