Hue Festival wraps up with colourful shows

The biennial cultural Hue Festival bid farewell to thousands of visitors at the closing ceremony yesterday evening.

With shows by Vietnamese and foreign artists, including those from Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines on a stage set on the riverbank, the ceremony ended the nine-day festival with numerous shows, exhibitions, folk games and street parades.

The former Imperial City, which hosted at least eight shows each night, might have been the most busy location during the festival with its key shows, including Royal Palace at Night, Oriental Night, ASEAN night and fashion shows.

But the festive atmosphere with music, lights, crowds and sounds seen and heard in almost every corner of the city. Performances by Vietnamese and international art troupes were also held in several remote and mountainous districts, spreading the atmosphere in a wider area.

For those attending the festival, they had the opportunity to taste so many unique foods at the same time in the city. This was especially true due to bringing together worldwide art troupes, Asian dancers and Asian food in one place.

It is expected to take time before the organisers announce the total expenses and revenues taken in during the festival, as well as total number of visitors to the shows. These figures will help to determine the success of the festival.

However, for local residents and cultural researchers, there should be a pause in staging the biennial event, to allow officials to redefine it, as well as its goals, some suggested.

Local researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa said the festival operated separately from its main goals, which are to promote Hue's culture and attract more visitors to become exposed to Hue's cultural values.

"Hue should be Hue, with festivals that highlight its profound culture," said researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan.

Other experts, as well as the public, expect the Hue Festival will have standards for the selection of art troupes and criteria for shows, to prevent accepting all who wants to join, as happened recently.

Rock Concert 2014: New playground for rockers

Rock Concert 2014 themed “Battleship” will entertain rock fans on April 26 at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi and on May 10 at Hoa Lu Stadium in HCMC.

Buc Tuong (The Wall), Hai Bot QVTH, Microwave, Ngu Cung, Oringchains, Black Infinity and PAK Band will be joining the performances.

Tran Lap, leader of Buc Tuong band, will be the show’s director while Japanese expert Masaaki Azuma will be in charge of sound and lighting systems. Lap said the organizing team of RockStorm, Vietnam’s biggest rock festival, will be responsible for this event.

Rock Concert is expected to be made an annual event. Seven bands taking part in the concert are among the 30 favorite outfits of RockStorm.

The organizers expect to sell around 15,000 tickets at the same price of VND120,000. The first 5,000 tickets sell for just VND95,000 each.

Lang Co Bay marks World-Bay status

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue will celebrate the annual Lang Co – World Beautiful Bay Festival on April 24-25, marking the fifth year of Lang Co Bay's entry into the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World (World-Bays).

It will feature art performances, a boat race and other sports, folk games, and a food and beer festival.

Lang Co is situated 60km from Hue and 20km from Da Nang.

With its blue waters and white sandy beach of more than 10km, vast forests atop mountains, the bay is a prime tourism destination with many hotels, motels, and resorts.

It offers visitors activities like fishing, scuba diving, hiking, and forest exploration.

Lang Co is Vietnam's third bay to be admitted to World-Bays after Ha Long and Nha Trang.

Artists reveal reality behind showbiz glitter

Two Vietnamese artists talked about the real lives of Vietnamese celebrities, giving an image that is completely different from what many of the artists themselves are trying to promote.

Vietnamese audiences have grown used to seeing their favourite celebrities make frequent appearances at events dressed up on expensive clothes and accessories, conveying the picture of a glamorous lifestyle.

Recently, however, the actor, Nguyen Le Ba Thang, surprised many people by posting what life is really like behind the scenes on his fan page. According to Thang, much of what fans see is just an illusion, or vastly exaggerated. Many artists, he said are paid only a few hundred thousand VND to appear for a night.

“In order to be paid with sums in the tens of millions of VND, an actor would have to work for several months on a film project, all the while having to cover their own transport fees and buy their own costumes," he said.

Singers, too, are often only paid in the hundreds of thousands for performances, the actor disclosed.

He said that many artists attempt to show off using things that do not belong to them including luxurious houses, cars, clothes, and jewelry.

Many artists are reduced to borrowing belongings from friends or colleges or buying second-hand products to maintain the appearance of wealth.

“I’m an actor who is working class, so I cannot show off using rented and borrowed things. I’m not afraid of being poorer than others because I still have self-respect. My biggest asset has been my love for my career and the attention of my audience,” he said.

His display of candor received great support from his fans and colleagues, including singer Minh Quan.

“I agree with Thang. I think only 10% of artists are really rich, 20% have prosperous lives, 50% earn enough money to survive, while the rest have to struggle just to earn a living,” Minh Quan said.

He blamed the habit of showing off on younger artists. Many of these people do not even earn enough money to support themselves and have to ask for help from their families, but still try to live a lifestyle of luxury.

"Many young artists dress up in expensive clothes and go to shopping malls without buying anything, or refuse to eat at roadside stalls because they think it would tarnish their image," he said. "They are too young and lack living skills. They have not yet learned how to behave properly."

Chau Van singing festival preserves traditional ritual

Hundreds of amateur artists participated in the second annual Chau Van Singing Festival, organised by the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association in the northern province of Bac Giang on April 19.

Visitors to the festival were impressed by the beautiful melody of the unique instruments and outstanding performances by Chau Van singers in honour of the gods.

Chau Van singing is a traditional folk art of northern Vietnam which combines trance singing and dancing. Its music and poetry are combined with a variety of instruments, rhythms, pauses, and tempos.

Originating in the late 19th century, the genre spread quickly and was performed by amateur art troupes in northern villages.

Northern Nam Dinh province is considered the birthplace of Chau Van, which has traditionally been performed at temples and pagodas as people believed it was a useful way to connect to the Mother Goddesses and other gods.

However, from 1954 Chau Van was banned as it was deformed and used for superstition-oriented rather than religious purposes. Since early 1990s, the art of folk singing has been revived.

As one of 33 Vietnam’s recognized intangible cultural heritage examples, Chau Van is expected to help people understand more about the Goddesses and increase public awareness of the protection and preservation of cultural and artistic value of national heritage.

Final preparations are underway to complete a dossier to be submitted to UNESCO to recognize Chau Van as Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Humanity next year.

Special events pay tribute to Dien Bien heroes

An array of cultural and art events will be held in Hanoi to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory and pay tribute to the Vietnamese heroes who laid down their lives in the battle.

The events aim to commemorate the contribution of armed forces and conscripted labourers and people serving the battle, especially General Vo Nguyen Giap, who was Commander of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign.

Since April 8, the organising board has been receiving battlefield remembrances kept by the family and relatives of soldiers who were ever-present in the resistance wars against French and later American forces.

The remembrances will be presented to the Vietnam Women’s Museum on May 5. Before that date, photographs of the exhibits will be displayed at a touring exhibition called “Dien Bien Memory”, which will visit the the My Dinh National Convention Centre (NCC) in Hanoi (on April 26) and the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum in the northwestern province of Dien Bien (April 28).

A special concert celebrating the Dien Bien triumph will take place at the NCC on April 26, featuring veteran revolutionary singers such as Tran Hieu, Trung Kien, Quang Tho and Thu Hien.

On the occasion, the organising board will show documentary clips related to the Dien Bien Phu campaign in colour for the first time.

Book festival opens at national library

A book festival took place at the National Library of Vietnam on April 20 in Hanoi in response to Vietnam Book Day (April 21) and World Book and Copyright Day (April 23).

The event, with this year’s theme "Books - From the Past to the Present", has been held annually since 2006. It has been observed by libraries across the country, contributing to promoting the reading culture.

The festival told the history of book development and reforms in writing, publishing and printing.

It introduces students to interesting books, helping them develop the habit of reading.

The festival will be fascinated by a book exhibition, an exchange with book authors and painting and story-telling contests for children.

April 21 is designated as Vietnam Book Day under a Prime Minister decision.

Aimed at encouraging reading in the community, the annual event also looks to raise public awareness of books as not only a source of knowledge but also a way to develop one’s thought and personality.

The event is also a chance to appreciate the efforts of those who are involved in book publishing such as book collectors, writers, publishers and distributors.

The observance of the day will contribute to raising the responsibility of ministries, sectors and social organisations towards the building and promotion of the reading culture in Vietnam.

Ponagar celebrations kick off in Khanh Hoa

This year’s Goddess Ponagar Festival opened in NhaTrang city, central Khanh Hoa province, on April 20, attracting tens of thousands of pilgrims from surrounding localities.

The annual event is held to commemorate the Goddess Thien Y A Na – Holy Mother of the Cham community in the central region, who, according to Cham legend, taught the local people to cultivate and make handicrafts.

It is Khanh Hoa’slargest traditional festival, to pray for peace, happiness and prosperity to Vietnamese people.

The three-day event involves numerous spiritual rituals and cultural activities, including a requiem, a flower lantern release, incense offering, and dance performances.

These festivities aim to honour the spiritual value of the Cham’s culture and promote cultural integration between the Cham and the Kinh – the largest population group in Vietnam.

The 1,200-year-old Ponagar tower complex, built in the unique Cham style, was recognised as a national historical relic site in 1979.

In 2012, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised Ponaga Festival as national intangible cultural heritage.

Int’l dance festival winds down in Hue

The first international dance festival in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue has been a great success, leaving a fine impression on audiences.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien made the announcement at the closing ceremony of the festival on April 18.

Nearly 500 artists from 8 foreign art troupes staged nearly 40 live performances during the five-day event, featuring distinctive cultural identities of each participating nation.

The success of the event not only helped art troupes gauge the direction for the development of dancein line with the integration trend but also provided the opportunity for Vietnam to elevateits prestige at the next international dance festival, said Bien.

The organizing board acknowledged the efforts of allparticipating teams, whose works deeply reflected all aspects of life, from history to society,as well as human relationships in the past and at present.

They also awarded 7 goldmedals and 10 silver medals to art troupes.

Outstanding works included Mua Dom Dom(Firefly Season) of Vietnam, Canh Co Bay La Bay La (The Wings of Stork) of Vietnam, Le Kim Ma Do (Red Lekima) of Vietnam, Phillippinescape of the Philippines, A Deep Night of China, Mua Xuan tren ban H’Mong ("Spring at the Hmong’s village) of Vietnam,  and Fan Dance of the Republic of Korea.

The Sung Thien Dien Linh stele – a prominent Buddhist exhibit under the Ly dynasty (1009-1225) that is placed in front of Long Doi Son pagoda in Duy Tien district of northern Ha Nam province has been recognised as a national treasure.

A ceremony was held on April 18 in the locality to announce the Prime Minister’s decision on the recognition.

The stele, which is 2.5m high, 1.75m wide, and 30cm thick, was planted in 1121. It is decorated with images of figuring dragons, cloud and water.

It records the life and career of the 4th King of the Ly dynasty - Ly Nhan Tong (1066-1127), who made great contributions to the development of Dai Viet, literally “Great Vietnam”.

The Buddhist philosophies, folk rites, and the arts of sculpture, architecture, and water puppetry are also illustrated on the stele.

The Prime Minister on December 30, 2013 issued a decision to recognise 37 more national treasures, including the Sung Thien Dien Linh stele.

Earlier, in October 2012, the Government recognised 30 ancient items as national treasures.

A photo exhibition on the culture and lifestyle of the E De ethnic group, which lives in remote areas in Dak Lak, opened at the provincial museum this week.

Van Hoa Cua Minh – Truyen Thong va Bien Doi (Our Culture – Tradition and Changes) features 176 colour photos selected from more than 1,000 taken by 15 E De villagers in Ea Kar District.

The amateurs were encouraged to participate in a photography programme launched by the museum and its partner, the non-profit Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment, last year.

The programme organisers provided the participants with cameras for training.

The outcome is the result of their hard work over eight months, with each picture representing a report on the E De.

"My photos feature my villagers' daily life," H'lil Milo of Tring village, one of the photographers, said.

"Through my works, I hope people can learn more about our traditional culture and lifestyle."

Many of the event's highlights speak the language of the people's spirit.

Around 200,000 E De people live in stilt houses built from wood and bamboo. Their long house can be up to 100m in length.

Their worship Fire and Water among a host of animist deities.

The girls propose marriage to men, and children bear the mother's family name.

The exhibition, open from 9am to 5pm every day, will run through August 15.

The Dak Lak Province Museum in at 19 No Trang Long Street, Buon Ma Thuot City.

Paean to people with disabilities

A photo exhibition in Dong Nai Province underscores the will and perseverance of 25 disabled people who overcame their situation to lead normal lives.

Nguyen A, who shot the photos for Live and Work, said the 25 can do most things non-disabled people do and aspire to be recognised for their capabilities by the community and employers.

Dinh Tan Suong of Xuan Loc District is one of the subjects of the photos. Polio during childhood left his legs withered.

When he grew up he learnt an electrician's job and raised chickens. He now has a farm with more than 1,000 chickens and earns a stable income to support his family.

The exhibition, which opened on Thursday at the Centre for Conferences and Events and will go on until April 25, seeks to encourage employers to hire people with disabilities and improve community's awareness of them to reduce the gap between them and non-disabled people.

The photos will also be displayed at the Amata and Bien Hoa No 2 industrial parks from April 25 to May 9.

The exhibition was organised by the province's Department of Labour, Social Affairs and Invalids together with Handicap International, HCM City Disability Research and Capacity Development Center, Irish Aids, EU, and the International Labour Organisation.

Nguyen A is known for shooting iconic photographs of disabled people like They Live Such That and Nick Vujicic and His Days in Viet Nam.

HCM City celebrates Earth Day

A day-long programme to mark Earth Day will be held tomorrow at Crescent-Phu My Hung in HCM City's District 7.

The programme will feature a flash mob calling for nearly 50,000 fingerprints to support a non-littering day, a photo contest related to a marathon, an eco bag exchange, and an exhibition of environment friendly products.

A music concert by the Deaf Community Organisation of HCM City is scheduled to be held that night.

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 in more than 180 countries with hundreds of millions of participants.

It was first organised in the US in 1970.

In 2009 the UN recognised the event as a global one.

Hotels hold wedding fairs

As the wedding season draws near, the Moevenpick Hotel Saigon and New World Saigon Hotel are holding wedding fair 2014 promotional events.

"Passionately Swiss, passionately sweet" will be the theme of Wedding Fair 2014 on June 21 and 22 at Moevenpick.

Red, representing love and passion, and silver, often associated with prosperity and wealth, will be the colours of Wedding Fair 2014.

The fair expects to attract more than 1,000 visitors and the most prestigious wedding brands and service providers. The hotel will introduce its signature wedding dishes and the finest of wines and champagne. Expert wedding planners, top designers and exhibitors will take part.

There will be a fashion show of locally designed wedding gowns and accessories and brunch at Parkview restaurant.

In addition, the Designer Fashion Show and Signature Wedding Dinner will showcase the latest exquisite wedding gown collections from top designers and the hotel's new Signature Wedding Dishes.

Film festival honors Dien Bien Phu Victory

A week-long film festival celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory will be held in Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province starting April 24.

Attendees will enjoy old and new feature films and documentaries involving the historical event. These movies include Song Cung Lich Su (Living With History) and Dien Bien Que Toi (My Homeland Dien Bien).

There will be seminars for audiences and artists. Artists participating in the seminar include film director Nguyen Thanh Van, cameraman Ly Thai Dung, writer Doan Minh Tuan, and various actors.

Son La and Lai Chau districts's local teams will go on tour to conduct film screenings in remote areas starting April 22.

Foreign tourists from 110 countries visit Hue Festival 2014

More than 100,000 visitors, including 50,000 international tourists from 110 countries aroundthe world visited Hue Festival 2014, according to the organization board on April 18.

Highlights of the festival included “Huong Xua Lang Co” (Fragrance of ancient village) and “ Cho que ngay hoi” (Countryside market in the festival days). These events attracted 95,000 visitors.

There were 140 art performances held by 66 local and international troupes around the province.

Truong Tien Bridge, a famous landmark of Hue, was lit up with 4000 candles in a fire installation performance by The French art troupe, Carabosse, from the Poitou-Charentes region on April 18.

The event also includes a photo exhibition featuring 54 ethnic groups by French artist Sébastien Laval, The Ao Dai Festival, and an art performance celebrating 115th anniversary of Truong Tien Bridge and Dong Ba Market.

Bac Lieu inaugurates art and cultural works for Southern Amateur Music Festival

Sculptures and landmarks have been built in honor of the first Southern Amateur Music Festival 2014 in Bac Lieu Province.

Hung Vuong Square covers an area of 85,000 square meters in the province’s administrative center on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street. Total investment for the project is over VND 160 billion.

The Cao Van Lau Theater and Bac Lieu Province Cultural – Art Exhibition Center were also built covering an area of 2,262 square meters.

Bac Lieu is the birthplace of the classic cai luong piece “Da Co Hoai Lang” written by musician Cao Van Lau in 1919. The song is about a wife waiting for her husband to return home from battle.

The first Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo, Southern Amateur Music Festival 2014, will be held in Bac Lieu Province on April 20-25.

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