VN women feature in film festival

About 10 Vietnamese filmmakers have been honoured at the 36th Creteil International Women's Film Festival in Paris.

The filmmakers including veterans Viet Linh, Siu Pham and Nguyen Trinh Thi, and emerging ones such as Truong Que Chi and Nguyen Hoang Diep.

The 77-minute film Homostratus by Siu Pham and Jean-Luc Mello is a joint submission by Viet Nam and Switzerland in the long fiction feature category.

Film screenings and discussions are being held on the sidelines of the festival.

Prominent Vietnamese film director Viet Linh will bring her film Chung Cu (Living Quarter). The film was entered into the 21st Moscow International Film Festival in 1999.

Linh's films have been screened in France, the United States and Australia.

Established in 1979, the Creteil International Women's Film Festival is an annual event held in Creteil, Paris, which showcases the talents of female directors.

Author reprints inspiring book

After its debut in 1970, the autobiography Toi Di Hoc (I Went to School) by disabled teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky is being republished by First News and will be displayed at the 2014 Book Festival in HCM City on Monday.

The 204-page book recounts the writer's challenges during his four years of studying literature at Ha Noi General University from 1968 to 1970.

It also tells the dreams and hopes of Ky, a young student at Nam Dinh Province who suffered a severe illness as a child and lost the use of his arms when he was four years old. Undeterred, he taught himself to write with his feet and became a good student.

The book was first published under the title Nhung Nam Thang Khong Quen (Unforgetable Years) by Kim Dong Publishing House in 1970, the year Ky graduated from university, and later was reprinted with the name Toi Di Hoc by prestigious publishers.

As a member of the Viet Nam Writers' Association, Ky has also released many books and collections of poems for children such as Chu Nhen Du Dua (Swaying Spider) and Qua Bi Ky La (The Miraculous Pumpkin).

Ablo:The cover of Toi Di Hoc, Nguyen Ngoc Ky's autobiography. The second edition of the book will be released on Monday at the 2014 Book Festival in HCM City.

For his tenacious spirit, he received a medal of honour presented by the late President Ho Chi Minh in 1963 and the title of "Meritorious Teacher" in 1992.

Ky and his life and career have been an inspirational role model to students, showing that anyone can overcome adversity and have success.

"Teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky and his books are popular with both children and adults because they are full of passion and bravery," said Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang of HCM City.

"My husband and I loved Ky's Toi Di Hoc when we were young. Today I buy the book for our little kids. We hope they will learn valuable lessons," she said.

The publisher said this time Toi Di Hoc includes new writing by Ky, who works as a teacher for Go Vap Education Centre.  

Coin honours Dien Bien Phu win

The Viet Nam Book of Records (Vietbook) has released a lucky coin to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory over the French.

It is made of alloy, 45mm across, and engraved with the images of the statue commemorating the victory and the bunker of French General De Castries.

Le Tran Truong An, general director of Vietbooks, said: "The coin is aimed at acquainting tourists with the remarkable Dien Bien Phu victory.

"I and my staff are working to present a collection of four coins showcasing famous historical sites in HCM City to mark the 39th anniversary of the liberation of the South."

They will carry images of Notre Dame Cathedral, the HCM City Museum, Reunification Palace, HCM City Museum, Opera House, and Ben Thanh and Binh Tay markets.

They are expected to be unveiled at the HCM City Book Fair next week.

Since 2013 Vietbooks has released 56 coins, with the bestsellers being those with the images of Con Dao, where the French colonists jailed political prisoners, and Vo Thi Sau, the heroine who was executed by the French.

Capital awaits colourful street festival

Thousands of youths will participate in street art activities in downtown Ha Noi on Sunday to celebrate the 83th anniversary of the Communist Youth Union on March 26.

The Street Arts Festival 2014 will include street magic; Chinese chess and badminton competitions; sketching and calligraphy, and hip hop, yosaiko and flashmob dancing at four places, namely Thong Nhat Park in Hai Ba Trung District, Ly Tu Trong Statue in Ba Dinh District, Ly Thai To Park in Hoan Kiem District and Nguyen Trai Statue in Ha Dong District.

The participants will receive modern and folk handmade gifts from street art fans.

This is the second time that such a festival is being organised as part of the activities to celebrate the I Love Ha Noi movement and the Year of Youth Volunteers 2014.

The events will be held between 8.30am and 4pm.

Celebrating harmony, happiness

Dang Quang Tuan expected a heavy day yesterday after having an argument with his wife before going to the office. But things turned out fine when he found out that March 20 had been declared World Happiness Day.

"My colleagues told me about the event, the first ever to be celebrated in Viet Nam. Their talk about happiness woke me from negative thoughts running through my head," said the 40-year-old Hanoian.

"My mind became restful after I messaged my wife, saying ‘sorry', promising it would never happen again," he said, reminding himself that she was his happiness.

Like many countries around the world Viet Nam was celebrating what is officially known as the International Day of Happiness. It was set aside by the United Nations, which decided that happiness was a fundamental human goal.

The celebrations warmed up with a grand ceremony under the theme Love and Sharing at Ha Noi Opera House yesterday morning.

"March 20 is a special day. The sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal. And on the equinox, the Earth and the Sun are in perfect balance and harmony," Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam told the audience, which included senior government officials.

"We celebrate this day to wish for a world of peace, no war, co-operation and prosperity. No matter what colour and religion they are, people around the world deserve to enjoy full happiness.

"Happiness is not just to cherish and be cherished. It's also a smile of happiness when sportsmen earn medals or farmers yield a bumper crop, or a moment of love after sulking," said the deputy PM.

"President Ho Chi Minh said an independent country would be nothing if its people were not happy and free and did not enjoy a strong material and healthy spiritual life."

Dam said that Viet Nam had held onto the motto "independence, freedom and happiness" since declaring independence from the French on September 2, 1945.

Student Pham Thi Thuy, who joined in the event with many schoolmates, said it was necessary to have "a day like this".

"It reminds everyone of happiness and urges them to reflect on whether their families and communities have been happy," said the freshman from Ha Noi Tourism College.

"In my opinion, happiness is to create and bring joy. I have got what I wished for. I passed the university entrance exam and have a scholarship after the very first term. All my efforts have paid off.

"I also join school volunteers in organising games for children, helping people in need, and picking up rubbish in public places during festivals. I am so happy being able to perform such meaningful deeds. I am so happy to have many siblings," she said.

In 2012, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to celebrate happiness and encourage people around the world to focus on and share things that make them happy.

The initiative to declare a day of happiness came from Bhutan, a country whose citizens are considered to be among the happiest in the world. The Himalayan kingdom champions an alternative measure of national and societal prosperity, called the Gross National Happiness Index (GNH).

"Bhutan celebrated the International Day of Happiness today by offering a thousand butter lamps at the National Memorial Chorten (stupa) in Thimphu, the capital " said Kesang Dema from Thimphu, Bhutan.

"A major seminar on happiness is also being held, which will go on for two days. On Facebook and Twitter, many Bhutanese are wishing everyone happiness through various posts," added Dema.

"I am proud to be Bhutanese. The happiness approach means that we maintain human values while pursuing economic development."

However, the former journalist for the national Bhutanese newspaper Kuensel said that a lot still needed to be done in her country.

"While we talk of happiness, there are families finding it difficult to make ends meet. We must also provide an environment that will enable them to have their share of happiness as well," Dema said.

"But all in all, there is still this sense of security and comfort that we share within the family or community. We know for sure, at least for now, that we have not compromised the values in relation to our culture or environment while embracing different manifestations of modernisation." 

CDEF supports Vietnam dance project

The Vietnamese-Danish Cultural Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF) has agreed to support the contemporary dance project “Vietnam in the 70s” this year.

Le Vu Long, Director of Noi Den (Destination) contemporary dance group that undertakes the project, revealed the information at a press briefing in Hanoi on March 20.

“Vietnam in the 70s” dwells on the country’s specific historic period, especially human issues, which were rarely mentioned in the 1970s.

It recalls and portrays images of death, joy, sorrow, confusion, separation, reunion and farewell, Long said.

Six new contemporary dance works will be introduced at Hanoi Opera House on March 25-26 with the participation of famous Vietnamese contemporary dance choreographers including Quang Hoang Diep, Nguyen Dung, Tran Ly Ly, and Quach Phuong Hoang.

Previously, CDEF also supported Vietnam in implementing “Ba Mat Mot Loi” project in 2012, aiming to promote choreographers’ creativity.

Established in 2002, Noi Den group is known as the first contemporary dance in Vietnam. Its members are deaf people who are living and working in Hanoi.

Photographers explore Central Highlands’ beauty

Fifteen famous photographers from across the country are joining a 10-day fact-finding tour of the Central Highlands to snap the most beautiful scenes of the region.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched the programme in Lam Dong province’s Da Lat city on March 20.

Themed “Central Highland jungles”, it is part of the activities to promote the 2014 National Central Highlands-Da Lat Tourism Year.

During the tour, the artists will travel to the provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong to take photographs of landscapes, cultural activities and the daily life of local people.

Following the trip, photographers will send their works to the programme’s organisers to display at a national photo exhibition scheduled for October in Da Lat.-