British harpist to charm HCM City

British harpist and singer-songwriter Georgia Ruth's exquisite songs which are "full of longing and melody" and her angelic, serene voice will chill out the boiling hot mid-summer weather when she and her band play in HCM City on July 1, the British Council said in a release.

Week of Pines, Ruth's debut album in May 2013 was praised by critics for its "mixture of soft pop and reimagined traditionals".

The website of the Arts Council of Wales said: "From the motorik drive of the title track, to the darker Eno-like string arrangements, the stark joyfulness of a Welsh sea shanty accompanied by wheezing reed organ, or the more wistful folk ballads: this is a varied and intriguing collection of songs.

Ruth and her band will perform at the HCM City Conservatory of Music, 118 Nguyen Du, District 1.

Artists gather for print workshop

Forty artists from Thailand and the country gathered at the Hue Printmaking Workshop, which opened yesterday and will continue for 10 days in Hue City, the former royal capital.

The workshop will teach printmaking concepts and techniques, including book art, printmaking installation, truc chi papermaking, non-toxic lithograph, and gumprint as well as about printmaking-related industries.

At the workshop, Vietnamese artists, who are from HCM City, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Hue, and Ha Noi, will take part in a camp to produce printmaking products, which will be shown in an exhibition to be held on June 29 at the New Space Art Foundation in 15 Le Loi Street.

According to artist Phan Hai Bang, one of the organisers, the workshop serves as a forum for graphics artists around the country, who are also lecturers of printmaking in art faculties. The workshop will highlight achievements that the printmaking industry has made in the recent past and affirm the standing of printmaking in temporary arts, he said.

At the camp inside the Hue College of Art, audiences will get the chance to talk with the artists during their performances.

The workshop, which is organized by Hue College of Art, Viet Nam Fine Arts Association and Thua Thien-Hue FineArts Association, will end on June 30.

Vietnamese students win prizes from international music competitions

The Viet Nam National Symphony and Orchestra said that Vietnamese piano students grabbed top prizes at the Val Tidone International Music Competitions and Piano Talents 2014 International Competition for Young Pianists, which wrapped up in Milan, Italy.

Vietnamese students had made surprises for audience when they won the first prize in three categories out of five categories of piano competition.

Nguyen Hoang Linh Phuong won the first prize of the FREE category, Nguyen Hoang Phuong Thy topped the age of 7-9 category and Quach Hoang Nhi won the first prize for the age of 10-12 category.

Especially, Nguyen Hoang Phuong Thy was also bestowed as the competitions' best performer after beating out 15 excellent contestants who won piano, accordion, vocal music and guitar contests.

40 contestants from 11 countries and territories performed piano in the 17th Val Tidone Competition final round. Vietnamese students are youngest contestants but they beat out experienced competitors; accordingly jury boards appraised them in the prize awarding ceremony.

In other international music event Nguyen Hoang Phuong Thy won the first prize of group A age and Quach Hoang Nhi grasped the second prize at the Piano Talents 2014 International Competition for Young Pianists which has 109 competitors from 31 nations.

Most of competition participants performed difficult works of Schumann, Liszt and Grieg that require deep thinking and high performance skills to meet a professional standard though competitors are from 8-10 year old.

Hoang Sa, Truong Sa exhibition opens in Haiphong

An exhibition of historical evidence proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos opened in the northern port city of Haiphong on June 20.

On display is a series of maps, atlases and documents in traditional Chinese, French and Vietnamese languages issued by Vietnamese states and the Chinese people under the Qing dynasty from the 15th to the 20th centuries.

All affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over these islands and indicate the fact that these islands have never historically belonged to China.

All exhibits declare Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos, and highlight efforts made by Vietnamese feudal and modern states to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In addition, 120 material photos on islands and the DK platform in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago are also displayed at the event.

Running until June 21, the exhibition also aims to help promote patriotism, solidarity and sense of responsibility among the people, especially the young generation, in protecting sea and island sovereignty.

Family Day focuses on value of shared meal

This year's Vietnamese Family Day (June 28) will take the theme "Family Meal with Love and Compassion", Huynh Vinh Ai, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said at a press conference yesterday.

He said the ministry is encouraging all households in the country to organise a family meal on the afternoon of June 28.

Twenty families representing the coast guard and fisheries surveillance forces will be invited to attend various cultural activities for the Family Day celebration in Ha Noi. They will also meet with host families at the ministry headquarters on June 23, he said.

The Viet Nam Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre will host several events from June 26-28, including a photo exhibition titled "Four Seasons of Love" featuring 100 moments of reunion from different parts of the country.

Nearly 150 families from various ethnic groups in Ha Noi will be feted at a conference organised at the centre.

A workshop on community healthcare models, another on enhancing men's role in family life, quiz shows for family members and children, as well as a doubles table tennis tournament (to encourage team work between family members) will also be held.

On the afternoon of June 28, participating families will sign on a huge map made of dozens of family photos, aiming to set a national record.

The Viet Nam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Dong Mo, 40km to the west of Ha Noi, will host a series of events under the themes of "Great Family of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups" and the "Fatherland's Sacred Sovereignty" on June 28 and 29.

"The events will attract more than 200 people from 32 ethnic groups from eight cities and provinces as well as around 500 representatives from Viet Nam People's Army and 300 Youth Union members from the Ministry of Culture," said Lam Van Khang, deputy head of the village's management board.

Three traditional worship ceremonies will be held at the village, including the Po Riyak Sea God Worshipping Ceremony of Cham ethnic group in Ninh Thuan Province.

The "Le Khao Le The Linh Hoang Sa" (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers), will be organised by fishermen from Ly Son Island, Quang Ngai Province, in tribute to the men enlisting for the flotilla patrolling the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos to tap natural resources and defend the nation's sovereignty.

An exhibition displaying different materials including paintings and photographs of Viet Nam's seas and islands will be organised at the village together with documentary screenings on the same theme.

The Family Day has been organised every year since 2001.

Film fest awards audience members

Nearly 40 audience members were honoured at a ceremony held yesterday for their good answers after film screenings during the recent Francophone Films Festival held in four cities of Ha Noi, HCM City, Hue and Da Nang.

Nguyen Thi Yen, a graduate from Ha Noi University won the top prize of a tablet and a one-year subscription to the French-language Le Courier du Vietnam newspaper while Nguyen Minh Phuong, from Ha Noi National University, won a digital camera and six-month subscription to the newspaper.

Third prize of an ipod and three-month subscription of the newspaper went to Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang, a student from the Ha Noi National Economics University.

The quiz gathered nearly 1,000 people at the screenings, who answered questions on the contents of the films.

Photo contest on Ha Noi launched

Amateur and professional photographers, including foreigners living in Viet Nam, can express their love for Ha Noi by taking pictures of the capital and sending them to the Ha Noi Photographic Artists Association.

A contest has been launched nationwide by the association with the theme of Ha Noi – Renewal and Development.

The photographs should portray Ha Noi people's elegance and depict the capital's development in the last 60 years through different fields such as society, culture, science and economy, said Nguyen Duc Chinh, head of the organising board.

The photographers can send their works, black-and-white or coloured, to the organising board from now to August 29.

The awards ceremony and exhibition of the best pictures are scheduled to take place on October 8 at the Exhibition House, 45 Trang Tien Street, Ha Noi.

Press award to honour kindness

The second Companion of Development press award was launched yesterday to honour kindness between people and reinforce the belief in a civilised society, said Le Quang Binh, director of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE).

"When I visit Singapore and enjoy the purity of the city, I think I have a responsibility to leave rubbish in the right place to keep the city clean," Binh said. "When people believe that they are living in a society of kind-hearted people, they would live kind-heartedly as well," he said.

This year, the award dubbed Living Kindly focuses on printed and online articles which evoke belief on the kindness in life and encourage people to behave with each other in a more humane manner.

The press award, launched for the first time last year, is an idea put forward by civil society organisation networks, represented by the iSEE. It aims to recognise journalists and outstanding journalistic works on the topic of development, and to attract more media interest in this topic.

The entries should be sent to the organising board before September 30.

Photography exhibition highlights Vietnam’s sea, island sovereignty

Over 140 photographs related to Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos are on display in Dong Hoi city, in the central province of Quang Binh on June 20.

The highlight of the exhibition is the display of a collection of photographs taken by journalists and correspondents from Quang Binh province and several cities and provinces, which depicts the activities of Vietnam’s Navy in protecting sea and island sovereignty and the daily life of residents in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.

The exhibition aims to affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos, as well as raise awareness among people, especially youth, about the importance of protecting the national sea and island sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The event, part of a number of activities to celebrate the 89th anniversary of Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21), was jointly organised by Quang Binh provincial Department of Communications and Information and the provincial Literature and Art Association, and the Central Press Agencies Correspondents’ Club in Quang Binh.