Street music performance on the Han River stage

Dance troupes, such as Rio Crew; Q3; pop group Chiara Minh; and the CFI rock band will perform in Da Nang, on the Han River Stage tonight.

The stage is a tourist attraction in the central city's downtown area and is located near Han market on Bach Dang Street. The show will run from 7.30 to 9.30pm.

A guitar and violin performance of spring ballads will open the event for the featured dance troupes and bands.

The Q3 group will sing Rumour Has It, All Out Of Love, What's Up, and Smell Likes Teen Spirit. The band will also sing Stand by Me and Pride That after the performance of the Chiara Minh group.

The CFI rock band is the last act in the two-hour performance.

The professional and amateur entertainment event has been held on the second and fourth Saturday of each month since 2012.

Vietnamese paintings on display in France

An exhibition in Paris, which opened on February 4, is casting the spotlight on more than 23 lacquer and rice paintings of Vietnamese artist Mai Dac Linh.

The exhibition, entitled “Niem Tin va Thoi Gian” (Belief and Time), is a combination between European style and East Asia’s deeply philosophical thought.

"The most unique feature of Linh’s works is the way he used his professional skills to paint the lotus motifs, Dong Son bronze drum, and many traditional Vietnamese images into his lacquer paintings. All his works are very interesting, combining east and west and conveying Vietnamese values in both rice paper and lacquer paintings”, said French critic Corinne de Menonville.

Mai Dac Linh shared that his creative ideas come from the consciousness of Vietnamese people on belief, time, family, and Buddhism. He says he aspires to convey humanity spirit and Buddhism to the viewers.

Linh was born in Hanoi in 1970 and graduated at Hanoi Fine Arts University in 1993. His work is highly acclaimed and has been shown extensively throughout Vietnam and, most notably, was part of the First Beijing International Art Biennale in 2003.

The exhibition runs through February 28.

Grand ceremony prays for peaceful nation

A grand ceremony was held at the Princess Huyen Tran Temple in the central city of Hue on February 7 (the eighth day of the first lunar month) to pray for a peaceful nation and happy people.

In a peaceful atmosphere, dozens of thousands of Buddhist followers and tourists practiced traditional Buddhist rituals praying for favourable weather conditions, bumper crops and prosperous country.

The ceremony also aimed to inspire patriotism and cultural appreciation in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people.

Similar events will take place on the ninth and fifteenth days of the first lunar month, said Venerable Thich Giac Dao, deputy head of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Thua Thien-Hue chapter.

In addition to praying rituals, there will be a wide range of cultural activities such as chess competitions, martial art performances, calligraphic displays, dances, painting and flower arranging contests, he added.

Tet a busy time for HCM City artists

Tet was a busy time for comedians and pop singers in HCM City as hundreds of concerts and other shows were organised for two weeks as part of the New Year revelry.

Well-known comic Hoai Linh performed every day from January 28 in District 11's Dam Sen Park and District 1's Tao Dan Park and at several theatres like Cong Nhan and 126.

He also acted in three plays, including Ruoc Hen Vao Nha (Welcoming Luck Home) and Ai La Co Dau (Who is the Bride?) that were staged at the Nu Cuoi Moi ( New Smile) Theatre in District 1 every night from January 31.

He occasionally performed nine shows in a day. "I turned down some shows in suburban areas," he said.

Other popular comics Chi Tai and Truong Giang also performed seven shows every day since last week.

After winning the prestigious Mai Vang (Golden Apricot) Award for best comedian given by Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourer) newspaper last month, comedian Tran Thanh has appeared in many shows around HCM City.

"The award has brought me good luck," he said.

"Laughter is the best medicine and comedy shows are always crowded. Audiences enjoy our performances and clap all the time."

Other comic stars like Viet Anh, Mai Tran, Hoang Son, Hong Van, and Minh Nhi also acted in scores of plays during the holidays.

Music concerts are always popular during Tet. Pop stars Dam Vinh Hung, Thu Minh, Le Quyen, Hong Nhung, Quang Linh, and Lam Truong performed several shows every night.

"Tet is our busiest time," Truong said. "We are busy in the city and have to refuse shows in Ha Noi and Da Nang."

Music lovers had to buy tickets days in advance for concerts featuring overseas Vietnamese singers Tuan Ngoc, Khanh Ha, Le Thu, and Thai Chau at bars and music clubs.

"After HCM City, we will fly to Ha Noi and Da Nang for more shows," Le Thu who, was well-known in the 1970s in Sai Gon, now HCM City, said.

While comedians and pop singers were too busy to perform in provinces, many cai luong stars like Vu Linh, Thoai My, and Thanh Kim Hue travelled to the Mekong Delta for shows. Linh said he appeared in four cai luong shows each night in remote spots in Ca Mau, Soc Trang, and An Giang provinces.

"I travelled to the Mekong Delta from the first day of the new year," My said.

"Cai luong shows, which cannot compete with films and music concerts in HCM City, attract audiences in Mekong Delta provinces."

She performed in Can Tho and Tra Vinh before travelling to Soc Trang and Bac Lieu for more shows.

HCM City to turn Nguyen Hue into pedestrian-only street next year

Nguyen Hue Boulevard in the heart of HCMC would become a pedestrian-only street in the first quarter of next year when a new statue of President Ho Chi Minh replaces the existing one in front of City Hall.

The city government early last week, or prior to the start of Tet holiday, announced the selection of a design of the new Ho Chi Minh statue, which the city’s vice chairman, Hua Ngoc Thuan, said would be much larger than the present concrete structure.

The forthcoming bronze statue would be 4.5 meters high and if its pedestal is taken into account, the statue would be seven meters high. Its total weight would be about six tons.

The design has been done by photography firm Oanh Vu, which represents sculptor Lam Quang Noi. This is one of ten entries in a contest launched in May 2013 by the city to choose the best design for the new statue.

The chosen design would be passed around for comment before its construction begins. The inauguration next year of the new statue would coincide with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the country’s reunification on April 30.

Nam Dinh displays antiques

Antique show held in Nam Dinh province on February 6 by the Thien Truong Antiquity Association in collaboration with the UNESCO Antiques Research and Collection Club for the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

An auction was held at the exhibition, located in the Nam Dinh Provincial Museum, where nearly 100 old artifacts and antiques made of ceramic, pottery and metal were sold off.

On the occasion, the museum received 15 antiques of the Ly Dynasty from Do Viet Chin, who is a member of the Thien Truong Antiquity Association.

The event aimed to raise public awareness on preserving antiques.On the occasion, the museum receives 15 antiques of the Ly Dynasty from Do Viet Chin, who is a member of the Thien Truong Antiquity Association.