HBSO holds New Year Gala Concert

Norwegian maestro Magnus Loddgard

Internationally acclaimed Norwegian maestro Magnus Loddgard will conduct the annual New Year Gala Concert of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) on Saturday at the city's Opera House.

HBSO's New Year Gala Concert, held annually, will feature excerpts of film scores from Pirates of the Caribbean, the 007 franchise, Titanic, Conquest of Paradise, Beauty and the Beast, Basic Instinct, Indiana Jones, Mulan and others.

The concert will also feature waltz and polka pieces from Austrian classical composer Johann Strauss. Sopranos Pham Khanh Ngoc and Pham Duyen Huyen will perform Strauss and Leger songs.

Tickets are VND800,000, VND650,000, VND550,000, VND400,000, and VND150,000 for students. They are available at the Opera House at 7 Lam Son Square.

Huong releases two albums

Singer Dinh Huong, the first runner-up of The Voice Vietnam 2012, officially launched her biggest music project in 2016 named Dinh Huong 3 Year Anniversary on Tuesday.

More than two years after her first album Soul was released, this year's project is a milestone marking the growth and relentless efforts of her three-year artistic journey.

Its highlight is the launch of two albums, including one in English and one in Vietnamese.

The English album, Dinh Huong Sings the Golden Oldies, consists of famous songs such as Fly Me to the Moon, New York, New York, and When You Tell Me that You Love Me.

The songs were selected carefully with instrumentals in the style of soul music.

"Finally, all of us also have a music product bearing international appeal, but the proudest thing is that it was created by Vietnamese people," said Huong

This album is a testament to her promise of pursuing soul music.

It is also a result of her passion to look for the excellence in music.

"It is difficult for Huong to find songs that help her thoroughly show her talent," said musician Huy Tuan. "With immortal songs on this album, however, she seems to have found a music space that characterises her voice through the style of soul music."

The second album entitled Love Dinh Huong contrasts the first one. It is more lively pop music that helps her adapt to a new style that is fresh and youthful.

By composing eight songs and writing the lyrics for five on the album, Huong shows she is a multi-talented singer, songwriter and musician.

New music school for children opens in HCM City

The Sam Music Academy has opened in HCM City to offer training in singing, music and dance for children interested in pursuing a professional career.

The school was launched by famous musician Phuong Uyen in co-operation with her partner, composer and producer Hoai Sa. They each have more than 20 years of experience working in the industry.

This is the third private music school in the city.

The others were founded by Vietnamese-Australian composer and producer Thanh Bui, and by music producer Duc Tri. Their students are aged five to 20.

The Sam Music Academy is located at 25/25 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1.

FVH walk to stop by famous sites

Tomorrow, the Friends of Vietnam Heritage (FVH) will host an English-speaking city walk visiting Tran Vu Temple and Ngu Xa bronze village.

The group, which consists of no more than 16 people, will start the tour at 9am by visiting Quan Thanh Temple – a very important, old and almost purely Taoist temple and its 3.7-tonne 350-year-old bronze statue of Tran Vu, protector of the city's Northern gate.

The group then walks along Tran Vu Street around Truc Bach Lake (learning some of the lake's history and surrounding area) heading to Chau Long Pagoda, then onto Ngu Xa Island at the east end of the lake. Tourists will also pay a short visit to Than Quang Pagoda and Ngu Xa Communal House as well as learning about the history of bronze casting for which this area is famous.

The tour agenda will also include a visit to a bronze casting showroom of a local family, who has been involved in that business for 400 years.

Cost: VND70,000. Contact Stella at stellaciorra@hotmail.com

Russian DJ Vadim to perform at ATK

After two years since his last performance at ATK, Russian DJ Vadim will once again stir up the venue's atmosphere tomorrow night.

An innovator and veteran hip hop DJ, producer and a stalwart of the world-renowned Ninja Tune and BBE record labels, Vadim's music combines hip hop, soul, reggae and electronica.

Currently residing in both New York and Berlin, the Leningrad-born DJ has been described as "one of the few artists creating genuinely New York hip hop" by Record Mart & Buyer.

In 1994, Vadim founded his own independent record label, Jazz Fudge and signed to Ninja Tune the following year. So begun Vadim's adventure that is now approaching its 20th year and has seen him tour across the globe with shows at some of the world's most prestigious events such as Sonar, Glastonbury, Big Chill, V Fest, Fuji Rock, and Roskilde.

Advance tickets costs VND100,000 at CAMA ATK, or VND116,000 on ticketbox.vn, on the door VND200,000.

Danish-Swedish duo to interact with local musicians

On Monday, January 11, the duo Mathias Kristersson and Jakob Riis will present their Liquid Nails concert, which has been playing in Denmark and Sweden since 2009.

In Viet Nam, the concept of Liquid Nails will continue developing in dialogue with two Vietnamese musicians – dan tranh (16-string zither) player Nguyen Thanh Thuy, and cheo (traditional opera) and ca tru (ceremonial singing) singer Doan Thanh Binh.

While Jakob Riis will be joining the Liquid Nails Vietnam performances, Kristersson will provide a set of instructions in form of small symbolic performances, live sculptures and approaches for the musicians to carry out during the concerts.

The free admission performance will be staged from 8pm at Manzi Art Space, 14 Phan Huy Ich Street.

For the concert, please pre-register via manzihanoi@gmail.com before Friday.

Urban Flea Market returns to Saigon Outcast

The Saigon Urban Flea Market in collaboration with outdoor bar Saigon Outcast will organise a New Year flea market on Sunday.

The market will include over 50 stalls selling secondhand, vintage and retro clothing as well as handmade crafts, antiques and books. There will also be stalls featuring unique collections of clothes, jewelry, home decor and handmade gifts by local artisans and designers.

The open-air market will be open from 4-10pm at 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong Street in District 2.

VinGallery hosts exhibition of painter Ho Hung

VinGallery will launch Passersby, a solo exhibition of new watercolour paintings by Vietnamese artist Ho Hung on January 22.

Hung uses dappled light and warm colours to record people passing by on the street, as well as reflect his view and feelings of daily life and the landscape of the southern region.

Born in Nghe An Province in 1980, Hung is a graduate of Hue Fine Arts University. He studied watercolour painting and 2D graphics in Japan and Thailand. He has had several exhibitions in Hue and HCM City.

VinGallery is at 6 Le Van Mien Street in District 2.

Concert fundraises for ‘green careers' training

A concert to raise funds to establish a "green careers" training programme for young people in HCM City will be held on January 22 at Saigon Ranger.

The event will feature DJ Jase from Viet Nam, duo Slowbirds B2B Nori Nori fro Japan, and DJs Bluntskull, Hugh G and Animal from the UK. The show will include a light and visual art performance by resident artist Antimatter.

All profits from the event will go to the Green Youth Collective, a NGO providing vocational training and environmental education for school drop-outs and youth with disabilities to prepare them for "green careers", from urban gardening to green roofs and walls to organic farming.

The concert will begin at 10pm at 5/7 Nguyen Sieu Street in District 1. Tickets are VND100,000. 

Int’l circus festival to greet spring

Circus artists from Vietnam, Mongolia and Laos will entertain audiences in Hanoi capital with extravagant performances to usher in the Year of the Monkey and commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Vietnam Circus Federation.

The four-day festival will be staged everyday from January 14 to 17 at the National Circus of Vietnam at NO. 67-69 Tran Nhan Tong Street.

According to Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation Ta Duy Anh, the performances are expected to dazzle the spectators with award-winning items, including children’s favorite’s “Animal Festival.

Founded in January 1956 with only 17 artists, the Vietnam Circus Federation has earned recognition on international stages arenas with numerous prestigious medals from many countries including Spain, France, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Cuba.

Pictorial book on National Assembly published

As many 500 photographs featuring the history of Vietnam's National Assembly (NA) has just been published in a photo book by the Vietnam News Agency Publishing House.

Titled 70 Years of the National Assembly of Vietnam, the bilingual pictorial book, aims to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first democratic election in the country (January 6, 1946- January 6, 2016).

The book is divided into four parts covering the founding of the NA (1946 to 1960); the period of building Social Republic in the north and liberating the south (1960 to 1976); the period of doi moi (renewal) (1976 to 2011) and the 13th NA (from 2011- till now).

The photos have been collected from the file stocks of the Vietnam News Agency, the NA Office, museums throughout the country as well as personal collections of national leaders.

"If television, printed and online newspaper provide an audience with up-to-date information, our pictorial book reviews historic turning points of the country, which highlights the role and contributions of the NA during the process of protecting and building the country," Le Thi Thu Huong, editor-in-chief of the publishing house said.

“Discover Vietnam” photo exhibition opens

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) opened a photo exhibition themed “Discover Vietnam” in Hanoi on January 6, displaying 100 best items selected from a competition launched in August 2015.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of MoCST and head of the competition’s steering committee Vuong Duy Bien said the photo contest and the subsequent exhibition were among activities to carry out the 2015 national tourism promotion project.

The events aimed at introducing the beauty of Vietnam’s landscapes, traditional culture, and people to international friends.

After two months, the contest received over 4,200 entries from more than 960 authors from in and outside the country.

At the exhibition, the organising board presented one first prize, two second prizes, three third prizes and five consolation prizes. The first prize came to “Kham pha de bao ve ran san ho" ( Discover to protect coral reef) by Pham Van Thanh from the central coastal province of Binh Thuan.

The photo show runs at No. 29 Hang Bai Street until January 13.

Exhibition affirms Vietnam’s sovereignty over archipelagos

Historic and legal proof affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos is being highlighted at an exhibition, which opened on January 7 at the Southeastern Armed Forces Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.

On the display are 100 maps alongside various valuable documents which were discovered and collected by both domestic and foreign researchers, including Chinese scholars.

Copies of official documents issued by feudal regimes from 16th century record Vietnam’s constant process of establishing, exercising and safeguarding sovereignty of the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes as well as other islands and waters in Vietnam’s territory.

Notably, the exhibition also includes publications from western countries during the 18th and 19th century, reflecting Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos.

In addition, photos and materials featuring economic development and cultural activities on the Truong Sa island district are also being showcased at the event.

According to Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son, the exhibition is crucial to enhance patriotism, solidarity and responsibility of Vietnamese people in protecting national sovereignty.

It also helps international friends gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s history and desire to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea as well as in the region, he added.

The exhibition will run until January 21.

Celebs to join marathon races in late Jan

A number of local celebrities will be participating in marathon races in District 7, HCMC late this month.

Popular actress Tang Thanh Ha, one of the founders of the HCMC Run, and model Che Nguyen Quynh Chau will be competing in the 5km run while Pham Hong Thuy Van, third runner-up at the Miss International 2015 pageant in Japan, will be attending in the 10km challenge.

Businessman Phillip Nguyen, also a co-founder of the event, will be a contestant in the 21km race. He is expected to finish in two hours 20 minutes and is calling on participants to compete with him.

The event was first held in 2013 by HCMC-based Pulse Active Vietnam.

Professional coaches will be present at the forthcoming event to conduct training sessions for runners. Fun activities prior to the run, including Kids Dash, lucky draw and music performance, will be also organized.

VN ceramics-inspired French artist shows graffiti artworks

Inspired by traditional ceramic products of Vietnam, French graffiti artist Veks Van Hillik has created graffiti paintings, which are on display at the New Space Art Foundation in Hue City, Tuoi Tre newspaper reports.

With two paintings on the wall, four on fabric and sketches on paper, Hillik enables art enthusiasts to experience a combination of traditional Vietnamese ceramic patterns and the art of graffiti. he project is the outcome of the French artist’s three-month work and study in Hue. The exhibition lasts until January 15. The New Space Art Foundation is located at 15 Le Loi Street.

Painting exhibition features Vietnam and Korea

The Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam has put on an exhibition to introduce paintings of Vietnamese artists about landscapes and peoples of Vietnam and South Korea.

The exhibition at 49 Nguyen Du Street, Hanoi features 46 works of Nguyen Van Cuong, Le Van Thin and Doan Hong on lacquer, oil and do (poonah) paper, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Cuong is a painter having a great passion for simple sceneries in the countryside while Thin has devoted his life to paintings about folk melodies and Vietnamese culture. Hong has great interest in painting life of fishermen and the rustic beauty of Vietnamese and Korean women.

According to the center, about 140,000 Koreans are living and working in Vietnam and they have a desire to learn about Vietnamese people and culture.

To promote cultural exchanges between the two countries, besides art shows of Korean artists, the center has exhibited Vietnamese artists’ outstanding works highlighting Korean culture and people.

The center hopes that the exhibition is an opportunity for Koreans, particularly those who are living and working in Vietnam, to get an insight into Vietnamese culture and people.

The exhibition lasts until January 20.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri