Dong Nhi wins Best Asian Artist 2015

Vietnamese singer Dong Nhi awarded the Best Asian Artist 2015 at the Annual Mnet Asian Music Awards 2015 (MAMA 2015) organized in Hong Kong (China) yesterday.

Although Dong Nhi (photo) could not take part in the award ceremony in Hong Kong last night but she said via video she should try her best to promote Vietnamese music in the global market.

Pop singers My Tam, Thu Minh had ever won the same titles in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, singer Ho Quynh Huong honored as the Asian Artist of the Year.

Musician, producer Phu Bo also grabbed the title of Best producer and he presented at the award ceremony.

Agribank donates VND 14 bln for Hue Festival 2016

The organizational board of the 2016 Hue Festival has just signed a donation agreement with Vietnam Agricultural and Rural Development Bank (Agribank) yesterday.

Under the agreement, Agribank will donate VND 3 billion for this year’s festival.

At present, the organization board has received VND 14 billion from the sponsors acorss the country for the large scale  national cultural event.

The 2016 Hue Festival titled “the 710th anniversary of Thuan Hoa- Phu Xuan- Thua Thien Hue; Cultural heritage with integration and development” is scheduled to take place from April 29 to May 4, 2016.

Many activities of culture, tourism and art performance will be also organized within the framework of the festival to mark the 710th anniversary of Thuan Hoa- Phu Xuan- Thua Thien Hue and 380 years of Hue city.

The East Asia- Latin American Mayors Meeting will also take place at Hue city on the same time.

Photo exhibition marks 55 years of Vietnam-Cuba relations

A photo exhibition entitled “Vietnam-Cuba, 55 years of solidarity and cooperation” was launched at the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) headquarters, 5 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hanoi on December 2.

The event is held in the celebration of the 55th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.

On display are 55 colour and black-and-white photos by VNA reporters capturing milestones in Vietnam-Cuba relations over the past 55 years.

Visitors are also offered a glimpse of Cuba’s landscapes and people through the exhibited photos.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Herminio Lopex Diaz recalled the 55-year history of friendship between the two nations, saying that the fine relationship has been nurtured by Cuban national hero Jose Martin, former President Fidel Castro and late President Ho Chi Minh as well as generations of the two countries’ leaders.

He also stressed the significant role played by Vietnamese and Cuban people, diplomats and journalists, particularly VNA staff, in deepening the bilateral ties.

For his part, VNA Deputy General Director Le Duy Truyen stated that the VNA has worked hard to contribute to developing Vietnam-Cuba relations by its news products.

The agency has sent reporters to Havana and published news in Spanish, he noted.

He expressed his gratitude for Cuba’s support for the VNA correspondents as well as the publication of news and Vietnam Pictorial in Spanish in the country.

The exhibition will run through December 12.

19th Vietnam Film Festival kicks off in HCM City

The 19th Vietnam Film Festival kicked off at Hoa Binh Theatre in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1 under the theme “Vietnam’s Cinema – Ethnicity, Humanity, Innovation and Integration”.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien said this year’s festival will be an opportunity for Vietnam to promote its innovative film industry imbued with national identity, and honour outstanding individuals devoted to the industry’s development.

In its 62-year history, the cinema has played a significant role in introducing the country’s culture and landscapes to the world, he added.

A highlight of this year’s event was free screenings of 33 films in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang from November 18 to 24.

The jury includes Artist of Merit/Director Vu Xuan Hung; Artist of Merit/Director/Actor Le Cung Bac, Artist of Merit/Director/Actor/Producer Dang Tat Binh and Screenwriter Luu Nghiep Quynh.

Works competing in the festival are divided into four main categories – feature films, video films, documentaries, scientific films and animation.

Awards will also be presented to the best director, best screenwriter, best cinematographer, best actor and actress in supporting roles, best actor and actress in leading roles, best production design and best soundtrack.

People’s choice awards will be given to two films in each category.

The 18th Vietnam Film Festival, held in northern Quang Ninh province in 2013, presented golden lotus awards to “Legend Makers” and “Scandals – Red Carpet Secrets” (feature films); “Yellow Ox” (animation), “Secrets of Ancient Statues” (scientific film), “An opportunity was missed” (documentary) and “The Partner” (video film).

Secondhand book fair to be held in Ha Noi

A secondhand book fair with 20 booths of literary delights will be held at the University of Culture in Ha Noi on Saturday and Sunday.

Apart from perusing the 10 tonnes of secondhand books available at the market, visitors can visit calligraphy, Henna drawing, Tarot cartomancy and other booths.

This is the biggest annual secondhand book fair in north Viet Nam, which is organised by 15 famous secondhand bookstores such as Ha Noi, Ha Thanh and Vi Dan.

Hanoi Rock City (HRC) will celebrate its 5th birthday in style with a three-day celebration starting tomorrow.

A line-up of rockers, DJs and bands, will perform every night. Tomorrow will feature Zamina, Ngot, Dr Peacock, Big Man&Bear. Saturday night stars the DJs Ali B2b Maggie, HLEB, Trung.D and MY.N. Sunday night will close with a lineup of rock bands- White Eagles, 18+, W A A H and Windrunner.

Since its creation in 2010, HRC has became a favourite venue among many in the capital's music and art scene.

The birthday also serves as a fundraiser to support HIV-positive youths in Ba Vi, providing them with educational and entrepreneurial opportunities and support.

All events start from 9pm onward. Entry is VND100,000, with all revenues donated.

French pop-rock concert with La Grande Sophie

Next Saturday, December 12, L'Espace will host a pop-rock concert with French singer and songwriter La Grande Sophie.

Guest artist, Vietnamese singer Le Cat Trong Ly, will also be on stage performing.

Tickets cost VND160,000 (VND80,000 for L'Espace members and students) and are available at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street.

The concert will start at 8pm.

Song Hong Half Marathon themed ‘Run for Rhinos'

The Red River Runners (RRR) have partnered with Education for Nature Viet Nam (ENV) to host the 9th annual Song Hong Half Marathon on Sunday, December 13.

Featuring three races of 5km, 10km, 21km (half marathon) and a "Kids Fun Run", the event is themed the "Run for Rhinos". The race aims to bring attention to the crisis rhino populations are facing as a result of poaching for rhino horns, which are used in traditional medicine and as a status symbol in Viet Nam and China.

The proceeds of the marathon will go towards rhino protection efforts in Viet Nam.

The race will take place at Ciputra Club, Ciputra Ha Noi International City, Xuan Dinh Ward, Bac Tu Liem District.

Anyone who wishes to join the race can register online using Paypal or a credit card until December 10 with this link http://redriverrunners.com/song-hong-2015/; or register in person at the Song Hong registration point located at Spacebar, 15 Lane 76, To Ngoc Van Street, Tay Ho District.

Classical music concert raises funds for kids

The International Choir and Orchestra of HCM City will host a Christmas charity concert Sounds of the Season at St Paul's Convent Chapel on December 4-5.

The 75-minute concert will feature traditional Christmas carols and works by Handel, Palestrina and John Rutter. A silent auction will be held at the event.

Donation and proceeds will be given to the Loreto Vietnam-Australia Programme to help disadvantaged children in remotes areas.

Entry is by donation. The concerts will start at 7.30pm. The chapel is at 4 Ton Duc Thang Street in District 1.

Expat threatre group stages tale Hansel and Gretel

Saigon Players, an English-language theatre group, will stage a British-style pantomime Hansel and Gretel based on the fairy tale by Brothers Grimm.

Four performances will be held on December 11, 12 and 13 at Vista Walk, 628C Ha Noi Highway in District 2. Tickets are VND200,000 and can be booked via email at saigonplayerstickets@gmail.com.

All proceeds from the performances will go to the Christina Nobel Foundation and Operation Smile Viet Nam.

Phuong Nam Arts Theatre to tour France

Phuong Nam Arts Theatre will be holding their 13th tour in France from December 1 to December 23.

The theatre's tour will be continually held in seven cities in the South of France. As scheduled, 16 actors of the theatre will perform in the show, combining circus activities and national dancing to present a Vietnamese spirit to French audiences.

The tour is organised by France-based Cultur'Elles Production, a well-known company with much experience of administering as well as producing arts and performances.

"For a young theatre like us, this is an opportunity to introduce Vietnamese culture to the world. I hope the audiences will love our show," Nguyen Van The, director of the theatre, said

The theatre has been set up on July 18 this year by the HCM City's People Committee. Its forerunner is the HCM City's Circus and Puppetry Arts Troupe. The theatre is under the city's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It has also been awarded with many certificates of merit by the government.

Exhibition reveals historiography of Nguyen dynasty

An exhibition opened in Hanoi on December 2 under the theme ‘Nguyen Dynasty and its historiography through royal documents and wooden printing blocks’.

The exhibition showcases copies of official administrative documents bearing the remarks and seals of Nguyen Kings (1802-1945), including royal edicts and decrees, reports to the King, and credentials.

Woodblocks used for printing in Han (Chinese script) and Nom (Vietnamese ideographic script) are also on display at the exhibition.

The contents of the documents and woodblocks on display focus on five major topics: the organisation of the agency and human resources in charge of historiography, the writing and censorship of historical records, carving and printing of documents, and the preservation of the documents and woodblocks.

The royal documents and woodblocks under the Nguyen Dynasty were listed on the inscription of UNESCO Memory of the World in 2014 and 2009, respectively. They are currently being kept at the National Archives Centres in Da Lat city and Hanoi.

The exhibits reflect the Nguyen Kings’ attention and guidelines for writing history as well as to preserving the historical records.

The exhibition will run through January 30, 2016 at the National Archives Centre No. 1, 18 Vu Pham Ham Street, Cau Giay district in Hanoi.

Eclectic mix of art styles at Melting Pot

Saigon’s artistic community is stepping up for underprivileged children in the city as the holidays approach.

Melting Pot is an Art and Music Festival held annually at Saigon Outcast that aims to raise funds for charities such as Saigon Children’s Charity and other projects for local children in District 2. Local talent, including professional and amateur artists, will be exhibiting their works in music, dance, poetry, art, cooking and more, with this year’s lineup focused on local Vietnamese talent.

“This is the most fun and diverse fundraiser event in Saigon,” said Justin Hurst, known in Saigon’s musical circles as DJ Starchild. “This edition of the festival though is a stepping stone to creating a solid non-commercial local festival.”

Starchild said Melting Pot gives those in attendance a chance to discover the variety of talent that is emerging in the local art and music scene in Vietnam. People can also participate in a number of creative activities, fun games for youngsters and adults, including painting the walls of Outcast. For more information, visit Saigon Outcast’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Dec 5

Quy | Live Solo Ngan Tieu | Live Solo Wild Card | Live Duo Datmaniac | Live Rap Jase | DJ Set XOI | Live Band | Hardcore Vietnam Knife Sticking Head | Live Band | Hardcore Vietnam 9th Dimension | Live Band | Young Guns Records Bui Gio | Live Band | Young Guns Records Suboi | Live Performance Duy Tuan | DJ Set Maraphoria & Starchild | DJ Set

Dec 6

Ngu Nam | Poetry Reading Lang Kinh | Live Drama Saigon Children’s Charity | Presentation Tung Tim | DJ Set Saigonlag | DJ & MC #HappiZoo | Live Band House of Skarlet | Live Dance Emily Navarra | Live Dance X-CLOWN | Live Dance Javana | Live Band Hazard Clique | Live Performance Slo-Lo | DJ Set Maraphoria & Starchild | DJ Set

Prices: one-day pass: VND80,000 at the door Promo pre-sale: VND100,000 for two-day pass You can buy pre-sale passes at Saigon Outcast or SMS 0907600897 to pick up in District 3. For more information, visit Saigon Outcast’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Saigon Outcast is located at 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong Street, Thao Dien, District 2.

TV drama making contest launched

HCMC-based View TV has announced an eight-episode TV drama making contest called EVO8-Hack the TV to search for talent in the film industry.

EVO8 is an abbreviation of “Let’s make an evolution by your own 8-episodes miniseries.” The contest is open to amateur and professional filmmakers nationwide. The winning team will pocket total prize money of VND2 billion, with VND100 million of it in cash and the remainder for funding a TV drama production.

It is jointly held by View TV, a channel for young families in Vietnam, and Vindie, formerly known as CLOUD 9 which has been known for hosting some popular film making contests like the 48 Hour Film Project Vietnam, Sci-Fi and Take 5 with the presence of hundreds of local and foreign film crews nationwide and overseas.

Huynh Nguyen Huy Hoang, general director of View TV, said, “This is not only a platform to search for movie talent but also a good chance to connect local film producers and distributors to turn striking ideas into reality. Thus, EV08 is not simply a contest but a long-term project with lots of challenges and potentials ahead.

“Currently, there have been lots of contests for short films and advertising projects while TV drama is still a potential field to be promoted.”

The contest, which is expected to take place until the end of 2016, will be divided into three phases. The first phase from November 2015 to January 2016 will search for film ideas. In the second phase from February to October 2016, the winning team will make their project and the last phase from November to December 2016 will broadcast the movie on View TV’s channel VTC8.

The organizer will select the top 15 teams to an interview to search for the top three in mid-January 2016. The three winning teams will respectively get cash prize of VND50 million, VND20 million and VND10 million.

Registrations and further information are available at http://evo8.vindie.org/dangky/

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