Photo exhibition marks Vietnam-US relations

An artistic photo exhibition titled “Vietnam in my eyes” opened at the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, Hanoi, on December 8.

The event, co-organised by the Vietnam-US Society and the US Embassy in Vietnam, is part of activities in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the normalisation of Vietnam - US diplomatic relations.

The exhibition is showcasing more than 40 paintings by painter Soraya Runkel, who is the spouse of Chris Runkel who was the first American diplomat sent to Vietnam to prepare for the normalisation of relations between the two countries.

The photos describe the events back in 1995, including the signing ceremony of the agreement on the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the US.

They also reflect the Vietnamese people’s daily life.

At the event, Soraya Runkel said all the painting works will be auctioned with part of the money collected initiating a fund supporting children with disabilities and disadvantaged backgrounds to learn painting as a livelihood.

The exhibition will run until December 10.

Thousands of precious stamps to go on display in Hanoi

The fifth national stamp exhibition (Vietstampex) is going to take place in Hanoi from December 11 to 13 with the participation of 19 stamp associations from across the country.

The event will feature thousands of precious stamps, including ancient ones dating back to the 19th century, to bring visitors fresh perspectives on the nation’s culture, revolutionary history, late President Ho Chi Minh, relations with ASEAN and 70 years of the post office sector.

Chairman of the member council of the Vietnam Post Do Ngoc Binh said the 2015 Vietstampex will create a venue for stamp collectors to share their experiences and popularise their hobby in the community.

The expo will be held at the Vietnam-Soviet Cultural Friendship Palace by the Vietnam Post and Vietnam Stamp in celebration of the formation of the ASEAN Community at the end of this year.

Acts of various types kick off regional young circus talent contest

Six circus troupes from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia took 11 acts of various types to the stage during an opening ceremony for three countries’ Young Circus Talent Contest in Hanoi on December 8.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien highlighted the close brotherhood between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia over generations.

The competition, held in the celebration of the establishment of the ASEAN Community at the end of this month, will be a good opportunity for the three countries to strengthen their ties and for their young talents to meet and learn from each other, Bien said.

He hoped that it would help nurture the development of circus arts.

The contest attracted young talents from 14 to 27 from four Vietnamese troupes - the Vietnam Circus and Vaudeville School, the Vietnam Circus Federation, the Hanoi Circus Art Theatre and the southern Long An Circus Theatre. They performed alongside the Laos National Circus Troupe and Circus Troupe from Cambodia.

Gold and silver medals will be presented to the most outstanding individuals and groups of performers at the closing ceremony on December 12. Judges will also select the best director and best coach.

Exhibition displays paintings by women from around the country

Gia Cham ( The Cham Elderly) is in the wiew of painter Cao Thi Duoc

More than 80 paintings by 15 female Vietnamese artists from across the country are being displayed at Sac Mau 6 (The 6th Colour) at the Ha Noi Exhibition Hall from December 8-22.

Each painting depicts cultural characteristics and sketches of scenery and Vietnamese people through the painters' eyes. Various materials were used, including oil paint, lacquer, acrylic and fabric.

While Bui Mai Hien and Tran Thuy Linh used oil paints to present multi-dimensional thinking spaces in abstract works, Tran Thanh Thuc chose to use fabric paintings to illustrate the streets and nature.

Held annually by women painters from three regions of the country, the exhibition aims to connect them so that they can express their own opinions about art and life.

Antique houses in Duong Lam Village to be repaired

Nearly two-dozen antique houses dating back 100 to 400 years in Duong Lam Village on the outskirts of Ha Noi will be repaired next year.

According to the Ha Noi People's Committee, 10 village houses in Son Tay town will be repaired in three years, while also making efforts to restore their original value.

The city will spend VND800 million (nearly US$35,500) into each house.

Duong Lam is an ancient village that has a history dating back about 1,200 years, with many houses as old as 400 years.

The antique homes were constructed from laterite bricks. Each house features a row of rooms and a tiled roof in the shape of a dragon or kylin.

The entrances are made of ironwood and employ typical northern Vietnamese aesthetics. A giant banyan tree, fresh water well and communal house are also common characteristics within the village.

Zac Efron amazes Vietnamese fans with surprise HCM City check-in

The latest Facebook check-in of Zac Efron on December 7 says he is in Ho Chi Minh City, an unannounced visit that has immediately surprised and mesmerized Vietnamese fans of the former teen idol.

The 28-year-old, who found fame in the Disney "High School Musical" franchise, spilled the beans about his trip with a black and white photo capturing himself via a restroom mirror, captioned “Raiden in Saigon.”

Besides wearing sunglasses, Efron also dons two Vietnamese conical hats at a time and a mask, costume pieces that are typical of the Southeast Asian country, as seen in the photo that garnered nearly 85,000 Facebook likes at the time of writing.

The US actor and singer apparently compared himself to Raiden, one of the legendary characters in the Mortal Kombat fighting video game series by Midway Games, who also wears a similar conical hat.

Comments, mostly from Vietnamese users, were immediately showered on the viral photo, with fans expressing their surprise and wishing their idol a good trip.

But there is little information about the Ho Chi Minh City visit of Efron, who debuted in the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical in 2006 as Troy Bolton, a popular student and captain of a basketball team.

On November 23, Efron allegedly visited the southern province of Dong Thap with his girlfriend, Sami Miro, as a picture showing them posing with several Vietnamese fans surfaced on the Internet.

It is believed that the couple chose Vietnam as their next destination after touring Japan last month.

Vietnamese fans are now trying to catch their idol in the flesh in Ho Chi Minh City, but it does not seem an easy task, with the actor dressing himself as any other ordinary tourist.

The California-born Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s, and became known as a teen idol after his lead roles in the High School Musical, the Warner Bros. series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray.

Seminar on 20th century writer Nhuong Tong at L'Espace

French cultural institute L'Espace in Ha Noi will host a seminar titled "Nhuong Tong – Writer, Journalist, Translator" today.

Nhuong Tong, aka Hoang Pham Tran (1904-1949), was born in a family of Confucian scholars, and in his short life made an immense contribution to Vietnamese literature and translation.

He became a journalist at 16, working for newspapers like Khai Hoa, Nam Thanh, Thuc Nghiep Dan Bao, Hon Cach Mang, and Ha Noi Tan Van.

Despite pursuing a journalist's career, he was a prolific writer of literary works, the most well known of which were Lan Huu (1940) and Nguyen Thai Hoc (1945).

The seminar will be chaired by researcher Lai Nguyen An, Tran Trong Duong, who has a doctorate in Han Chinese and Vietnamese ancient ideographic Nom script, and critic Mai Anh Tuan.

The event, which starts at 6pm, is being organised by Nha Nam Culture and Communication JSC.

Tung Duong celebrates his decade-long career

Vietnamese singer Tung Duong will present all his hits at a live concert in Ha Noi this weekend.

Entitled Thap Ky Hoan Ca (A Decade of Joyful Singing), the concert is his sixth liveshow in a career that launched after winning the singing contest Morning Star - Rendezvous in 2004.

"The concert is not only to celebrate my profession's maturity, but also is to fulfill my promise to my audiences of presenting new music or producing a show every year," Duong said.

"I'm still loyal with my musical personality – a bit weird, a bit unusual, a bit challenging –despite many people saying I'm a weirdo," he added.

During A Decade of Joyful Singing, Duong will sing 10 hit songs including Chiec Khan Pieu (The Pieu Ethnic Scarf) by veteran composer Doan Nho, Que Nha (Birthplace) and Mua Bay Thap Co (Rain Flying over Ancient Tower) by Tran Tien, Oi Que Toi (My Homeland) by Le Minh Son, and Con Co (The Stork) by Luu Ha An.

The performance will also feature songs from his award-winning albums Chay Tron (Run Away), Nhung O Mau Lap Phuong (The Coloured Cubes), Li Ti (Tiny) and Doc Dao (Only Path).

The repertoire will also include songs from his newly released album Bong Toi Jazz (Jazz's Darkness), which features all new pieces by female songwriter Giang Son.

The singer will perform part of his next album, Re Cay (Tree Root), featuring production from composer Sa Huynh.

Huynh's song Li Ti (Tiny) was chosen as the theme song for the album of the same name, which won Duong the Album of the Year award in 2011. Her new song, Con Tam (The Silk Worm), that Duong performed recently on the stage of Viet Nam Idol 2015, has created a "storm" in the country's music scene as it became a hit.

The concert A Decade of Joyful Singing will feature two special guests – singer Thanh Lam and singer/songwriter Le Cat Trong Ly, who will perform a duet with Duong.

"I have always wanted to sing with Lam and Ly. We are a perfect match on the stage," Duong said.

The singer also said despite each artist having their own distinguished music style, the most important thing is that "we understand each other very well and know how to support each other when we perform".

Play to honor Buddhist King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong

King Tran Nhan Tong was honored as King-Monk when he ceded his throne to lead a religious life and became the founder of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.

A Cai Luong or reformed theatre play dedicated to King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong is expected to debut in December this year to commemorate the 707th anniversary of his attainment of Nirvana.

The play, entitled “Buddhist King” and performed by the Vietnam Cai Luong Theatre revisits the most glorious historical period in Vietnam. During this period, Vietnamese people under the leadership of  the Tran Kings in the 13th and 14th century, defeated Mongolian invaders 3 times, gaining national peace.

Script-writer Bui Huu Duoc, who has spent decades learning about Buddhism, wrote the script for the “Buddhist King” play.  He said the play features King Monk Tran Nhan Tong as a clear-sighted King as well as a religious figure.

Dr. Bui Huu Duoc noted, “During his reign, King Tran Nhan Tong led the Dai Viet people to defeat Mongol invaders twice. He became religious at a very young age. Though he was a King, he had the heart, mind, and views of a monk”.

In the play, the King’s personality, intelligence and dignity are depicted in different daily life stories.

The Meritorious Artist Trieu Trung Kien, who directed the play said, “The play includes simple but very expressive stories about King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong. We told the stories with great admiration for the King. Different art forms such as fine arts, dancing, music and narrating are used in the play”.

The play also depicts the brutality, and great loss of war, and the struggles of a nation that constantly faced foreign invaders.

Young actors and actresses give a breath of fresh air to the play. The play also includes performances of martial arts and fencing.

Artist Quang Khai acted in the role of King Monk Tran Nhan Tong. He shared, “I must try my best to reflect the emotions, mind and spirit of the King Monk Tran Nhan Tong. The King has many good characteristics, so I will do my best to highlight them”.

After 700 years since King Tran Nhan Tong’s attainment of Nirvana, his dignity and morality remain a model of good behavior. The play Buddhist King revives Vietnam’s history and evokes people’s pride in the glorious history of the nation.