UK singer Billy Page tours Vietnam

Singer and songwriter Billy Page

Singer and songwriter Billy Page from the UK will tour HCM City on December 11 and 13, as part of his tour around Asia.

Page began his musical career with a singing role in a musical production for the BBC, followed by major parts in musical theatre. He has toured in Europe and appeared in numerous programmes on television and radios. He has released several albums featuring his own rock&roll and soul songs.

Page will perform from 8pm on December 11 at Saigon Outcast, 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong Street, in District 2. Tickets cost VND50,000 and VND30,000 for students.

His other show will start at 9pm at Saigon Ranger, 5/7 Nguyen Sieu Street, in District 1. Entrance is free.

Hollywood casting director now hiring Vietnamese talent

The casting director for a Paramount Pictures and Etherium Sky film entitled ‘Downsizing’, directed by Alexander Payne, is holding auditions for the challenging and exciting role of the character, Ngoc Lan Tran.

The film stars Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon, and Alec Baldwin.

According to the character description revealed on the website http://www.etheriumsky.com/downsizing-casting/, Lan (aged 30-50), is a fierce and emotional woman determined to do the right thing and speak the truth no matter whom she may offend.

Right to left: Alexander Payne, actor Matt Damon,and actress Reese Witherspoon

She is a one-legged former prisoner who travels to the US and continues her mission to help the poor and finds love in the process.

The actress must  be able to speak fluent Vietnamese as well as English (with a Vietnamese accent) and does not need to be professionally trained.

Etheriumsky.com notes anyone who fits the criteria can apply by recording a 2-5min video introducing themselves with accurate contact information and submit to downsizingcastasst2@gmail.com.

French DJ to perform at The Observatory

French DJ and music producer Roscious will appear at The Observatory on December 10. Roscius is an artist with a classical upbringing who graduated from the Toulouse and Pau National Conservatory of Music and the Conservatoire a Rayonnement Regional de Paris.

His music style is disco and deep house, but he is also influenced by Debussy and Chopin. The artist today is concentrating on live improvised performances.

Rocious's performance will be supported by city-based DJ Dan Lo. The show will begin at 9pm at 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 1. Entrance fee is free before 10 pm.

Dalat Flower Festival set to open late Dec

The 6th Dalat Flower Festival will be held from December 29 to January 2 in Dalat City, Lam Dong Province, according to local media.

The event will feature flowers grown in Dalat and some other areas in Lam Dong which are located along Highway 20 such as Bao Loc and Duc Trong.

The locations where a variety of beautiful flowers will be displayed include the romantic Xuan Huong Lake in central Dalat, Le Dai Hanh Street, Ong Dao Bridge and the Palace Hotel area, flower villages and farms, Tinh Yeu (love) Valley, Mong Mo (dreaming) Hill, Dalat cable car station area.

Organizers Lam Dong Province’s government and Dalat Flower Association said enterprises and local authorities would be responsible for organizing a series of festive activities.

The opening ceremony plus a flower carnival is scheduled for 8 p.m. on December 29 at Lam Vien Dalat Square.

Vietnamese stamp exhibition to be held in Ha Noi

Vietnamese stamp exhibition 2015 (Vietstampex 2015) will showcase more than 500 post stamp frames at the Friendship Cultural Palace in downtown Ha Noi from December 11-13.

Jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Viet Nam Post and other organisations, the exhibition will display 139 authors' post stamps that depict traditional Vietnamese culture and traditions.

In particular, Vietstampex 2015 will showcase many antique stamps and postcards dating back to the 1880s and 1890s.

This is the fifth exhibition of its kind, which aims to encourage post stamp collection and the trade of these works both domestically and abroad.

FVH excursion to the country's sacred land

On Sunday, the Friends of Vietnam Heritage (FVH) will organise an excursion to Hung King Temple in Phu Tho Province – one of the most important and sacred places in the country.

The English-speaking tour will start at 8.30pm. After two hours, the group, which is no more than 20 people, will walk to visit the hill site temple. The group can also visit a museum from the Hung King period on the site.

After a lunch at a local restaurant in the relic area on your own expense, the group will have a short drive to the nearby Au Co Temple to visit the site before leaving for Ha Noi. The tour members can enjoy the landscape of the Red River. Tay Dang Communal House, one of the oldest communal houses in Viet Nam, in Ba Vi Town, will also be on the tour agenda.

The cost of VND500,000 per person includes private group transport, entrance ticket if any, two bottles of waters and insurance. Registration Mai, phmai@fpt.vn or 0917294923.

Christmas art market at VinGallery

VinGallery will host a Christmas art market at The Cube on Saturday, offering paintings, photography, handmade jewellery, fashion and accessories, sculpture and handmade homewares. Gift items for Christmas will be included.

There will also be a pop-up workshop for both adults and children throughout the day. The market will open from 10am to 4pm at No 31 Ly Tu Trong Street in District 1.

True Blue exhibition at Manzi Art Space

On Saturday, Manzi Art Space will host Le Quy Tong's solo exhibition, True Blue.

True Blue is the result of years of working in silence and marks a clear departure from the artist's previous interest – Tong last exhibited in 2008. Experimenting with new techniques and themes previously absent from his practice, the resulting body of work experiments with a hybrid of painting, decorated pattern and found imagery. Each of the works takes its starting point from photographic documentations of significant political meetings that influenced the course of history.

The free entrance exhibition will open at 6pm at 14 Phan Huy Ich Street, Ba Dinh District, and will run until January 12.

CAMA hosts DJ Roscius, Queer Disco party

Tomorrow, CAMA will present live minimal disco act Roscius, bringing a unique live world minimal disco set at ATK.

Originally from London, Roscius is a world-class DJ who experiments with vocals from around the world. Add a touch of acoustic and electronic drums, keyboards, and some jazz improvisation, and his experiment will have you on your feet.

In addition, Cervo, who is one half of the UK-based music website, club night and DJ duo Banana Hill, will open and close the night with classic and contemporary African and Latin American rhythms, soulful grooves and global dance floor sounds.

The DJ night will start from 8pm. Tickets cost VND100,000.

On Saturday, CAMA will host December's Queer Disco party with a Drag King catwalk show. The free-for-all night will take you on a disco adventure, with all the best pop and underground hits of the 70s, 80s, 90s til today. Free entry.

CAMA ATK is at No 73A Mai Hac De Street.

Famed Ben Tre author dies at 91

Author Trang The Hy, one of the region's leading contemporrary writers, died on Tuesday at his home in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta City of Ben Tre Province. He was 91.

Writer Hy was born Vo Ngoc Canh in 1924 in Ben Tre Province's Chau Thanh District.

He was a participant in wars against France and the US. After 1975, he worked in HCM City.

He was a member of the executive board of HCM City Writers' Association.

In 1992, he moved to live in his native land, Ben Tre.

He was elected the honorary chairman of Ben Tre's Nguyen Dinh Chieu Literature and Arts Association.

Hy wrote several hundred short stories, novels and poems over a period of 60 years.

His most well-known works include Nang Dep Mien Que Ngoai (Bright Sunshine in the Motherland), Mua Am (Warm Rain), Nguoi Yeu Va Mua Thu (Lover and Fall) and Vet Thuong Thu 13 (The 13th Injury).

His collections of short stories, Tieng Khoc Va Tieng Hat ((The Cry and Voice) and Anh Thom Rau Rong (Thom's Story) won literature prizes presented by the Viet Nam Writers Association in 1994 and Nguyen Dinh Chieu Literature and Arts Association in 1965.

All of his works highlight the beautiful mentality and characteristics of southern people, particularly poor farmers.

In September, he signed a lifetime copyright deal with HCM City-based Tre (Youth) Publishing House.

Under the contract, the printer has exclusive rights to the writer's 65 short stories and two novels written before 1983.

E-book versions of six titles of works, including English-Vietnamese poetry collection Dang Va Ngot (Bitter and Sweet), will soon be published.

The writer's funeral was held at his home in Ben Tre City's Phu Tan Ward.

Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam art show opens

A Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) art show opened in Champasac province, southern Laos on December 8 as part of the 10th Meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee of the CLV Development Triangle Area from December 7-11.

During the three-day event, art troupes from 13 provinces in the area will entertain viewers with special art performances featuring their local cultural identities.

In the first night of the show, artists from Vietnam’s Central Highlands region devoted songs and dances symbolising the highlanders’ characteristics, receiving warm response from audiences.

The art show aims to promote cultural exchanges among people in the development triangle area and the three countries in general, contributing to enhance their understanding of each member country’s culture, landscapes and people.

Saigon Classical to stage anniversary concert

Saigon Classical Music Group will celebrate its 10th anniversary by staging a concert at the Southern Women’s Museum in District 3 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Audiences will have a heart-to-heart talk with musicians and artists and listen to their dazzling performances in various forms such as solo, duet, trio, quartet, quintet, piano concerto and orchestra.

The show will feature some renowned pieces like Zigeunerweisen, Op.20 by Pablo de Sarasate and Overture from “Orphée aux enfers” by Jacques Offenbach performed by pianists Nguyen Tuan Manh and Phi Phi; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Valse sentimentale, from “6 Pieces, Op.51”; Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite No.3 in D major, BWV 1068, II. Air; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Divertimento in F major, K.138 performed by Nguyen Lu Hiep; and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata No.13 in B-flat major, K.333, I. Allegro played by Nguyen Luan Du.

Baritone Nguyen Hoang Nhat Quang and piano accompanist Le Hoa Phong Lan will play Charles Gounod’s “Avant de quitter ces lieux” from “Faust” and Tito Mattei’s Non è ver’ while a guitar quartet consisting of Tran Quang Huy, Le Ngoc Nien, Hoang Kieu Anh, and Nguyen Quoc Chinh will perform Joao Pernambuco’s Sounds of Bells and Issac Albeniz’s Asturias.

Due to limited seats, spectators are advised to register as soon as possible via info@saigonclassical.vn. Children aged below six will not be admitted and audiences are recommended to arrive at the concert venue at least 15 minutes before the performance.

Although the concert is free, SCG and its artists are willing to take donations from audiences to maintain their activities.

The Southern Women’s Museum is located at 202 Vo Thi Sau Street, District 3, HCMC.

Free portrait photography for needy people in 13 provinces

The sixth Help-Portrait program last week took more than 10,000 portrait photos of underprivileged people in 13 cities and provinces at no charge.

Volunteer photographers of the program took portrait photos of people at 68 locations including hospitals, centers for children with disabilities and underprivileged people, and areas for workers in HCMC, Hanoi, Haiphong, Hue, Danang, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, Dalat, Bao Loc, Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong and Can Tho.

Huynh Thi Tuyen, a woman lottery ticket vendor in HCMC’s Hoc Mon District, said the program allowed her to have a second photo shoot in her life after the first wedding photo shoot that happened years ago.

Fifth grader Mau Thi Bich Tram from Son Hiep Elementary School in Khanh Son District, Khanh Hoa Province said she had never been photographed before, so she was thrilled when some volunteers offered to take photos of her and her friends free of charge.

Help-Portrait is a community of photography enthusiasts from around the world who volunteer to devote time and effort to take photos of needy people.

In Vietnam, the program has been carried out by members of some photography forums such as photo.com.vn, vnphoto.net, ddth.com, and saigonphoto.net since 2010 in the hopes of doing something good for society.

This year’s program is co-organized by Help-Portrait Vietnam community, Vietnam Youth Union in HCMC, Uoc mo cua Thuy (Thuy’s dream) program by Tuoi Tre newspaper, Chung uoc mo xanh (sharing green dream).