Winners of 2015 National Tourism photo contest honoured

Ho Dynasty's citadel - the world heritage in Thanh Hoa

The best 16 photos of a contest themed “2015 National Tourism Year – Thanh Hoa” were awarded at a ceremony in Thanh Hoa city on December 23.

The event formed part of the activities in the closing week for the 2015 National Tourism Year – Thanh Hoa.

The winners were selected from more than 300 art works by nearly 40 professional and amateur photographers from across the nation.

They depict the history, culture, landscapes and people of the central province of Thanh Hoa, as well as events during the 2015 National Tourism Year.

Other 65 outstanding photos have been selected to be showcased during the week.

Unilever promises glam ‘countdown’ in HCMC

Multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter Thu Minh will headline a star-studded countdown show in Ho Chi Minh City on New Year’s Eve to usher in 2016, the show’s sponsor Unilever has announced.

This year’s line-up will also include performances by Noo Phuoc Thinh, Son Tung M-TP, Hoang Thuy Linh, Hari Won, Khoi My, Justatee, Bao Anh and DJs-Nimbia, TyTy, Le Trinh and Louis 8.

“Let’s end 2015 with a big bang and fly higher in 2016,” the Unilever public relations official said.

He said everyone is very excited about the line up for this year’s show— it has a mix of international and local talent and a whole lot of pizazz. General admission is free with special pricing for VIP designated areas.

Partygoers can also expect a spectacular fireworks display at the stroke of midnight, light shows and look forward to a pulsating dance party along with a lot of other happenings.

Asia Park Dang announces the monorail is coming

Sun Group, developer of the international – Asia Park Danang – has unveiled a January 1 launch date for what is touted as one of the globe’s most modern and eco-friendly monorail systems.

Testing of the 1.8 km long rail system has been completed Sun Group reported. The system has eight separate 30-metre-long trains, each of which have eleven cabins, capable of carrying up to 2,000 visitors per hour.

The US$200 million entertainment complex spans 880,082 square meters and aspires to become one of the most visited vacation resorts in the region showcasing the culture of Asia.

Castaway New Year's Eve party scheduled

The annual Castaway New Year's Eve party themed "Back to the Future" will be held at Saigon Outcast on December 31.

Music will be played all night by city-based DJs and artists like duos Cheezy Gangztaz and Maraphoria, Tin, Jase, Cherushi Die and Adriene Mack-David. BBQ, drink specials and food goodies will be served through the night.

The party will begin at 7pm at 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong Street in District 2. Tickets are VND350,000 via www.ticketbox.vn, and VND450,000 at the door.

The Observatory hosts electronic music party

EAOC, a crew aiming to bring electronic music to parties across the city, will host a music party at The Observatory on December 31.

The show will feature DJ Datodeo from France, a funk vinyl collector, and emerging resident DJ Kin playing house and techno.

Resident DJs like Hibiya Line, Nic Ford and Dan Lo will also perform at the event.

The party will start at 10PM at 5 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4. Tickets are free before 11pm and priced at VND150,000 after 11pm.

Belgian partner to coordinate Ha Long

The Belgium Rent A Port Group handed over the draft feasibility study of the Ha Long Bay restoration project to the People's Committee in the northern Quang Ninh Province yesterday.

The study focused on floating oil and solid debris in Ha Long Bay for clean-up and restoration measures. The two-step collection process will comprise offshore activities to collect oil and floating debris, and onshore activities to separate waste and treating them in an incinerator to transform waste into electricity.

The Belgian team, together with Tokyo-based Construction Consultation Joint Stock Company for Maritime Building (CMB), came to the conclusion that the existing oil polluting waste in the bay could be collected and treated for a budget of about US$130 million in about 10 years.

In the second phase of the study, the team will assess the likely increase in pollution during the next 10 years and firm up the budget for the entire project.

Speaking at the meeting, Chairman of the People's Committee Nguyen Duc Long said the project would help the province to resolve conflicts of industrial and tourism development projects, as well as preserve the bay as one of the world's natural wonders.

"We expect the Belgian team will provide support to get ODA and grant from European countries and its partners for quick implementation of the project," Long said.

The draft study report was handed over only a few months after an official meeting in Ha Long City between the chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh and President of the Belgian Senate Mme Christine Defraigne.

The study began immediately in the bay, with support from the Belgian government and co-financed by the American Fund Westpac and its Belgian counterpart Westpac Belgium.

The final report, in close co-ordination with Quang Ninh experts, shall be handed over in March 2016. It will determine the final budget needed for the total clean-up of the bay in a comprehensive way.

Rent A Port shall be the coordinator for this entire project.

On December 22, 2014, the province's Economic Zone Authority granted the investment licence for Tien Phong Industrial Zone and Port to the Rent A Port. Covering 487.4ha, the IZ has a total investment of $128 million. The company has a committed and long-term view of Viet Nam, and its core philosophy is sustainable development for the protection of the environment.

Violinist's videos showcase VN

Violinist Truong Nhat Hoang, aka Hoang Rob, recently released his latest music videos, filmed at famous Vietnamese tourist spots with the aim of showing people "how beautiful Viet Nam is".

While his music video Tu Nguyen (Voluntariness) was shot at Hue's royal citadel, Cau Vong Dem Mua (Rainbow of Rainy Night) was filmed in the ancient port town of Hoi An, and Vung Dat Lang Quen (Oblivion Land) shows the picturesque landscape of Quang Binh Province, Hoang's homeland.

Hoang Rob has also released a CD and a book about his passion for music, his deep love for his homeland and his impressions of all the places he has travelled to.

The productions are part of his long-term music project titled Tu Nguyen, named after a song by Truong Quoc Khanh.

"I was unsure about the path to take for my music. By chance I heard the song Tu Nguyen being sung by Nguyen Thao, and my mind seemed to see the light. The lyrics were ‘neu la nguoi toi se chet cho que huong' (if I was a human, I would die for my homeland). From that moment I started planning a project dedicated to my homeland, my home country," Hoang Rob said.

"Everyone can contribute to the country's tourism in their own way," he said, referring to his music videos that showcase the beauty of Viet Nam's natural landscapes.

In August, Hoang Rob released his debut music video, a violin cover of the hit song Say You Do by singer Tien Tien. The video features the fairytale landscape of Tien Cave and other beautiful places in Quang Binh Province.

"All seas, mountains and deltas featured in the video are places I became attached to during my childhood," the 24-year-old said.

The violinist said his debut music video was a present to the land where he was raised.

"It also is an invitation to anyone who wants to discover this central region," he said.

The debut music video received a lot of public attention as well as praise from critics, which was "great encouragement for me to keep going on my musical path. It was also very useful for my next productions," Hoang Rob said.

Born and brought up in Quang Binh, Hoang started learning to play the violin himself at the age of 16 as a way to realise his ambition.

Fascinated by the enchanting sounds, he honed his violin skills with the help of lecturers at the National Academy of Music after he moved to Ha Noi in 2008 to study at the university.

In 2012, Hoang Rob founded GEN9, a quartet, which included flautist Nguyen Ly Huong, who won the International Flute Contest in China in 2014.

Though he is pursuing a post-graduate degree in economics at the Ha Noi National University, Hoang devotes much of his time to the violin. Influenced by the world's best-selling string quartet Bond, Hoang continues to perfect his fusion of pop, world music and classical instruments.

Fair to offer extraordinary culinary experiences

A farmers fair featuring agricultural products from different regions of the country will take place on Saturday in Ha Noi.

More than 100 products from 20 cities and provinces throughout the country shall be sold at the fair. Specialties include rice and dried food from the north, seafood from the central region and fruits from the south.

There will also be organic food, handicrafts and souvenirs as well as lobster from Nha Trang, artichoke from Da Lat and crab from Ca Mau.

Ready-to-eat foods will include cha ca (fish cake), cha muc (squid cake), lap xuong (smoked pork sausage), banh duc (plain rice flan), banh te (rice cake), banh gai (glutinous rice cake dyed black with a concoction of leaves) and banh gio (rice dumpling filled with minced meat).

Thai people cooked at the fair and their dance performance and offer their delicacy pa pinh top.

The fair will run until December 30 at the Vietnamese Women's Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Ha Noi.

Romantic films to be screened at TPD

The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) will present screenings of two romantic films, While You Were Sleeping and The Holiday.

Hailed by many as one of the greatest romances, the classic 1995 romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping is about urban loneliness and unexpected love.

Lucy's life (Sandra Bullock) is characterised by constant loneliness until she saves Peter's life (Peter Gallagher). She becomes a part of his family, and with a strong heart and fate on her side, others begin to realise what a terrific person she is, especially Jack, Peter's brother. An extraordinary true-to-life sequence of events begins to take place as Lucy and Jack become closer than one would expect from such coincidental, yet believable events.

The Holiday is a 2006 American romantic comedy about two women (Cameron Diaz as Amanda and Kate Winslet as Iris) who are troubled with guy problems. They swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local man and fall in love.

The screening of While You Were Sleeping will show at 7.30pm tomorrow, while The Holiday will show at 2pm on Saturday. The movies will be presented in English with Vietnamese subtitles. Entry: VND20,000.

TPD is at 51 Tran Hung Dao Street, 4th floor.

On Sunday Friends of Vietnam Heritage will organise an English-speaking city walk to discover Ha Noi's traditional medicine hub, Lan Ong Street.

During the tour, which will take place from 9.30am to noon, a number of herbs and materials will be shown along the street including longan, lotus seeds, and the mysterious "snake wine".

The group will also tour several nearby streets with notable architecture, religious buildings and history around the area including Cha Ca Street with its 100-year-old famous grilled fish noodle restaurant.

Cost: VND70,000. Limit: 10-12 people. Register: Loan at phuongloan2704@gmail.com.

Saigon Ranger to host Weedstock event

Weedstock, an event with music, an art gallery, handmade traditional arts and craft booths, will open at Saigon Ranger on Saturday.

It will feature city-based bands and singers like Weed Elephant, Mai Khoi, The Lost Art and Mekong Delta Force, and DJs Slowbird from Japan and Datodeo from France.

Artists Nori from Japan and Nguyen Quynh Na, Tran The Vinh and Nguyen Huy Loc from Viet Nam will show their work.

Several handmade arts and crafts booths will be set up. Weedstock will begin at 10pm at 5/7 Nguyen Sieu Street in District 1. Entrance fee is VND150,000.

VN seas and islands showcased in Hai Phong

Vietnam News Agency in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the northern city of Hai Phong has organised the photo exhibition "Viet Nam Seas and Islands – History, Potential and Development".

The event celebrates the 71st founding anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army, as well as the 26th All People's Defence Festival on December 22.

Nearly 100 photos, maps and valuable materials are displayed, including some official administrative papers from kings of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) that assert Viet Nam's sovereignty over seas and islands, especially the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands.

The exhibition highlights the potential of Vietnamese marine resources in social and economic development, as well as the achievements of the army and people in the fields of politics, economics, culture, society, security and national defence.

In addition, it is also a message for officers, soldiers and civilians to have a deep awareness of the significance and importance of the national seas and islands, and to always maintain the spirit of protecting the country's sovereignty.

The exhibition runs until this Friday at the Hai Phong Fine Art Exhibition Centre.