HCM City poised to host annual southern culture-cuisine festival

A three-day culture-cuisine festival will be held at Van Thanh Tourist Park in HCM City from March 4 to 6.

Chiem Thanh Long, director of Binh Quoi Tourist Village, the organiser, said Ngay Hoi Que Toi (My Country's Festival) would feature the south's unique culinary culture and popular dishes made by the Khmer and Cham living in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

There will be many other regional cultural activities such as performances of don ca tai tu (a traditional music popular in the south), five-tone music of the Khmer living in Soc Trang Province, Cham folk music, folk games, a floating market, and classes in making toys from coconut leaves and bamboo.

The annual event attracted 4,500 visitors last year and the number is expected to be higher this year.

Hue Festival showcases cultural specialities and cuisines in April

The Hue International Food Festival will be held from April 28 to May 2 at Hue's Phu Xuan Park with 100 booths set up by local and international exhibitors.

Organised as part of the 2016 Hue Festival, the event is held to highlight the specialities and cuisines of Viet Nam's various regions, especially Hue, and promote cultural and cuisinary exchanges between Viet Nam and other countries.

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue is home to Hue and nha nhac (royal court music), which have been recognised as part of the world's tangible and intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

Korean pop band T-ara to perform in Vietnam

Three members of Korean girl pop group T-ara – Eunjung, Hyomin, and Jiyeon – will arrive in Vietnam in March to meet with their fans and attend a launch of a mobile phone brand, according to Korean website Starnews.

MBK Entertainment-Management Company of T-ara band also revealed that the girls were very excited to visit the country.

The group has performed in Vietnam many times. In 2014, they attended an Asian tour “The Return of the King” with other bands JYJ and 2NE1.

Teenage voices give new life to Vietnam's traditional Xoan singing heritage

In recent years, the traditional Vietnamese music genre of Xoan singing has seen growing participation from a younger generation.

The traditional music style is on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage values in need of urgent safeguarding.

According to UNESCO, Xoan singing is practiced in the northern province of Phu Tho during the first two months of the lunar year.

A group of young performers in the northern province of Phu Tho present Xoan worship singing for the Hung kings.

Traditionally, singers from Xoan guilds perform songs in sacred spaces such as temples, shrines, and communal houses for the spring festivals.

There are three forms of Xoan singing: worship singing for the Hung kings, believed to be the nation's founders, and village guardian spirits; ritual singing for good crops, health, and luck; and festival singing where villagers alternate male and female voices in the form of courtship.

Performers present a song named ‘fishing’ which honors the beauty of group working in folk activities.

During the past few years, numerous young members 10 to 15 years old have been training at four Xoan singing guilds in the province, including Phu Duc, Thet, Kim Dai and An Thai.

The new members have renewed the hope that the traditional genre of music will be persevered by younger generations.

Each guild currently has between 20 and 30 members.

Nguyen Van Hoi from the Phu Duc guild said he is training 10 young singers including seven girls and three boys aged 10 to 15.

“I teach them singing and dancing, as well as the meanings behind each song and dance,” Hoi said. “They are young and have learned so fast.”

Savico Mall to hold Korean spring festival

A Korean spring festival is set for February 27-28 at the Savico Megamall Shopping Centre in Hanoi, the company’s public relations officer has announced.

At the event, festival goers will have the opportunity to enjoy a vibrant taste of springtime in Korea with cherry flower displays, Korean folk games and opportunities to taste authentic Korean food and drink.

Visitors will also have a chance to experience K pop music along with popular traditional dances such as the Buchaechum fan dance and Sogochum drum dance through which Korean people pray for wealth and happiness in the new year.

Supermodel Thanh Hang to run beU Academy

Local supermodel Pham Thanh Hang, host of Vietnam’s Next Top Model reality show, will join hands with HCMC-based beU Models to establish beU Academy, a model training center.

Hang will serve as director of beU Academy. She said that after 15 years of working in the local fashion industry, she wants to share her knowledge and experience with the next generation of models in Vietnam.

BeU Models is a management and training center for young models and fashion designers in Vietnam. The company has helped educate Tuyet Lan, Hoang Thuy, Mau Thuy, Cha Mi, Nguyen Oanh, and Quang Hung who were discovered at Vietnam’s Next Top Model competitions over the years.

Carmudi.vn launches film production contest

Carmudi.vn, a classified platform for cars made worldwide, has launched its "tvCarmudi 2016 – Advertising Film Production Contest", giving young people an opportunity to showcase their talent and creativity.

The contest, which will last two months, was created for people across Viet Nam who are passionate about advertising and multimedia.

Candidates can participate individually or in groups to produce an advertising film no longer than three minutes about a topic chosen by an organising committee.

The contest includes a first round, semi-final and final in April. In the semi-final, each candidate or group needs to produce an e-marketing campaign for their video and present the work to the judges.

The evaluation criteria are based on the creativity of both the content and images of the film as well as cinematography and postproduction techniques.

The contest gives candidates a chance to expand their experience and knowledge about film production techniques from judges who are some of the most popular experts in this field.

The winner will receive a cash award and have an opportunity to experience a day on a film set. The deadline for registration is the 29/3/2016.

For more information, competitors can visit the website http://www.carmudi.vn/tvcarmudi2016/

Ha Long annual spring festival opens Mar 18

The People’s Committee of Quang Ninh Province on February 26 unveiled the week-long 2016 Ha Long Cherry Blossom Festival will get underway on March 18 at the Square of 30-10 in Ha Long City.

This is the 4th edition of the annual festival aiming to strengthen cultural and friendship relations between Quang Ninh and Japan, which has been organized in collaboration with the Wanokai International Culture Association from Japan.

The main activities planned for the festival include introducing the cherry blossom flower, a workshop on top travel destinations in Japan and Quang Ninh Province along with a bevy of music and dance performances.

Festival goers will also have ample opportunities to enjoy Vietnamese and Japanese traditional food and drink at a wide selection of venues, art performances along with other games and sporting competitions.

A rendezvous for lovers of old books

The Ha Noi Old Book Festival will take place this weekend with 20 booths of old book collectors and shops.

The event offers book lovers the opportunity to exchange and share their passion of old books. Many old books of various genres will be on sale at discount prices.

A highlight of the festival will be an exhibition of village regulation documents and family annals. A seminar on the subject will be held with the participation of local experts Nguyen Lan Dung, Nguyen Canh Tu and Truong Sy Hung.

Alpha Books Company will host the event at 176 Thai Ha Street, Ha Noi.

US Embassy launches video contest on diversity

A video contest has been launched at the American Centre to encourage Vietnamese youth to explore and explain the meaning of diversity in a two-minute video.

Diversity is defined in its broadest context and can include equality, workplace diversity, social inclusion and LGBT rights.

The contest is open to all Vietnamese between the ages of 18 and 35. Entries close at midnight on March 18.

Prizes for the three winning videos include an iPad mini, iPod Touch and 3G USB. Winning videos will also be featured on the US Embassy YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

The American Centre will host information sessions on February 29 and March 3. 

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