HCM City to hold monthly food festival

A monthly food festival will be organised for the first time this weekend at the Youth Culture House in HCM City by Diadiemanuong.com, a well-known social network that helps customers find suitable restaurants.

The model, named Food Around, will feature 40 colorfully decorated food stalls from “good and unique” restaurants around the city.

Apart from the food, the cuisine fest will feature activities like bartender and cooking performances, music and dance.

Food Around is expected to be a significant event for the community of food lovers in the city, the organisers said.

The free entrance event will be organised at the third weekend every month.

The first Food Around event, expected to attract 30,000 visitors, will take place from 9am to 10pm on April 23 and 24.

Ninh Binh holds ceremony to worship massive jade Buddha

Buddhist followers flocked to Bai Dinh Pagoda in the northern province of Ninh Binh on April 23 to worship the world’s largest jade Buddha statue, called “Jade Buddha for Peace”.

Featuring preaching, prayer meetings and a lantern festival, the worshipping ceremony lasts until May 6.

The “Jade Buddha for Peace” was carved from gemstone-quality jade called Polar Pride discovered in northern Canada in 2000. Ian Green, an Australian Buddhist, invited artisans from Nepal, India and Thailand to carve the statue in Thailand.

The statue is modelled on the Siddhartha Gautama Buddha statue inside the Mahabodhi Stupa in India’s Bodh Gaya. It stands 2.7m tall, weighs four tonnes and sits on a 1.4m-high solid alabaster throne. Its size and beauty make it a wonder of the world.

In 2009, the statue was first displayed in various pagodas in Vietnam such as in the central city of Da Nang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Thap in the south, as well as the northern province of Bac Ninh.

After its exhibition in Vietnam this year, the Jade Buddha will be permanently installed in Australia.

Trang An festival underway in Ninh Binh

The two-day Trang An festival began at Suoi Tien temple within Trang An scenic complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh on Apil 24.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue attended the opening day and beat a drum to open the festival.

The festival is annually held on the 18th day of the third Lunar month to celebrate Saint Quy Minh Dai Vuong, a general under the reign of the 18th Hung King.

It is occasion for locals to pray for peace, happiness and bumper harvests.

This year, the event features traditional rituals and musical performances.

Earlier, Ninh Binh hosted the Truong Yen Festival 2016 at the Hoa Lu ancient capital historic site from April 15 to 17, aiming to commemorate King Dinh Tien Hoang who established the first centralised feudal state in Vietnam in 968.

The Trang An scenic complex was recognised as world Cultural and Natural Heritage by UNESCO.

Vietnamese student summer sports festival opens in Moscow

The Vietnamese student summer sports festival kicked off in Moscow, Russia on April 24.

This year’s event brings together 700 students from 24 delegations competing for medals in football, track and field and the tug of war.

Now in its 19 th year, the annual event has attracted the participation of overseas Vietnamese students from universities in Moscow and surrounding areas.

The event aims to mark anniversaries including the South’s Liberation and National Reunification Day (April 30), International Labour Day (May 1), the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7), and late President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday (May 19).

The annual competition aims at developing sport within the Vietnamese student community as well as enhancing solidarity between universities in the European country.

Vietnamese antiques displayed in Thua Thien-Hue

An antique exhibition featuring the traditional customs of ancient Vietnamese people opened at the Museum of Hue Culture in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 24.

The event aims to honour antique collectors’ achievements in preserving and promoting Hue cultural heritage and national cultural heritage.

On the display are 100 artefacts of Sa Huynh culture, collected by Lam Du Xenh from Quang Ngai province over the past two decades. They include burial jars, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Collector Nguyen Huu Hoang from Hue city gave the exhibition ancient objects made of terracotta, porcelain, wood, fabric, bronze, gold, silver and paper. He has presented hundreds of precious antiques to museums nationwide.

According to cultural researcher Tran Dinh Son, Hue was an ancient urban centre in Vietnam. Hue’s convergence of various cultures such as Dong Son, Sa Huynh with that of India, China and many Southeast Asian countries left marks on the locality’s architectural works, practices, faiths and religions.

The exhibition will run until May 4.

Domestic designers storm Vietnam International Fashion Week

Domestic designers took the first show of Vietnam International Fashion Week 2016 (VIFW) by storm, which is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City from April 23-26 , Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper reported.

This year VIFW includes 19 shows from 20 Vietnamese and foreign designers.

Vietnamese designer Nguyen Cong Tri opened the event with his latest haute couture creations, called Lua (Paddy), featuring 41 designs in Lanh My A, a rare silk made by artisans living in the southern province of An Giang.

Tri, a member of the Asian Couture Federation (ACF), impressed audiences with “Lua” at Tokyo Fashion Week 2016 last month.

Cory Tran also dazzled with his collection “Giac mong Tokyo” (Tokyo dream), showcasing 40 creations made of brocade and embroidered silk with golden threads, featuring Japan’s ancient frescos.

The three-day Việt Nam International Fashion Week 2016 highlights the latest collections by both Vietnamese and foreign designers, such as Le Thanh Hoa, Thuy Nguyen, Hoang Minh Ha, Nina Naustda of the UK and Dresscamp of Japan.

Nguyen Dynasty’s imperial treasures on display in Hue

Cultural researchers as well as domestic and international visitors came in droves to the Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue to contemplate golden books and seals of the Nguyen Dynasty on April 23.

According to Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue Relics Conservation Centre, the Emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty took their gold seals as the symbol of the supreme power of themselves and the monarchy. He said that during 143 years of reign (1802-1945), the dynasty had more than 100 jade and golden seals manipulated.

Meanwhile, golden books, compiled by emperors or high-ranking mandarins, contain valuable information about the imperial history, morality, official regulations and ceremonies while featuring lives and careers of the emperors, empresses and princes, he highlighted.

After the Nguyen dynasty ended, most of the precious imperial objects were moved to Hanoi and preserved at the National Museum of Vietnamese History.

The Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts is currently home to over 10,000 antiques, made from gold, silver, bronze, glass, terracotta, stone, bamboo and leather. Most of them are royal belongings and art works displayed at Nguyen dynasty’s palaces.

Cherry blossom blooms in Dong Nai province

Dozens of thousands of people in the southern province of Dong Nai and nearby areas had chance to contemplate the pristine beauty of pink and white cherry blossom as the first-ever Japanese cherry blossom festival was opened in the locality on April 23.

The festival, jointly held by the provincial People’s Committee and the Advance International Company (AIC), saw the participation of Politburo member Pham Minh Chinh, head of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission and Politburo member To Lam, Minister of Public Security.

The two-day event served as a venue for Japanese and local people and businesses to exchange culture and seek investment cooperation, contributing to consolidating the friendship between Dong Nai province and Japan, a representative from the local People’s Committee said.

As many as 70 cherry trees and 5,000 blossom branches were brought from Hokkaido, Japan to the festival.

In addition to cherry blossom, the organising board also arranged a space for Vietnamese flowers such as daisy, orchid and lotus, representing cultural exchanges while creating diversity in the flower exhibition.

Traditional art performances from two countries were also delivered at the event.

After the festival, the cherry trees will be planted at Tran Bien Temple of Literature as a present of Japan.

Isao Iijima, special advisor to the Japanese Prime Minister, and 50 Japanese enterprises also attended the festival and organised an investment promotion conference in the locality.

Thanh Hoa vibrant with marine tourism festival

An extravaganza of cultural and sport activities were organised at a sea tourism festival which opened in Sam Son town, the central province of Thanh Hoa on April 23.

The annual festival aims to popularise potential and significant changes of the local tourism while drawing both domestic and international visitors to the town.

While attending the festival, holiday-makers had chance to enjoy stellar art performances featuring the beauty of local people and glamour of Sam Son beach.

In addition, table-tennis, badminton and tennis tournaments were also held in the framework of the festival.

Seeing tourism as an economic spearhead, Thanh Hoa province is striving to become one of the key tourism attractions in the north central region and the country as a whole.

It targets to welcome 3.7 million visitors and earn 2.3 trillion VND (103.27 million USD) from tourism services in 2016, increasing 1.37 percent and 8.49 percent from 2015, respectively.-

New music game show to air on HTV channel next month

“My Name Is…”, a new music game show based on the format of Dutch-based media company Endemol International, will air on HCM City Television (HTV) early next month.

In the show, 21 competitors will impersonate famous Vietnamese singers of different generations, including Hương Lan, Mỹ Tâm, Phương Thanh and Sơn Tùng M-TP.

The contestants will perform the singers’ hits on stage, while a team of designers and stylists will help them look like their characters.

A team of 100 judges comprising music fans, critics and journalists led by actors and singers Chí Tài, Trấn Thành and Hari Won will evaluate their performances.

Four contestants with the highest score will enter the final. The grand winner will receive a cash prize of VNĐ300 million (US$13,600).

Comedic actor Đại Nghĩa, who hosts numerous TV game shows, will be the host.  Music critic and journalist Nguyễn Minh Đức is the music director.

Nguyễn Hải, project manager of Đông Tây Promotion – the show’s producer, said: “The show will help local audiences learn more about the domestic music industry and different music genres from bolero and pop music from the 1990s and electronic dance music.”

The 13 episodes of the show will be broadcast live on HTV 7 at 9pm every Saturday, beginning on May 7.

Writers celebrate poet Ngan Giang

The Vietnam Writers’ Association and family members of late poet Ngân Giang recently celebrated the anniversary of her 100th birthday.

Attending the event, many renowned Vietnamese writers and poets agreed that poet Ngân Giang was a unique phenomenon in Việt Nam’s poetry scene. She started writing poems at a young age and had her first work published in a newspaper at the age of nine. Her first collection of poems, Giọt Lệ Xuân (Spring Teardrop), was released when she was 16.

According to literary scholar Nguyễn Thị Bích Hồng, Giang was both a beautiful and talented Hanoian woman, but her life had many ups and downs. She also added that her poem collection Tiếng Vọng Sông Ngân (The Echo of the Galaxy) was a remarkable milestone in her career, making her one of the most popular contemporary poets.

“Giang led a special and wonderful life, always preserving the national spirit through any condition and difficulty,” said writer Phùng Văn Khai. “Her writing and revolutionary career set an example for writers and poets when the country was at risk of invasion. The heart of the poet was indescribable in words. However, it could be partially comprehended through her works.”

Ngân Giang was born as Đỗ Thị Quế on March 20, 1916, into a Confucian family on Hàng Trống Street, Hà Nội. She was honoured as the Queen of Việt Nam’s Tang poetry in the 20th century. In her 80-year writing career, she composed 4,000 poems, in addition to nine collections of poems, which have significantly contributed to the country’s poetry. She was honoured with a poem by late President Hồ Chí Minh in 1946.

Poet Ngân Giang died in 2002 at the age of 86.

Winners of Dedication Music Awards announced

The winners of the 2016 Dedication Music Awards were officially announced and honoured at a ceremony held in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa on April 24.

Singer Son Tung M-TP, who was nominated for four categories of this year’s Awards, was honoured with the ‘Singer of the Year’ award.

The music video titled ‘That bat ngo’ (So Amazing) performed by Truc Nhan and directed by Nhu Dang won the ‘Best Music Video’ award. The video was assessed as having unique and humorous concepts, vivid images and a close lay-out, highlighting the current situation of Vietnamese show business.

The song ‘So Amazing’, with its catchy melodies and creative songwriting received the ‘Song of the Year’ award. It also helped its composer Mew Amazing (Duc Hung) win ‘Musician of the Year’.

The ‘New Artist of the Year’ title went to singer Tien Tien, a young lady with a strong personality who has composed a number of hit-songs popular among young people.

‘Bong Toi Jazz’ (Jazz in Darkness), a joint product of Giang Son, Tran Thu Ha and Tung Duong, was named the ‘Album of the Year’. With a harmonious combination between jazz and other kinds of music such as soul, funky and pop, the album creates a strong impression on listeners.

The ‘Best Music Event’ and the ‘Programme of the Year’ went to Monsoon Music Festival 2015 and by the Thanh Viet Company ‘Thap Ky Hoan Ca’ (A Decade of Singing) by Tung Duong singer.

One of the highlights of the awards ceremony was the commemoration and performances of works composed by well-known musicians who died in 2015 and 2016 including Tran Van Khe, Nguyen Thien Dao, Han Ngoc Bich, Phan Huynh Dieu, Phan Nhan, An Thuyen, Thanh Tung, Tran Lap, Luong Minh and Nguyen Anh 9.

The awards were launched by the Vietnam News Agency’s Sport and Culture newspaper and chosen by 100 art and culture reporters and journalists from across the country.

Vietnamese artist groups in two major cities of Vietnam have showcased their work in two art exhibitions to fundraise for children receiving cancer treatment in local hospitals.

One of the art exhibitions, themed ‘Ve Len Yeu Thuong’ (Paint Love), held by The River Art on the second floor of Bitexco Tower in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City opened on Tuesday, dedicated to growing support for children with cancer being treated at Children’s Hospital 2.

The event concluded on Friday, according to the art center.

The exhibition showcased 20 oil and water coloring paintings created by the group’s members.

Works like Am by Huu Phat, Duong Len Muong Lat by Huynh Thao,Hung Dong by Van Hien, Nang Trua by Hoang Phong, and more feature warm tones to dignify the splendor of nature.

All money generated from selling the artworks would go towards treatment for children with cancer at Children’s Hospital 2.

Formed in 2012, The River Art, located on 60/38 Ly Chinh Thang Street, has gathered artists who devote their works and passion in support of unfortunate and underprivileged children.

Previously, the children’s paintings exhibition ‘Talent Incubator,’ held at the Center of Fine Arts, Photography in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, from April 10 to 14, showed artworks created by more than 100 students, aged five to 15, from art classes at Azedesign and Art Talent.

The exhibition featured works covering different topics, including family, festivals, history, folk tales, animal kingdom, plant kingdom, ocean, and more, with an aim to raise money for children at K Hospital in Hanoi, Luu Kim Khanh, Azedesign manager, said.

The event was organized under the wish of the center’s students, Khanh added.

Taste of Australia competition on Instagram

The Australian Consulate General, in partnership with Jetstar Pacific, is hosting a competition @australiainvietnam on Instagram as part of the Taste of Australia 2016 program. The contest is now on and closes on May 6.

To join the contest, food lovers should firstly follow @australiainvietnam on Instagram and then attend a Taste of Australia event or enjoy one of Taste of Australia’s partner restaurant’s special Aussie dishes in the list which can be found at http://www.tasteofaustralia.com.vn.

After that, contestants should take a photo of the dish they have or of themselves enjoying the meal at the restaurant before uploading the photo to Instagram, tag @australiainvietnam, and note which restaurant they visit in the location field.

The winner will be entitled to two round-trip flights from Ho Chi Minh City to any Jetstar Pacific destination.

In Vietnam, Taste of Australia 2016 includes a series of events and promotions throughout the country, including supermarket promotions and cooking demonstrations, and special menus featuring Australian dishes and wine-matching events at leading restaurants, hotels and resorts.

The Taste of Australia NOSH supperclub dinners with leading Australian chefs will take place on April 22 and 23 at NOSH Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1.

Further information about Taste of Australia 2016 is available at http://tasteofaustralia.com.vn/ and https://www.facebook.com/tasteofaustralia.vn

Malaysian designer joins Vietnam Fashion Week

The young Malaysia designer - Joe Chia will visit Vietnam to take part in the Vietnam Spring/Summer 2016 Fashion Week.

Joe Chia said he will introduce his latest collection named Chapter 08 which ever showed at Showroom IDAO in Saintonge Paris in January 2016 and the Paris Fashion Week later.

“I use natural materials such as silk, natural fibres like cotton, cottonspun, bamboo linen … for this collection”, Joe Chia added.

He ever won best designer for male collection and was listed at 40 under 40 awards selected by Pretige and named the Asian’s Industry Choice in 2013, “Asia’s Most Influential Designer” in 2014.

In 2014, 2015 respectively, he earned the awards in Malaysia, aiming to honor the young designers 2015.

Thirteen gold prizes presented at national radio broadcasting festival

Thirteen gold prizes were presented to the best entries of the 12th National Radio Broadcasting Festival at its closing ceremony held in Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province on April 22.

The festival, co-organised by Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) and the Khanh Hoa Radio and Television Station, was attended by Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh.

The organising board also presented 47 silver, 78 bronze and 58 consolation prizes in the five categories of reportage, interview, radio story, mixed programme and live programme.

The winning entries were selected from 265 programmes submitted by 78 radio and television stations and centres nationwide.

Best works featuring the themes of soldiers of the Vietnam People’s Army, workers and trade unions and electricity, and life were also honoured on the occasion.

Addressing the closing ceremony, VOV Deputy General Director and head of the festival’s organising board, Vu Hai noted that many entries submitted to the event vividly and truthfully reflected the realities of life.

They also covered many pressing issues that have draw much public attention, such as shortcomings in implementing the rural building campaign in Binh Duong province, challenges facing Vietnam’s agricultural sector in its integration into the world, environmental protection and adaptation to climate change, cultural preservation, and national maritime sovereignty, he said.

Through new and brave experiments, the participating radio journalists showed their enthusiasm, passion and responsibility for their professionalism, making their works more informative and interesting to audiences, he noted.

The National Radio Broadcasting Festival has been held every two years since 2002. The next event will be hosted by Nghe An provincial Radio and Television in 2018.

Sakura festival kicks off in town

A major festival will be opened at September 23 Park in downtown HCMC on April 22 featuring multiple trees and branches of Japanese sakura.

A total of 130 trees and 1,000 branches of sakura were transported by air to HCMC on April 18 for the first such festival in the city, heard a news briefing organized on April 21 by the HCMC Department of Culture and Sports.

Due to the current hot weather in the city, the cherry blossoms will be displayed in a air-conditioned plastic house measuring 20 x 26 meters at the park in District 1. Indoor temperatures are always kept at 24-25 degrees Celsius.

The organizers said the festival is different from the sakura festival held in Hanoi in mid-April, when visitors expressed disappointment over the withered flowers on display.

The two-day festival in HCMC will also feature art and music performances by Japanese and Vietnamese artists. It is being organized by the city government in collaboration with Japan’s International Culture Association Wanokai and local firm AIC Vietnam.

Nguyen Hoai Huong, head of the event organization division at the HCMC Department of Culture and Sports, said all the plants would be carried to the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong for replanting after the festival ends on Saturday.

Young composers, singers win second consecutive HTV Awards

Young songwriter-singer Vũ Cát Tường won her second consecutive award for favourite composer at this year’s HCM City’s Television (HTV) Awards.

The awards were held on Saturday at the Hòa Bình Theatre in District11.

The annual awards, launched by HCM City Television and Đông Tây Promotion in 2006, honours performers who have contributed to the channel’s development in TV, music and theatre.

Tường, 24, is well-known; she was runner-up at the Voice of Việt Nam singing contest in 2013. A year later, she won the Cống Hiến (Devotion) Award for promising artist, given by the Thể Thao & Văn Hóa (Sports and Culture) newspaper.

Since then, she has written and performed several pop songs, such as Yêu Xa (Distance Love), Vết Mưa (Rainy Sign) and Mơ (Dream), and attracted millions of listeners on local online music channels -- Zingmp3.vn and nhaccuatui.com. Her music videos have also garnered more than one million views on YouTube.

Pop star Noo Phước Thịnh was named favourite male singer.

“It is an honour to receive my second consecutive award. I want to express my gratitude to all my fans, who have always followed and supported me for a long time. This award is my motivation to produce more quality music,” the 28-year-old singer said on receiving the award.

Đông Nhi, 28, also received her second consecutive award for favourite female singer.

Cải lương (reform opera) actor Kim Tử Long, who developed an interest in the art when he was only 14, won the award for favourite cải lương artist.

This year, the 50-year-old artist and his colleagues launched a programme called Three Generations Back to the Roots to bring on stage several extracts from famous cải lương plays.

The favourite TV serial actor and actress awards went to Hứa Vĩ Văn and Chi Pu, respectively

The 37-year-old Văn was a hit with the audience, playing a rich man who faced challenges in keeping his marriage vows to his poor wife in M&T Pictures’ Khúc Tương Tư (Love Sick). Chi Pu, 24, portrayed a young woman who faced challenges in the pursuit of happiness in HCM City Film Studio’s Vẫn Có Em Bên Đời (Having You by My Side).

The HTV awards were also given to theatre actors, performance artists, model and emcees.

The organiser awarded the contribution prize to actress Tuyết Thu for her 20 years of experiences in both movies and theatre.

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