Art reveals circus animal abuse

Duong Doan Anh Minh has won an art contest with a painting indicating how elephants feel when used for entertainment in circuses launched by Animals Asia to raise awareness about wild animal abuse.

Minh said when he was young he was fascinated by circuses and animal trainers, but when he grew up he realised the animals had to suffer in order to perform.

"To bring laughter to audiences, these animals are flogged, chained and caged," Minh said. "I don't want my children and grandchildren to find fun in animal torture. They should learn to love and respect animals."

According to Tuaan Bendixsen, an Animals Asia representative in Viet Nam, circuses cage and chain animals for most of their lives.

Living in a circus environment was totally different from how they lived in nature, Bendixsen said.

For winning first prize, Minh received VND12 million (US$600) during a ceremony at the Bear Rescue Centre in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.

Indie film depicts challenges of love

Vietnamese-American actor Tran Bao Son performs in Quyen, a new feature film directed by Golden Kite winner Nguyen Phan Quang Binh.

Independent film director Nguyen Phan Quang Binh of HCM City began filming Quyen last week in Da Lat city.

The film is based on a novel written by the Vietnamese-German Nguyen Van Tho, who won second prize at the 2006-09 Novel Writing Contest of the Viet Nam Writers' Association.

Released by the Writers' Association Publishing House in 2009, the novel is about the challenges he faced after 20 years of living abroad.

Binh's film depicts the tragic love story between Quyen (played by Vu Ngoc Anh), a married woman and Hung (played by Vietnamese-American actor Tran Bao Son) who both lived in Germany as refugees.

The film includes scenes of Berlin with a musical score by talented composers.

In 2010, Binh's film Canh Dong Bat Tan (The Floating Lives) won top prizes for best film, best actress and best supporting actor at the Golden Kite Award by the Viet Nam Cinematography Association.

His first work, Vu Khuc Con Co (Dance of the Stork), produced by the Singaporean company Mega Media and Viet Nam Writers' Association Film Studio, starred Hai Yen, Ngoc Hiep and Chi Bao.

It received the Best Feature Film prize at the Milan Film Festival in Italy in 2003, after beating competitors from Asian and European countries.

It was distributed in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Poland and Greece.

Quyen is expected to be completed later this year.

Twenty selected photographs of the Vietnamese people and landscapes will be displayed in a new exhibition tonight in Ha Noi.

All the photos are of areas where the Agence Française de Development's (AFD or the French Development Agency) flagship projects are being conducted.

The photo exhibition is being organised at L'Espace, the French Cultural Centre, to recognise the AFD projects in Viet Nam that aim to improve the lives of its people, as part of the activities being held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the organisation's presence in the country.

The photos have been taken by four well-known French and Vietnamese photographers, namely Nicolas Cornet, Laurent Weyl, François Carlet-Soulages and Dang Binh.

AFD is a public institution that provides development financing and has been working to fight poverty and promote sustainable development in the southern hemisphere and the French communities overseas for more than 70 years.

The two-week-long exhibition will open at 6pm tonight at 24, Trang Tien Street, Ha Noi.

It will be also held in HCM City's Institute for Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF), located at 31, Thai Van Lung, District 1, from November 21 to 28.

The Viet Nam Heritage Photo Awards 2014 has chosen 100 photos to be included in 20 exhibitions nationwide from now until March 10 next year.

The exhibitions will take place in 11 cities and provinces including HCM City, Can Tho, Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Tien Giang.

The third photo competition organised by Viet Nam Heritage magazine received more than 4,400 works from 477 photographers.

The competition is being held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Viet Nam Heritage Day on November 23. The awards ceremony is expected to take place at Reunification Palace in HCM City on that day.

Winner of Explore Canada from A to Z competition announced

The Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City on October 27 announced the winner of the educational competition titled “Explore Canada from A to Z”.

The first prize in Vietnam went to Mai Dieu Quynh from Viet Duc (Vietnam-Germany) High School in Hanoi. She was awarded a three-week Canada study tour in English or French.

Pham Phuong Thuy Linh from R.A.McMath Secondary School won the first prize in Canada. She received a scholarship of CAD2,000 and an internship opportunity in Vietnam in 2015.

The second prize in Vietnam was delivered to Dang Thi Thao Ngoc from Tran Phu High School in Haiphong city. She was given a two-week Canada study tour in English or French.

The same title in Canada belonged to Luan Phuoc Hoa from Mohawk College who got a scholarship of CAD1,000.

Besides, two third prizes and four consolation prizes were also announced.

The second “Explore Canada from A to Z” competition was held from August 27 to October 5, attracting nearly 400 students from Vietnam and Canada who want to learn about, explore, and experience Canada.

Concert brings together Vietnamese community in RoK

A concert was held by KBS World Radio in Seoul, Republic of Korea, for multicultural families and the Vietnamese community on October 27.

The event “Ngoi nha chung” (A common house) captivated the audience with dramatic music, vivid colour and traditional songs that spoke of the friendship and harmony between the two countries.

The concert provided the audience, especially the Vietnamese community living, working and studying in the RoK, with important information on life and cultural events all over the country.

KBS World Radio is RoK’s flagship public international broadcaster. Vietnamese is one of the 11 major languages broadcasts are produced in.

The programme “Toi yeu Han Quoc” (I love Korea) was the first Vietnamese- Korean bilingual programme to be launched in 2013, and has since been broadcast every Sunday.

By 2013, there were nearly 130,000 Vietnamese nationals living in the RoK, with 52,000 Vietnamese women married to Korean husbands, according to statistics published by the RoK Ministry of Security and Public Administration.

Israel film festival to open in November

The 2014 Israel film festival is due to be launched in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in early November, offering an opportunity for movie-lovers to discover Israeli land and people.

Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Meirav Eilon Shahar said the festival will introduce to Vietnamese audiences some of the best films of Israel, such as Foreign Letters, Broken Wings, The Matchmaker, Someone to Run with and Something Sweet.

The art of cinematography will help connect the two nations’ citizens as well as boost Vietnamese people’s understanding of Israel, the ambassador said.

The festival is taking place from November 1 – 5 at the National Cinema Centre in Hanoi and from November 6 – 10 at BHD Star Cineplex ICON68 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Contemporary dances to hit city stage

Artists of the HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will perform the contemporary dancing shows “While Saigon is sleeping” choreographed by

Raymond Esterhuizen and “Lost and Found” by Nguyen Phuc Hai and Nguyen Phuc Hung at the HCMC Opera House on October 29.

The dancing performances are expected to lead audiences to the true love which they have to find and retain for the whole life. These are part of “Young Melody” - a monthly concert organized by HBSO for Saigonese.

HBSO staged the “While Saigon is sleeping” at the Korea Art Festival Busan 2014 while the “Lost and  Found” premiered in July and got big applause from the audience.

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