Hanoi set for international electric music festival

This year Hanoi Sound Stuff has been themed “Green Connection” and hopes to raise awareness of environmental protection through theater and music performances by Vietnamese and international artists like Silvouplay (France), Timeart Ensemble (Germany), Space 360 and Horn (Thailand), Raysoo (Malaysia), and Tri Minh, DJ Kruise, and Ha Okio (Vietnam).

It has also joined hands with the global short film network Future Shorts to screen experimental short films.

Tickets to the festival to be held at the Viet Nam Exhibition Center for Culture and Arts, 2 Hoa Lu street, cost VND 50,000 (US$ 2) and are available at the Goethe Institute and French Culture Center L’espace.

Vietnamese to vote for favorite books

Vietnamese of all ages are called upon to vote for 10 books they believe have been most influential in their youth in an event launched by Ho Chi Mink City’s Youth Union and Writers Association.

The “The Vietnamese book I love” campaign, which was launched to mark the HCMC Youth Union’s 80th anniversary, will be open until April 30.

Each voter can nominate a maximum of 5 books published from April 30, 1975 to December 31, 2010 and send a comment (1,500 words maximum) about the most favorite of them all to the HCMC Youth Union’s Propaganda and Education Department.

Based on these nominations, the organizers will pick 100 books for another round of public voting from May 5 - 19.

The title “Quintessential Vietnamese Book” will be given to 10 books with the highest votes.

The award ceremony will be held on May 30. The organizers hope to organize this event once every two years.

Trinh Cong Son’s love songs hit Hue palace

Following two music shows “Mountain Shadow” held in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the same event themed “Hue-Saigon-Hanoi” will be opened at An Dinh Palace based in Hue central city at 7:00pm today.

The event, jointly organized by the province’s Hue Arts and Literature Association and late musician Trinh Cong Son’s family, will feature performances of famous local singers like diva My Linh, Duc Tuan, Quang Dung, Kasim Hoang Vu, Uyen Linh, among others.

The audience will have a chance to watch it for free, according to musician Le Phung - a member of the organizers.

It will be also aired on a wide screen in front of the palace, and broadcast live on the local TV channel, he added.

Yesterday, a night music event titled “Trinh Cong Son – mot coi di ve” took place at Hue-based Saigon Morin where spectators could enjoy his immortal love songs.

Also the same day, Phuong Nam bookstore in the city’s 15 Le Loi Street introduced three books by writer-translator Buu Y, featuring articles related to him.

A painting exhibition to showcase the late composer’s artworks is scheduled to take place at Saigon Morin Hotel on April 22.

The day after tomorrow (April 1) will be a big day to commemorate the 10th death anniversary of Trinh Cong Son.

Born in 1939, Trinh Cong Son has been renowned internationally for his romantic music and is widely considered one of the three most salient figures of modern Vietnamese music along with Pham Duy and Van Cao.

Son wrote over 500 songs, and, during the 1960s and 1970s. His music remains very popular among both old and young Vietnamese.

Vietnam seeks UNESCO recognition for intangible heritage

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has agreed to let the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism submit two dossiers on two of the country’s cultural practices to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

These proposals are expected to earn the country UNESCO’s recognition of ‘Don ca tai tu Nam bo’ (southern amateur singing), and ‘Tin nguong tho cung Hung Vuong’ (faith in and worship of Hung Kings), as the world’s intangible heritage.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Committee of UNESCO Vietnam have finished necessary procedures to send these applications to UNESCO headquarters in France before March 31.

The worship of Hung Kings, believed to be the nation’s ancestors, have become customs that are passed down from generation to generation. The worship plays an important role in Vietnamese culture, helping to unite the entire nation.

Meanwhile, Don ca tai tu is closely associated with the life of labourers and takes place in daily events such as weddings, birthday parties, and other community activities.

Vietnamese snap up photo awards

Vietnamese photographers have won three awards from the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) for works displayed at an international exhibition in Singapore.

To Cong Vinh won a silver medal in the individual category for his black-and-white photo Nuoc Ve (Fresh Water).

Cham Con (Take Care for Daughter) by Nguyen Dinh Duoc and Ngay Tho (Naive) by Duy Ahh were awarded bronze medals.

The exhibition and competition were organized by the Photographic Society of Singapore in partnership with FIAP to celebrate the 60th anniversaries of both organizations.

The event was held with the intention of showing how children go about their lives in different parts of the world and to boost UNESCO’s goal of increasing awareness about underprivileged children.

Indian artists to perform in Vietnam

A delegation of 15 Indian artists will perform at the Hanoi Opera House from April 4-7, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Ladakh artists from India’s northern region will perform traditional Indian music and dance, as well as introduce their traditional costumes and musical instruments to Vietnamese audiences.

Established in 2004, the Ladakh art troupe now has 25 members under the leadership of renowned artist Tsering Sonam Sopari, with the aim of preserving Indian traditional music and dance of ethnic people in the northern region of India.

Ninh Thuan to host Vietnam sea village festival 2011 

The Vietnam sea village festival 2011 will be held in the Southern coastal province of Ninh Thuan from June 5-8. 

The Vietnam sea village festival 2011 aims to present visitors to the local beautiful landscape and exploit the island's economic and tourist potential.

The festival is part of the National Tourism Year 2011, which takes place in the southern central coastal provinces of Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Da Nang city.

With the theme ‘Paradise for Sea and Island Tourism’, the National Tourism Year 2011 is a chance for the region to promote its tourism potential.

PV