VietNamNet Bridge – Blind children from Viet Nam and abroad will bring Christmas cheer to audiences in Ha Noi on Friday, Dec 2, by singing Christmas songs and traditional Vietnamese music on the occasion of Handicapped People's Day.

Performed by the Children's Friendship Choir, the concert will start at 3pm at the French Cultural Centre, 24 Trang Tien Street. Organisers said they hoped the event would bring smiles and happiness to disadvantaged children during this Christmas season.

Many famous Christmas songs from different countries will be performed, including Joy to the World, O Tannenbaum, Il est ne le Divin Enfant, La Marche des Rois, Ring Christmas Bells and Feliz Navidad.

Ode de la Joie, An die Freude – Va Pensiero – Funiculi funicula and Glory Halleluja will conclude the concert.

* Capital culinary festival features local delights

Connoisseurs will have the chance to savour various Hanoian delights at a culinary fest dedicated to the cuisine set to be held at the West Lake Water Park in Ha Noi at the end of this month.

During the four-day event, which will start on December 30, chefs of top hotels and restaurants will prepare a wide range of traditional dishes, including cha ca (charcoal-grilled fish), banh cuon Thanh Tri (rice pancake), banh tom Ho Tay (shrimp cake), pho (noodle soup), and spring rolls.

Additional fusion dishes using Vietnamese ingredients, as well as vegetarian food creations, will also be presented at the fest.

Demonstrations of traditional games and customs from the Hong (Red) River Delta will offer visitors chance to learn more about the region's culture.

A cultural activity designed to launch the new year, the culinary is expected to welcome 15,000 visitors every day.

* Free shows set to warm up Viet Nam film festival

Seventeen Vietnamese films competing in the country's 17th film festival are being shown free of charge at the National Cinema Centre in Ha Noi until next Thursday.

The week-long event was launched as a special gift from the festival's organising committee to warm the public up for the biggest cinema event of the year, said Ngo Phuong Lan, Deputy director of the Viet Nam Department of Cinema.

The festival will begin on December 14 in Khanh Hoa City, central Phu Yen Province.

Free tickets can be collected at the National Cinema Centre, 87 Lang Ha St, Ha Noi.

During this special event, movie lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy famous films such as Canh Dong Bat Tan (Floating Lives) as well as newly released movies including Tam Hon Meï (Mother's Soul), Mui Co Chay (The Scent of Burned Grass), and Hotboy Noi Loan (Lost in Paradise).

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News