Rock Cafe raises cancer funds

Hard Rock Cafe HCM City is selling Pinktober grey T-shirts at its Rockshop in an effort to raise funds for breast cancer patients in Viet Nam.

The cafe will organise many charity events in response to the global Pinktober 2013 to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer charities

through sales of collectable "Pinktober" pins, key chains and T-shirts. A series of live music events at Hard Rock establishments around the world will also be held.

The campaign, which is in its 14th consecutive year, will donate proceeds from the sale of special limited-edition 2013 Pinktober merchandise to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Caron Keating Foudation, and selected local charities.

Hard Rock International has a total of 174 venues in 54 countries, including 138 cafes, 17 hotels and seven casinos.

Charity run starts UK week

The 13th annual Fun Run for charity will launch a "Great Week" in Viet Nam to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the UK.

"Great Week" will take place in HCM City, Da Nang and Ha Noi from September 29 to October 5, featuring various events on culture, economy and education, said British Consul General Douglas Barnes.

Fun Run, an annual event raising money for needy people in Viet Nam, is organised by British Business Group Viet Nam (BBGV).

The 4km run will take place on September 29, and is expected to be a record year with 8,000 runners and walkers raising VND900 million (US$42,800), Nick Holder, chairman of BBGV said at a press briefing yesterday.

He said that since the first Fun Run in 2000, the BBGV has raised VND6 billion to benefit charities in Viet Nam with a total of 47,000 participants.

The proceeds supported activities including: providing medical assistance to children; building restrooms for eight rural kindergartens in Binh

Thuan Province and building eight bridges and a 1km-long road in Hau Giang Province.

Vietnam participates in Francophonie sports culture festival 2013

Vietnam is taking part in puppetry, track-and-field and photography events at Francophonie sports culture festival 2013 in Nice, France.

Ngo Kim Loan, Director of Haiphong Puppetry Theatre, said the “Melody of Memories” which won a gold medal at the International Puppetry Festival in Hanoi last year will be performed at the festival.

The 14-member Vietnamese delegation expects to learn new things from different arts and cultures in the spirit of diversity and solidarity.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Duong Van Quang said that Vietnam’s participation in the festival is modest but highly appreciated.

The one-week festival which opened on September 7 has attracted nearly 3,000 athletes and artists from 50 member countries of the Francophonie.

There will be 759 medals, including 39 golds for the culture event, 184 golds for the sports event and 18 for environmental protection, creativity and digital creativity events.

 Mid-autumn festival planned for ethnic children

Nearly 1,000 ethnic children and those with disabilities will join a special mid-autumn festival to be held in Hoa Binh province on September 15 (the 11th day of the eighth lunar month).

The information was announced by the Vietnam Association for Protection of Children’s Rights (VAPCR) at a press conference on September 10.

The organizing board will present 500 scholarships and 1,000 gifts to outstanding poor students in Hoa Binh and some other northern mountainous provinces.

Participating children from Hanoi, the northern provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La and Phu Tho and central Thanh Hoa province will also have the chance to express their thoughts and expectations to local and central leaders.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, which is celebrated every year on the 15th day of the eighth lunar months, is one of the most popular in Vietnam and a traditional celebration for Vietnamese children.

Hanoi exhibition highlights Vietnam-France ties

A collection of 150 photos featuring the long relationship between Vietnam and France is on display in Hanoi.

The show entitled France-Vietnam-Four Centuries of Relations provides a panorama of photos on 40 big panels with captions in both Vietnamese and French.

They reflect relations in trade, education, arts, science and technology from the late seventeenth century.

“The shared past of the two countries is much richer than we thought,” said Pierre Geny, permanent secretary of l’Academie des Sciences d’Outre-Mer (Academy of Overseas Sciences) which helped produce the show.

The relationship began in December 1624 when French missionary Alexandre Rhodes arrived in South Vietnam, and made great contributions to the creation of quoc ngu (romanised Vietnamese script) which is still used in Vietnam today. Part of the exhibition is devoted to him.

The relationship in the 18th century is linked to the activities of French horticulturalist Pierre Poivre, whose book, The Voyages of a Philosopher, showed his passion for Vietnam’s technique of mountain cultivated rice.

The book was then read by many people, including Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States.

A focus of the show, of course, is the colonial period from the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century.

On display are portraits of eminent French and Vietnamese figures who contributed to the development of Vietnam.

They include August Pavie, who was very active in the science-technology field, Alexandre Yersin and Albert Calmet in the medicine industry, and Victor Tardieu and Nam Son, Nguyen Van Tho in the arts industry.

The resistance of Vietnamese people under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh against the harsh rule of French colonialists is an important part of the show.

When the injuries of the past healed, bilateral relations developed in all fields. Globalisation has brought the two countries closer, creating regional and international organizations in which both nations are members.

This included Vietnam’s entry into the Francophonie world in 1997.

The show displays the work of the first French photographers in Vietnam, the first Vietnamese writers who wrote in French, French books talking

about Vietnam-and portraits of French people with a deep love of Vietnam.

“Even though there has been much sadness, it would be silly of us to remember only those events,” said Thi Minh Huong, head of the National Archives centre.

Stephane Richemond, president of the Paris-based Images and Memories Association, said a stamp collection in memory of French doctor Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) who founded the Medical School of Hanoi in 1902 will be distributed in Vietnam and France on September 20.

This marks the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The exhibition will run until November 10 at the National Archives Centre, No 1, 18 Vu Pham Ham Street, Hanoi.

French connection began in 1624

A collection of 150 photos featuring the long relationship between Viet Nam and France is on display in Ha Noi.

The show entitled France-Viet Nam-Four Centuries of Relations provides a panorama of photos on 40 big panels with captions in both Vietnamese and French.

They reflect relations in trade, education, arts, science and technology from the late seventeenth century.

"The shared past of the two countries is much richer than we thought," said Pierre Geny, permanent secretary of l'Academie des Sciences d'Outre-Mer (Academy of Overseas Sciences) which helped produce the show.

The relationship began in December, 1624 when French missionary Alex-andre Rhodes arrived in the South of Viet Nam, and made great contributions to the creation of quoc ngu (romanised Vietnamese script) which is still used in Viet Nam today. A part of the exhibition is devoted to him.

The relationship in the 18th century is linked to the activities of French horticulturalist Pierre Poivre, whose book, The Voyages of a Philosopher,

showed his passion for Viet Nam's technique of mountain cultivated rice. The book was after read by many people, including Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States.

A focus of the show, of course, is the colonial period from the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century. On display are portraits of eminent French and Vietnamese figures who contributed to the development of Viet Nam. They include August Pavie, who was very active in the science-technology field, Alexandre Yersin and Albert Calmet in the medicine industry, and Victor Tardieu and Nam Son, Nguyen Van Tho in the arts industry.

The resistance of Vietnamese people under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh against the harsh rule of French colonialists is an important part of the show.

When the injuries of the past healed, bilaterial relations developed in all fields. Globalisation has brought the two countries closer, creating regional and international organisations in which both nations are members. This included the entry of Viet Nam into the Francophonie world in 1997.

The show displays the work of the first French photographers in Viet Nam, the first Vietnamese writers who wrote in French, French books talking about Viet Nam - and portraits of French people with a deep love of Viet Nam.

"Even though there has been much sadness, it would be silly of us to remember only those events," said Thi Minh Huong, head of the National Archives centre.

Stephane Richemond, president of the Paris-based Images and Memories Association, said a stamp collection in memory of French doctor Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943) who founded the Medical School of Ha Noi in 1902 will be distributed in Viet Nam and France on September 20.

This marks the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The exhibition will run until November 10 at the National Archives Centre, No 1, 18 Vu Pham Ham Street, Ha Noi.

English artist takes us for ‘A Week in Hoi An’

VinGallery is exhibiting A Week in Hoi An by Bridget March until Saturday.

The offering is an artist’s guide to the beautiful World Heritage town with an exhibition of original watercolor paintings from her first book also titled A Week in Hoi An.

She also gives a preview of her new collection of acrylic paintings.

March is from northern England. She studied Art and Design in Harrogate and Leeds and for 18 years was a successful furniture designer, only drawing and painting in her free time. Her paintings, etchings and drawings started to be exhibited widely in the U.K. and she won some commissions for private collections.

In 2003 she joined the renowned Leeds College of Art where she became a senior lecturer. Working in this creative community of students and professionals had a lasting effect on Bridget’s approach to her work. She learned the art of printmaking and became an accomplished etcher.

She was working all day at the art college and working nights and weekends to sell at exhibitions and markets. In 2011, an unexpected invitation from a friend persuaded March to give up her job to come to Vietnam where she felt she would have the right conditions to concentrate on drawing and painting.

Since arriving in Saigon exactly a year ago, March has produced nearly 200 pieces large and small which were published in her first book. She has also worked on a collection of watercolor and acrylic paintings of Saigon and the pace of change in the city.

VinGallery is located at 4 Le Van Mien St., District 2.

“Europe meets Asia in contemporary dance” to open in Hanoi

The annual “Europe meets Asia in contemporary dance” will be held for the third time in Hanoi from September 26-29.

The programme is an initiative of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), the network of European cultural institutes and embassies in Hanoi , in cooperation with the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB). This year it will be coordinated by the Goethe Institute.

The coming festival is larger and more diverse than those in the past two years, and includes pieces from five countries: Belgium, France, Great Britain, Israel and Japan. In addition, there will be one German-Vietnamese and one French-Vietnamese co-production.

The audience will have a chance to enjoy a broad spectrum of contemporary dance ranging from hip-hop through electronic to classical music.

The programme has received warm applause from the public and successfully contributed to a growing awareness of contemporary dance in Hanoi since it was first launched in 2011.-