A selection of noteworthy artistic and cultural events that will take place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from July 30 to August 5.

HANOI

PERFORMANCE

Ionah Show

Star Galaxy

87 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh district

7:45 pm, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Come to the 75-minute Ionah Show to enjoy the perfect combination of circus, dance, music and theatrical arts, offering a new look into Vietnamese art and culture.

The name “Ionah” may sound like a foreign name from a distant land, but it is in fact truly familiar. “Ionah” is “Hanoi” written in reverse, a gift originated from the love for Hanoi.

Ticket prices: VND750,000 – VND 950,000

EXHIBITION

Exhibition “Puzzle Pieces” by Luong Van Viet

Hanoi Studio

13 Trang Tien, Hanoi

This is an exhibition that marks the third milestone in the artist’s career. Come and join us at an exhibition where art and humans quietly and gently touch one another, where we see contemporary, coherent, chiseled puzzle pieces made of iron, bronze, aluminum and wood. We see utmost minimalism in the shapes. No redundant details, no lousy colors. These puzzles pieces create silence. Silence in the clarity of heart and mind.

Exhibition “3 . 3 . 3.” by Le Cong Thanh

Heritage Space

1st Floor, Dolphin Plaza

6 Nguyen Hoang (for car) | 28 Tran Binh (for bike), My Dinh 2, Hanoi

3 . 3 . 3. is a sculptural interpretation of Le Cong Thanh’s artistic spirit. This exhibition does not display currently available works at his workshop, but chooses 3 models from his thin-steeled sculpture series, before enlarging them into 09 ‘sculptures’ in medium to large sizes, with the consent of the artist and his family. Each sketch is a generalised representation of the sculpture figure he pursues: the female body, Totem objects, the endless column with a spirit of mystery, sensuality, thirst and grandiosity.

Free entrance

Photo Exhibition “The Eye of Istanbul” by Ara Güler

Leica Boutique Hanoi

14 Ngo Quyen, Hanoi

You are invited to the photo exhibition “The Eye of Istanbul” by Turkish photographer Ara Güler.

Ara Güler’s work has been featured across international titles – Time, Life, Stern and Paris Match, to name a few. Despite years of being on the road and photographing famous luminaries, Güler’s heart remains rooted in Istanbul. He bears witness to its many changes and continues to find inspiration photography in the city with his Leica camera.

HO CHI MINH CITY

Teh Dar: Vietnamese Tribal Culture

6:00 pm, every day except Monday and Friday

Ho Chi Minh City Opera House

7 Cong Truong Lam Son, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1

‘Teh Dar: Vietnamese Tribal Culture’ features a vibrant display of circus arts, aerial acrobatics, and tribal music within an hour-long performance.

The show highlights the lives of tribal families from the southwest highlands of Vietnam, using UNESCO-listed percussion instruments, such as Vietnamese gongs and buffalo horns, as well as vibrant costumes, and a stunning bamboo cirque depicting various landscapes and creatures from tribal folklore.

Price range: VND630,000 - VND1,470,000

EXHIBITION

Exhibition “King” by Pham Thanh Toan

Craig Thomas Gallery

27i Tran Nhat Duat Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1

Toan’s “King” collection comprises of a bold batch of primarily over-sized canvases with several of the works themselves being quadriptychs and pentaptychs. The effect of such large paintings, often done in luxuriantly thick layers of imported oils, is immediate and visceral.

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 11 am to 6pm; Sundays 12 to 5 pm; and by appointment

Exhibition “ELLIPSIS”

Toong Minh Khai

126 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Str, District 3

The “Ellipsis” exhibition is an attempt by 4 image-making artists: Danny Bach, Minh Pham, Dat Vu and Cietisoo Nguyen, to connect and share our personal approaches to photography and image-making with the creative community.

Free entrance

Exhibition “Gang of Five Chancing Modern”

The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre

15 Nguyen U Di, Thao Dien, District 2

Curated by Le thuan Uyen, the exhibition surveys over three decades of artistic practices by five of the most important figures in the art scene of North Vietnam; Hong Viet Dung, Ha Tri Hieu, Dang Xuan Hoa, Tran Luong and Pham Quang Vinh.

Featuring nearly forty paintings and numerous original historical materials (including reviews and interviews, archival images, exhibition guest books, two short film documentaries, and a timeline tracking the conception, development, and reunion of the Gang of Five, this is one of the few retrospective exhibitions staged in Vietnam that thoroughly documents the lives and preoccupations of local artists (and/or artist groups) of the 20th century.

Tickets:

For adults: VND 35,000

For students: VND 25,000 (with appropriate student ID)

For children under 16: free (with appropriate ID)

Nhan Dan/Hanoigrapevines