First 4DX theatre in Ha Noi to open next month

Next month, the first 4DX theatre in Ha Noi will provide movie-goers the opportunity to enjoy international blockbusters like never before.

The 4DX theatre will be opened at the Ba Trieu Vincom Centre by CGV Cinemas, who launched Viet Nam's first 4DX theatre at Hung Vuong Plaza in HCM City earlier this year.

The CGV cinemas in Ha Noi and HCM City are the first to offer the group's latest technology.

Hanoi to host Toyota Classics 2014

Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) on October 30 announced its annual 2014 Toyota Classics Concert for charity has been set to perform at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on November 18.

“Those attending the concert will have a chance to enjoy a feast of music that blends classical orchestra with the glamour of the silver screen performed by the Covent Garden Soloists Orchestra,” Doan Thi Yen, Deputy Director of TMV said.

The event has also attracted the participation of talented Spanish conductor Miguel Angel Navarro and famous duo Pamela Tan Nicholson and Vasko Vasilev, Yen said,

In addition, Yen said through the event, Toyota wants to show its responsibility to the development of Vietnam in particular and Asia in general.

The show has been co-organised by Asia – Pacific Toyota Motor Company and Vietnam Toyota Motor Company in coordination with Vietnam Performing Arts Centre, Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Till Hennig to play techno at Cube Bar

German DJ Till Hennig will join a “Heart Beat meets Usual Suspects” show at the Cube Bar Saigon in HCMC’s District 1 from 9 p.m. till late on November 14.

Hennig will share the stage with his compatriot Chris Wolter and piano virtuoso, composer and DJ/ producer B.A.X. Wolter is a DJ/producer/founder of Heart Beat, which is a HCMC-based group of DJs from Germany, Thailand, France, and Vietnam.

As Hennig grew up with hip hop and later fell in love with techno, he can be characterized as an artist of deep progressive sounds, playful melodies and deep/techno tracks.

Hennig and other performers are expected to thrill the audience with German techno.

The Cube Bar Saigon is located at 31b Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, HCMC. For further information, visit www.heartbeatsaigon.com.

48 Hour Film Project to announce winners next week

The winners of the WD 48 Hour Film Project Viet Nam (WD 48HFP) will receive awards on Thursday at BHD Star 3/2 Cineplex.

The producers will award prizes for Best Actor/Actress, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Direction and also Best Film, which will be sent to the 48HFP World Finals in 2015 in Los Angeles.

If successful there, the films will then be screened at Cannes Film Festival in France as well as over 125 cities worldwide taking part in the 48HFP next year.

Over the past three months, WD 48HFP held over 20 film-making workshops at schools and for the public on how to produce work within 48 hours.

The competition received over 100 team registrations from HCM City and Ha Noi. After the 48-hour filming deadline, the project received 31 films from HCM City and 44 films from Ha Noi.

All films had to feature three special features: a character named Tran Binh An, a game and a line of dialogue "Don't Forget Our Agreement!"

With over 1,600 people engaged in the WD 48HFP competition, it remains one of the largest in Viet Nam with film teams ranging from high school students, amateur filmmakers as well as professional film and TV professionals.

Author and physicist to talk about new book on infinity

The French Institute in HCM City, Tre (Young) Publishing House and IDECAF will hold a talk on the recently released book Khat Vong Toi Cai Vo Han (Aspiration toward the Infinite) by physicist and astronomer Trinh Xuan Thuan at 6pm tomorrow at the IDECAF Multimedia Library.

Thuan convey thoughts about the complex topic of infinity in an interesting way, sometimes scientific, yet also philosophical.

Entrance is free at IDECAF on 31 Thai Van Lung Street in District 1.

The seminar will be conducted in Vietnamese by physicist Pham Van Thieu and journalist Vu Cong Lap.

Photographers get flash of inspiration

Young people interested in pursuing photography can enter a 48-hour photo project and work with experienced, professional photographers in Ha Noi.

Entitled I Love My City My People, the 48-hour project will offer those between 18 and 27 a chance to improve their photography skills.

French photographer Nicolas Cornet, who has published three photo books about Viet Nam, initiated the project.

Participants can submit photo essays about Ha Noi to the project's official page at www.facebook.com/ilovemycitymypoeple until November 2.

"There are very few classes on photography being held in Viet Nam, so young people don't have many opportunities to accumulate knowledge," Cornet said. "They mostly have to learn by themselves or from friends."

Cornet and Vietnamese photographers Maika Elan and Binh Dang will examine the submissions and select the 10 best for the next round.

Those candidates will have November 5 and 6 to make another round of photo essays from topics submitted earlier to the judges.

While the clock is ticking, participants can ask judges for advice on the structure of their stories, content and message.

L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, will screen all the final essays from November 26 to December 6. The project debuted in HCM City last year, attracting more than 500 people to submit entries.

Composer to publish music book on General Giap

Veteran music composer Nguyen Lan Cuong is requesting Vietnamese amateur and professional composers to contribute their finest works to a music book dedicated to the late General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Contributors may send their songs or choral music in CD form to Nguyen Lan Cuong, Ha Noi Musicians' Association Office, 19 Hang Buom Street, Ha Noi, or in MP3 form to nguyen.lancuong@yahoo.com. Deadline is on December 12.

Dan Tri Publishing House will publish the book early next year.

Japanese films entertain Ba Ria-Vung Tau audiences

Audiences in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau are being spoilt with a number of famous Japanese films during the Japanese Film Festival 2014.

Eight films are being screened during the festival, namely “One Million Yen Girl,” “Feel the Wind,” “Bushio Sixteen,” “Shodo Girls!,” “In His Chart,” “Peak - The Rescuers,” “Tomorrow’s Joe,” and “Robo-G”.

The films are all dubbed in Vietnamese with English subtitles.

Addressing the opening night on October 31, Deputy Director of Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Son said the event aimed to give local audiences a better understanding of the nation and people of Japan .

In 2013, the province hosted a number of cultural exchanges during the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year, which drew the participation of many people from inside and outside of the locality, he noted.

Handicrafts of Japan’s Tohoku region exhibited in HCM City

The exhibition “Beautiful Handicrafts of Tohoku, Japan” was opened by the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam and the Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City on October 31.

The exhibition aims to mark the anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku region.

The region, known for its beautiful mountains and seascapes along with its rich culture and history, suffered tremendous damage and destruction of unprecedented proportions.

Manufacturing and handicraft culture were severely affected by the disaster, but local residents have stood united to rebuild the land and bring their lives back to normal.

At the opening ceremony, Nakajima Satoshi, Japanese Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City , expressed his hope that the exhibition will help Vietnamese people understand the beauty of Japanese culture.

The display features works of well-known local artisans such as Kanjiro Kawai, Shoji Hamada, Keisuke Serizawa and Shiko Munakata, in different crafts, such as ceramics, lacquer ware, textiles, metalwork, wood and bamboo crafts, allowing visitors to explore the diverse and exquisite world of Tohoku traditions.

The exhibition will be open to the public until November 11.

Nearly 3,000 rowers line up for Soc Trang boat race

Nearly 3,000 athletes from the southern province of Soc Trang and a number of neighbouring provinces have registered for the Ngo boat race taking place on November 5-6 alongside the 2014 Mekong Delta Economic Cooperation Forum.

The race brings together 40 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams to row 1,200m and 1,000m, respectively.

Several events will be held on the sidelines of the forum to promote the culture of the local Khmer ethnic group, including flower offering and moon worshipping festivals, with the participation of thousands of Buddhist monks and local Khmer residents.

Soc Trang is home to the most Ngo boats in the Mekong Delta, with nearly 100 boats kept at 90 Khmer pagodas. Ngo boat race is one of the main activities in the Khmer’s Ooc Om Bok festival to worship the Moon God and pray for good harvest.

New Year firework show planned to light up HCM City

Ho Chi Minh City is set to light the sky within credible firework display at Bitexco Financial Tower in District 1 to welcome in the 2015 New Year with a sparkling barrage of colour and sound.

It was proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Defence and the Government Office.  

After the plan is approved, the 15-minute pyrotechnic performance will take place from 00:00 to 00:15 of January 1.

According to the city People’s Committee, the event will open a series of activities in 2015 including the New Year Festival, the 85th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 125th birth anniversary of the late President Ho Chi Minh, and National Day.

“Music night of Hope” – The colorful night of music for the blind

The nights of music for the blind, performed by Korean Hanbit Art Troupe of the blind and organised by the Korea Culture Centre (KCC) in Hanoi, took place on October 31 and November 1 at the Au Co Art Centre in Hanoi.

The event, the first of its kind, aimed at raising community awareness and actions for the people with disabilities.

“The music night of hope” is the result of tirelessly efforts by and represents a dream of the people with sight impairment. With their love, enthusiasm and hard work, the artists have been able to bring about emotional moments of the famous music pieces, such as “Phantom of the Opera”, sound track of “Beethoven Virus” or the love song “The Power of Love”

Singer Nguyễn Thị Thanh Thảo from the Vietnam Blind Association also contributed with two songs, the “Song of Hope” and “The Shade of K’nia Tree”.

“I hope that the beautiful music, brought by the singers has left its mark in the audience and we will build a world with no border between humans.”, said Yang-soo Kim, Director of the Hanbit Art Troupe.

The Troupe is known as a professional art troupe of blind artists, who are talented and enthusiastic about music. They have performed in diverse occasions across the country and abroad, and have contributed to introducing Korean culture to the world and raised awareness about community support to the blind.

“The night is a special gift by the Korean Cultural Center, thus helping people to know about a bright world by the blind through the language of music,” according to Park Nark Jong, the KCC Centre’s Director.