France’s Arties Quartet performs in Hanoi

France’s Arties Quartet music band will give a classical concert at the French Cultural Centre L’Espace on October 31 to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between France and Vietnam.

Arties Quartet is a world famous music band consisting of international musicians who share a passion for chamber music. All of them have graduated from the European Music Conservatoires in Paris, Brussels, Berlin and Geneva and won international prizes such as Dublin, Hamamatsu, Nielsen, ARD Munich, Florence, Long Thibaud, Heerlen, and IIIzaach.

They have participated in many prestigious concerts in London, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris and Kuala Lumpur.

They include soloists, chamber musicians, amateur artists and members of French and European orchestras as well as young talents.

Tickets are available at L’Espace at the price of VND120,000 per ticket but at a discount of 50 percent for students.

Silk of Light is inspired from light

‘Silk of Light’ from Ngo Dinh Bao Chau, which opened at Phuong My Flagship Store, is inspired by light as both a physical and metaphorical medium, in which Chau carefully studies the process of light as it covers, disperses and adjusts to the surface of different materials.

The artist’s preoccupation with light arises from her deep interest in architecture, and its relationship to form, shape, line and structure. Based in HCMC, the liveliest urban city in Vietnam, Chau’s living environment is filled with manmade light and she is fascinated by its role in human forms of labor and urbanization.

Chau’s works initially appear to be rigid, scientific and rational, but also have poetic quality in her sculptures and lacquer paintings, evidenced in her two-dimensional diamond and pentagon-shaped lacquer works inspired by the shape of light as discussed in the scientific study of this material.

Having researched the nature of ‘Platonic solids’ – whereby the geometric structure is divided into five distinct groups including tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedrons, the artist became aware that the surface of these shapes differed in number which caused light to refract at differing intensities off differing materials.

This led her to experiment with differing color and lacquer coatings to achieve maximum effect.

Chau is also inspired by the silk textile process, lured by the delicacy of light as it bounces off silk threads, as it is slowly released from the cocoon and stretched to produce a minuscule fiber. Indeed Chau refers to her sculptural structures as cocoons of silk.

The show is on display until January 15 at Phuong My Flagship Store, 81 Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1.

Dragonfly theater’s Dangerous Liaisons a mixed blessing

Laclos’s Dangerous Liaisons was a scandalous 18th century French novel that showed sexuality used in a particularly cynical and manipulative way. It’s often been adapted for stage and screen, notably by the UK playwright Christopher Hampton, and this is the version currently being staged by Saigon’s English-language Dragonfly Theater.

It was a big step for Dragonfly to take. Their previous productions, notably The Importance of Being Earnest and The Little Prince, were tried and tested theatrical masterpieces, sure-fire successes even before the curtain went up. Dangerous Liaisons is entirely different, demanding close attention from the audience and lacking both the comedy of Earnest or the natural charm of the Prince.

It was consequently no surprise that the evening dragged more than a little. I suspected, too, that many of the audience would have had difficulty following the plot in all its convolutions, despite the clarity of the amplified speech and the efficient Vietnamese surtitles. (These last broke down once but were back in action in under a minute). The play is itself very wordy, and Hampton is not one to be relied on for incisive language.

The sets were projected backdrops (which sometimes took a moment or two to get right), the costumes more or less of the appropriate period, and the furniture eclectic at best, though this didn’t matter unduly.

 The play as written is held together by the character of Valmont. Aaron Toronto struggled manfully with this very long role. At times he tended to be over-emphatic, especially in his scenes with Merteuil (Belinda Shortland), the female lead, and the more playful scenes with his young lovers showed him in a much better light. That he should break into song at the moment of his death, however, seemed a serious misjudgment.

 This resulted in Belinda Shortland being handed her scenes with Valmont on a plate, and her icy reserve and terse rejoinders went to the very heart of the play’s meaning. She unexpectedly ended up as the star of the evening.

 Smaller parts were taken by performers we’d like to have seen more of. It was always a delight when Leanne Dowler appeared (as Rosemonde), with her clear, incisive tones. And Nguyen Ha Tu Trinh was able to act with her face alone when need be, and her sunny presence was wasted in the tiny role of Emilie. Vu Pham Diem My had more to do as Volanges, and generally made the most of her opportunities, as did Nguyen Lan Phuong as Tourvel.

 Highest praise must go to the venue itself. The Q4 Event Space is a huge warehouse transformed into the comfortable Cargo Bar and, next to it, a gigantic multi-purpose performance area. It’s to the credit of Dragonfly’s actors that they managed to dominate what could so easily have been far too large an auditorium, apparently quite effortlessly.

 Dangerous Liaisons plays again at Q4 Event Space, 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh, on October 26 and 27 at 7pm.

Models win The Amazing Race Vietnam

Diep Lam Anh from Hanoi and Tran Thi Thu Hien from Vinh Phuc, who took part in Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2010, were named winners of the reality show The Amazing Race Vietnam 2013 winning a cash prize of VND300 million last week.

The 24-year-old duo in the blue team upset the odds to defeat the favorites in the red team - actor Nhan Phuc Vinh and office worker Linh Chi. The red team actually won the last challenge but due to a regulation violation they were pushed into second place.

In the last episode filmed in Hanoi, three teams (red, blue and purple) in the final had to conduct some challenges like buying a propaganda painting themed Hanoi, making a water puppet performance, writing calligraphy and climbing up a building to rescue a victim.

This year’s contest with its new format of celebrity participation attracted a great response from TV viewers as they witnessed contestants overcoming some tough and thrilling challenges in 12 destinations from northern to southern Vietnam.

“We have had a great experience and received much love and care from other teams’ members. Especially, the friendship between Thu Hien and I has been enhanced. We will donate a part of our prize to Operation Smile to conduct cleft-palate treatment for disadvantaged kids,” Anh told the Daily at the coronation night in HCMC last Friday. Hien was on a model training course in Singapore so she could not attend the event.

The model duo’s victory satisfied most of the TV audiences who gave them great encouragement through each challenge. The two girls showed their endurance, cleverness, solidarity and determination which helped them defeat their male rivals who had the advantage of physical strength.

Russian Cultural Days to be launched

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will cooperate with the Russian Ministry of Culture to organize Russian Culture Days in Viet Nam from November 11-17.

An opening ceremony of the event will take place at the Ha Noi Opera House on November 12.

Art performances will be held at the Ho Chi Minh City Theater on November 15 and at the Binh Duong Cultural Centre on November 16.

Viet Nam and Russia have established a comprehensive strategic partnership. They have constantly strengthened mutual trust and understanding and supported each other at regional and international forums.

In addition, the two sides have launched cooperation and training programs in culture, art and tourism. Trust and mutual understanding of the two countries' people have been unceasingly enhanced and consolidated.

Festival links Vietnamese, Indian peoples closer

The sixth Vietnam – India people’s friendship festival kicked off in Hanoi on October 21, targeting to make Vietnamese and Indian people become closer via a series of cultural and tour events in the city as well as central Da Nang city and Ho Chi Minh City until October 26.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Standing Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association and Vice President of the Vietnam – India Friendship Association (VIFA) Ha Minh Hue said the festival enables the two people to review important milestones in bilateral relations founded by late President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and fostered by generations of leaders and people.

During the event, a talk themed “Vietnam – India cultural exchange” and music performances will take place in the central city of Da Nang.

The Indian delegation will offer incense at Indira Gandhi monument and visit Tran Quoc pagoda in Hanoi, explore Champa culture in Da Nang and tour Cu Chi underground tunnels in HCM City.

Both sides will also put forward steps to bolster ties between social organisations in particular, thereby realising the agreements reached by the two nations’ leaders.

Vice President of the All-India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) Devi Prasad Tripathi said the festival has lured a large number of Indian people into cementing bilateral relations in different ways.

Tripathi said AIPSO will do its best to satisfy the growing demand of the two people.

He also vowed to stand by millions of the Vietnamese Agent Orange/dioxin victims.

AIPSO General Secretary Pallab Sengupta presented President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong with a certificate of merit in recognition of VUFO’s contributions to bolstering the friendship between the two peoples.

At the event, VIFA Vice President Vu Quang Diem and AIPSO General Secretary Pallab Sengupta conveyed the message of the sixth Vietnam – India people’s friendship festival, which emphasised that the Vietnam – India strategic partnership is a common precious asset of the two nations.

Each Vietnamese and Indian citizen is responsible for treasuring, preserving and bringing into full play that valuable asset, the message said, voicing hopes that the festival will successfully lay down a firm foundation to lift the Vietnam – India strategic partnership to new heights in the future.

Finland-VN music and fashion show organised

A gala dinner with music and fashion performances will be held tomorrow night at Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel, as a part of Viet Nam-Finland Innovation Forum.

The music show will gather quartet GEN9, who will perform classical pieces by European, Finnish and Vietnamese composers.

The fashion titled Ecomia Autumn-Winter Fashion Show will feature four Vietnamese designers namely Vu Tien Manh, Huy Nguyen, Ha Duy and Cuong Belly as well as Finnish designer Hanna Saren from Helsinki.

The fashion show is themed sustainability, ecology and looking forward to future.

The music show will start at 6.30pm while fashion show will start at 8pm at the hotel, 1 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hoan Kiem District.

Entrance is free.

Phu Yen kicks off special art show

A performance called "Welcome to Phu Yen: An Interesting and Friendly Destination" will be held especially for tourists every Saturday night throughout the central coastal province.

Starting at 7.30pm, each performance will last for 45-60 minutes and will include music played on a stone zylophone, the lithophone, Cham dances, folk singing and modern theatre.

The shows will be performed at selected tourist spots in Phu Yen Province, such as Nhan Tower, April 1st Square in Tuy Hoa City and Song Cau Town.

The event will run until the end of 2015.

Buenos Aires learns about Viet Nam

An exhibition of photos and paintings on Viet Nam, its land and people are on display in Buenos Aires City.

The exhibition showcases 30 images taken by various Vietnamese photographers.

Paintings depicting Viet Nam by Argentinean painter Maria Teresa Bobbio are also on display. Bobbio contributed to the Ceramic Road project in 2010 – a decorative tile wall which runs along Yen Phu highway in Ha Noi.

There is also a display of traditional costumes from Vietnamese ethnic groups, as well as some folk paintings thrown in to the mix.

Two Vietnamese films will be shown, namely Canh Dong Hoang (Deserted Field) by director Hong Sen, and Dung Dot (Don't Burn) by Dang Nhat Minh.

This latest cultural week follows on the heels of Vietnamese Culture Days, a programme held in Argentina last month.

In reciprocation next month, an Argentinean cultural week will be organised in Ha Noi and HCM City.

The programme will include a photographic exhibition and a talk on Eva Peron, the renown Argentinean activist who fought for the rights of women and the poor during the 1940s. There will also be a film screening and art shows.

Nghe An communal hub restored

A traditional communal house built in the 18th century in central Nghe An Province has been restored for ritual needs after years of ruin.

According to Nguyen Van Dong, caretaker of the Dong Chau communal house, the restoration was aimed to please local residents and create a hub for community meetings and cultural activities.

Dong said the communal house had been devastated by the wars, but in the post-war period, had become a market place and then a warehouse.

The new building of Dong Chau communal house was developed on old foundations, while original precious items have been returned to the house, including carved wooden altars, incense bowls, a sword, and documents transcribed by kings.

The new house area includes a stele memorating 30 war matyrs who were native to Quang Thai Village. Locals have rallied behind the house's restorating, donating more land around the foundation for the stele's construction, while the village's Council of Elders has engaged personnel to clean the house on a daily basis.

Vo Thi Loan of the province's monuments and landscapes management unit, said the province has 100 communal houses in need of restoration for local rituals and community activities.

The restoration is crucial to preserve traditional culture as well, she said.

Due to limited capital available for restorations in the province, Loan urged for greater focus on houses in critical states and in urgent need of repairs.

Local residents have been encouraged to mobilise available resources, as most residents share the desire of restoration for their communal house, she said.

Vietnamese films screened in Sri Lanka

The Vietnamese Film Festival in Colombo, Sri Lanka was held for the second time from October 19-21.

Vietnamese ambassador to Sri Lanka Ton Sinh Thanh said that five Vietnamese films including Doi Cat (Sand Life), Song trong so hai (Living in fear), Rung Den (Black Forest) and Vua bai rac (The King of Landfills) were screened.

Sri Lankan Minister for Human Resource Dew Gunasekara highlighted the Vietnamese embassy’s efforts in organizing cultural activities to help Sri Lankan people learn more about Vietnam’s land and people.

The Minister said both nations are proud of their time-honoured cultures imbued with national identity and have great potential for boosting cultural cooperation on the basis of mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.

The National Film Corporation (NFC)’s Chairman Asoka Serasinghe, said that both nations have closely cooperated, especially since the Gagan Malik , the main actor of Life of Lord Buddha film and Sri Lanka’s The Light of Asia Foundation returned home after introducing the film in HCM City in early October.

Ambassador Thanh noted that the film festival was part of cultural exchange activities between the two nations in 2013.

Festival creates close link between Vietnamese and Indian

The sixth Vietnam-India people’s friendship festival opened in Hanoi on October 21 with a series of cultural and tour events taking place in the capital city, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Ha Minh Hue, Standing Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association and Vice President of the Vietnam – India Friendship Association (VIFA), said the festival aims to review important milestones in bilateral relations founded by late President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and fostered by generations of leaders and people.

During the six-day event, a talk themed “Vietnam – India cultural exchange” and music performances will be held in the central city of Danang.

The Indian delegation will offer incense at the Indira Gandhi monument and visit Tran Quoc pagoda in Hanoi, explore Champa culture in Danang and tour Cu Chi underground tunnels in HCM City.

Devi Prasad Tripathi, Vice President of the All-India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO), said the festival has inspired the Indian people to engage in improving bilateral relations in different ways.

Tripathi said AIPSO will do its best to provide support for millions of the Vietnamese Agent Orange/dioxin victims.

AIPSO General Secretary Pallab Sengupta presented Vu Xuan Hong, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), with a certificate of merit in recognition of VUFO’s contributions to bolstering the friendship between the two nations.

VIFA Vice President Vu Quang Diem and AIPSO General Secretary Pallab Sengupta conveyed the message of the sixth Vietnam – India people’s friendship festival, which emphasised that the Vietnam – India strategic partnership is a common precious asset of the two nations.

Every Vietnamese and Indian citizen is responsible for treasuring, preserving and bringing into full play that valuable asset, the message said.

New quarterly enlivens art scene in HCM City

About 300 young locals and foreigners stood in queue in front of the restaurant La Brasserie De Saigon last Thursday to join a special party. Each one of them had a new copy of the Saigon Artbook in hand.

Inside the restaurant DJs Demon Slayer and Starchild lit up the decks with original tracks while party-goers checked out works of the Artbook's artists, Sandrine Llouquet, Truc-Anh and Ayano Otani, which were hung on the restaurant's walls.

The first edition of the newly launched quarterly is available at La Brasserie (38 Dong Du, District 1).

The free quarterly aims to "bring art closer to everyone", says the Tuoi Tre Publishing House, which has launched the book.

Each edition catalogues the work of three people living in Ho Chi Minh City, with the underlying aim of promoting innovative and undiscovered artists.

With each entry, a party will be held where visitors can meet fellow art lovers, have a chance to observe the artists' talents and take the art book home as personal souvenir.

The first edition features three artists: Sandrine Llouquet, Truc-Anh and Ayano Otani.

Llouquet, born 1975 in Montpellier, France, has lived in Viet Nam since 2005. The catalog carries a collection of her watercolours on the theme of travelling.

Tangled hair curls, branches of ornamental plants, animals and insects are combined by Otani (Japanese artist) to create somewhat strange portraits.

Truc-Anh a Vietnamese French artist born in 1983, moved to HCM City in 2011.

His photos and still-life installations about the city capture contrasting aspects of the city – the dome of the opera house and a rubbish dump, for instance.

All three artists featured in the first edition of Saigon Artbook say they chose the city as their residence because it has the youthfulness, chaos and spontaneity that they need.

The quarterly can be said to be the brainchild of Alexander McMillan, who taught Shake-speare for many years at international schools in Tokyo and HCM City. A year ago, he decided to shift vocations and become a photographer, opening a studio called AlexbyAlex. He co-operated with a lot of famous brands in their advertising campaigns and the job brought him closer to non-stop HCM City.

He felt that the city needs "something", a closer, easier and more comfortable approach to art for young people, especially students who are keen on art but unaffordable to enjoy it.

So he mooted the idea of the Saigon Artbook as a bridge bringing art to people with the partners of The Other Creative House, a group he was working with.

The first edition of Saigon Artbook, of which 500 copies have been released, carries no advertising and clearly mentions on the back cover that it is not for sale.

The group responsible for bringing it out has no time to rest on their laurels.

They are already busy preparing for the second edition, which is expected to hit the stands in January.

Source: VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri