Air Defence exhibition opens in Hanoi

More than 1,000 documents, photographs and artifacts reflecting the 50-year history of defending national airspace are currently on display at an exhibition at the Air Defence and Air Force Museum.

The exhibition was organised by the Air Defence and Air Force Service to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its traditional day.

Nearly 300 books published in Vietnam and abroad are also featured; along with a series of documentaries and films featuring the establishment, construction and defence processes, as well as the glorious victories won by the Air Defence and Air Force Service.

The month-long event aims to honour the contributions and sacrifices of the Vietnam People’s Army and the Air Defence and Air Force Service in securing national independence and freedom.

The exhibition runs until November 14 at No.173C Truong Chinh Street, Hanoi.

Culture and sports festival opens in Thai Binh

The Thai Binh provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the 23rd traditional culture and sports festival celebrating the centenary of the provincial establishment on October 14.

The festival is in response to National Tourism Year 2013 in the Red River delta which began in Hai Phong in January.

With various activities such as a photo exhibition, an art exchange, film screenings and a rowing contest, it will promote the image of the region and local life as well as improve local people’s spiritual lives.

The festival’s special feature is the performance of folk dances, such as one in Hiep Luc village, An Khue commune, Quynh Phu district, which has resurfaced after falling into oblivion for 80 years.

On the occasion, the department presented certifications of merit to 21 groups with excellent performances in local movements and recognised eight provincial relics.

Nam Dinh seeks national treasure recognition for antiques

The northern province of Nam Dinh is working on dossiers to seek recognition for four local outstanding historical and cultural objects as national treasures.

They include a stone banister and a statue of Buddha Amitabha from the Ly dynasty (1009-1225), a house replica of the Tran dynasty (1226-1400) and a set of censer and candlesticks from the Mac dynasty (1527-1592).

Nam Dinh is home to many precious antiques. In addition to those being preserved and showcased at the provincial museum, collectors from the Thien Truong Antiques Association own thousands of precious items.

The association holds its annual meeting with people in the area on the seventh day of the first lunar month of each year to promote local cultural heritage.

Paris book exhibition delves into Viet Nam's identity in French culture

An exhibition exploring the presence of Viet Nam in French publications has attracted visitors to the Centre of Vietnamese Culture in Paris.

Entitled The Presence of Viet Nam in French Books from 17th Century to 1956, the exhibition showcases more than 100 books about Viet Nam which were printed and published in France over three centuries.

Visitors can inspect documents outlining politics, history and geography in the country, as well as literature works on the relationship between Viet Nam and France.

Among the publications at the exhibition are Le Proces de la Colonisation Française (The Trail of French Colonisation) by Nguyen Ai Quoc [an alias of President Ho Chi Minh) published in 1925, and the Bao Dai: Ou les Derniers Jours de l'Empire d'Annam (Bao Dai: Or the Last Days of the Empire of Annam) by historian Daniel Grandclement.

To commemorate General Vo Nguyen Giap, who passed away on October 4, the exhibition also features French-language publications about the Vietnamese military hero.

All the books and documents were collected since 1984 by scholars and researchers of the Information and Documentation Centre of Contemporary Viet Nam (CID – Centre d'Information et de documentation sur le Viet Nam contemporain) in Paris.

The exhibition runs until October 26.

Website lets theatres pay to play

The Viet Nam Cheo (Traditional Opera) Theatre has just staged a play that the theatre bought the copyright to from the first online play market (www.chokich.vn).

The traditional opera, titled Bac Le Den Thieng (Holy Bac Le Temple), was written by playwright Trieu Trung Kien and co-directed by Vu Ngoc Minh and Le Tuan Cuong. The play features local residents from the northern province of Lang Son, location of the holy temple Bac Le, dedicated to worshipping the Mountain Goddess, who struggled hard during feudal times to preserve their beliefs and hat van (ritual folk singing) performed as a mediumship during rituals.

The play, which was performed on October 9 at Kim Ma Theatre in downtown Ha Noi, drew an audience of hundreds who applauded with delight at the conclusion of each scene.

The traditional opera was staged based on the original play titled Ba Chua Thuong Ngan (Mountain Goddess) by Trieu Trung Kien.

"This is the first play we bought officially from the website introducing new plays," said artist Thanh Ngoan, director of the theatre, "I hope many more plays will be staged this way."

The website www.chokich.vn, the first of its kind, is the brain child of artist Trieu Trung Kien, and the newly created site now features work by nearly 40 playwrights with over 30 new plays.

The website has also established itself as a market of ideas for playwrights and theatres to co-ordinate so that the plays written would be qualified as both literature and theatrical works.

The website has also featured criticism on classical plays for young writers to research.

"The most encouraging sign is that the website has not only gathered experienced writers, but also young ones, especially from the south," said Kien, the website's initiator, "I believe art troupes can select the plays they want."

Ha Noi Opera House hosts four nights of chamber music

German conductor Graham Sutcliffe and Vietnamese pianist Tam Ngoc will kick off a four-night performance of classical music by international and national artists tonight.

Sutcliffe and Ngoc will perform the concert overture The Hebrides, also known as Fingal's Cave, and Piano Concerto No 1 in G minor by Felix Mendelssohn.

The night will be completed with the Viet Nam National Opera and Ballet's performance of ballet Les Sylphides (‘Chopiniana'), a one-act ballet evoking the Romantic Spirit of the sylph in an abstract work.

Tomorrow night under Spanish conductor Gomez Ramirez David, the Ha Noi Symphony Orchestra and Japanese violinist Takeda Anna will perform Johannes Brahms's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No 8.

Thursday and Friday nights will feature a concert programme titled Brahms Cycle. German conductor Jonas Alber, Chinese violinist Zhi Jong Wang and Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra will play three masterpieces by Brahms: Tragic Overture in D minor, Violin Concerto in D major, and the Symphony No 4.

All performances start at 8pm at the Ha Noi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street.

Films to be selected for competition at national festival

Director Dao Ba Son said that from the 19th Vietnam Film Festival the organising board will be selecting films before allowing them to compete at the event.

The 19th Vietnam Film Festival is scheduled to take place in HCM City in 2015, added Director Son, Head of the Feature Film category at the award ceremony.

According to the director, at least one third of the films attending this year’s festival are of 'good quality', with those made by non-state commercially run studios accounting for many of them. He hailed the quality of private films such as Đường đua (the Race), Thiên mệnh anh hùng (Natural Destiny Hero), Lửa Phật (Monk on fire) and Bí mật thảm đỏ (Secrets of red carpet).

He admitted, however, that a large number of other commercial films have been deemed disasters. Their producers only think of profits, he said, and to not invest properly. These kinds of films cannot be successful even though, he added that a comedy films do attract large audiences.

The head of the Vietnam Film Festival organising board, Ngo Phuong Lan, said the board may be changing regulations for the 19th festival, as the number of films registered is expected to increase gradually.

At previous festivals, producers were allowed to send their films to the organisers, but at the next festival may include different formats.

Films submitted to compete in the 18th National Film Festival this year faced public criticism for their poor quality, including "Five fairies in the house" (Năm nàng tiên trong ngôi nhà), "Princess & Cinderella" (Hoàng tử và lọ lem), "Passion" (Đam mê), "Hot Sand" (Cát nóng) and "Love Puzzle" (Cưới ngay kẻo lỡ), but still competed at this year’s festival.

The 18th Vietnam Film Festival kicks off on October 14 in Ha Long city in the northern province of Quang Ninh, with screenings of 139 cinematic works from 44 studios across the country.

Jessica Minh Anh on Vietnam Supermodel Contest jury

Jessica Minh Anh of Vietnamese origin will join the final round of Vietnam Supermodel Contest 2013 as a jury member for the first time.

The final night will be live broadcast on VTV3 channel in Ho Chi Minh City at 9.15pm on October 20.

Minh Anh is the director of J Model Management-a famous fashion company in the UK.

She organized the J Summer Fashion Show in Savoy, London in 2011 and other events on the Costa Atlantica cruise ship in Dubai and at Petronas Twin Towers’ Skybridge in Malaysia in the following year.

Later, Minh Anh gave audiences a completely new experience by turning the Le Jean Bruel boat on the river bank of Seine in Paris into a floating catwalk stage and organizing an impressive J Autumn Fashion Show on Tower Bridge in London.

She has been regularly invited to London Fashion Week, Britian’s Next Top Model Live, and Clothes Show Live.     

In 2012, Jessica Minh Anh was on the jury of the Miss Great Britain pageant final.

Vietnam Film Festival opens in Quang Ninh

The 18th Vietnam Film Festival opened in Halong City in the northern province of Quang Ninh on October 14.

Present the opening ceremony were Hoang Tuan Anh, Minister of Culutre, Sports and Tourism and head of the film festival steering committee, Tran Binh Minh, General Director of Vietnam Television and head of the organizing board, and many leaders of Quang Ninh province.

The festival themed “Vietnam’s Cinematography: Nation, Humanity, Creativity, Integration” includes various activities such as the “Cinematography with Quang Ninh” exhibition, the “Cinematography with Quang Ninh and tourism promotion through cinematography” workshop, and a seminar on cooperation in film production and publication, and an exchange between Vietnamese artists and local audiences.

The 18th event draws the participation of 44 cinematographic units across the country with 139 entries, including 23 narrative films, 6 video movies, 10 documentaries, 62 video documentaries, 12 scientific films and 26 animations.

Nguyen Van Doc, Chairman of the Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee, said this is the first time a national level film festival has been organized to mark the 50th founding anniversary of the province.

The same day, leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and artists offered incense at the Halong City Martyrs Monument. After that, they attended the opening of the “Cinematography with Quang Ninh” exhibition.

The 18th Vietnam Film Festival will close on October 16.

Poor quality films weaken record entries for film fest

There have been a record number of entries for the 18th National Film Festival that has opened in Ha Long City.

However, according to Ngo Phuong Lan, director of the ministry of culture's Cinematography Department, not many are noteworthy.

The opening of the festival was broadcast live on Viet Nam Television.

The festival will feature 139 films competing for Golden Lotus Awards for the best feature films, science documentaries and animations.

Among the 23 feature-film entries, the most highly anticipated area, only some are said to be of particular interest, including Thien Menh Anh Hung (Blood Letter), Bi Mat Tham Do (Scandal), Duong Dua (The Race), Nhung Nguoi Viet Huyen Thoai (The Legend Makers), and Lac Loi (Lost).

Among them, the Blood Letter by Vietnamese-American director Victor Vu, and Bui Tuan Dung's The Legend Makers are reportedly strong candidates for an award.

A story about the royal family during the Nguyen dynasty, the Blood Letter, focuses on the only son, Nguyen Vu, who has difficulty surviving after his family is massacred. It won eight awards at the Lotus Award 2012.

Another strong competitor, The Legend Makers, depicts one of the most vibrant periods in the country's history - the construction of an oil pipeline along the Truong Son mountain range by General Dinh Duc Thien and his soldiers.

Produced by an experienced crew, the film is a weighty candidate for best feature film, and best director, script and cameraman, according to The thao&Van hoa (Sports&Culture) newspaper.

Noted director Pham Nhue Giang's latest work Lac Loi (Lost), which explores love, family and social disorder, is also considered a potential candidate. It received a silver prize at the Golden Prize Awards 2012.

However, An Ninh Thu Do (City's Security) newspaper said that Lost had little chance of winning because it had not proved popular with audiences.

In the feature category, most entries were produced by private film makers, but were considered by local media as disasters. They include Cat Nong (Hot Sand), Dam Me (Passion), San Dan Ong (Hunt for Men), Hit: Hoang Tu va Lo Lem (Hit: Prince and Cinderella), and Ranh Gioi Trang Den (Line between Black and White).

"The participation of low-quality movies will not only lower the value and significance of the film festival, but also the prestige of this important playing ground for the national cinema industry," said director Giang.

Awards will be announced tomorrow evening at a closing ceremony broadcast live at 8pm on Viet Nam Television.

Five-star hotel recognised for preserving bomb shelter

UNESCO presented an official plaque to the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi on October 14, reconising its achievements in conserving the Lost Bomb Shelter.

The Chief of Culture of the UNESCO Bankok office and Chair of the Heritage Awards Jury Panel, Tim Curtis, handed the plaque to hotel General Manager Clive Scott, along with certificates of recognition to the core members of the conservation project team during an awards ceremony in Hanoi.

The bomb shelter, which has revealed another layer to the hotel’s rich history, was granted an Honourable Mention in the 2013 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards to Cultural Heritage Conservation. It was used as a shelter for VIP guests, including the famous American singer Joan Baez, during the American air war against northern Vietnam, but had lain forgotten for many years since.

In its assessment, the jury praised the thoughtful approach taken throughout the restoration, “Forgotten for decades until its rediscovery in 2011, the bomb shelter has been preserved in its original condition, with the unobtrusive addition of new mechanical and electrical installations to allow the space to be accessible and safe for public viewing. Through its sensitive approach and thoughtful interpretation, the project provides a rare glimpse into an important chapter of Vietnamese contemporary history.”

The 2013 UNESCO Heritage Awards also granted the Award of Merit to the restoration of historical buildings in Duong Lam Village in Hanoi’s suburban Son Tay district.

Young OV piano talent wins Australia ABC awards

Vietnamese-born pianist Pham Minh Hoang has been given first prize at the Young Performers Awards (YPA) organised by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The 28-year-old was one of the best contestants to enter the final round of the YPA held in Melbourne, Australia, on October 12.

Pham won the championship title after performing “Concerto No. 1” by Tchaikovsky together with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Born in Vietnam and growing up in Australia, he had been hailed by the Australia press as a Vietnamese origin music prodigy when he was just 5 years old.

As a student of Australia’s renowned piano teacher Rita Reichman over the past ten years, Pham has won many big music prizes such as the Lev Vlassenko Award in 2005 and Best Australian Pianist in an International Piano Contest in Sydney in 2008.