Lai Huong Thao to compete in Miss World 2013

Lai Huong Thao will represent Vietnam at the sixty third Miss World 2013 beauty contest, to be held in Bali Bay, Indonesia from September 3- 28.

This year’s competition expects to attract 128 contestants from countries and territories across the globe.

Over the past few days, Huong Thao and her film crew have been preparing in every way possible for the beauty contest.

The 22-year-old student, who was crowned Miss Sports 2012, is 1.7 metres tall and weighs 50kg, with measurements of 89 - 60 - 90.

She also took part in the Miss Supranational 2012 in Poland and won the Miss Asia & Oceania continental title as well as the Miss St. George Hospitality award.

This is the eleventh time Vietnam has sent its beauties to compete in Miss World. Many of them joined tops including PhamThi Mai Huong (top 20), Nguyen Thi Huyen (top 15), Mai Phuong Thuy (top 17), Huong Giang (top 16).

Arabesque opens Tich Tac to mark National Day

A poster from contemporary dance event Tich Tac by Arabesque dance company - Photo: Courtesy of organizers

Arabesque’s contemporary dance production Tich Tac debuts at HCMC Opera House at 8 p.m. on Sunday and Monday to mark National Day.

The show was created by choreographers Ngoc Khai, Bao Trung, Thanh Phuong and is performed by To Nhu, Ngoc Khai, Bao Trung, Thanh Phong, Hai Anh, Thuy Van, Mai Thao, Quynh Ly, Huu Thuan, Anh Khoa and artists of Arabesque.

Soprano Ngoc Tuyen performs alongside famous pieces of Johann Sebastian Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Fashion designer Cong Tri, sculptor Thuy Hang and sandy painting artist Tri Duc will be responsible for stage design and costumes.

Arabesque dance troupe plans to tour the U.S to promote Vietnamese dance to international friends as part of the program Center Stage SM to bolster cultural exchanges between the countries.

Young actress faces fine for sexy dancing at bar

Model and actress Angela Phuong Trinh, 18, may be fined for wearing a skimpy costume while performing a sexy pole dance at a bar in Hanoi, one official said.

Nguyen Dang Chuong, Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Art Performing Department made the statement following the artist’s performance on August 22 in the capital city which stirred up public criticism.

“Artists who wear revealing costumes or disguise themselves as singers at bars will be fined in accordance with  government Decree 75. After being fined, those who fail to correct their mistakes will be banned from performing,” Chuong said.

Despite possessing a simple singing voice, Phuong Trinh has recently stirred up public concerns by uploading sexy pole dancing videos on the Internet.

“We’ve assigned the departments of culture, sports and tourism to oversee art performances in locations under their jurisdiction.” he noted.

Angela Phuong Trinh may be fined for wearing a skimpy costume while performing a sexy pole dance at a bar in Hanoi.

To Van Dong, Director of Hanoi municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that they are working with the owner of the bar where Phuong Trinh performed recently before making a final decision about punishment for the bar.

“Phuong Trinh’s sexy pole dance is not suitable for Vietnamese traditional culture,” Do commented.

According to him, after being informed that Phuong Trinh would perform at another bar in the capital on August 24, they assigned some police to cover the performance, but the bar cancelled the show at the last minute.

He added that since Phuong Trinh lives in HCM City, they would ask the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to decide the fine.

After facing serious public criticism, Phuong Trinh said, “I find nothing wrong with my costume. It’s really nice and sexy and quite suitable for an art performance. I don’t think it’s skimpy.”

Phuong Trinh became famous as an actress and model when she was a little girl. She only started to sing recently.

Recently, public concerns have been raised after they discovered that Phuong Trinh dropped-out of school when she was a ninth-grade student.

She was also criticised for claiming the luxury houses and cars of others as her own in order to gain popularity.

Exhibition highlights Cham culture

Over 400 pictures and objects depicting the unique culture of the Cham ethnic group are being displayed in Phan Rang-Thap Cham city of the southern province of Ninh Thuan at an exhibition that opened on August 27.

Most of the exhibits were donated by Nguyen Van May, a member of the UNESCO Antiques Research and Collection Club in Lam Dong province, including Cham household utensils, manufacturing tools, instruments, offerings and jewellery.

A collection of precious Champa antiques are also on show, said director of the Ninh Thuan Research Centre for Cham Culture (NRCCC) Dang Nang Tho.

The exhibition creates a chance for domestic collectors and researchers to work with the centre to study, preserve and uphold the valuable culture of the Cham ethnic community.

The NRCCC and the Centre for Religion and Civic Culture used the occasion to sign a cooperative agreement to conduct research on Cham ethnic people from now to 2020 with a vision towards 2030.

Promoting Vietnam’s image in Germany

The Vietnamese embassy in Berlin on August 25 introduced Vietnam’s culture to international visitors at Germany’s “Open Days” programme.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) invited more than 50 nations, mostly from South America, Africa and Asia and some non-governmental organizations to participate in the event. Each nation had a pavilion to introduce their profile.

The Vietnamese pavilion attracted local German visitors (Photo:tintuc)

The Vietnamese pavilion impressed visitors with traditional handicraft products such as conical hats, bamboo and rattan items, as well as publications highlighting Vietnamese culture and people.

Vietnamese artists also gave performances on musical instruments, including the monochord, 16-chord zither and T’rung of Central Highlanders.

Visiting the Vietnamese pavilion, Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, recalled his visit to Vietnam last year and said Germany is very keen on strengthening the time-honoured friendship and cooperation with Vietnam.

Within the “Open Days” Programme, BMZ leaders and ambassadors held seminars and enjoyed art performances and short film screenings.  

Hue hosts exhibition of rare stamps

An exhibition of more than 1,000 postal stamps is being held at the Hue Cultural Museum in the Central province of Hue City.

The exhibits have been contributed by 12 collectors, namely, ‘Image of Uncle Ho on Vietnamese and World postal stamp, from 1946 to now’; ‘Envelopes-Messengers of Life’; ‘Architecture of ancient Asian Pagoda’; ‘Wildlife Protection’; and ‘Dien Bien Phu Victory’.

Also on display at the museum are kites by artisan Nguyen Dang Hoang.

The event will run until September 10.

Exhibition of Zen paintings raises fund for charity

An exhibition of Zen paintings by Zen master Phap Hanh opened at the Pho Quang Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City.

The exhibition features more than 70 pictures by the Zen master, and of painters such as Luong Quoc Thang, Vy Tran and Le Phuong.

The proceeds from the sale of the paintings will go to ‘Share Your Love’ charitable organization to support disadvantaged people in remote areas of the country.

Zen master Phap Hanh is a great name in the field of Zen painting. To date, he has created about 500-600 canvases, covering a wide range of subjects.

With having spent 30 years in a religious life, the monk has participated in many charity activities in the last 13 years, donating his art works for the purpose.

‘So You Think You Can Dance’ show kicks off

The second season of the Vietnamese version of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ will kick off in August.

The semi-final round will be aired on HTV7, HN1, CVTV1, DRT, Giai Tri TV and YanTV Channels last week.

The program is called ‘Thu Thach Cung Buoc Nhay’ in Vietnamese and jointly held by Ho Chi Minh City Television and Dong Tay Promotion Media Company.

Audiences will meet contestants who were not lucky in the first season and who will return in this year’s show, such as Nguyen Duc Binh, Lan Anh, Hong Quan and Duong Manh Hoa.

Hoa Duc Cong who left the show in the first season, because of a kidney ailment, will return to the program. Sponsors have supported him with VND800 million for his expected kidney transplant surgery.

The organizers also gave priority to To Linh, 14, who is paralyzed on one side of her body. She will have a chance to take part in the semi-final round in Ho Chi Minh City.

RoK, ASEAN increase cultural cooperation

The Republic of Korea (RoK) will hold a series of events this September in an effort to promote cultural exchange with members of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The RoK Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on August 27 that it will hold the first meeting of RoK-ASEAN culture ministers, an Asian journalists’ forum and a performance of an orchestra composed of various traditional musical instruments of the countries among others in Gwangju city, 329 km south of Seoul.

These events aim to promote the Asian Culture Complex, a national multipurpose cultural facility now under construction, which is part of a broader government project to develop the city into a cultural hub in Asia.

The culture ministers’ meeting will be held on September 6 to discuss ways to further cultural cooperation among the countries.

RoK Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong will meet with his counterparts from the 10 ASEAN member nations to discuss how to lay the ground for cultural cooperation and develop Asian culture.

Journalists covering cultural issues in 14 Asian countries, including the RoK, Japan and China , will gather at a forum on September 5 to talk about the role of mass media for the prosperity of Asian culture.

On the same day, visitors to Gwangju can see a rare performance of an orchestra composed of 54 sorts of different traditional musical instruments of the RoK and the Southeast Asian countries.