Make-up melee mars Miss Vietnam 2014

The organisers of Miss Vietnam came under criticism this year for their choice to give the crown to Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, who, although she did very well during the interview, received screeching objections from many who did not like her make up.

A large portion of the Vietnamese audience expressed their disappointment after Duyen was named Miss Vietnam 2014 and suggested that the first runner-up, Nguyen Tran Huyen My, from Hanoi, should have won.

In response, Le Canh Nhac, a poet and head of the panel of judges, claimed that the judges rate contestants objectively, using a process based on certain criteria. Face, voice, communication skills and manner make up for 40% of the overall score, while performance and behaviour account for the rest.

"We are satisfied that we made the right decision. The audience only has a glance at the contestants on stage, while the judges have the opportunity to interact with them. Ky Duyen gained the highest score," said Nhac.

Among the newly-crowned Miss Vietnam's critics are a number of make up artists. One of them, Lilian Tran, said, “Ky Duyen has an elegant, typically Asian beauty, but her make-up diminished her beauty on the final night.”

Duyen, who decided to enter the pageant just after passing her university entrance exam, had only three months to prepare, reacted to her critics modestly, saying, “I had never worn a pair of high-heels on stage before the contest, so I lack experience. I’ll try to improve myself in the future.”

Expat theatre group presents Snow White

Saigon Players, an English-language theatre group, will stage a British-style pantomime Snow White and the Seven Nguyens written and directed by Emily Huckson and Heather Robinson.

The play is a spoof production based on the fairy tale Snow White.

The group will stage the play on December 13 and 14 at Vista Walk, 628C Ha Noi Highway in District 2. The show will begin at 3pm and 5.30pm each day.

Asian jazz orchestra seeks recruits

The Japan Foundation started organising a jazz orchestra for young Asian musicians, and will offer participants the opportunity to participate in rehearsal camps in Tokyo and perform throughout Asia.

Through international exchange and collaboration, the foundation hopes to train rising talents and to encourage them to network internationally.

In the long run, the Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra hopes to become a platform for young musicians to work together on new music and help them launch their careers.

Students, professional musicians and other interested people between 18 and 26 years old (as of September 2015), who live in ASEAN countries, must send their applications and audition files by e-mail to Jun Kawai at jun – kawai@jpf.org.vn, before January 5. For more detailed information, please visit jpf.org.vn.

German duo play three roles in HCM City

Trio A Due from Germany will kick off its first tour in HCM City with a free concert at the city's Conservatory of Music tomorrow.

Founded in 1993, the duo consists of Dr Almut Seebeck as soprano and Felicitas Weyer as mezzo-soprano and pianist. The two met at Wurzburg University while Seebeck studied medicine and voice, and Weyer studied piano and lied (song) accompaniment.

Seebeck, moderator of the duo, says they actually play the role of three people (two voices and one pianist) on stage.

The duo will perform 15 songs composed by Purcell, Handel, Schumann, Dvorak and Lehar, and there will be a collection of songs with melodies from old Italian arias, romantic lied (German romantic songs), gypsy songs, Celtic traditionals, Yiddish songs and jazz songs.

The free concert will begin at 8pm at 112 Nguyen Du Street in District 1. Their next concert will be at the Erato School of Music and Performing Arts in District 7 next Friday. They will also host a workshop on music therapy at the school on Sunday.

Kilomet 109 to launch sustainable designs

Kilomet 109 will launch its sustainable fashion line, SEEDS, at Manzi Art Space tomorrow at 8pm.

The new line uses traditional textiles and techniques to create contemporary, elegant men's and women's collections.

To create SEEDS, Kilomet 109 designers worked with local artisans from Viet Nam's northern mountainous regions to incorporate endangered methods of fabric dyeing, weaving and embroidery, aiming to help preserve the practices.

The installation portion of the SEEDS exhibition was constructed in a three-dimensional format, integrating all the raw materials and techniques used to design the garments. Illustrations lay out the recipes and ingredients used to make the pigments and dyes.

The SEEDS installation series will be displayed at Manzi, 14 Phan Huy Ich Street, until December 30.

Live acts to celebrate CAMA ATK anniversary

CAMA ATK will kick off its three-day third birthday celebration tonight with live experimental music by Pinnochio's Moment of Clarity, a band from Mumbai.

The venue, 73A Mai Hac De Street, will also present a selection of short films created by local filmmaker and photographer Alisher Sharip, including Hanoian Shaman and Ao Toi – The Vietnamese Leave Coat.

Tomorrow two brothers from Florida, Andy and Edwin White, will perform. The Ha Noi-based Clutter Collective will also take the stage tomorrow night.

On Saturday, Jon Kennedy will DJ in Viet Nam for the first time, offering attendees a 90s hip-hop dance party.

Caravelle Hotel wins Golden Spoon contest

Chefs from Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City won the first prize at the Golden Spoon Contest 2014, which ended in the southern province of Binh Duong on December 10.

The champion received 1 billion VND (47,000 USD) in cash and a trophy while the runners-ups, including Ho Tram Strip in southern Vung Tau city, Hyatt Regency Danang in central Da Nang city and Sun Way Hotel in Hanoi, each got a prize worth 100 million VND.

The cooking contest, co-organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Binh Duong-based Minh Long I Company, attracted the participation of 140 teams from hotels and restaurants nationwide.

The competition, in its second year, aimed to seek talented chiefs who can bring Vietnamese dishes on a par with international ones as well as honour traditional dishes of each region across Vietnam .

Last year, the Intercontinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Da Nang city won the highest award at the contest.

International Typographic Exhibition winners display their works

An International Typographic Exhibition of the New York Type Directors Club will take place in HCM City tomorrow, which marks the fifth return of the exhibition in Viet Nam.

The four-day event at the HCM City Exhibition Centre in District 1 is an annual exhibition that displays winning entries of the competition, which is held by Type Directors Club every year.

The exhibition organised by Richard Moore Associates, FPT Arena and Ha Noi Goethe Institute will introduce more than 200 winning works from 20 countries, including the US, Germany, Australia, Canada, China, England, France, India, Japan, Korea and the Netherlands.

The entries range from printed matter and packaging to logos and movie titles, where visitors can find new inspiration and see the latest international design trends.

Admission is free. In Ha Noi, the exhibition was held on November 20-25. Last year, the exhibition in Ha Noi broke an attendance record for the Club with over 1,000 visitors including designers, art directors, editors, marketers, students and others.

Founded in 1946, the Type Directors Club is the leading international organisation dedicated to the support of excellence in typography both in print and on the screen.

Pilot Muong Ceramics creations on show

The gallery Module 7 will display a collection pottery works from a pilot art project called Muong Ceramics, starting tomorrow.

The two artists whose work is being exhibited, Trinh Vu Hieu and Vu Duc Hieu, used traditional materials like clay, water, glaze and ash, as well as hand-building techniques. The items will be shown alongside other products designed and made in traditional craft villages. The display blends long-standing, traditional artisanal know-how with modern art influences.

Muong Ceramics is a product of Muong Studio of Ceramics, which opened in September as part of a residency programme for Vietnamese and international artists.

The Muong Ceramics showcase will run until December 18 at Module 7, 83 Xuan Dieu Street.

Day of Dance supports underprivileged youth

Dancenter in cooperation with KOTO (Know One –Teach One), an Australian-Vietnamese charity for underprivileged youth in Viet Nam, will host Day of Dance on December 14.

The event will open with workshops on jazz, hip hop and zumba dance. There will be a choreography competition and mini dance show. Kids will have chances to take photos with Santa Claus.

Entry for the event is a donation and all proceeds will go to KOTO.

The workshops will begin at 2.30pm at Dancenter, 53 Nguyen Van Giai Street in District 2.

Five local bands to rock the city

Five rock bands, Black Infinity, White Noiz, Hac San, Seismic Origin and 9th Dimension, will play at a music concert Noise to the World on December 13 at Cargo Bar.

Activities like tattoos, show painting and a street magic show will also be featured at the show.

The concert will take place from 4pm to 10pm at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4.

Vietnamese and Korean artists show diversity and charm of traditional music

A joint concert featuring GongMyoung arts group from the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Binh Minh (Sunrise) Ensemble from Vietnam was held at the Au Co Performing Arts Centre in Hanoi on December 9.

The concert was co-organised by the Korea Foundation, a public entity affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Korea, and the RoK Embassy in Hanoi to celebrate the ASEAN - Korea Commemorative Summit, on December 11-12, 2014 in Busan, Korea.

Entitled ‘Time and Space in Harmony’, the concert was intended to create a harmony between the two different cultures in spite of limitations in time and geographic distance, said Park Kyoung Chul, Director of Korea Foundation Hanoi Office.

The theme of the event also conveyed the message that traditional arts should not only be preserved but should also be innovated and developed through time and space, he added.

The Vietnamese representative opened the concert with Vietnamese compositions deeply imbued with echoes of the Central Highlands region, including ‘Ru Em Tay Nguyen’ (Lullaby in Central Highlands), ‘Tay Nguyen Vay Goi’ (A Call from Central Highlands), and ‘Canh Chim Mat Troi’ (The Sun’s Bird).

The group’s members, coming from the Vietnam National Academy of Music, brought excitement to the audiences by bringing rhythmic energy to traditional music through blending harmonious sounds of Vietnam’s traditional instruments such as T’rung xylophone, bamboo flute and the two-chord guitar.

Listeners were also provided an opportunity to enjoy ‘hat van’ (invocation singing), a Vietnamese rhythmic form of singing that often accompanies ‘hau dong’ (mediumship) during rituals to honour the Mother Goddess, accompanied by electric guitar in a very innovative way.

Meanwhile, GongMyoung delighted the audiences with refreshing performances, conveying different moods from profound experiences to a lively and playful atmosphere.

The Korean artists amazed the audiences by bringing together bamboo musical instruments in an ensemble to present a joyful piece, and re-interpreting classical Korean music in a modern way.

They also generated big wows and cheers from attendees, particularly children, by interacting with them through a performance, playing a flute made from a part of water pipe and an empty water bottle serving as a drum.

Their performances reaffirmed that it is creativity which enables traditional musical groups to survive in today’s rapidly changing digital and global age.

Artists from the two groups also shared the stage in two joint performances of Vietnam’s ‘Chiec Khan Pieu’ (Pieu Scarf) and RoK’s TongHeaYa.

The joint performances reaffirmed that in spite of language barrier, people from different countries still can communicate, make friends, and share emotional experiences through the common language of music.

Dong Van Minh, a member of Binh Minh group, said there are many Korean musical instruments that have similarities with Vietnamese ones, such as percussions and flutes.

He also highly appreciated the creativity of Korean colleagues in utilising the unlimited possibilities of the bamboo.

“This is the fourth time we have performed in Vietnam, and this is a meaningful event for us as for the first time, we have had a chance to perform and share our love for traditional music with Vietnamese artists,” said Park Seung Won from the Gong Myong.

He also expressed his hope for further development of cultural exchanges between artists from the two countries.

GongMyoung group will present their solo performance to audiences in Ho Chi Minh City on December 12 at Ben Thanh Theatre.

Rolex calls for entries to Rolex Awards for Enterprise 2016

Rolex has officially announced to receive entries to the Rolex Awards for Enterprise 2016 to mark the program’s 40th anniversary.

A panel of judges will single out 10 exceptional individuals who have pioneering projects benefiting the world for five Laureate Awards and five Young Laureate Awards.

Each laureate will receive 100,000 Swiss francs while each young laureate will get 50,000 Swiss francs to advance their projects. They will also benefit from worldwide publicity and receive a Rolex chronometer.

The Awards are open to anyone over 18 years of age from any nation whose project can help expand the world’s knowledge and improve the quality of life.

Projects are categorized into the areas of science and health, applied technology, exploration and discovery, the environment and cultural heritage.

Candidates for the awards can submit their project ideas in a short online pre-application by May 31 next year. Only those pre-applicants who meet the criteria will be chosen by Rolex for consideration and invited to submit a full application later.

For further information, visit rolexawards.com.