Wide range of activities honour Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day

A series of cultural activities to welcome the ninth Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23) kicked off in the Kim Ngan Communal House in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

The highlight of the activities is an exhibition of paintings by architect Hoang Dao Kinh, who has been participating actively in many projects to preserve and restore historical relic sites and cultural heritages in Hanoi.

On display are 39 works depicting the beauty of old streets, ancient villages and landscapes in the city. The exhibition will run until December 20.

On the same day, the Municipal Old Quarter Management Board is organising performances of Ca Tru ceremonial singing, which was recognised the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO in 2009.

These shows are taking place from November 20-23 in the Kim Ngan Communal House and the Old Quarter Information Centre at No. 28 Hang Buom Street.-

German Ball hits city on Saturday

The German Ball Saigon 2013 will be held from 7 p.m. onwards on Saturday at the Grand Ballroom of the five-star InterContinental Asiana Saigon Hotel in District 1.

The event is organized by the German Business Association in Vietnam, the German Industry and Commerce (GIC/AHK) and TerraVerde Travel. Participants can savor some vintage champagne accompanied by a four-course dinner and music performances by German bands and dancers.

Especially, there is a silent auction to raise funds for three social organizations - Newborns Vietnam & Cycle a Difference, The Orphanages and Master One Trade program of the Saigon Times Foundation.

Additionally, the organizers will also host a dance class in District 2 conducted by DanceSpace and German International School for those who wish to improve their moves.

It is expected that around 350 VIP guests will attend the event that has sponsorship from BMW, Schenker, Turkish Airlines, van Laack, Messer, Vina Securities, and Bosch, among others.

“We want to honor the German community as well as locals with a unique event besides the popular Oktoberfest. The event will have the participation of two well-known bands Backhaus Music Company and Princess Cut and artist Michael Birkenfeld and promises to bring audiences an impressive ball,” said Marko Walde, head of GIC/member of the organizing committee, in a statement.

For further information and bookings, contact the organizers on 0909 023 006 or email to info@german-ball-saigon.com or visit the website www.german-ball-saigon.com.

The InterContinental Asiana Saigon Hotel is located at the corner of Le Duan Boulevard and Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1.

More antiquities handed over to Lao Cai museum

Several artefacts from the Dong Son culture, which existed about 2,000 years ago, were handed over to Lao Cai Museum on November 20.

The antiques, including two bronze drums and a bronze pot, were unearthed by local residents during site clearance for the construction of the Lao Cai-Cam Duong newurban area.

The patterns of the drums are similar to those found on other Dong Son artefacts unearthed across the country, according to museum experts.

Some of the newly discovered objects are the first ever to be found in the northern region and their names and uses remain mysterious.

Lao Cai Museum is now preserving hundreds of artefacts, including 32 bronze drums (seven of which are undamaged). Others include bronze pots, jars and iron knives with bronze handles.

These antiques have been dated to around 2,500 years ago.

AmCham Family Day for Ecopark

To escape the pressures of city life and relax in the great outdoors, everyone is invited to join the AmCham Family Day event, hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce.

Scheduled for 10am to 3pm this Saturday, the event will take place at Summer Park, within the Ecopark residential area.

Adults will have a chance to enjoy live music while sipping a cold beer or soft drink.

Children will receive free admission to the Kolorado game centre, where they can enjoy rock climbing, tunnels, games, ball pits, and much more. Adults and children who

wish to take a spin around the park and surrounding community can make use of the hourly bicycle rental option.

Free shuttle bus transportation will be provided to and from the Ecopark on a first-come-first-served basis. Attendees can bring their friends, family, and colleagues.

Admission is free, but online registration at www.amchamhanoi.com is required.

Walking tour is guide to medicine shops

Individuals interested in learning to exploit natural therapies for various illnesses and conditions will be treated to a comprehensive introduction to the subject this Saturday.

The Friends of Viet Nam Heritage (FVH) will host a walking tour, conducted in English, in the Lan Ong Street area of the Old Quarter, which is famous for its abundance of traditional medicine shops.

During the two-hour tour, which starts at 2 p.m., a well-known local herbalist, Ms. Bieu, will teach attendees the uses of various traditional medicines. The tour will conclude with a briefing on the medicines covered.

The group will gather outside the Joma Bakery Cafe on 22 Ly Quoc Su Street. To register, contact Tra My at trmy.nguyen@gmail.com.

Australian, French garage rockers to perform

Australian garage rockers Dead Farmers will present a show at the Darts Darts Darts club tonight, supported by local bands Kill the Whale and The 67's as also local DJs.

The show will start at 8pm at 224 Pasteur in District 3.

On Sunday, another garage rock band, Departure Kids, from France will play at the Cargo Bar with the support of local DJs.

The show will start at 7.30pm at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4. Tickets are available at www.ticketbox.vn.

HIWC charity bazaar returns again

The largest and most colourful family fun day and charity event on the calendar for the capital city is now returning for its 22nd year. Taking place on Sunday on the grounds

of the UNIS in Ciputra, the bazaar reserves room for country community and charity institutions as well as social enterprises, alongside commercial stands. A full day of entertainment, with international performers, is planned for both the young and the old.

Last year, the Hanoi International Women's Club Charity Bazaar attracted 150 tents and saw participation from 33 countries and communities as well as 9,000 visitors. The event raised nearly VND2.5 billion (US$120,000) in support of a number of projects with the humanitarian objective of improving the lives of women and children in northern Viet Nam.

This year's event will run from 10am to 3pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance from JAFA, G2-G3 Ciputra; Jaspas, 49 Hai Ba Trung Street; Kitchen, 30 To Ngoc Van Street; Oasis, 24 Xuan Dieu Street; and Pure Heaven, 55 Xuan Dieu Street.

Charity bazaar to support needy people

The HCM City Consular Club will host its 20th annual International Charity Bazaar at the White Palace Convention Centre on Saturday.

The event will include a wide range of international goods and foods, and a grand raffle with each prize valued at more than US$100.

Santa Claus will put in an appearance and photos taken with children and adults.

All proceeds from the bazaar will be used to help less fortunate people in the community.

The event will run from 9.30am to 2pm at 194 Hoang Van Thu Street in Phu Nhuan District.

Rap news bulletin draws crowds

One week since it was officially uploaded on YouTube, a news bulletin featuring a rap music style continues to attract high numbers of viewers.

For the first time,VietnamPlus has brought relaxing music to the news, with current events being presented by professional rappers backed by rap music.

The bulletin starts with local news, focusing on current issues in the healthcare and traffic sectors, before moving on to world news. The 2.54-minute bulletin wraps up withdomestic and international sports news.

"We recorded one million views during the first two days of the broadcast," VietnamPlus editor-in-chief Le Quoc Minh said.

Minh initiated the delivery of 'rap news' after viewing a similar but significantly longer type of broadcast by a Senegal activist speaking at a conference in France recently.

Upon approving the concept, Minh made the move to customise the genre.

"We are working with a local rap band, Da Lab, to produce it," Minh stated. "It's like a rap song, so it shouldn't be longer than four minutes. If it's too long, viewers will soon get fed up with it."

Minh noted that a representative from YouTube Vietnam had contacted him to create a special channel broadcasting rap news bulletins.

The first bulletin was launched on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of VietnamPlus, an online news services supplier for Vietnam News Agency.

According to Minh, a new bulletin will be released every two weeks. The first edition of this rap news bulletin can be viewed at http://youtu.be/yRnH8hg63Ck. –

Exhibition features Vietnamese pastime of kite flying

A kite exhibition opened on November 19 at the Culture-Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups in Dong Mo, Son Tay, Hanoi.

Works on display include documents, artifacts, and typical kites of the regions of Vietnam and other countries in Asia.

The event is part of the ‘Kites in Vietnamese cultural life’ programme, which aims to introduce visitors to kite flying – a traditional pastime of Vietnamese people – and to the creativity and skill of kite makers.

Under the theme ‘Sharing the Sky’, the programme features a mass kite performance on the evening of November 20 by members of 12 clubs from 10 cities and provinces.

Colourful kites in many shapes and sizes will be lifted high into the sky and accompanied by sound and lights.

Visitors will also have a chance to take part in folk games and to construct and decorate kites under the instruction of artisans.

A display of 42 traditional costumes from Vietnamese ethnic groups also opened at the village yesterday. Weaving and embroidery products in various patterns and materials are on display, reflecting the development of Vietnamese clothing over time.

The two exhibitions are part of the ongoing ‘Great National Solidarity – Vietnam Cultural Heritage’ Week, held from November 18 to 24 to honor Vietnamese cultural identity.

Mezcal Jazz Unit returns to Hanoi

Jazz lovers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will have a chance to hear French band Mezcal Jazz Unit once more at a special concert entitled ‘Friends Reunited’.

The two special jazz nights will unfold at the Sofitel Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and the French Cultural Centre (L’Espace) in Hanoi on November 26 and 27.

Following several concerts in France and Vietnam between 2002 and 2007 that led to the creation of ‘Search for Wind’ in 2005, the musicians of Mezcal Jazz Unit are expected to inspire audiences with a combination of western and traditional Vietnamese instruments.

Mezcal Jazz Unit, led by Emmanuel de Gouvello (bass, composition), formed in 1986. Their music is inspired by the musicians’ Mediterranean background, the recollection of traditional melodies, passion for oriental music, rugged energy, a sense of humor and a mix between emotional introspection and a specifically Latin expressive attitude.

During their tours around the world, the band met musicians from Eastern Europe, Asia, India and Africa. Along the way, they gave performances and made music together.

Japanese artist talks Vietnamese lacquer downtown

Due to public demand, Japanese artist Saeko Ando will lecture on lacquer and lacquer techniques at The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam in the capital at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Saeko will answer questions about why she uses Vietnamese lacquer, why she paints many animals and many issues related to her solo exhibition ‘Japan in Me’ which is running at the foundation until December 1. Saeko’s works, made of Vietnamese lacquer, depict aspects of life in the natural world that people usually fail to notice, creating the illusion of texture using colors and materials that are built up in complex layers until they look almost three-dimensional.

Born in 1968 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Saeko currently lives and works in Hanoi. She earned a B.A. in Philosophy in 1992 at the Department of Philosophy, School of Literature in Waseda University. After that, she entered Japan Airlines as a flight attendant. During her employment, Saeko flew to all corners of the world and was stimulated and inspired by the wide range of arts she encountered. Determined to pursue her love of the arts and become an artist Saeko resigned from her position in 1994 and moved to Vietnam and studied contemporary Vietnamese lacquer painting under the tutelage of artist Trinh Tuan. This was followed by further studies under Vietnamese lacquer master Doan Chi Trung where she learnt the many intricate techniques associated with Vietnamese lacquer painting and traditional craftsmanship such as refining lacquer, production of the basement canvas, sanding and polishing lacquer by hand.

In 2000, Saeko’s devotion to her art was recognized as she was given the honor of being accepted as the first foreign member of the Hanoi Art Association.

As a lacquer painter, Saeko has been actively creating works and exhibiting them both within Vietnam and overseas. She also works as a researcher on lacquer art in Asian countries including Japan and Vietnam, and shares her research achievements with the public through various lectures, conventions and symposia.

The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange is located at 27 Quang Trung Street in Hanoi.

Israeli medical clown helps hospital kids

The Embassy of Israel in Vietnam will host the visit of medical clown David Barashi to Hanoi’s National Pediatric Hospital, HCMC’s Pediatric 2 Hospital, the institutes of hematology and blood transfusion in Hanoi and HCMC and Heart Disease Center- E Hospital from November 25 to December 6.

Medical clowning, which combines theater performance with drama therapy and elements of nursing, has grown in popularity in recent years to become a worldwide phenomenon. However, the medial clown is still a new concept in developing countries, and this is the first time Vietnam will experience this type of psychological therapy.

For nearly 10 years, Barashi has voluntarily taken care of thousands of victims of natural disasters, conflicts and diseases in places such as Haiti, India and Ethiopia. He is also one of the organizers of many training courses in the U.S., Bulgaria, France and Thailand.

Specifically, Barashi will conduct a training course on medical clowning skills for about 25 medical team members of Hanoi’s National Pediatric Hospital and art performers of LifeArt center from November 25-28. Besides providing trainees with basic theory, the training will focus on practical skills that the participants will apply practical medical clowning techniques to treat different kinds of patients in the hospital.

On November 29 Barashi together with the Embassy of Israel will visit and perform at the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion and Heart Disease Center- E Hospital.

In HCMC, a similar course will be conducted at Children’s Hospital 2 with the participation of hospital staff and students of HCMC Academy of Theatre and Cinema from December 2-5.

Barashi will continue his volunteer mission at HCMC Institute of hematology and blood transfusion on December 6.

The medical clown program is part of an ongoing medical collaboration between Israel and Vietnam. Previously, two leading Israeli doctors participated in surgeries and assisted with consultation at Viet Duc Hospital, University Medical Center of HCMC and Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology hospital.

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