Ho Ngoc Ha sings with JYJ at ASIAD 2014

An art exchange program themed "Hello Asia" opened at the National Conference Center in Hanoi on October 24 as part of promotion for the 17th Asian Games (ASIAD) in 2014.

Among participating artists were Vietnamese singer Ho Ngoc Ha, DJ Tri Minh, Big Toe Crew, Beatboxer Minh Kien, Korean band JYJ, Beat drum group Circle and poping Huyn Joon.

Ho Ngoc Ha performed her two hits “Run away” and “Hay thu tha cho em” while JYJ satisfied audiences with 3 songs including “Get out”, “Empty” and the theme song of the 17th ASIAD, titled “Only One”.

RoK artists’ paintings on display in Hanoi

As many as 40 paintings by female artists from the Republic of Korea (RoK) are on show at an exhibition that opened in Hanoi on October 24.

The works capture the idyllic things in life and manifest the artistic temperament of the RoK painters.

President of the Korean Association for Women Artists and Writers Lee Hyeran praised the role and ability of women in modern society in all fields, especially in art and culture.

She expressed her hope that the event will introduce her country’s art to Vietnamese people and help promote cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Established in 2003, the association groups around 100 RoK members operating in various realms such as RoK traditional painting and calligraphy, and Western- style painting.

The association has hosted 13 periodical exhibitions at home over the past time.

It also used to organise exchange programmes with women painters from China, Japan, Mongolia and Hawaii (US) with the aim of fostering their friendship.-

Exhibition on Vietnam-Russia ties

As many as 40 publications including photos, poems and articles of Vietnamese and Russian authors have been displayed at the Russian Centre for Science and Culture (RCSC) in Hanoi.

The two-day event, co-organized by the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association, and the Vietnam-Russia Literature Fund, is in celebration of the 10th founding anniversary of RCSC.

Addressing the opening ceremony on October 24, Vietnam's writer and translator Hoang Thuy Toan, Director of the East-West Culture-Language Centre of Vietnam, said that the exhibition highlights the long-lasting relations between Vietnam and Russia from wartime to peacetime.

“All my youth, love, and career started in Russia”, he said. “Kind-hearted Russian friends taught me how to live with honesty, kindness and enthusiasm. Especially the Russian language has opened a new horizon for me to bring the quintessence of world culture and literature to Vietnam” . Toan expressed his hope that young generation will preserve and develop such wonderful feelings.

For his part, Director RCSC Alexey Yu. Lavrenev emphasized that the two countries will continue to consolidate and strengthen the Russian-Vietnamese friendship in the future.

Vietnam-India art performance in Danang

More than 60 Vietnamese and Indian artists have joined a special art performance featuring the growing friendship between the two countries.

This was part of the fifth Vietnam-India Friendship Festival being held in Danang City from October 22-25.

Huynh Duc Truong, Chairman of the Danang Union for Friendship Organisations said the event aims to strengthen mutual understanding of Vietnamese and Indian cultures and encourage young generations to foster the close ties between the two countries.

Hanoi prepares for Vietnam Cultural Heritage Week

Hanoi’s Culture-Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups is scheduled to host the “National Great Solidarity: Vietnam Cultural Heritage” Week from November 18 to 24.

The celebration is part of activities marking the 83rd anniversary of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the annual Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, and the inauguration of a new Khmer temple complex.

Nearly 400 village chiefs, intellectuals, and artisans—representing 17 Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups—are expected to attend the event.

The week includes a Highland Folk wood sculpture camp, cultural exchanges, traditional crafts village introductions and history lectures, Bay Nui cow racing, and art performances.

“Vietnam Cultural Heritage” Week honours the solidarity uniting Vietnam’s 54 different ethnic groups.

Children’s book on Truong Sa, Hoang Sa published

A children’s book entitled ‘Let’s Learn about Truong Sa, Hoang Sa’ officially made its debut in Hanoi on October 24.

This is the latest book in the ‘Vietnam Sea and Islands’ bookcase, published by the Kim Dong Publishing House.

The authors take children on a journey through a bibliography of documents and historical evidence on Hoang Sa to explore the country’s sea and islands.

Through the entertaining journey, young readers are provided knowledge of geography, history, and the important role of both Hoang Sa and Truong Sa Archipelagos, as well as an increased awareness of the country’s sovereignty over its seas and islands.

On this occasion, the Kim Dong Publishing House has presented 37,500 copies to 75 schools in Ngu Hanh Son, Cam Le, Lien Chieu and Hoa Vang districts of Da Nang.

HCM City to host a Contemporary Dance Performance

Choreographers and dancers Ngoc Anh and Thuy Chi will give a contemporary dance performance titled ‘We were there’ in Ho Chi Minh City on October 25-26.

The dancers are well-known for their shows such as Moc, Chuyen Ke Nhung Chiec Giay (Story of Shoes).

Ngoc Anh studied and worked in European countries for 15 years. Thuy Chi is one of the leading dancers in the country. Chi studied at the Guangdong Dance School in China since she was 12. She graduated from the Choreographer Faculty of Beijing Dance Institute and is currently teacher at Ho Chi Minh City Dance School. Chi will be choreographer, dancer and producer of the dance show.

‘We were there’ show is also a chance for young talents namely To Nhu, Chuc Quynh, and Ngoc Khai to express their love for the country, their families and friends who have supported them in their career.

The artists are expected to bring an exciting and attractive performance presenting a combination of European and Oriental dance art to audiences.

Hanoi hosts exhibition on Royal Citadels

An exhibition on Thang Long Royal Citadel and Ho Dynasty Citadel, Vietnam’s two world-recognized heritage sites, opened at the Exhibition Hall in the Thang Long Royal Citadel in Hanoi.

Exhibits are building materials, royal appliances, valuable documents, sketches, images and artifacts of the Ly, Tran and Ho dynasties.

The event will run until January 2014.

The Ho Dynasty Citadel is located in the Vinh Tien and Vinh Long Communes of Vinh Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province. This was once the capital of Vietnam from 1397 to 1407. The citadel includes palaces, bamboo screen hedges and a moat built with huge stone slabs, still in good state despite weathering in last 600 years.

The Citadel also has altars, marble-paved roads connecting different palaces, ancient villages and mountainous river scenery that have been relatively well preserved.

Ho Dynasty Citadel is under the management of Thanh Hoa Relics and Landscape Management Board. The relics of the Ho Citadel have been classified as National relics since 28 April 1962.

Ho Dynasty Citadel is now one of the seven UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage sites in Vietnam besides Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Hoi An Ancient Town, Hue Ancient Capital, My Son Holy Land and the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

Thang Long, now Hanoi, was the capital of the country of several dynasties. The architectural relics consist of the foundation, the base of pillars, sections of brick walls, road sections, brick/gravel tiled floors, a water drainage system, water wells, and traces of lotus lakes.

Objects belonging to the royal family include artifacts such as jewelry, Vietnamese ceramics and porcelains, Chinese / Japanese ceramics and porcelains, bronze coins from different areas, and weapons. These relics demonstrate the highly technical and artistic developments of the Vietnamese people in the past.

Japanese quartet performs for babies

Japanese quartet Kuricorder will give three performances in Ha Noi next month.

The first show, featuring cheerful, relaxing melodies mixing jazz, folk, blues, classical and funk, will be at 8pm, on November 1, VOV Theatre, 58 Quan Su Street while the second show will be at 8pm, Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Viet Nam, 27 Quang Trung Street.

Another show especially for families with small children, even newborns, will be held at the centre at 2pm on November 2.

Kuricorder Quartet is a polyphonic multi-instrumental ensemble formed in 1994 by four Japanese musicians: Masaki Kurihara, Yoshiyuki Kawaguchi, Kenji Kondo and Takero Sekizawa. All are composers and play a variety of musical instruments.

Free tickets are available at the centre.

Writers to discuss islands, sea with children

Authors of several works in the book collection on the theme of “Vietnamese sea and islands” will meet and discuss sea and island issues with young readers at an exchange in the central city of Da Nang on October 24.

The exchange will be held by the Kim Dong Publishing House which publishes the book collection, in coordination with Da Nang city’s Education and Training Department and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union chapter.

The three books in the spotlight at the event include “I will tell you stories about Truong Sa” by Nguyen Xuan Thuy, which won the gold prize in the 2012 book contest, a photo book titled “The Fatherland on the top of waves” and a science book on Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

According to the Deputy Director and Editor-in-Chief of Kim Dong Publishing House, Nguyen Huy Thang, seven book titles have been published so far for the “Vietnamese sea and islands” book collection, with the latest being the science book on Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.

On the occasion of the exchange, prize-winning works in the children’s painting contest “I love my homeland’s sea and islands” will be put on display, and the publishing house will present 37,500 books worth 548 million USD (26,000 USD) to 75 schools in Da Nang City.-

Cultural week to strengthen solidarity among Vietnam ethnic groups

A week-long array of cultural activities are scheduled to kick off at the Culture-Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups in Dong Mo, Son Tay, Hanoi on November 18.

The activities are being held in celebration of the ‘Great National Solidarity – Vietnam Cultural Heritages’ Week.

Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi on October 24, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Anh Tuan said that the special week is held to strengthen the Vietnam great national unity bloc as well as promote the land and people of Vietnam.

It is also designed to advertise the image of the village, the common house of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups, making it an interesting destination to domestic and foreign visitors.

The week is expected to draw the participation of nearly 400 elderlies and artisans from 13 cities and provinces across the country, representing 17 ethnic groups, such as the Khmer, Ta Oi, Lu, Tay, Thai, Mong, Gia Rai, and Kinh.

The artisans hope to provide visitors with an insight into their indigenous cultural features through traditional rituals, festivals, and art works.

An Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) fashion show, a rural market in northern region, and a floating market in the southern region are also set to be staged during the week.

There event also includes a seminar to discuss solutions to preserve and promote traditional costumes of ethnic minority groups.

Photo exhibition on national heritages in Phan Thiet

More than 100 photos submitted as part of a national heritage contest are on display at exhibition ‘Vietnam Heritage 2013’ in Phan Thiet City. Photos have been chosen from more than 6,000 entries submitted by 339 photographers to the second Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards launched in June.

Photos depict nature, culture, art, architecture and daily life to traditional crafts and intangible heritages via festivals.

The show will run in the coastal city until Monday with other photo submissions being displayed in 16 cities and provinces across the country until February 22.

Winners of the contest will be announced on November 23 in HCMC.

The contest was created to mark Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, which falls on November 23. It is open to both amateur and professional photographers and aims to call on public concern for tangible and intangible heritage preservation.

Tran Van Thao moves on abstract

‘Immersion’ – a third solo exhibition by abstract painter Tran Van Thao – will take place at Galerie Quynh on Sunday, featuring new works inspired by his fascination with water, light, shadows and space.

Referring to the astronomical phenomenon of the disappearance of a celestial body prior to an eclipse, ‘Immersion’ reflects on wider themes of mindfulness and subjectivity. Thao said that: “When we close our eyes, we see shadows of the infinite, disorientation, profound depth, not just the literal meaning of shadows. And when we open our eyes, we see many things: sun and wind, air, objects, people. An epiphany can occur at any time, in any mood, can ‘catch’ any subject and can recall any atmosphere.”

The show revels in the images, impressions and sensations of our daily life. There is a strong sense of place in the artist’s work not in geographical terms but rather an experience that fluctuates between the familiar and foreign.

His scribbles and marks are dynamic, ebullient forms yet his compositions also communicate calm and sensual spaces as well as the artist’s forms appearing suspended in space, floating in the picture plane.

In other instances, most notably in the later works, the airy forms are deliberately anchored by more controlled lines.

The show runs until November 22 at Galerie Quynh Downtown, Level 2, 151/3 Dong Khoi Street in District 1.

Three locals contest Shanghai cooking event

HCMC's top chefs Le Xuan Tam (Caravelle Hotel) and Tran Ngo Lam Khanh (Sofitel Plaza Saigon) and sommelier Tran Quoc Thanh from Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam represent the nation at the Disciples of Escoffier Team Trophy in Shanghai, China on Friday.

The Vietnamese team competes at the Asian Region Competition with teams from Hong Kong, China and Macau.

Tam, sous chef of the Reflections Restaurant of the Caravelle, has won several championship in Vietnam and he is the current Iron Chef Vietnam. Khanh, who graduated from Saigon University, is the sous chef pastry of the Sofitel.

Thanh has previously worked at the New World Hotel Saigon, the Park Hyatt Hotel Saigon and the Mandarin Restaurant. Disciples of Escoffier Vietnam, which is sending the team to China, is organizing a special dinner at the Olivier Restaurant of the Sofitel tonight featuring the dishes the trio will present at the upcoming Team Trophy Competition.

The five-course menu consists of crab tartar and mango ravioli in golden leaf, Norwegian salmon steak with royale sauce, poached egg in red wine sauce, beetroot jelly, mashed split pea, Saint-Germain style boneless short rib and Poire belle helene (a dessert made from pears poached in sugar syrup and served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and crystallized violets).

Disciples of Escoffier Vietnam is an affiliate of the Disciples d’Auguste Escoffier created in 1954 by Jean Ducroux, a chef from Nice and president of the “Fraternelle des Cuisiniers” culinary order to honor French chef Auguste Escoffier. There are over 20,000 members worldwide in nations such as France, the U.S., Italy, Hungary, Germany and Thailand.

Berlin set to show culture to Hanoians

‘Berlin live in Hanoi’ a series of music, film and light performances and street art from the German capital will take place from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday at Zone 9 in 9 Tran Thanh Tong Street in Hanoi. The event is held on the occasion of the official visit of the governing mayor of Berlin.

Berlin has attracted artists and performers from all over the world since the 1990s as the German capital has become a flourishing creative metropolis from art and design, music and film, which in turn has captured the attention of international audiences.

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., audiences can watch short films of the international film festival Berlinale and classic silent movies from 1920s Berlin at Nha San and Tadioto galleries and enjoy street art with stencil branding and graffiti tattoo by artist Dickid.

Meanwhile, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. audiences will be entertained by Hip Hop and Breakdance artists Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop, Soulrock and breakdancer Zeb.Roc.Ski. Vietnam hip hop band S.I.N.E also joins the event.

Light and sound art with light projections and electronic music performance of artist Lichtpiraten will be staged from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

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.

Nguyen Cong Tri thanks Saigon for seventh show

Vietnamese fashion designer Nguyen Cong Tri will host his seventh solo fashion show ‘No. 7 – Thank you Saigon’ at the Park Hyatt Saigon Hotel at 6 p.m. on November 1.

The showpiece is a chance for him to express his gratitude to Saigon – the city that shot him to stardom in the local fashion world and to guests who have supported him in the past decade.

The show will feature performances of models Thanh Hang, Tang Thanh Ha, Ho Ngoc Ha, director Viet Tu and artist Dinh Cong Dat.

His collections will strongly reveal his own personality and style as well as the current global trends.

Victor Vu to meet horror movie fans

To celebrate Halloween, BHD Star Cineplex in association with the 48 Hour Film Project will host workshop “Magic and Effects in Horror Movies” with the participation of Vietnamese-American director Victor Vu from 3 p.m. on Wednesday at BHD Star Cineplex ICON 68 on the fourth floor of the Bitexco Tower downtown.

The workshop is a chance for young filmmakers to learn from the director, especially in the horror movie genre which is popular in Vietnam.

Vu has been a hit with local movie fans due to his horror flicks Scandal and Inferno, with his recent film The Blooded Heart to be released later this year.

The project is for young moviemakers in Vietnam, organizing special workshops aimed to help participants learn how to make for instance science-fiction films with state-of-the-art equipment and techniques.

To join the event, register online at https://www.facebook.com/events/412825048818914. Bitexco Tower is located at 2 Hai Trieu, District 1.

Hide behind your couch now, Insidious 2 is here

Three years since local movie-goers were spooked by the eerily scary Insidious, the team is back with Insidious: Chapter 2 just in time for Halloween.

Directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey and Lin Shaye, we continue the story of the Lambert family with the second son being hunted by demons. Audiences may find the answer to the mysterious secret that has left the family members dangerously connected to the spirit world. The movie is now available nationwide.