Modern painters delve into issues of identity

An exhibition on contemporary art in the capital has attracted considerable interest from collectors as well as residents and visitors for contrasting yet complementary "art rationales" displayed by two young Vietnamese artists.

Held at the Menifique Art Museum (MAM), the exhibition is titled, Doubt and Believe, to denote that both doubt and belief are essential for an artist to find his or her own true identity.

The two artists featured in the exhibition, Nguyen Son and Richard Streitmatter-Tran, are both in their early forties.

Son says that painting "comes as naturally as breathing" to him.

"The more I paint, the more clearly I see that my path is closely connected to nature. I know one day I will fade away into nothingness, but my works will still become beautiful memories left somewhere on this living earth."

Son, who has been living and working in HCM City since 1989, is a graduate of the HCM City Fine Arts College. He has held several solo exhibitions and won international awards for his work.

Richard Streitmatter-Tran is a native of Bien Hoa who also lives and works in HCM City. He received his degree in Interrelated Media from the Massacheutus College of Art in Boston.

He has also held several solo exhibitions in Viet Nam and abroad, including Japan and South Korea.

The exhibition is co-sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Viet Nam and the CUC Gallery.

The exhibition is open until December 3 at the Menifique Art Museum, 5F, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi.

U.K. comics join Apocalaughs Now

Two big names from the U.K. stand-up comedy scene will headline an alternative night of laughs at Cargo Bar on Tuesday night.

Apocalaughs Now will feature Pierre Hollins and Jimmy McGhie who will be flying to Saigon as part of a Southeast Asian tour that takes in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Jakarta.

The U.K. comics, who wowed fans with their one-man shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as well as featuring at festivals all over the world, are at the top of their game and are a must-see for Saigon stand-up comedy lovers.

McGhie spent the summer at the Edinburgh Fringe with his fourth solo stand-up show, Delusions of Candour. Earlier in the year he had a triumphant three months in Australia, where he performed at the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth Comedy Festivals and was nominated for Best International Act. He also made his second acclaimed appearance on the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala, and went on the road with the prestigious Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow.

A highly regarded stand-up and comic performer, he performs on the U.K. and international comedy circuits to great acclaim and was nominated for Chortle Best Compere in 2011. He is a regular at the top clubs in the country including The Comedy Store, The Glee Clubs, Highlights, Jongleurs and Komedia Theatres. This is his first appearance in HCMC.

Hollins has been described as ‘an unsung hero of new comedy’. The comedian and writer has been a comedy circuit favorite for years, having headlined clubs throughout the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He has also written extensively for television with numerous on-screen appearances as part of his growing repertoire. A stand-up comedian with a compulsion for absurd guitar posturing, he has an army of fans.

The British pair will be joined onstage by two locally-based comics - Tat and Devin - both of whom are currently part of the growingly successful Stand-Up Saigon comedy circuit.

Apocalaughs Now is part of the Saigon Comedy Nights series and will take place at Cargo Bar, 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh, District 4 on November 19. Doors open at 8 p.m. For further information email saigoncomedynights@gmail.com. Entrance costs VND250,000 and includes a free San Miguel.

Ethnographic film week opens in Hanoi

The first ethnographic film week hosted by the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS) opened in Hanoi on November 14 with screenings of films made by the institute’s graduate students.

The VICAS film week features 15 films: ‘Sunday in BrazzaVille’ (30’), ‘One Day of a Scavenger’ (17’), 'Bong ma thanh do' (Spectre of the Capital) (74’), 'Promise and Insecurity' (79’), ‘Who’s Inside You’ (24’), ‘Image and Shadow’ (24’), ‘Jigsaw Pieces of Baisha village’ (27’), ‘Ban ac’ (Cruel Village) (24’), ‘Step by Step’ (45’), ‘Banana Vender’ (30’), ‘Search’ (30’), ‘Warmth in the Rain’ (22’), ‘Vit oi’ (Duck!) (30’), ‘Mong’ (Dream) (17’) and ‘Xich lo pho co’ (Cyclo in Ancient Street) (42’).

The films will be screened free of charge each day until November 17 at 9am and 2pm in VICAS hall at No. 32, Hao Nam Street.

The VICAS is a consulting agency for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and a training institute for advanced studies in culture and tourism. It also works to revive traditional festivals, organise events and produce ethnographic films.

Hanoi Deutchlandfest delights visitors

The 'Deutschlandfest' (German Festival) had its official opening at the National Museum of History in Hanoi on November 16.

In her opening speech, German Ambassador to Vietnam Jutta Frasch introduced the festival’s theme: 'Germany - Discover and Experience'. This year's festival features a wide range of activities, presentations, games and performances, which provide an insight into the diversity of modern German life.

German institutions and companies have also taken the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work in Vietnam.

The festival’s highlight is a performance by German band Aufbau West, which is currently touring Vietnam at the invitation of the Goethe Institute.

"I'm really excited to be here. My friends and I have a chance to enjoy delicious food, music and games, and gain useful information and experience about studying in Germany", said Phuong Thao, a student from the German Faculty of Hanoi University.

Hoa Binh’s cave recognised as national relic site

The Dau Rong (Dragon Head) cave system in Cao Phong district of the northern province of Hoa Binh was awarded a certificate recognising it as a national relic site on November 17.

The 200m high Dragon Head Mountain housing the cave system is shaped like a lying dragon that stretches out more than one km just 500 metres from National Highway 6.

Numerous caves have been found in the mountain and were given beautiful names, such as Hoa Son (Flower Mountain), Nhan Long Son (Dragon Eye Mountain), Thanh Thuy (Blue Water) or Khong Day (Bottomless).

The caves took shape when water flows through the limestone mountain for thousands of years, with countless stalactites resembling all sorts of things depending on visitors’ imagination.

In the time ahead, local authority in Cao Phong district will call for investment to develop tourism, bringing visitors to the national relic site.

Market cultural space on Dong Van Plateau needs preservation

Visitors to the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang are not only enchanted by its imposing natural scenery but also by the unique markets, or the kermis, held in the Dong Van Karst Plateau.

A kermis here is more than a place to exchange goods, it is also a festival, a chance for the locals, particularly ethnic minorities who live in remote and isolated areas, to meet. Many market days take place on Saturday or Sunday. Others, meanwhile, fall on Dragon, Dog, Horse and Rat Days.

According to Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Van district People’s Committee Ly Trung Kien, a Mong ethnic woman who was born and grew up on the plateau, the kermis is an indispensable cultural feature of the local ethnic minority people.

“People here can lack warm clothes and money but they cannot be absent at each market day,” she said.

The plateau kermises in Ha Giang bear their own unique cultural space and feature the distinctive characteristics of the 17 ethnic groups living there.

On market days, when the sun is not yet rising, people living halfway up the mountain or hill go down to the market. The Mong, Lo Lo, Bo Y and Nung ethnic girls from remote villages dressed in colourful brocade costumes create a jubilant atmosphere for the market day.

Plateau people bring bulls, horses, pigs, chicken and other livestock that embodies their hard work to the market.

Coming to the Ha Giang plateau fair, tourists are not only impressed at the colourful clothes and jewelry worn by ethnic minority girls and boys but also their sincerity, friendliness and charming smiles.

Ethnic minority people go to the market for not only commodity exchanges but also to chat with each other after hardworking days. For young men and women, the kermis offers a chance for them to meet and seek partners. After market days, many of them get married and live happily on the stone plateau.

Visiting the plateau kermis, tourists have a chance to study the unique customs and habits of ethnic minority people and can also enjoy popular dishes of locals, especially “thang co” – a stew made from horse meat, intestines, liver and kidney, better served with some corn wine.

To promote the potential of the Dong Van Karst Plateau as a Global Geopark, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Van Kien said that between 2013-2020, the province will deploy a project to preserve the kermis cultural space with the aim of creating attractive tourism products through experience tours of the plateau fairs.

At present, the department is collaborating with the local authorities to build kermis tourism programmes and introducing them to travel agencies while raising locals’ awareness of keeping environmental hygiene at the markets and developing the values of local specialties, he added.-

Russian artists perform in Binh Duong

Renowned artists from Russia enthralled audience in the southern province of Binh Duong with their special performance on November 16 as part of the Russian Culture Days in Vietnam.

Among guests at the event were Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrey G. Kovtun, Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Vu Minh Sang and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Thanh Cung.

More than 800 local people had a chance to enjoy songs and dances featuring the distinctive culture of Russia and its people.

Binh Duong was the third leg of the Russian art troupe during the Russian Cultural Days in Vietnam, after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The event takes place on the occasion of the 96 th anniversary of Russia ’s October Revolution (November 7, 1917-2013) and aims to realise a 2013-2015 cultural cooperation programme between Vietnam and Russia.

Poetry of Ho Chi Minh evoked through RoK calligraphy

Twenty-nine calligraphic works featuring late President Ho Chi Minh’s famous collection of poems, “Prison Diary”, have gone on display at an exhibition that opened on November 15 in the northern province of Phu Tho.

The works created by 24 outstanding calligraphers from the Republic of Korea (RoK) illustrate cultural exchange between Vietnam and the RoK, thus reinforcing their friendship and cooperation.

As part of activities to mark the 68 th anniversary of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, the event is also showing a number of pictures and exhibits highlighting the worshipping rituals for the Hung Kings and Xoan singing – both cases of cultural heritage in need of urgent protection.

The two-week exhibition is offering a good chance for the locality to popularise its special culture as well as fuel national pride among the masses, according to Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Pham Ba Khiem.

As a result, it will help raise public responsibility, especially amongst the youth, for preserving their nation’s cultural heritage, Khiem added.

On the occasion, the department will host an exchange programme for Xoan singers, and launch a tree planting campaign at local historical-cultural sites.

Ethnic culture week kicks off

Hundreds of representatives from 54 ethnic groups around the country will attend the opening ceremony of the National Great Solidarity - Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Week at the Culture-Tourism Village of Dong Mo in Son Tay town tonight.

The week aims to promote unity between all 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups, according to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ho Anh Tuan.

It is also a channel to promote the village, which is considered a "common house" for all 54 ethnic groups, to foreign participants.

As many as 30 artists from the Central Highlands provinces of Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Kon Tum have been invited to work at a sculpture camp, which opened this morning.

An exhibition of Ha Noi's best traditional handicraft villages will also run until the end of the week, showcasing the works of the region's top artisans.

Throughout the week, a wide variety of traditional festivals, performances and dances, as well as the daily activities of people from the north, south and those who live on rivers and mountains will be organised.

Vietnamese Students’ Day held in RoK

The 9th Vietnamese Students’ Day was held at Soongsil University in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (RoK), on October 17 to mark the 21st anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The annual event, co-organized by the Vietnamese Students Association in the RoK (VSAK), the Vietnamese Embassy, Soongsil University, and Hanshin construction company, aimed to promote exchange, strengthen solidarity among students, and introduce the beauty of Vietnamese land and people to Korean and other international friends.

Despite the chilly weather, thousands of Vietnamese students in the RoK wearing their traditional costumes took part in music and dance performances and enjoyed Vietnamese dishes.

VSAK Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Hoan praised the active participation of Vietnamese students in charity programmes in the homeland.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK, Pham Huu Chi, highlighted the results of bilateral cooperation, especially in employment, and education and training and expressed his hope that the VSAK will continue encouraging students to achieve better academic results and provide more assistance to the community.

Museum of Ethnology a premier destination in Hanoi

Established in Hanoi in 1997, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has served as a research centre and a public museum with a mission to collect, document, preserve and exhibit the cultural heritage of Vietnam ’s 54 ethnic groups.

The museum is preserving over 29,000 exhibits, including around 25,000 on Vietnamese ethnic communities that reflect every aspect of their tangible and intangible culture, fuelling national solidarity and pride, while raising awareness of equality between ethnic groups.

In addition to housing indoor and outdoor exhibitions, the museum will be the first of its kind in Vietnam to introduce culture from across Southeast Asia via a large display and performance space, which is currently under construction.

The museum has welcomed over 3.2 million domestic and foreign tourists thanks to the variety of activities it offers, such as cultural heritage preservation and traditional folk music performances.

People visit not only for entertainment but also to study the history and multicultural identities of each ethnic group.

The museum was cited among the most attractive tourist destinations in Hanoi for 2012 by the TripAdvisor.com tourism website.

This year, the museum was ranked sixth in the list of 25 most attractive museums in Asia. Since its establishment, the museum has been a highlight of Vietnam’s museum system and a prestigious cultural destination for visitors.

Seoul Pop Orchestra performs in Vietnam

Seoul Pop Orchestra has performed for charity at Hanoi’s Au Co Arts Centre to mark the 21st anniversary of Vietnamese- Korean diplomatic ties on November 15.

The Korean Cultural Centre (KCC), the Korean Businesses Association (KBA) in Vietnam, and the Korean Embassy coordinated to organise the event.

Seoul Pop Orchestra impressed local audiences with a set combining classic and modern influences ranging from classical masterpieces to Michael Jackson hits to extracts from Korean film scores.

The orchestra even performed a selection of Vietnamese folk songs such as “Beo Dat May Troi” and “Trong Com”.

The KCC and KBA used the concert as fundraiser for poor students at the Vietnamese National Academy of Music.

Seoul Pop Orchestra performed at the Korean Cuisine Festival at Hanoi’s Keangnam Landmark 72 on November 16.

Cultural exchanges between the RoK and Vietnam have flourished in recent years. Vietnamese people are some of the most passionate international fans of Korean cuisine and K-pop.

Pop Star Sumi Jo conducted her first tour of Vietnam in 2012.

Vietnam attends cultural tourism cooperation meeting

Delegates attending the 3rd Ministerial Meeting on Cultural Tourism, held in the Lao capital Vientiane on November 16, agreed on the primacy of cultural value preservation in the promotion of sustainable tourism.

They highlighted the effectiveness of inter-ASEAN tourism cooperation—particularly between Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia— and recommended linking tourism and cultural heritage preservation to an even greater degree.

Tourists welcome the opportunity to learn more about the landscapes and cultures of the attractions they visit.

Lao delegates discussed Buddhism’s regional influence and the cooperative initiatives designed to honour it, joint public-private tourism projects, and training world-leading tourism staff..

Vietnamese delegates noted the meeting unfolded as Laos celebrated the That Luong Festival, one of the country’s largest and a chance to introduce international friends to Vietnamese cultural values.

Vietnam asked participating nations to promote tourism at international forums, share management experiences, and develop tourism in a manner minimising its impact on cultural traditions.

Art troupes from the six nations attending the meeting also performed at the That Luong Festival on November 16.

Festival marks Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties

Ho Chi Minh City’s Japanese Festival opened on November 16, beginning a two-day celebration intended to tighten bilateral ties and marking the 40th anniversary of the two nations’ diplomatic relations.

The festival offers both peoples a chance to improve their understanding of their respective national cultures.

Fifty booths are showcasing a selection of the most popular Japanese tourist destinations, products, and advanced technology.

Visitors can enjoy the traditional specialties of Japanese cuisine, play folk games, and experience Japanese culture via music performances and animation screenings.

Miss Vietnam 2010 celebrates Vietnam-Italian relations

The 2010 Miss Vietnam Dang Thi Ngoc Han, third-placed Do Hoang Anh, and Miss Beach Nguyen Thi Loan headlined the “Italian Angels” fashion show in Hanoi on November 15.

Designers Vo Cong Khanh and Minh Hanh were honoured guests at the show, which the Italian Embassy in Hanoi organised as part of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the country’s diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

The fashion show was the first of its kind held in the quiet and beautiful Hanoian street Le Phung Hieu, in front of the Italian Embassy.

Designer Cong Khanh presented 30 pieces inspired by relics and artifacts from Renaissance Italian castles and manors.

2013 ASEAN-Japan Youth festival underway

The 2013 ASEAN-Japan Youth Festival opened in HCM City on November 14 with the participation of delegates joining the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSAYP) 2013.

Around 329 young delegates from ten ASEAN nations and Japan participated in folk games and a quiz on traditional culture and history of each nation and talked about what they experienced during the journey.

They enjoyed special performances by art troupes from different nations. Through a special program by Vietnamese artists they gained a better understanding of Vietnam’s land and people.

Nguyen Cao The from the Education and Information Department of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, said that his delegation wanted to give international friends an insight into the country’s traditional culture and its people’s daily life, sentiments and hospitality.

Acclaimed artist brings a taste of Japan

Japanese choreographer and dancer Kaiji Moriyama will begin a 10-day visit to HCM City today as his nation's cultural exchange ambassador.

During his visit, he will perform at the HCM City International Dance Festival next Wednesday.

It was revealed at a press conference yesterday that Moriyama will choreograph, direct music, and dance the Hagoromo (The feather mantle), which is inspired from the most-performed Japanese Noh play of the same name.

Moriyama won great acclaim for his performance at the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he was described by Kelly Apter of The Scotsman as "one of the most talented dancers at this year's Fringe".

He was selected to represent Japan at the Little Asia Dance Project with his piece Lamazuella, and has also toured Australia, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo.

In January 2005, his latest production and US solo debut Katana (Sword) was praised by Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times as "a dance of amazing concentration by an amazing dancer".

His style has been compared with a sword that tears through space with "a smoothness and sensitivity that crosses generational boundaries".

In 2013, Kaiji was chosen by Japanese Government to become the country's culture ambassador for Asia.

HCM City's first int'l dance fest

The very first International Dance Festival in HCM City, starting from today until November 22, will feature performances as well as workshops with the participation of choreographers and dancers from Italy, Japan and South Korea.

Three workshops will be organised under the auspices of the festival.

The first one on Awareness of the Body in Contemporary Dance will be held by Claudio Malangone of Italy today.

The second, dealing with contemporary dance movement and the creative process of choreography will be held by Moriyama tomorrow.

The third workshop on floor dance techniques will be led by Sungyong Kim of Korea on November 22.

The festival is organised by Arabesque and Saigon Concert, the company that manages the Opera House and events that it hosts.

Ticket reservations can be made via phone at 0903966796.

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