OV director to scare moviegoers

Vietnamese American director Ham Tran is about to scare local viewers by his latest movie Doat Hon (Hollow) and the production was released on July 7.

Following his first successful movie in Vietnam: the comedy Am Muu Giay Got Nhon (How to fight in six-inch heels) depicting the life of Vietnamese models, Ham Tran has come back, bringing a touch of gore and evil into his second movie in Vietnam - Doat Hon.

Hollow is set in the modern Saigon, when a little girl who everyone believes that is dead by an accident, mysteriously recovers before her funeral. The happiness comes to her family, yet there’s something they may not be aware of… the little girl is no longer their daughter.

Although the plot is not new, it reflects many social issues that are happening in contemporary Saigon, focusing on spiritual perspective. 8-year-old actress Thanh My stars in the movie, along side with Tran Bao Son after the success in his last horror movie Ngoi Nha Trong Hem (The House in the Alley).

Actor Thuong Tin, who was very famous in the 80s and 90s, has confirmed to join the movie. Rapper Suboi and actress Nhung Kate also play the leading roles in Hollow.

Doat Hon is expected to be a blockbuster in July 2014.

Hoi An paintings on silk at Sofitel Saigon Plaza

A solo exhibition Phu Phiem (Frivolity) featuring paintings on silk by Bui Tien Tuan has opened at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza.

In the exhibition organised by the hotel and Craig Thomas Gallery, Tuan flaunts women's beauty, fashion and the nude form on traditional Vietnamese silk.

Born in Hoi An in 1971, Tuan graduated from the HCM City Fine Arts College in 1998 where he now works as a lecturer.

The exhibition ends in early September at 17 Le Duan Street in District 1.

Degustation dinner for a good cause

Pots ‘n Pans and KOTO are teaming up on Saturday, July 12, for a night of food and live music in aid of a good cause.

To support KOTO – a non-profit organisation that provides vocational training to disadvantaged youths in Viet Nam – and their annual field trip for students, the one-night degustation dinner features an exclusive four-course menu paired with wine.

The night, which starts at 6.30pm at Pots ‘n Pans, 57 Bui Thi Xuan Street, will also feature live music and raffle prizes. All proceeds will go to KOTO's training initiatives throughout the country. For more information, visit potsnpans.vn.

Flea market opens in District 7

The Saigon Flea Market will host a "Trash and Treasure" bazaar at the Boomarang Bistro Saigon in District 7 on July 13.

The bazaar will feature more than 100 stalls highlighting decorative objects and ornaments, and trash and treasure. It also includes unique clothes, home decoration, vintage items, handmade accessories, food, beverage and live music.

The market will open from 11am to 7pm at 107 Ton Dat Tien Street in District 7.

Dutch DJ spins tunes at Saigon Vibrations

Dutch DJ L.O.N, whose real name is Valon Vllasaliu, will perform at the Saigon Vibrations ReggaeBar on July 12.

The artist, who has performed in his hometown Breda for years, will present his unique combination of urban and house music.

The event will start at 10pm on the first floor, 143 Nguyen Trai Street in District 1. Entrance fee is VND50,000.

Enjoy German Oscar-winning movie at Manzi

Manzi Art Space continues its series of experimental movie and video art screenings titled Chieu Bong (Cinema) with the award winning German film The Lives of Others by director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

A drama movie which marked the feature film debut of filmmaker Donnersmarck, The Lives of Others won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The film will be presented in its original German-language version with Vietnamese voice-overs (no English subtitles) at 7.30pm on Sunday. Tickets on the door: VND70,000 and VND50,000 for students.

Due to limited capacity, please pre-register at manzihanoi@gmail.com before 5pm on Friday.

Following, on July 14, Manzi will welcome the Fields Medal award-winning mathematician Ngo Bao Chau, who is not only known as one of the most famous mathematicians in the world, but also one of the most influential bloggers in Viet Nam. For one night only, Manzi will invite Dr. Chau to share with audience his alter ego through articles on his blog. The free entry event will start at 7.30pm.

Manzi Art Space is located at 14, Phan Huy Ich Street.

Music concert to raise funds for Truong Sa soldiers

The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will stage a music concert in HCM City's Labour Cultural Palace tomorrow to raise funds for soldiers stationed on the Truong Sa (Spratly) islands and their families.

The event, called Nhung Giai Dieu Kho Quen (Forgotten Melodies), will include classical and contemporary music composed by French, Italian, German and Vietnamese musicians.

Well-known pianist and composer Nguyen Anh 9 will perform with the orchestra.

Talented singers My An and Ngoc Tuyen will sing songs about Truong Sa written and composed by the HCM City Music Conservatory's musicians after their fact-finding visits when they lived with the soldiers on the islands.

"Through our performance, we wanted to send our love to Truong Sa soldiers," said singer Ngoc Tuyen.

The show begins at 8pm on July 11 at 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1. Tickets are VND200,000 and are available at the box office.

Fire badly damages millennium-old temple in central Vietnam

A 1,000-year-old temple in central Vietnam has sustained serious damage after a fire on Monday morning.

Nhan Thap Temple, a national relic in Nghe An Province, got on intense fire at 9:00 am.

Part of its roof collapsed while many historically valuable artifacts were burned down.

The fire broke out in the temple’s wooden sanctum, which was destroyed completely, and was extinguished after 30 minutes.

According to preliminary investigation, the fire was triggered by a short circuit.

Nhan Thap Temple, located in Nam Dan District, was built in the 11th century during the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) to commemorate King Ly Thai To’s 8th son, who is credited with reclaiming the area.

The temple was fully restored some hundred years later.

Recognized as a national relic in 1993, the temple is home to an annual festival to pay tribute to the prince.

Fire safety and prevention has been neglected or remained inadequate at most local relics across the country.

A number of fires have taken place and caused massive destruction and irreparable cultural loss.

In late October 2013, a blaze, caused by the negligence of a group of tourists, consumed the only surviving century-old heritage house of the ancient Muong ethnic culture in northern Hoa Binh City.

One-third of Da Lat Map Enterprise, a century-old, French-style edifice and an agency of the Ministry of Defense, which holds a monumental, historical, and architectural value, in Da Lat City in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, was also burned down during a fire earlier last month.

According to experts in heritage conservation, most relics are built from wood, which makes their structures considerably more flammable.

The renovation sites of the relics, which are riddled with electric wires and full of wood shavings, are particularly vulnerable to fire.

The careless burning of beehives and garbage in nearby forests or households adjacent to the relic complexes is also one of the common threats.

The most constant risk is from tourists smoking, although it is strictly forbidden at the complexes.

Meanwhile, fire safety and prevention at many relics has been seriously inadequate, with several sites even lacking fire extinguishers.

Vietnam’s gongs resound at Paris Tropical Carnival

The cultural space of gongs in the Central Highlands of Vietnam was introduced in the 2014 Paris Tropical Carnival, which took place in Paris’s Leon Blum Square on July 5.  

A gong team of the Ba Na ethnic minority group from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum brought to the event the deep and strong sounds of gongs and the vigorous dances of Ba Na girls, giving the audience a glimpse into the ancient hunter-gatherer traditions and the cultural environment of ethnic groups in the region, which is the nation’s cradle for gongs.

The cultural space of gongs was recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005. Tran Thi Binh, deputy director of the Kon Tum Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the set of gongs played at the event was made 300 years ago and the artists themselves are local farmers who practice gong whenever they have free time in order to perform at village festivals.

The gong artists helped spread the image of a modern Vietnam with rich traditions and culture, said Duong Chi Dung, the Vietnamese ambassador to France.

Organised in July every year in the French capital since 2002, the Carnival aims to honour the cultural diversity of the country’s immigrant communities.

This year’s event attracted 4,000 performers from nearly 40 international art troupes. Participants and local people joined together in a procession along a 4.5 km stretch of road in Paris.

“The Winner is” show back with many celebs

The second edition of a TV show entitled Toi la nguoi chien thang, a Vietnamese version of the world-acclaimed “The Winner is” format, was initiated in HCMC last week with many local celebrities participating as contestants.

Organizers said 56 contestants who are singers, comedians and students among others will fight it out for eight places in the semi-final round and the best four semifinalists will be picked for the final.

The winner will pocket a prize worth VND300 million and a contract with Universal Records.

Among 28 participating celebrities are renowned bodybuilding athlete Pham Van Mach; actresses and actors Lan Phuong, Cao My Kim, Truong The Vinh, Gia Bao, La Thien Cam and VJ Thien Trang; choreographer Ha Le, and comedians Truong Giang and Tiet Cuong.

Popular overseas Vietnamese comedian Hoai Linh will act as host of the show. A judging panel will consist of around 100 artists, musicians and reporters.

The program will be broadcasted live on HTV7 at 9 p.m. from July 12 to August 30. Four final episodes will be on air from September 7 to 28.

Toi la nguoi chien thang has been produced by Dong Tay Promotion Company since 2013. Last year’s winner Pham Hai Chau won a contract worth US$1 million with Universal Records and her latest single “Out of control’ has received good comment from local critics.

Dozens of cai luong (reformed theatre) artists from the HCM City Theatre Association and Tran Huu Trang Theatre will perform in a special show tomorrow featuring Vietnamese heroines.

The actors will stage popular extracts from historical plays such as Tieng Trong Me Linh (The Sound of Me Linh Drum), Thai Hau Duong Van Nga (Queen Duong Van Nga), and Bao Tap Nguyen Phong (Stormy Fight).

The show Hao Hung Su Viet (Proud Vietnamese History) will feature cai luong stars, including People's Artist Bach Tuyet, who will play the national heroine Duong Van Nga, the empress dowager of the Dinh Dynasty in 979.

The show begins at 8pm at Nam Quang Art Club, 147 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street in District 3.

Online writing forum looks at women in traditional dress

Amateur writers at home and abroad have been invited to participate in a writing online forum launched by the HCM City Youth Union last week.

The forum's theme, "Ao Dai Viet – Phu Nu Viet" (Vietnamese Ao Dai- Vietnamese Women), focuses on the beauty of the traditional Vietnamese dress and ordinary women and their challenges faced in work.

High-quality writings will be introduced to the public through Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Those interested in participating should send their work by email to or via the website.