Overseas Vietnamese singers more popular than local singers

While local singers in Vietnam are hesitant organise live shows recently for fear of losing money on ticket sales, many overseas Vietnamese singers have enjoyed success in the country.

The trend of overseas Vietnamese singers returning to perform in Vietnam is about 15 years old, and a large number of well known performers, such as Huong Lan, Duc Huy, Elvis Phuong, Giao Linh, Phi Nhung and Khanh Ly, have done so.

Huong Lan said, “Most Vietnamese who go abroad have a deep desire to return their and make contributions.”

The legendary singer Khanh Ly said she has had plans to perform in Vietnam for years. Last year she could not make it even though she had already secured a license. However, she then began preparing her shows this year, which were held in May and early August.

“After these shows I couldn’t sleep because I felt so elated with the audience reactions. I never imagined that my performances would be so successful,” she said.

Overseas Vietnamese singers are often warmly welcomed by local audiences, despite not having had a presence here for years. Recent shows by Bang Kieu, Quang Le and Khanh Ly sold out despite high prices. They are also highly paid compared to local singers.

One anonymous sponsor said that the singer Khanh Ly was offered USD200,000 for six performances in Vietnam. Another undisclosed source said that Bang Kieu’s fees are as high as USD20,000 for one performance in Vietnam. Other overseas Vietnamese singers often get between USD2,000 and USD8,000 per night.

Another sponsor explained that overseas Vietnamese singers often bring something special to the audience. They are also more professional and cooperative, he said, adding that they prefer to perform classic music, which many Vietnamese prefer.

Aristocrats to perform in Vietnam

The Aristocrats – rock/fusion’s rowdy new power trio (guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Bryan Beller, and drummer Marco Minnemann) will debut in Ho Chi Minh City on August 13.

The American group was formed in 2011 and since have released two tremendously popular and widely acclaimed albums: The Aristocrats (2011) and Culture clash (2013).    

Their journey to Vietnam is part of an Asian promotional tour for their second album.

A collection of short films, which participated in 64th Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, will be screened at the Goethe Institute Hanoi on August 8 and 9.

Ten short movies from eight countries are chosen to be shown in their original language with Vietnamese and English subtitles, including “Marc Jacobs”, “Symphony No. 42”, “Birds”, “A Paradise”, “Smile, and the World Will Smile Back” and “The White Roses”.

They focus on the most current topics, giving an undisguised look on how the world has changed dramatically and endangered nature. The movies also feature war and grief and pain of human.

The highlight of the screening will be a Germany movie “Three Stones for Jean Genet”, which won a top award during the festival. It is about desire, promises, and friendship and the narration of a hidden story.

Besides Vietnam, the movies will also be presented to audiences in other South East Asian countries by the Goethe Institute.

Russian student crowned beauty queen at Vietnam’s martial arts fest

A Russian student of Vietnamese martial arts has recently been crowned beauty queen at a martial arts festival taking place in the central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh.

Chanysheva Maria, who comes from the Russian faction of Vietnam’s Tinh Vo Dao martial art, was chosen as the most beautiful woman at the fifth Vietnamese martial arts festival held in Binh Dinh’s Quy Nhon City from August 1 to 4.

The student also won the award for the best costume and performed the Tay Son Kim Phap martial art excellently.

Speaking at the closing ceremony held on August 4, Chanysheva said that she plans to establish a website that includes photos and videos to promote the Vietnamese martial arts festival to her international friends.

“I will tell my friends and family about this festival. It was such a good chance for martial arts enthusiasts from all around the world to meet up and share our experiences,” the Russian student emphasized.

The first and second runner-up awards went to Vietnamese martial arts student Tran Thi Tuyet Trinh from the Binh Dinh martial arts center and French student Morgane from the Kinh Van An faction in France.

With the participation of over 1,500 instructors and students from 60 foreign teams of 26 Vietnamese martial arts factions including Phi Long Vinh, Thuy Phap, Lam Son Vo Dao and Son Long Quyen Thuat, the fest is an ideal destination for local and international martial arts lovers.

At the event, which was hosted by famous domestic martial arts centers including Ly Xuan Hy, Le Xuan Canh, Phan Tho and Ho Sung, Japanese instructors and learners introduced their traditional martial arts, namely karatedo, sumo, and kendo.

Tu Do Gallery hosts realism exhibition

Realism has reached its perfection since The Renaissance from the 14th to the 17th century and has given way to other schools, but realism artists have never given up their search for opportunities to express their love of life and nature more vividly and more minutely.

Nguyen Thanh Hoa and Nguyen Quoc Dung uphold their own styles in the strong development of contemporary art and invite visitors to inspect their works in the exhibition ‘Hyper-Realistic Paintings’ that opened at Tu Do Gallery on August 5.

On display are about 20 paintings which are enough for viewers to get a glimpse of the beauty and techniques of hyperrealism. Oil on canvas is chosen as material by the two artists to sublimate their feelings and creativeness.

Dung has long been attracted by the beauty of ladies in ao dai (long dress) or ao yem (traditional costume of ladies in northern Vietnam), so his paintings remind viewers of the old charm, the endless nostalgia for the old days, bright colors for main characters and bass tones for the background.

Along with the beauty of women, Hoa is also inspired by ordinary objects. His still-life paintings with fish, bamboo baskets, a red tablecloth, a ceramic pot or a few of apples present a frugal life but the nobility of art.

The exhibition runs until August 28 at the gallery, 53 Ho Tung Mau Street in HCMC’s District 1.

WOLO Artist Residency in Malaysia calls for applications

Vietnamese artists now can apply for the WOLO Artist Residency in Malaysia to join a two-month residency with international artists.

Located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the residency is a collaborative eff ort between the WOLO Bukit Bintang Hotel and the renowned Wei-Ling Gallery to allow international artists to live and work in the Malaysian capital for two months to implement a project that features the identity of Malaysia.

Selected artists will come to Kuala Lumpur to turn out painting, photography, video, installation and sculpture works. Applications should include an application form, a selection of 10 jpeg images taken in the past two years with short write-ups about each piece, a statement of how this residency would benefit the artist personally and a proposal on the project that the artist wants to pursue during their residency.

The program will be fully funded and will include studio space, daily breakfast, monthly stipend and return airfare for international artists.

Applications will be accepted up to two months prior to the starting date. Date schedules for 2014/15 are as follows: September- November 2014, November 2014-January 2015, January-March 2015, March-May 2015, May-July 2015, July -September 2015 and September-November 2015.

The application form can be downloaded at http://www.wolo-artist- residency.com/#!fashion/c1n0f.

Vung Tau set to hold food festival this month

A three-day food festival will take place from August 28 to 31 on Trung Trac – Trung Nhi streets in the coastal city of Vung Tau.

The event is hosted by the Ba Ria- Vung Tau People’s Committee to celebrate August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2), promote Vung Tau as a dynamic beach city with a variety of exciting cultural and tourism activities and introduce authentic specialties of the province.

The food festival will also provide hospitality businesses the opportunity to promote their quality services and products to visitors.

According to the organizer, this year’s event will feature 66 stalls, almost double the last festival.

Participants to the festival can  savor Vietnamese cuisines and genuine dishes from Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, and Japan, among others.

The organizing committee will also award honorable prizes to outstanding businesses and individuals who deliver excellent and professional services to visitors.

The opening and closing ceremonies will take place at 6 p.m. on August 28 and on August 31 respectively.

Vietnam sovereignty exhibition opens in Bac Ninh

An exhibition of maps and documents affirming Vietnam ’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos is on in the northern province of Bac Ninh, reports Vietnamplus.

On display are about 100 maps, documents and publications which are historical and legal evidence asserting the Vietnamese sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa since the 17th century.

The exhibition will contribute to affirming Vietnam’s firm stance on East Sea issues, strengthening solidarity and heightening the sense of responsibility among Vietnamese at home and abroad in the cause of safeguarding the nation’s waters and islands. The show also helps international friends, including the Chinese, understand the Vietnamese people’s aspiration for peace and stability in the region.

It will be also a chance for youngsters to understand more about the national history and raise their own voices for justice and peace.

Some Vietnam Coast Guard and Fisheries Resources Surveillance vessel models are displayed at the exhibition, which will run until August 15. Bac Ninh is the ninth province in the country that has hosted such an exhibition.