The US Embassy in Ha Noi and Freeland Foundation will launch a contest to highlight wildlife trafficking and rhino horn use in Viet Nam, at Hanoi Cinematheque on June 22.

The contest is among several activities being organised under Operation Game Changes/WildFest, a campaign that aims to raise public awareness and reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products, especially rhino horn.

The contest, entitled WildFest, is a wildlife short film competition - the first of its kind - that targets young filmmakers of all nationalities.

Nguyen Hoang Diep, well-known young Vietnamese director who won the Best Director Award for her film Dap Canh Giua Khong Trung (Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere) at the 16th Bratislava international film festival and is also one of WildFest's jury members, will attend the contest's launch with filmmaker and wildlife activist Nguyen My Dung. Dung will share her first-hand experience of interacting with the wildlife in South Africa.

The contest is among several activities being organised under Operation Game Changes/WildFest, a campaign that aims to raise public awareness and reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products, especially rhino horn.

Shows honour HCM City Theatre Association

Dozens of veteran and young artists will perform in a variety of new shows to celebrate the HCM City Theatre Association's congress opening late this month.

Cai luong (reformed opera) stars Kim Tu Long, Thoai My and Phuong Loan will perform in a series of extracts from famous plays, such as Dem Me Linh (The Sound of Me Linh Drum), Buc Ngon Do Dai Viet (Calligraphy of Viet Nam) and Duyen Kiep (The Love), staged by the Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theatre.

The plays feature national heroes and soldiers. The performances will take place on June 27 at the Cong Nhan Theatre in District 1.

Drama troupes will offer three plays on serious topics of love, family and social affairs.

One of the highlights is Cay Bang Vuong (Malabar Almond Tree that grows on the islands), a musical on the life of young navy soldiers.

The 90-minute work is directed by Hoa Ha in co-operation with choreographer Le Viet of the HCM City Theatre, one of the region's leading State-owned art troupes, belonging to Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

It features nearly 50 young theatre actors and singers, including Linh Son, Minh Quan, Ba Cuong and Tien Nam, Hong Hanh and Quoc Dai, and 20 skilled dancers from the Phuong Viet Dance Troupe.

The actors will perform songs such as Gan Lam Truong Sa (Truong Sa Is Close), Noi Dao Xa (Faraway Islands) and To Quoc Nhin Tu Bien (The Homeland-Islands), written by composers who took fact-finding tours to Truong Sa (Spratly Islands).

The show will begin on June 28.

For other entertainment, visit the Tran Huu Trang Theatre on Tran Hung Dao Street to enjoy shows for children staged by young actors of the theatre.

Hong Quyen, Thao Tram and Gia Nguyen will show off their talents in traditional theatre of cai luong and tuong (classical drama).

These new faces will participate in a troupe of young actors trained for free by the theatre's veteran actors and directors Hoang Song Viet and Tran Kim Khoi.

Their shows will open two nights on June 27 and 28. Tickets are available at the theatre's box office. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to help poor students from artists' families.

The two-day congress on June 29 and 30 will present a plan to develop the city's theatre in the next five years. It will attract hundreds of theatre actors, directors, scriptwriters, theatre critics and leaders of local troupes.