Step Up Revolution actress to perform on Viet Nam reality show

American contemporary dancer and Step Up Revolution actress Kathryn McCormick will perform during a gala night on Saturday celebrating the top 20 performers on Viet Nam's So You Think You Can Dance.

McCormick ,who was the second runner-up during the sixth American season in 2009, attended a press conference today introducing the top 20 contestants in Viet Nam.

She arrived in HCM City late on Monday with Jeff Thacker, the co-executive director of So You Think You Can Dance.

McCormick said she started getting excited for her stay in Viet Nam when she received a warm welcome from Vietnamese fans.

Woollen embroidery exhibit gets underway in Hanoi

An exhibition featuring 30 woollen embroidery designs by Nguyen Hong Van opened in Hanoi on October 14.

It took Van more than 10 years from start to finish to complete the masterpieces, which individually tell little stories about Hanoi.

One artwork in particular, based on an image of Thang Long dragon measured at 2mx1m took her six months to complete.

Other works, on display at the exhibition include “Hanoi streets”, “Hanoi at night” and “Hanoi Autumn”.

Simple but colourful woollen embroidery works by Hong Van provides visitors insight into distinctive cultural values of the capital city.

The exhibition runs until October 20.

Hanoi Martial Arts Festival set to kick off

Close to 10,000 athletes from around the globe have registered to compete in the Hanoi Martial Arts festival scheduled to take place from November 14-16 at the Cau Giay Sports Centre.

Vietnamese athletes are considered the strongest opponents at the 30th edition of the event, where 250 sets of medals will be up for grabs.

The annual event promises to be one of the most competitive events in the history of the competition, according to Hanoi Martial Arts Association General Secretary Le Ngoc Quang.

Quang Ngai exhibits underwater cultural heritage

Over 500 artefacts taken from wrecked ships in central Vietnam are being on display at an exhibition in Quang Nam central city, the same name province.

The exhibits include collections of ceramics dating back to 13th century, Champa stone items and cannons and cannon-balls from the 19th century.

In addition, the exhibition showcases other artefacts collected by the Quang Nam Museum and private collectors.

The show aims at presenting tangible and intangible cultural values of objects founded underwater in the central region, serving scientific work inside and outside the countries and helping visitors understand Vietnam’s underwater cultural heritage and sea-based economic potential.

An opening ceremony of the show held on October 13 saw the participation of Rujaya Abhakorn, Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation, Nguyen Giang Hai, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, local authorities and scientists from 17 countries and territories.

The exhibition lasts until October 17.

Italian style fashion show to open in Hanoi

An exhibition and fashion show featuring four Italian collections of Vietnamese designers will take place at the Centre of Italian Culture and Brands (Casa Italia) in Hanoi from October 15-20.

The event will highlight collections of designers Nguyen Phuong Thao (Thao Oliver), Trinh Bich Thuy (Trinh Fashion), Minh Minh, and Trinh Thanh Hai (Gen Viet).

A number of latest collections of shoes, silk scarf, jewels and ayurvedic products will also be introduced during the event.

The show, with support from the Embassy of Italy in Vietnam, aims to promote Vietnamese and Italian culture through fashion and introduce fashion style of Hanoians with the elegant and classy exquisiteness of Italian style.

Leading theatre company to appear on regional stage

Viet Nam National Drama Theatre will bring a new production entitled Chuyen Chang Dung Si (A Valiant Man's Story) to the second ASEAN – China Stage Forum, scheduled for October 22-28 in Nanning, China.

The musical play for children, staged by director Anh Tu, was adapted from the E De epic Dam San. This popular Central Highlands tale tells the story of a hero who fights against tradition. The performance also vividly reflects the customs of the E De ethnic group.

Photos capture ethnic custom

A collection of photos by Ha Noi photojournalist Trinh Thong Thien won the first prize in the sixth Viet Nam – Country – People photo contest.

The images depict a Dao ethnic minority "maturity ceremony" in the northern province of Lai Chau. This nine-day ritual marks the moment when a teenaged boy becomes a man.

"We came across the ceremony by chance during a business trip to Lai Chau," the Vietnam Pictorial magazine photojournalist said. "We had to ask for permission from the head of the village and the boys' families to take photos during the event."

Thien took more than 1,000 photos and chose the best nine to enter in the contest. All are original photos without any technical interference such as computer processing.

"I'm happy to have gotten the chance to witness and capture on film the most beautiful moments in local boys' lives," he said. "The ceremony confirms the role of local men in the community. It's a priceless custom of the group that needs to be handed down."

Thien beat more than 790 other photographers, who submitted more than 12,300 entries including 478 groups of photos.

Photographer Kieu Tan from the southern province of Dong Nai sent the most photos (328), followed by Ha Noi photographer Hoang Minh (197), according to Nguyen Thang, the magazine's editor-in-chief and head of the contest organising board.

"This was the most comprehensive collection of photo contest entries ever in the country. It reflects the best images of the country's landscapes, people and cultural customs," said Nguyen Khanh, head of the jury.

In addition to the first prize, the jury awarded two second prizes, three third prizes and seven encouragement prizes.

The contest was co-organised by Vietnam Pictorial in co-ordination with the Viet Nam Artistic Photographers Association to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the magazine.

More than 100 photos from this year's contest are on display at the Vietnam News Agency headquarters at 5 Ly Thuong Kiet Street.

The exhibited photos will also be printed in the magazine's English, Chinese, Spanish and Lao print editions, and posted on the magazine's website in Vietnamese, English, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Lao and Khmer.

Thousands of performers from 250 amateur art troupes from all over the country have flocked to the capital city of Hanoi to take part in the 2014 Chau Van Singing Festival, Nguyen Khac Loi, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said on October 13.

The festival, in its second edition, aims to provide an opportunity for artists to perform the traditional ritual singing in a formal setting while increasing the community’s awareness of the Mother Goddess wordshipping belief, Loi added.

The first round of performances runs from October 15 until November 17 in seven temples throughout Hanoi, while the best performances will be selected for a final show on November 28-29.

A number of seminars will also be held during the festival to discuss ways to preserve the values of Chau Van singing in today’s modern society.

Chau Van singing, which is recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, first emerged during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) and presumably originated in the northern province of Nam Dinh.

The highly rhythmic form of singing often accompanies “hau dong” (mediumship) during rituals to honour the Mother Goddess and connect to other gods. It is mostly performed at temples and pagodas.

The music and poetry performed in the folk art are blended with a variety of rhythms, tempos and pitches.

The genre also adopts folk songs from the uplands and highlands of the three regions of the country.

The main musical instrument used in the genre is Dan Nguyet, a moon-shaped lute.

Relevant agencies are working on the necessary documents to apply to UNESCO for recognition of the traditional singing genre as an Intangible Culture Heritage of Humanity.-

Ethnic fabric patterns exhibited in HCMC

The Southern Women’s Museum in Ho Chi Minh City is currently exhibiting more than 230 photographs and objects featuring patterns used for fabrics by the ethnic communities in the South of Vietnam.

The exhibition aims to present the traditional methods of cloth weaving, dyeing and pattern designing that were passed down through the generations of the Cham and Khmer people and other ethnic groups in the Truong Son – Tay Nguyen region, in an effort to preserve and promote their cultural value.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on October 14, Nguyen Thi Tham, Museum Director, said the patterns have their roots in the ethnic groups’ everyday lives and surrounding environment, reflecting their unique cultures.

The fabric making processes are extremely complicated and the products on display reveal the skills and techniques of each weaver, she added.

The exhibition lasts until February 2015.