UK harmonica master to meet locals

Ben Hewlett, chairman of the UK National Harmonica League, will have a harmonica diatonic training for people in Saigon at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Participants will have a chance to learn about diatonic, a type of harmonica currently played by most artists in the world. Hewlett will also introduce the playing style of harmonica master Sonny Terry, techniques of whooping, and structures of blues music, among others.

He will also entertain audiences by playing some pieces using the harmonica diatonic.

Hewlett has been a harmonica teacher/artist for the past 25 years. He is also the author of dozens of books and tutorial videos.

The program, organized by B.A.C.H (B.A.C.H Music School), will take place at the hall of Siena Café at 64 Tran Quoc Thao Street in HCMC’s District 3.

Talents gear up for “Save the earth” contest

Vietnam Social Entrepreneurship Empowerment and Development (VSEED) will host a “Save the earth” contest to search for initiatives to solve environmental problems in Vietnam via the model of social business.

The contest is open to students and bachelors/engineers who graduated no longer than two years nationwide. Participants can register as individuals or groups of three to five at the website http://bit.ly/savetheEarth and email registrations to info.vseed@gmail.com before May 23.

There are four evaluation criteria: social impact, feasibility, creativity and expansion. The top 20 projects will be chosen to support business plans before six to eight initiatives are picked to receive funds for implementation.

The contest conducted by VSEED since 2013 aims to give people an opportunity to start up a social enterprise.

For further information, contact Ms. Trang at 0123 8470 717.

Cameroonian singer Irma hosts pop show

On Saturday, L'Espace will host a pop performance featuring Cameroonian folk singer-songwriter Irma known for her bright pop style.

Irma's success story starts with a debut album financially supported by admiring Internet fans. The album took off and now she has enough fans to book 150 concerts in a single Europe tour.

She was nominated at the prestigious music French awards, Victoires de la Musique, and won an award for her platinum sales.

Last year she released her second album Faces, which has done well in France, Belgium and Switzerland.

The performance will start at 8pm. Tickets cost VND160,000 for L'Espace members and VND80,000 for L'Espace students.

Vietnam – Indonesia Art Exhibition

An art exhibition, Picturing Pictures Sai Gon-Yogakarta, displaying works by 12 Vietnamese and Indonesian artists, opened on Tuesday.

The artists on display include Mai Anh Duong, Long Lu Biean, Nguyean Ngoc an, Lea Hao, Siu Quyu, Alan Nguyean from Viet Nam, and Sulistyo Chung, Dadi Soesanto, Budi Ubrux, Emmy Go, Agus Suwage, Titarubi from Indonesia. The artists have jointly organised the event in a bid to exchange ideas and interact with each other.

Indonesia is considered to be among the southeast Asian country with the most long-standing, diversified and lively art history and market.

While Sai Gon (presently know as HCM City) is a large, modern and lively city in Viet Nam, Yogyakarta or Jogja are small, with a total population of about 388 million.

However, Jogja is know to be the home town of many talented and well-trained Indonesian artists.

According to artist Long Lu Biean, both Vietnamese and Indonesian artists of the same generation long to showcase their various styles, conceptions, as well as the similarities and differences between two countries' cultures and arts.

The exhibition will run until May 23.

Comedians say goodbye to Steve Jackson

Stand-up Saigon, a group of comedians living in the HCM City, will host a show to say goodbye to comedian Steve Jackson, a member of the group, at Yoko bar on May 29.

Jackson, who has lived in the city for four years, will perform with friends from Stand-up Saigon.

The show will present two bands, James and the Van Der Beeks and Cat Pylon.

The event will begin at 8pm. The bar is at 22A Nguyen Thi Dieu Street in District 3.

Future Shorts festival returns to the city

Future Shorts, the world's largest pop-up short film festival, will present foreign and local best short films at Saigon Outcast on May 29.

The films include Two Films about Loneliness, a stop-motion animated film directed by Christopher Eales, Mynarski Death Plummet, a story of WWII hero Andrew Mynarski by Matthew Rankin, and The Missing Scarf, a black comedy exploring some of life's common fears narrated by George Takei and directed by Eoin Duffy.

The screening also features An Dinh Ha's Dot Ve Troi (Burn to Send), set amidst HCM City's underground motorcycle racing scene, about a young man and woman struggling to define their ambiguous romance. A Q&A with its director and producer Jenni Trang Le will be set up.

The screening will start from 7.30pm. Tickets are VND60,000, and VND30,000 for students. The venue is at 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong Street in District 2.

Marco Mei to perform at Saigon's Lookout

Heart Beats, a Saigon-based underground music community, will hold an underground music and light show with Italian DJ Marco Mei at Saigon's Lookout on May 22.

Mei, who began his career as a DJ in 1991, will play house and techno music. In 2009, Mei teamed up with Stefano Ugliano and started the project "Bicycle Corporation". They have released more than 50 tracks and remixes, ranging from deep and tech-house to French house and techno.

The show will also feature DJ Oko from Ukraine, and DJs Chris Wolter and B.A.X of Heart Beat.

EROL, a Swedish member of Heart Beats, will perform visual arts during the show. The show will start at 9pm at 34 Ky Con Street in District 1. Admission is VND50,000.

The Breton Society in Viet Nam will celebrate Breton Day 2015 in Ha Noi on Friday and Saturday, bringing together an itinerary of Brittany cultural activities and entertainment.

The event will host world-renowned musicians from different strains and eras of Celtic music from Brittany. More than 40 musicians will perform, including The Kemperle Pipe Band, Lang Dzu band, Celtic Rock Diaouled, Alan Pennec, Jakez Lesouef, Hot Tzigani band and Turbo Sans Visa.

The event will start at 8pm tomorrow at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street. Tickets cost VND100,000 (VND150,000 at the door). Students and children under 6 are free.

Another free-admission concert will take place at Chez Xuan, 41 Alley 76, An Duong Street on Saturday, from 11am.

Short films to be screened in capital

The Friends of Viet Nam Heritage (FVH) will present four selected shortfilms by talented directors from the Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD).

Gentle Colors by Nguyen Trung Kien, winner of 2014 Golden Lotus Audience Choice award, and What's Out There by Nguyen Diep Thuy Anh, winner of 2013 Golden Lotus Audience Choice award and the 2014 Ha Noi Film Festival Premium Prize for Best Short Film, will roll. Two lesser-known films, Running on Crutches by Nguyen Ha Phuong and YRML by Tran Thanh Van, will also screen.

The event will start at 7.30pm tonight at Ha Noi Cinematheque, 22 Hai Ba Trung Street.

Afterwards there will be a Q&A session with directors. To reserve seats, send an email to nguyenvu–nganhang@yahoo.com. Cost: VND150,000. Limit: 90 people.

Philippine flower fest opens

The Asian Women & Friends in Ha Noi (AWFH) yesterday held the Flores De Mayo Santacruzan 2015 (Flower of May) festival in Ha Noi.

The event aimed to celebrate a legendary Philippine tradition, one of the most popular and colourful festivities held annually throughout the country during the merry month of May, said Bing Macatangay Arias, president of the AWFH.

"The beautiful flowers that in profound meditations during the whole month of May, are offered by the devotees to our Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Marry," said Arias.

"It is our desire to share this beautiful religious tradition with the Vietnamese and international community in Viet Nam, a Philippine tradition originated from the Spanish colonisation in our beloved country more than 300 years ago that has been handed down through the generations."

Addressing the event, Philippine Ambassador to Viet Nam Jerril G Santos said: "I'm truly delighted with the AWFH for organising one of the most colourful cultural and religious traditions of the Philippines. Credit goes to Bing Macatangay Arias and her colleagues for bringing this beautiful and unique display of the Philippine culture to the Vietnamese and international community in Ha Noi. I'm sure that the festivities will provide a better insight into an aspect of the Philippine culture that is rarely seen in Viet Nam."

The Santacruzan is the highlight of the Flores de Mayo festival. This historical-religious procession of beautiful Sagalas (queens) depicts the different personas from the holy book and the litany of the holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It commemorates the crusade led by Queen Helena (Saint Helena), the beloved mother of Constantine the Great, in search of the true cross of Jesus Christ on Calvary.

The festival was attended by forty beautiful Sagalas from 18 different countries. They dressed in fabulous and elaborate elegant traditional and contemporary gowns.

The event was sponsored by the Philippine Embassy in Ha Noi and Ford Viet Nam.

The AWFH is an open and exclusively women's group composed of ladies from expatriate, diplomatic and local communities who are working and living in Ha Noi.

The organisation was established in 2010 and started with only 30 members, with the aim of sharing their rich and diverse cultural heritage.

Now it has 200 members from 50 different countries.