Children offered training in traditional opera

Professional artists perform Thị Màu Lên Chùa (Ms Mau Visits a Pagoda), an ancient chèo play. Children interested in the art will have a chance to learn it this Sunday at Hào Nam Communal House. — File Photo

Children interested in chèo (traditional opera) will have the chance to learn songs and dances at a free training session on August 26 at Hào Nam Communal House, Vũ Thạch Street, Đống Đa District in Hà Nội.

Professional artists and volunteers will guide the children using a variety of methods.

The show is part of a series to offer young people the chance to learn about Vietnamese arts, and is being organised by the Hà Nội Culture and Sports Department and Chèo 48h (48 Hour Traditional Opera) project.

Previous shows featured ca trù (ceremonial singing), trống bồng (traditional drums from Triều Khúc Village) and hát xẩm (folk singing by blind buskers). 

ICHAM to hold event

A Social Commitment Day 2018 will be held from 7am to 7pm on August 25 at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam (ICHAM), Landmark Building, 5B Tôn Đức Thắng Street, HCM City’s District 1. — Photo citynetevents.com

A Social Commitment Day 2018 will be held from 7am to 7pm on August 25 at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam (ICHAM), Landmark Building, 5B Tôn Đức Thắng Street, HCM City’s District 1.

This one day journey from HCM City to Vũng Tàu City starts with a beach clean-up, followed by workshops and a seminar.

This event is an annual CSR Day, gathering companies from the network and inviting employees to take action for environmental protection.

It is an occasion for employees to engage in teambuilding activities and get involved with saving the planet.

The participation fees are VNĐ800,000 (US$34) for members and VNĐ950,000 (US$40) for non-members. 

Dancing for charity

The Dance Collaboration Fest – a Charity Event will be held from 3pm to 10pm on August 25 at Diviners Center in 2 Hồ Xuân Hương Street, HCM City’s District 3. — Photo citynetevents.com

The Dance Collabration Fest – a Charity Event will be held from 3pm to 10pm on August 25 at Diviners Center, 2 Hồ Xuân Hương Street, in HCM City’s District 3.

CNA Dance group, Jocker Locking, Xmas, SaiGon Flavour, Hiphop group, Inertic group and Diviners teams will be performing at the event.

Ticket prices are VNĐ150,000 (US$7), group tickets for four VNĐ360,000 (US$ 15.5) and combo ticket with T-shirt VNĐ180,000 (US$9).

Half of the profits will be sent to a school for the blind. 

Folk games revive culture

Mandarin Square Capturing, a popular folk game, will be held on Trịnh Công Sơn pedestrian street in the capital city. — Photo phunuvietnam.com

Various folk games will be organised on August 25 and September 15 at Trịnh Công Sơn pedestrian street in Tây Hồ District.

The UNESCO Centre for International Cultural Exchange and Preservation will work with Sân Đình (Communal House Ground) Group to organise the event.  

Around 15 folk games will be featured, including bag jumping, Mandarin Square Capturing, walking on stilts and pitching pennies. Organisers will also transform the games so they can be played in schools, parks and building yards.

There will be also an exhibition on folk games and painting. 

Fun run in September

The BBGV 18th Annual Fun Run for Charity will be held from 7am to 10.30am on September 30 in Phú Mỹ Hưng, HCM City’s District 7.

The British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV) 18th Annual Fun Run for Charity will be held from 7am to 10.30am on September 30 in Phú Mỹ Hưng in HCM City’s District 7.

This annual event raises funding for disadvantaged people throughout Việt Nam.

This year the BBGV Fun Run expects around 10,000 runners, with the aim of raising VNĐ1 billion (US$43,000) that will support charitable Vietnamese causes.

Since the first Fun Run which took place in 2000, the BBGV has raised more than VNĐ9 billion ($386,500) to benefit charities throughout Việt Nam.

The BBGV contributes to projects which cover a wide range of charitable fields.

The events give priority to projects which meet the needs of disadvantaged children and the elderly, and for those that have an educational dimension.

The most recent projects that were given funds were Partage Việt Nam and Green Việt. 

Raising the bar for art

People join a ’Pull and Raise’ project of Tsubasa Kato. — Photo courtesy of the artist

Art lovers are invited to attend a talk by artist Tsubasa Kato titled Ou-topos Network as part of his Pull and Raise project around the world.

Pulling and raising are two simple acts that seem to support each other but remain contradictory at the same time. They serve as a reminder of order and chaos.

Kato ponders pull and raise as a means of interaction with his audiences. Participants of the event will play a role in his work.

Kato was born in Japan in 1984 and is a Seattle-based contemporary artist. In the ‘Pull and Raise’ project, spontaneously formed groups work together to pull down large-scale structures with ropes. This work challenges us to see each project site’s environment as a narrative, reflected in the shape and the weight of the structure. 

By employing communal action to pull and manipulate this structure, he represents social order in terms of an alterable, physical form, providing a platform for people to spontaneously and unconsciously co-operate to envision change.

The event will take place tomorrow at Puppets Café, No 27, Lane 189, Giảng Võ Street. 

Classical music show in Hanoi

Poster for the classical music concert staring violinist Stephane Trần Ngọc and pianist Trần Thái Linh.

A classical music concert starring violinist Stephane Trần Ngọc and pianist Trần Thái Linh will take place on September 1 at L’Espace, 24 Tràng Tiền Street.

They will perform songs by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Cesar Franck. Born in Paris and raised in the world’s cradle of music, Ngọc soon made a name for himself in the global violin music scene.

With his compassionate, sophisticated way of playing, he has performed in more than 30 countries, in many famous concert halls. He also was one of the youngest lecturers on violin at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon (France) before leaving to teach at Lawrence Academy of Music in the US and then being promoted to Head of Strings at the London College of Music in the UK.

Linh graduated from the National Academy of Music in Việt Nam and Saint Leo University in Australia. 

Photos on August Revolution and archeological treasures on display

Visitors view photos and archeological items on display at two exhibitions held at Cần Thơ City’s Museum. 

An exhibition featuring photos on the August Revolution and the resistance war in the south of Việt Nam are ongoing at Cần Thơ City’s Museum.

The 116 photos on display showcase the first glorious win of the Vietnamese since the leadership of the Communist Party up until the success of the August Revolution, together with the birth of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam which ended 100 years of French colonialism and opened a new historic era, the resistance war in the south as well as nine years fighting against the French.

Another event held alongside is an exhibition entitled The Archeological Treasures in the Southwest, which introduces to the public over 200 documents, images and objects made of various materials like metal, pottery and wood. The objects were used for different purposes like manufacturing, domestic work or spiritual events.

The highlights of the exhibition are national treasures like Víts-nu and Líts-mi statuettes or the jewellery moulds of Cần Thơ City’s Museum.

The archeological exhibition helps to bring to life the civilisation of the ancient Vietnamese located in the southwest from the first to the 7th century.

According to Hồ Lâm Bạch Vân, the vice director of the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the two exhibitions aim to contribute to the education on national patrotism, pride and responsibilities among Vietnamese generations, particularly among local youths.

The photo exhibition will last until September 22 and the archeological exhibition will run until December 15. 

Rom-com released on National Day

Pop star Isaac plays a leading role in Mùa Hát Tình Ca (Season of Love), a romantic comedy musical from young director and producer Lý Minh Thắng. It will be in cinemas in September. — Photo courtesy of the producer

Young film producer Lý Minh Thắng’s latest film project, Mùa Viết Tình Ca (Season of Love Songs), will be released in cinemas on National Day, September 2. 

The romantic comedy musical will feature a young singer, played by pop idol Isaac, and his friends, who face challenges as they pursue their dreams.

The 90-minute film stars young singers Suni Hạ Linh, Puka and Hoàng Phi as the lead characters. Vietnamese-American comic actor Chí Tài is also featured.

“I invited young talents in both music and film to ensure that my production will have quality music,” said the film’s producer Thắng.

Thắng used music and acting specialists from the HCM City Music Conservatory and HCM City Theatre & Cinematography to train his actors.

Thắng spent five years as a director before developing his career as a film producer. 

Thắng said although he directed two blockbusters, Sài Gòn, Anh Yêu Em (Sài Gòn, I Love You) in 2016 and Mẹ Chồng (Mother-in-Law) in 2017, he has worked hard to challenge himself as a producer.  

“I’m now burdened with double tasks in the new job,” the 34-year-old told local media recently. “I have to plan and co-ordinate all aspects like script selecting and writing, directing, editing, and financing. I also have to oversee marketing and distribution.”  

Thắng became well-known with the comedy Sài Gòn Anh Yêu Em, winner of the best feature film, best screenplay and best cinematography at the Golden Kite Awards organised by the Việt Nam Cinematography Association last year.

The film features five couples of different places and backgrounds who choose Sài Gòn-HCM City as their home. The culture and lifestyle of the local residents are highlighted throughout the film.

The production starred famous cải lương (reform opera) actress Ngọc Giàu, young actress Maya, and young comic actor Huỳnh Lập who received the award for best supporting actor. It was also distributed in Sydney and Melbourne.

His later works, Ngày Mai Cưới (Wedding Tomorrow), Lô Tô (Lottery) and Mẹ Chồng, have all attracted audiences. 

Prize winning works on display in HN

One of a group of five photos on the American war that won war correspondent Lương Nghĩa Dũng the Hồ Chí Minh Prize in Literature and Arts. — Photo bvhttdl.gov.vn

Dozens of works of art and literature by winners of the Hồ Chí Minh Prize and the State Prize in 2016 will be on show in Hà Nội on August 30.

The event, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will feature works by 13 artists, photographers and writers.

The two prizes are the highest honours conferred by the Party and State to outstanding works of art and literature with profound meaning and high artistic value that serve the revolutionary cause and contribute to the development of literature and arts.

In 2016, 18 authors were awarded the Hồ Chí Minh Prize and 95 authors were awarded the State Prize in the fields of literature and art. Among them, photographer Lương Nghĩa Dũng and sculptor Tạ Quang Bạo were also awarded the Hồ Chí Minh Prize. 

The exhibition, at the Việt Nam National Museum of Fine Arts, 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, will remain open to the public from August 30 to September 8. 

Film screenings celebrate national anniversaries

The film Sứ Mệnh Trái Tim (Heart’s Mission) stars Angela Phương Trinh and Võ Cảnh. — Photo courtesy of the Cinema Department

Dozens of Vietnamese films will be screened for free at cinemas nationwide from now until September 5 to mark the country’s National Day.

The highlight of the event is the film Sứ Mệnh Trái Tim (Heart’s Mission) starring Angela Phương Trinh and Võ Cảnh.

Directed by Đỗ Đức Thịnh, it’s a story of young soldiers who take on a mission to detect unexploded ammunition.

The film reflects the young team’s devotion to the community and the love between a soldier and a teacher who volunteer to work in a mountainous region.

The films to be screened include both feature and documentary movies on the topics of war, patriotism, heroes and revolution.

They include Giấc Mơ Thổ Cẩm (Brocade Dream), Cao Hơn Bầu Trời (Higher Than the Sky), Nhà Tiên Tri (The Prophecy), Những Người Viết Huyền Thoại (The Legend Maker), Đừng Đốt (Don’t Burn), and Bác Hồ Với Nông Dân (Uncle Hồ and Farmers).       

The Cinema Department organised the film screening to celebrate the anniversaries of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945) and National Day (September 2).

The event is being jointly held by the Việt Nam Documentary and Scientific Film Studio; the National Cinema Centre; Ruby Media Company; departments of culture, sports and tourism; and cinema centres nationwide. 

Live show honours filial piety

Singer Duy Cường (right) and Ngọc Sơn (left) perform together at the press conferene introducing the live show. 

A live show honouring motherly love and filial piety will take place on September 22 in Hà Nội.

Entitled Tình Mẫu Tử (Mother’s Love), the music show is the debut of singer Duy Cường, winner of the Bolero Idol singing contest 2018.

The show includes songs celebrating parents who dedicate their lives to their children.

It gathers famous singers of bolero such as Ngọc Sơn, Giao Linh and Thái Châu.

Singer Sơn, jury member of the Bolero Idol singing contest, said Cường is not a professional singer but he expressed a talent and passion for music.

“Cường has improved his singing technique since the contest,” said Sơn. “Cường has now become an important name in this genre.”  

Though he holds a PhD in philosophy and currently works as a lecturer at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Cường still nurtures a passion for music. He joined the singing contest and impressed the audience and jury board.

Early this month, Cường released a music video extolling love for his mother. The video proved popular and attracted millions of views online.

In the video, Cường reflects on his family’s difficulties and memories of his childhood. His mother had to work hard to earn money to raise children and care for Cường’s father after he was involved in a traffic accident.

He made the music video and live show to celebrate the annual Buddhist festival of Vu Lan, an event that eulogises motherly love, held in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. This year it will fall on August 20. 

Differently-abled designer wows audience

Disabled designer Hà Thị Thông impressed the audience with her collection No 8 during a fashion show in Hà Nội on Saturday.

Thông always dreamt of becoming a designer and uses colours in her work to depict moods and feelings. Blue for hope, red for passion and white for innocence.

The show was organised by the London College for Design and Fashion (LCDF).

The fashion event displayed 16 collections by graduate students with various themes including the relationship between humans and the environment, traditional handicrafts and cultural history. 

Thông was born in 1987 with birth defect in her legs that makes it difficult for her to move. She started the career as a tailor.

Thông first impressed three years ago as the first disabled candidate to take part in a contest and was listed among nine finalists.

After that event, she went to London to study.