Victor Vu to direct film based on best-selling author's novel

A new film called Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh (Yellow Flowers on Green Grass) marks the first joint venture between popular director Victor Vu and best-selling author Nguyen Nhat Anh.

Vu has made his name in the movie business with blockbusters like Qua Tim Mau (Vengeful Heart), Co Dau Dai Chien (Battle of the Brides) and Scandal. His new film is adapted from Anh's novel Toi Thay Hoa Vang Tren Co Xanh (I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass). Another director, Viet Linh, wrote the script.

The State commissioned the project, which will be produced by Thien Ngan Galaxy Media and Entertainment, Phuong Nam Studio and Sai Gon Concert.

The movie is in pre-production, with filming expected to begin in 2015. They will shoot most scenes in the natural landscape of the central province of Phu Yen, and some short segments in HCM City.

"I feel enthusiastic about the project," Vu said. "It will be a return to my cinema origins, and remind me of old stories in my family. The film project will also bring me back to my days as a student."

One of Vu's biggest worries making the film is handling audiences' expectations.

"Many readers like this book, and will compare it with the film," he said. "Anh and I agreed we just wanted to focus on making an emotional film."

Linh, the screenwriter and a veteran filmmaker, said she wouldn't mind making all Anh's stories into films. Their imagery makes them easy to translate to the screen.

"I've never been more excited than I was to write the script based on Anh's story," Linh said. "I laughed loudly and cried silently when I was writing.

"The script brought me back to a childhood I lacked in the past. I was inspired by the thrilling plot and interesting characters.

I See Yellow Flowers on Green Grass is Anh's newest story. The 81-chapter book, which received the ASEAN Literary Award, centres on children living in a poor village and poses ethical questions about heartlessness.

The film aims to introduce international audiences to Viet Nam's natural beauty, in addition to appealing to domestic moviegoers.

San Chay people’s dance recognised as national intangible cultural heritage

Tac Xinh dance of the San Chay ethnic minority people in Phu Luong district, the northern province Thai Nguyen was declared a national intangible cultural heritage on October 16.

Tac Xinh dance is a form of performing that has been preserved and passed on by San Chay people for generations. It expresses their gratitude to their ancestors and the spiritual connections between nature and mankind, life and death, and the old and the young, as well as stimulating the wish to control nature.

The dance, popular in Tuc Tranh, Yen Lac and Phu Do communes, comprises nine patterns that feature daily life, including building houses, picking fruit, clearing land and celebrating harvests.

It has been performed all over Vietnam since 1996 and won the first prize at the Vietnam Folk Songs and Dances Festival in 2013.

The recognition is expected to contribute to the preservation and development of Vietnamese cultural values.

Hoi An-Japan cultural exchange to be held in Japan

The 12th Hoi An-Japan cultural exchange is taking place in Osaka prefecture, Japan on October 18-19, providing a prime opportunity to popularise the UNESCO-recognised world heritage site.

The annual event in the prefecture’s Sakai city will feature traditional Vietnamese music, folk games, a lantern-crafting competition, and an exhibition promoting Hoi An as a tourism destination to Japanese friends.

Vice Chairman of Hoi An’s People’s Committee Truong Van Bay said this was the first time the city worked with Japanese authorities to hold the exchange in Japan, coinciding with the 41st Sakai festival.

Hoi An Ancient Town in central Quang Nam province was recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1999. It is an old trading port that dates back to the 15th century. Its architecture and layout reflect the indigenous and foreign influences that melted together to produce its unique characteristics.

In 2013, it came first in the world’s top 10 favourite cities issued by Wanderlust, a well-known British tourism magazine.

Quang Ngai boasts potential for underwater cultural heritage sites

Scientists discovered a number of shards of ceramics and stoneware originating from ancient shipwrecks off the coast of Binh Son and Ly Son districts in central Quang Ngai province.

The broken ceramic and stone pieces are believed to date back to the 15th and 16th century, proving the locality’s underwater cultural heritage.

Nguyen Tuan Lam, an expert at Doan Anh Duong Tourism Company, stated that since 1999, archaeologists discovered 10 shipwrecks near these districts.

According to experts, no place in the world has discovered quite as many ancient ships as Quang Ngai province. This discovery opened up research opportunities for domestic and foreign historians, Director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Prehistory Nguyen Viet said.

In future, Vietnam will also be able to build maritime transport museums to help develop archaeology, he added.

Together with the old shipwrecks, scientists found thousands of antiques underwater that date back to different historical periods, indicating busy trade activities in centuries past.

Over 500 artifacts from shipwrecks in central Vietnam are on display in central Quang Ngai City from October 14-17, including collections of ceramics from the 13th century, Champa stone items, and cannons and cannon balls from the 19th century.

Cultural festival begins in Yen Bai

More than 1,000 artists and local people performed xoe dances last night to kick off the Muong Lo Culture, Sports and Tourism Week in Yen Bai Province's Nghia Lo Town.

Xoe is a typical dance of the Thai ethnic minority groups in the north-west. Men and women hold hands to form a circle and dance to the rhythms played on instruments such as gourd lutes, drums, two-chord fiddles, gongs and cymbals.

The festival will continue till Monday with a range of activities, including an incense-offering ritual at the President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Complex, sports competition, buffalo fighting, and heritage status being given to three banyan trees in the area that are more than 300 years old.

A trade and food fair, offering multiple local specialities such as dried food, seven-coloured stick rice and smoked pork, will be held on the sidelines of the festival.

The special week aims to promote solidarity and cultural exchange among ethnic minority groups in the region, as well as to strengthen the preservation and development of culture.

The event is expected to draw tourists and offer opportunities to investors to increase tourism collaboration in the northwestern region.

Artist wins timber preserving award

Vietnamese artist Nguyen Thuong Hy has won Japan's DAIFUMI International Award for his contributions towards preserving timber architecture.

The award, presented by the Toyama International College of Crafts and Arts, recognised Hy's efforts to help study, conserve and prepare dossiers, and take the measurements of timber structures in the central region.

He has been involved in the restoration of the My Son sanctuary in Quang Nam Province over the past few years.

Hy, who worked for the Centre for Quang Nam Beauty Spots and Relics Management, is the first Vietnamese person to receive such a prestigious award.

He was a student of Japanese master carpenter Fumio Tanaka in 1995 and has 35 years of experience in this field.

A Japanese team and two individuals won the other three awards presented for their work in preserving timber structures.

Four Hanoi-based designers will release their latest collections inspired by Italian beauty on October 22 night in a fashion show entitled Italian Style in Vietnamese Creations.

In the harmony with jewellery and accessories, the outfits present the beauty of the culture and landscape of Hanoi and Vietnam. The collections also get on well with Italian fashion style which is trendy in the world fashion market.

Designer Trinh Bich Thuy – founder of the Trinh Fashionlabel, finds an idea for her creation from Italian beauty and romanticism.

In her collection A Little Italy, Thuy uses colours and patterns inspired by Italian fashion labours and her own technique of stitching padded cotton. This is the technique which makes her name.

Designer Minh Minh finds inspiration from Vietnamese women in the early 20th century. She uses photos of the women to feature the cut-out dresses. The classic pictures are transformed to a kind of pop art. The Pre-fall 2014 collection, with pastel as a decisive colour, carries both modern and classic characteristic.

Trinh Thanh Hai, director of Gen Viet brand, introduces Vietnamese audience the beauty of Italian architecture and palaces through Hoang Kim (Golden Age) collection. The collection combines classic features with denim.

The youngest among four, 31-year-old designer Nguyen Phuong Thao, owner of Thao Oliver brand, pays respect to Italian young women of the 18th-19th centuries through the collection Lovers.

"I find an idea for the collection from Italian women who are romantic and express their exquisite sensibility through the way they spruce up," she said, "I expect that my collection can help all women more charming in their lovers' eyes."

Taking place at the Casa Italia, the fashion show is supported by the Italian Embassy with aim to encourage the designers to create and enhance the exchange in fashion between the two countries, according to Ambassador Lorenzo Angeloni.

The Italian Embassy has cooperated and supported many Vietnamese designers but this is the first time it presents designers from A Designers Hanoi, a group of emerged designers living in the capital.

After the fashion show, the exhibition of collections will run until October 20 at the Casa Italia, 18 Le Phung Hieu street, Hanoi.

Twelve countries from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia are about to introduce science films and television programmes as part of a Science Film Festival initiated by the Goethe Institute from October 24 to December 15.

The fourth edition of the event in Vietnam opens at Lomonosov primary school in Hanoi on October 24 and two days later at the Kim Dong cinema.

During the festival set to take place in 12 cities and provinces throughout the country, audiences will have a chance to watch short science films, participate in experiments and play games.