Vietnam Idol kicks off sixth season

The 6th season of Vietnamese version of the US television show American Idol has been kicked off on November 28.

Viet Nam Idol features contestants between the ages of 16 and 30 who have never taken part in a singing competition.

Auditions will be held in the central coastal city of Da Nang, Hue, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Hai Phong, Can Tho, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in January, 2015.

The three judges will whittle the top one hundred contestants down to 16, ten, two and finally one.

Viewers will be able to vote by text at the website www.vietnamidol.vtv.vn or a phone call to 7170 to decide who goes on to the next level.

The contest is scheduled to be screened on VTV3 channel in April, 2015.

Japanese classic orchestra comes back to Vietnam

The famous group, AUN J Classic Orchestra, will return Vietnam for a unique music concert entitled ‘One Asia Joint Concert’ at Hanoi Opera House on December 8.

This is the third time the group is visiting Vietnam. They gave successful performances in Hanoi in 2011 and 2013.

AUN J Classic Orchestra formed in 2008 with eight excellent Japanese traditional musicians. Their mission is to deliver a strong message to audiences around the world: ‘Japanese traditional music instruments are plain, simple and cool’.

The orchestra has performed at more than 70 venues in Japan and foreign countries including France, Italy, China, Papua New Guinea and Croatia.

The musicians can play major traditional Japanese instruments including Taiko (Japanese drums), Shamisen (three-stringed Japanese lute), Koto (13-stringed Japanese zither), Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute), Shinobue (Japanese transverse flute), and Narimono (Japanese percussions). They have earned numerous prestigious awards in Japan and abroad.

Five distinguished Vietnamese traditional musicians — Ngo Tra My, Nguyen Thanh Thuy, Nguyen Thi Hoa Dang, Le Thuy Linh and Nguyen Thanh Nhan — will also join the 'One Asia Joint Concert' to promote the beauty of traditional Vietnamese music.

The concert is co-organised by the Vietnam National Academy of Music and the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam.

Award-winning pianist to perform classical repertoire

Pianist Celimene Daudet, winner of several international awards, will entertain the Vietnamese audience with compositions of Liszt, Chopin, Debussy and Franck.

Daudet is well-known for projects which combine the playing of the piano with other performance arts, especially dancing.

Her repertoire covers several features of the history of piano music, from triumphal hymns to melancholy compositions.

Tickets for the concerts in Ha Noi (December 13) and HCM City (December 11) are available at L'Espace, while entry is free for the concert in Da Nang (December 12).

HCM City int’l food festival packs in crowds

More than 200,000 visitors flocked to the ninth international food festival “Taste of the world 2014” which took place in Ho Chi Minh City from December 4-7, according to the municipal Tourism Department.

Dishes from 21 countries and territories were put up for tasting at the event. Also helping draw the crowds was a contest with the participation of head-chefs from 17 local five-star hotels and an event in which pastry artisans got together to make 51 types of cakes, setting a new Vietnam record.

Sidelines activities included artistic performances and sport contest, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Innovative artist to give talk at Ha Noi's Goethe Institute

The artist who created her fame with the special technique of combining drawing and photography will have an art talk at the Goethe Institute here tomorrow.

US-based Christine Nguyen will share with the audience her inspiration from the natural sciences. She particularly sought suggestions from scientists of the 19th century, including biologist-artist Ernst Haeckel, conservationist-writer John Muir and botanist-photographer Anna Atkins.

She has opened a solo exhibit called The Cosmos and the Sea at Gallerie Quynh in HCM City which will run until January 10. There, she shows dream-like artworks expanded into various mediums over the decade which describe micro-organisms, the flow of the ocean and imaginative images of nature.

She has developed a photographic process where she creates her own negatives on plastic sheets and prints them with an analogue photo enlarger and recently, a digital photo enlarger. She has also experimented with salt crystals collected on vegetation, paper and glass.

Painter asks existential questions with exhibition

Renowned painter Le Thiet Cuong will present his latest works in a new exhibition that opens in Ha Noi today.

Called Tim (Seeking), the exhibition showcases 16 oil-on-canvas paintings that Cuong says reflect questions that rage within him.

"Making art is a way to make and seek oneself and return to oneself," he said.

"It's true of art and life that whether a person wants it or not, he/she has to find his/her own way to go through this life.

"Each person has to find a key for himself or herself, because each person has his own fate."

"In other words, should we regard art is a way to compose a fine poem, story, a nice piece of music, a beautiful painting or is it time art becomes a question?" Cuong said.

Cuong has held several private exhibitions including Dong Dao (Children's song, 1991), Hat Gao (Rice Seed, 2005), Ban Thao (Draft, 2006), Cay (Tree, 2007), Chuyen cua Lan (Lan's story, 2008), and Ghep (Blending, 2013).

The exhibition will run from today until December 18 at Gallery 39, 39A Ly Quoc Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi.

Artists, customers discuss art at new market in Ha Noi

The capital's first Art Market opened officially yesterday at Hang Da Galleria in Hoan Kiem District.

The 53 participants, ranging in age from 23 to 62, brought paintings, statues, installations and craft products.

The market creates a place for artists and art lovers to discuss art. It also aims to improve the quality of art available domestically.

The market will be open from 8am-5pm every day until December 28.

Multi-awarded writer to hold discussions with readers

Writer Nguyen Huy Thiep will join an exchange and discussion with readers on his writing career and on Vietnamese literature in the post-1975 period. Cultural researcher La Khac Hoa will host the event, which will take place this afternoon at the Heritage Space, Dolphin Plaza, 28 Tran Binh Street in Ha Noi. Entrance is free.

Thiep is a Vietnamese writer who has had the largest number of works published abroad and translated into foreign languages, including French, English, Italian and Danish, as well as Dutch, German and Korean.

Some of his best known works include Tuong Ve Huu (The Retired General), Sang Song (Crossing the River) and Nhung Ngon Gio Hua Tat (The Winds of Hua Tat).

He received the French Literature and Arts Order in 2007 and Italian Literature Award in 2008. Meeting and talking with the writer has become a special occasion because recently, Thiep announced that he had stopped writing.

HTV hosts concert to celebrate winter holidays

The HCM City Television (HTV) will broadcast the music concert Niem Vui Cuoi Nam (Year-end Joy) to celebrate Christmas and New Year's on December 14.

The show is the last episode of the year for the monthly music programme Thay Loi Muon Noi (That's What I Want to Say).

Singer Nguyen Phi Hung, who will host the concert along with MC Quynh Huong, said: "Audiences will be charmed by letters that tell stories about what families' members have done for each other during the year. And stories told by volunteers for charities will also move viewers."

The programme will feature popular Vietnamese songs of love of people and family as well as international carols like Jingle Bells by James Lord Pierpont and Sway by Luis Demetrio and Pablo Beltran Ruiz will be also included.

The concert will begin at 9pm at HTV Theatre. It will be broadcast live on channel HTV9 and Viet Nam Television's channel VTV4.

Silent auction raises $31,000 to help children with heart disease

The Movenpick Hotel Ha Noi hosted a silent auction of 23 items yesterday, raising more than US$31,000 for Heartbeat Vietnam.

The auctioned items included two big paintings: Old Man with His Daily Life ($3,000) and Afternoon Market ($2,000) by painter Dinh Huu Viet.

Heartbeat Vietnam, a programme of the Vinacapital Foundation, has funded the lifesaving surgeries of over 3,800 children with congenital heart defects since 2006.

Books tell tales of VN war generals

A set of three books providing in-depth insight into Vietnamese history has been published to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People's Army (December 22, 1944-2014).

The series, Nhung Vi Tuong Lung Danh Trong Lich Su Dan Toc (Renowed Generals in National History) singled out 60 generals.

They include Ngo Quyen (898-944), the first king of Viet Nam's Ngo Dynasty. In the year 938 King Ngo Quyen successfully defeated the Southern Han in the well-known Bach Dang battle field.

Another general mentioned in the book is Ton That Thuyet (1839-1913), the leading mandarin of Emperor Tu Duc of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Thuyet fought strongly against the French colonialists and helped launched the revolutionary Can Vuong movement.

Others generals described include Hoang Van Thai, who had great influence on the formation of the Vietnamese army. He played a big role in resisting the French and later the Americans.

The generals were chosen from four eras - ancient, medieval, recent and modern.

"The books depict the roles of the generals who fought for national independence and freedom," said researcher, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Diep, who co-wrote two of the three books.

The second book of the series, Vo Nguyen Giap Dai Tuong cua Nhan Dan (Vo Nguyen Giap, The People's General) features in detail the life and career of the late General Vo Nguyen Giap.

It was co-written by Diep and researcher Nguyen Phuc Giac Hai from the Vietnamese Research Centre for Potential Human Abilities.

The 100-page book should satisfy the expectations of those who want to learn more about the general, who died a year ago, said Dr. Diep, head of the Centre for Translation, Cultural and Technological Scientific Services, which worked with Tan Viet Books to present the book.

"With more than 316 photos, the book also contains a great volume of information in picture describing the final moments of the General," researcher Diep said.

"It also gathers assessments of the general from numerous newspapers and magazines in the world, such as Le Monde, Le Figaro, The Washington Post, the New York Time."

Researcher Diep said the books would be precious material for Vietnamese film-makers.

The third book of the series, Nhung Tran Khong Chien Tren Bau Troi Viet Nam (1965-1975) Nhin Tu Hai Phia (Air Battles in Vietnamese Skies 1965-1975, A Look from Two Sides) is the first of its kind published in Viet Nam.

"Generations of veteran Vietnamese pilots nurtured the book," the book's leading author, Lieutenant-general Nguyen Sy Hung, said at a press conference yesterday.

"There were thousands of air battles over Viet Nam. The fiercest occurred on April 28, 1975. This is why we find it essential to have a book featuring the air combats in detail," said Hung who joined six veteran pilots who wrote the book.

According to the retired pilot, the book was history-based, objective, humanistic, and opens new angles in the study of military science.

"We closely follow the historical facts to present the truth, no matter who won. We also used books published in the United States and Russia to provide an objective overview of the war," Hung said.

"The books are not only historical annals, they feature famous figures and heroic pilots from the US and Viet Nam.

"One American soldier returned to Viet Nam in 2012 on the 40th anniversary of the 12 days and nights of the Ha Noi – Dien Bien Phu air battle.

Before he left for Viet Nam, his mother asked him to search for the man who shot down his airplane 40 years ago to convey her thanks. She was grateful that he had shot down the plane but left her son alive, Hung said.

Hung said the authors planned to also publish the book in English.

HCM City prepares for holidays

Fireworks displays will take place from HCM City's tallest building, Bitexco (on Hai Trieu Street, District 1), and Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11 on New Year's Eve. The displays will last 15 minutes starting at midnight on December 31.

To celebrate the festive season, many streets downtown and in nearby areas, like Ham Nghi, Le Loi, Dong Khoi, Le Duan, Pham Ngoc Thach, Truong Son, Nguyen Van Troi, and Ton Duc Thang, will be lined with glittering lights from December 20 to January 5.

On December 31 art performances will be held at the September 23 Park, the entrance to the Thu Thiem Tunnel under the Sai Gon River, Truong Sa Street, and the District 12 Cultural Centre.

The city has received more than 3.9 million tourists this year, an increase of 7 per cent year-on-year.

Italy-Vietnam Cultural Centre marks 20th anniversary

Over the past two decades, the Italy-Vietnam Cultural Centre (Dante Alighieri) in Hanoi has developed strongly, says Chairman of the Vietnam-Italy Friendship Association Nguyen Van Nam.

Speaking at a ceremony at the centre on December 6 to mark the 20th anniversary, Nam says it has kept pace with Vietnam’s demand for learning about Italy’s language and culture.

It has sets three main targets – improving the quality of teaching Italian language and promulgating Italian culture, enhancing activities to boost cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between the two countries, and encouraging training exchange among the two countries’ universities and research institutes.

Nam expressed his hope that with a wide array of activities in the future, the centre will actively contribute to boosting cooperative ties and strategic partnership between the two countries.

US Embassy announces winners of logo design contest

The US Embassy in Hanoi announced the winners of a logo design competition marking the 20 th anniversary of the Vietnam – US relations in Hanoi on December 5.

The winning logo, featuring the images and colours of the national flags of Vietnam and the US , and will be used in all materials for celebratory activities launched by the embassy next year.

The first prize went to Doan Hai Tu from Ho Chi Minh City while Tran Hoang Dung and Tran Hoai Duc came in second and third.

The organising board received 260 entries from across the country.

Association of Photographic Artists convenes eighth congress

The Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) held its eighth Congress for the 2014-2019 tenure in Hanoi on December 6.

The event saw the presence of Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Uong Chu Luu, representatives from central agencies and organisations, and over 500 delegates from VAPA branches across the country.

Addressing the gathering, Luu praised the VAPA’s efforts in improving photo contests and exhibitions to follow the development trend of modern photography.

Although many artists have delved deeply into social themes, others have merely scratched the surface of social life without deep exploration to create works with deeply humanistic values on the land, people and urgent issues of the country, Luu said.

He urged the VAPA to strive further to improve artists’ abilities, political vision and professional ethics. Luu also asked the association to enhance knowledge exchanges, training courses, and professional workshops while giving directions to help artists depict further good deeds and examples, introduce beautiful images of Vietnamese land and people to the world, as well as have work showcasing big events of the country.

The Congress elected 11 members of the VAPA’s Executive Committee and Vu Quoc Khanh was reelected as the VAPA’s President for the new tenure.

According to the VAPA’s report at the congress, during the 2009-2014 tenure, the association made numerous improvements to its operations, and organised eight national photo contests and many photo exhibitions for political means and big events.

The report also stated the association’s shortcomings and future target for high-quality work reflecting the country’s renewal process, industrialisation and modernisation. The VAPA planned to increase the popularity of photography to mobilise resources for the development of photography.

Hanoi International Fellowship hosts Christmas Charity Concert Members of the community are invited to participate in an upcoming Cross-Cultural Christmas Charity Concert designed to celebrate the spirit of the Christmas season.

This event is an initiative of the 'Love Hanoi' campaign of City Partnerships, the charity arm of Hanoi International Fellowship.The programme starts from 7.30pm at Au Co Theater on Saturday, December 6, 2014, featuring a wonderful variety of performances from singers and musicians, as well as Concordia International School Choir, and will emphasise the cultural diversity of Hanoi's vibrant expat community.

Talented Korean pianist Joshua Shin, violinist Duong Minh Chinh and young pianist Vinh The Nguyen will present classical items from Beethhoven and Elgar.

Christmas carols such as Jingle Bells, Silent Night and Joy to the World will be enjoyed by all, with the opportunity for the audience to join in the singing, while the HIF African Band will bring the vibrant sounds of Africa to Hanoi. The international theme will continue with a Chinese choir, a

Filipino song and dance group and a Korean drums performance from Hanoi Korean Church.

“It was an enormous success, so we decided it should be an annual event,” said organising committeee representative Pastor Jacob Bloemberg.

“Thanks to the hard work by many volunteers and the support of our valued sponsors, we are delighted to present the 2014 Cross-Cultural Christmas Charity Concert as part of our Love Hanoi outreach.”

Love Hanoi is a grass-roots movement to inspire and mobilise individual, corporate and public initiatives for the benefit of the community. All proceeds from ticket sales and a silent auction will go to support two charities: Hagar International and Quynh Hoa Centre. Hagar International is committed to restoring the lives of the extremely disadvantaged in society, women, mothers and children whom have been victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Quynh Hoa Vocational Centre, located in Thanh Tri district, has helped hundreds of persons with disabilities. Many of them still suffer from the consequences of Agent Orange or Herbicide Orange. Tickets can be obtained for a donation of

VND200,000 each at Joma, Donkey Bakery, Tea Talk Cafe, Concordia School and HIF office on the 17th floor at 8C Ton That Thuyet street, My Dinh area.