Vietnamese photographer wins international award

Vietnamese photographer Le Duy Hoang won third prize at the Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) for his black-and-white photography.

His winning photo depicted the joy of a group of Vietnamese fishermen coming back from a trip. It earned him prize-money of US$8,000.

HIPA is an internationally-renowned photography award, launched in 2011 under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai.

The theme for this year's award was "The Beauty of Light".

Even though it is still a new photo award, it has attracted the attention of many art lovers because of the money. Prize money totals $389,000.

Osama Al Zubaidi from the United Arab Emirates won the Grand Prize worth $120,000.

Open to both local and international photographers, the award reflects Dubai's commitment to artistic and cultural development.

Mexican ballet troupe to perform in Vietnam

A ballet troupe from Mexico will give a special folk performance in Vietnam from September 16-21, as part of activities to celebrate the 38 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Mexico.

The event will be co-hosted by the Performing Arts Organisation Center and the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Mexican Embassy in Vietnam.

Free tickets will be available at the Hanoi Opera House on September 17, the Vietnam-Japan Labour Cultural House in Ha Long City of Quang Ninh province on September 19 and the Hai Phong Opera House on September 20.-

Nghinh Ong festival recognised as intangible cultural heritage

Nghinh Ong, one of the biggest annual event in the South for fishermen to worship the whale and to seek good luck at sea, has been recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage.

It usually takes place on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month in Ho Chi Minh City's coastal district of Can Gio.

Fishermen believe that whales rescue people in distress at sea and accompany them to safety.

Festival is also a time for them to pray for peace, prosperity, and happiness for the whole community.

Nghinh Ong is also celebrated in other coastal provinces around the country.

Others recognised as intangible cultural heritages include the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda festival in the northern province of Bac Giang, the Phu Day festival in northern Nam Dinh province, the Ba Trao singing in central Quang Nam province and the sedge mat weaving trade in the southern province of Dong Thap.

Vietnamese culture and tourism festival opens in Japan

A Vietnamese culture and tourism festival will be held in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Aichi from September 11 to 23.

The event, organised by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, is part of activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vietnam – Japan’s diplomatic ties.

The festival will feature art performances, handicraft products, traditional costumes and Vietnamese cuisine. In the framework of the festival, tourism promotion workshops will be also held during this perio.

Revolutionary singer gives up lecturing position for the stage

Vietnam’s famous veteran singer of “Red music”, Trong Tan, the communist revolutionary music genre in Vietnam, has submitted his petition to the National Music Academy’s leaders so that he can leave his current job of being a lecturer.

His decision has drawn great public concern, from many artists as well as his fans. They believe it would be a mistake for someone who is a very good lecturer at the academy and is expected to become the head of the Vocal Music Department to resign.

People’s Artist Trung Kien who was Trong Tan’s teacher seems to greatly regret Trong Tan’s decision. Kien denied the supposition that Tan gave up the teaching job because of the modest salary.

“He seemed to be interested in teaching music very much and asked me to help him to prepare a doctoral thesis. It is not easy at all to become a lecturer at the academy. He is a good lecturer, but now, his resignation will affect 14 of his students,” Kien added.

Kien, however, said that he was not surprised at this news because two years ago, Tan told him that he wanted to leave the academy.

“He has his own reasons for this. I think that being a good lecturer needs great devotion. It's impossible to be a lecturer, if you're always thinking about performing.” Artist Trung Kien noted.

Singer Anh Tho who often performed with Tan said she was totally surprised at Trong Tan's decision and really felt bad for him.

Meanwhile, Trong Tan said, “Artist Trung Kien doesn't really understand me. Everyone has his or her own way of thinking. I have my own job orientation. I want to gave up the teaching job because I can't find the time to be a lecturer and a performer at the same time.

Over the past ten years, he tried to do his teaching job as well as he could. Now if he arranged his time better, maybe he could return to being a lecturer, he said, emphasising the fact that he did not want to adversely affect the academy’s activities because of his personal work.

According to People’s Artist Trung Kien, if everyone had behaved like Trong Tan, the National Music Academy would have stopped operation. Many old professors, such as those at the Piano Department, still cycle to the academy every day even though they have only a few students.

Some people said that Trong Tan’s resignation might be related to the scam of one year ago when he and Anh Tho were banned from performing both inside and outside the country for one year, starting from August 1, after they left Laos and quit participating in a Vietnam-Laos friendship music programme in July.

People’s Artist Trung Kien said, in all the years he's worked at the National Music Academy, no one has ever given up their job for similar reasons. “If someone resigned from the job, it was for another reason, not to be a free artist like him,” he noted.

Photo Contest "Holland -Vietnam in your eyes" Launched

The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has just launched a photo contest named “Holland & Vietnam in your eyes”. This contest is apart of “Holland Village” program to mark the 40-year bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City.

Accordingly, photographers are invited to capture the connection or the characteristics of both countries and give a short description in one photo. Photos are not necessarily taken in the Netherlands as along as it shows the connections between two countries.

The photo should have its title that shows the primary ideas with an explanatory text of maximum 30 words. It should depict the similarity or/of contrast of both The Netherlands and Vietnam.

Beginner and advanced photographers from all over Vietnam are welcome to join the Holland Village Photo Contest.

The Grand Prize will be return -flight tickets from Ho Chi Minh to Amsterdam sponsored by Air France KLM.

The deadline will be lasted to October 20, 2013. Contestants can contact or send the photos to the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in HCMC or email to contest@holland-village.org.

Concert raises funds ‘For a Healthy Vietnam’ program

A concert titled ‘The Voice Kids-For a Healthy Vietnam’ will take place at the Hanoi Opera House on September 12.

Winner of The Voice Kids 2013, Nguyen Quang Anh and outstanding contestants such as Thu Ha, Ho Van Phong, Hong Khanh, Vu Song Vu, Luong Thuy Mai will join the event.

All proceeds of the music show will be donated to the ‘For a Healthy Vietnam’ fund run by the Lifebuoy brand.

The concert is expected to leave a deep impression on listeners and will be broadcast live on ANTV Channel.

Tomorrow Manzi Art Space will open an exhibit of work by Ha Noi-based visual artist Vuong Thao, recently named one of Southeast Asia's top ten artists by the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation.

Known for his "fossilised" replicas of Ha Noi's Old Quarter, village gates and bridges, Thao will present a series of paintings on do paper that has received local and international acclaim.

The display, Frozen Dreams, will be open until September 23 at 14 Phan Huy Ich Street.

Madake holds chill-out movie night

Madake Bar at 81 Xuan Dieu Street kicks off a new weekly movie screening tonight.

The Scent of Green Papaya by Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung will be shown in the bar's garden starting at 8pm. The movie will be presented in Vietnamese with English subtitles.

Following screenings every Thursday night will feature other Vietnamese and classic cult movies.

Free entrance.

Vietnamese culture spotlighted in Germany

A Vietnamese culture festival has been held at the Consulate General of Vietnam in Frankfurt, Germany.

Consul General Truong Xuan Thanh said the festival aims to give international friends and Vietnamese residents in Germany a deeper insight into Vietnamese cultural values.

Thanh called on the Vietnamese community to integrate deeply into German society, obey local law, tradition and customs, actively contribute to local development and serve as a bridge to closer Vietnam-Germany friendship.

Oberursel's Mayor Hans-Georg Brum thanked the Consulate General and the Vietnamese community for choosing Oberursel as a venue for this year’s cultural event.  

Participants enjoyed special dances and songs performed by artists from Vietnam Music Dance and Song Theatre, a fashion show of Ao dai (traditional long dress) and a demonstration of martial arts by Do Huu Lien.

Vietnam’s unique handcraft products and culinary delights were also introduced during the festival.

Vietnam Discovery Day in Scotland

The Scottish city of Edinburgh has hosted Vietnam Discovery Day to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the UK and Northern Ireland (1973-2013).

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK and Northern Ireland expressed hope that the festival will give Scottish people a better understanding of Vietnam’s land and people through art performance, Ao Dai (traditional long dress) show and culinary delights.

Folk songs typical of Vietnam’s three regions were performed by artists from Vietnam Opera-Ballet Theatre.

A fashion show featuring Ao Dai (traditional long dress) by designers Hoang Hai and Le Xuan involves Miss Vietnam 2008 Thuy Dung, winner of Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2011 Hoang Thuy, and models Hong Que, Ngoc Anh and Hoang Yen.     

Scottish visitors had the chance to taste Vietnamese food made by cooks from Edinburgh and Glasgow cities. In particular, the Hanoi-Bike-Shop opened by a Scottish cook after his recent trip to Vietnam attracted a great number of visitors to some special food such as spring rolls and beef nooddles.  

Vietnamese students from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling cities actively served as receptionists, translators and decorators.

The festival was financed by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Joint Stock Corporation and Lycamobile.

“Our House” festival opens in HCM City

The “Our House” festival opened in Ho Chi Minh City on September 10 with a wide range of activities such as exhibitions on Vietnam’s land and people, foreign affairs, cultural spaces, culinary delights and folk games.

Present were tourism leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, officials from Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Vientiane and Yangoon and representatives of the foreign consulates in HCM City.

In his opening speech, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan emphasized the significance of the festival in the context of growing friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and many countries across the world.

HCM City, in particular, has established relations with 30 localities in 5 continents and trade ties with 220 countries and territories.

By the middle of this year, it already attracted more than 4,700 FDI projects with a total registered capital of US$32.2 billion.

Since early this year, the city has received nearly 3 million foreigners and more than 300,000 of them are living in HCM City.

Vietnamese diners sample free meals

A Japanese food festival where every table with a Vietnamese guest gets free food opened in HCM City yesterday.

Organised by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the second Oishi Nippon Fair at the Tokyo Town restaurant, 188 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 3, is part of a project to introduce Japanese cuisine culture to the world and follows an earlier one in April.

Until next Tuesday, Tokyo Town will offer a menu with seven dishes – croquette, fried noodle with seafood, udon salad, fermented vegetable mixture, bacon wrapped asparagus and sausage, breaded butterfly shrimp with mayonnaise, and fish pie with soya sauce – and three beverages.

At weekend, food expert Nguyen Thi Dieu Thao will teach diners how to cook traditional miso soup though with some changes to suit the Vietnamese palate.

Japanese delicacies also has been on offer at the 17th Vietfood & Beverage until Saturday at the city's Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Yoshinori Yakabe, the Japanese deputy consul in HCM City, said Japanese restaurants used to mostly serve Japanese customers but now attract more and more Vietnamese.

Japanese food has become a "trend", he said.

Italian DJ plays Cargo Bar

Italian DJ Rodion, called the "new genius of Italian dance music" by British electronic dance and clubbing magazine Mixmag, will present a show at Cargo Bar on September 14.

His music is a mixture of Nordic cosmic music, French funk and dramatic melodies of Italian horror movies.

The show will feature local DJs Hibiya Line and Superkid, while artist Crazy Monkey will offer a live visual art performance.

The show will begin at 9pm at 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street in District 4.

Metal bands heat up Darts Darts Darts club

Five resident rock bands will join in a rock show Fire in Hell at the Darts Darts Darts Club on September 14.

The bands include The Lightning, Before and Now, Mephonic, Mudkickers and Sagometal, who will perform thrash and heavy metal music.

The show will start from 7pm at 224 Pasteur Street in District 3.

Tickets are available at Rock Cafe K13 in Binh Thanh District and Rock Cafe Bao in Tan Binh District.