Vietnamese singer shines at Russian classical singing contest

Do Thi Phuong Mai has won the second prize at the 14th International Competition for singing classical music in Russia.

Organised every three year, the competition, named after a Russian famous musician Sergei Rachmanninov, aims to seek new opera singers.

This year’s event attracted 25 candidates from eight countries, including three from the Asian nations of China, Mongolia and Vietnam.

Mai, 28, is a student at Russia’s Gnesin Academy of Music. In 2009, she won first prize at a national contest for professional chamber and opera singers, which was jointly organised by the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in conjunction with the Vietnam Association of Musician.

French culture to be celebrated during cultural week

Several cultural activities will highlight French culture during French Week in Da Lat City in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

The week will be kicked off on Monday with the opening of an exhibition featuring hundreds of valuable documents, maps and photos about Da Lat.

Entitled Da Lat: Founding History and Development through Maps, the display will unveil documents and objects which were collected and authenticated by a team of French and Vietnamese researchers of the French School of Far Eastern Research (Ecole française d'Extreme Orient).

After closing in Da Lat, the display will be presented in HCM City, Nha Trang and Ha Noi. The exhibition's organisers have also discussed the possibility of mounting an exhibition in France.

Also, the ongoing mobile movie screening programme, hosted by the French Embassy, will stop in the Central Highlands city for four screenings at Alexandre Yersin Park.

The opening screening will present the comedy De vrais mensonges (Beautiful Lies) starting at 7pm on December 9, following by the movie Un plan parfait (A Perfect Plan) at 9pm.

French photographer Sebastien Laval will present his photos depicting Da Lat by night at an exhibition during the French Week in Da Lat.

The Cesar Award-wining Intouchabled and the Oscar-winning The Artist will be screened the next evening, December 10, at 7pm and 9pm.

Another highlight of the week will be the appearance by well-known French writer Partrick Deville at Book Cafe on December 11 to launch the Vietnamese-language version of his book Yersin, Peste&Cholera (Yersin, Plague&Cholera).

The book won the 2012 Femina Prize – the second most important literature prize in France. The Vietnamese versions have been published by the Tre Publishing House with the support of the French Embassy in Viet Nam.

French Week in Da Lat will also put on display a photo exhibition by French photographer Sebastien Laval, which will open to the public on December 12.

Laval, who last year had a solo exhibition featuring his photos depicting Ha Noi by night, will showcase similar photos he recently took in HCM City and Da Lat. Visitors will be able to experience a journey to three different cities to discover their night life.

Also, a concert entitled Crossed Visions will wrap up French Week on December 15.

The concert, which will feature the band VietVoDaHouse, along with a visual performance by French artist Stephane Pucci, will take place at the Hoa Binh Theatre Square.

According to French Ambassador Jean-Noel Poirier, French Week in Da Lat is a meaningful cultural event, meant to assist in celebrating the city's 120th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of the relation between Viet Nam and France.

Palestinian films hit Hanoi’s big screen

Local film-fanatics can enjoy Palestinian movies at Hanoi Cinematheque from December 4-9.

The film screenings are part of celebrations to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (November 29) and the 25th anniversary of Vietnam-Palestine diplomatic ties (November 19, 1988 - November 19, 2013).

Two documentary films will be screened, including the “Five broken cameras” and “Palestine sau những bức tường chiếm đóng” (Palestine after occupied walls) featuring the life, love and struggle of the Palestinian people in occupied areas.

Famous Palestinian film director Emad Burnat, who is a co-director of the “Five broken cameras”, will take part in exchange programmes with Hanoi audiences.

Renowned director Micheal Moore described the “Five broken cameras” as one of the most interesting films he has seen in years.

The film won prestigious prizes at the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival in 2011 and at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. It became a 2012 Oscar.

A club of the World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites in Vietnam debuted in Hanoi on December 4, with the Hue Relic Preservation Centre chairing for the first year.

The social organisation comprises of the managing centres of seven UNESCO- recognised world heritage sites in Vietnam and gathers expert active in protecting, conserving and upholding the cultural and natural values of the country.

It will be a forum where member centres can strengthen their cooperation and mutual support through exchanges of management advice and experience, useful data and personnel training in the field.

Dr. Duong Bich Hanh from UNESCO Hanoi said she hopes the club will start a risk management to conserve and uphold heritage values in Vietnam.

Vietnam ’s ceaseless efforts to enhance the management and protection of world heritage sites have been highly recognised by UNESCO.

The country was elected to the 21-member World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO for the 2013-2017 tenure on November 19.-

HCM City TV network to collaborate with Hong Kong Company

The Ho Chi Minh City based cable television provider SCTV announced a collaboration venture with Hong Kong Television Broadcast Company TVB at a press conference on December 4.

The collaboration will involve SCTV broadcasting upto 90 dramas and jointly producing local films with TVB.

According to Tran Van Uy, General Manager of SCTV, his company expects to learn more production techniques and post-production effects from TVB.

With TVB being the leading company in producing historical features, Uy strongly believes the collaboration will help Vietnam produce more historical dramas with good content.

SCTV also emphasized that filming and producing will not be limited within Vietnam. They plan to find more overseas locations suitable to the film background.

There is also possibility of hiring foreign actors and actress if this should match the script.

To mark the joint collaboration venture, SCTV organized a gala dinner, press meeting, and fan meeting in Ho Chi Minh City with appearances by two visitors from TVB, Ron Ng and Tavia Yueng.

Actor Ron Ng is famous for Twin of Brothers, Chocolate Lovers, Life and Death and Triumph in the Skies while actress Tavia Yueng gained fame from Dicey Business, The Mystery of Love, The Other Truth, Moonlight Resonance and Beyond the Realm of Conscience.

Live TV program honors former prisoners of Phu Quoc Island

A live link-up television program marking the 40th anniversary of the return of imprisoned revolutionaries from Phu Quoc Island was held at Ho Chi Minh City Television Theater and Au Co Theater in Hanoi on December 4.

The shows recalled memories of the communist prisoners 40 years ago and honored their resilient spirit and readiness to sacrifice for their country.

The program was meant to be a tribute to martyrs and wounded soldiers, and for providing exchanges with historical witnesses during wartime.

Phu Quoc prison detained nearly 40,000 revolutionary prisoners and more than 4,000 of them sacrificed their lives for the fatherland during the resistance against the French and Vietnam War.

The show was organized by Ho Chi Minh City Television in cooperation of ANTV channel.

A Polish-funded training course on the preservation of Bi Dinh (Stele Pavilion) at the Mausoleum of King Tu Duc in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue was concluded on December 4.

Provided with 39,586 USD by Poland ’s Development Cooperation Programme, the course, which ran from June 10 this year, gave training in preserving relic sites which were constructed using traditional methods.

Architect Marek Baranski, head of the training group, said the trainees were equipped with knowledge about evaluating risks to relic sites, selecting technical measures and research methods, and setting up preservation plans. They also had a chance to practice their acquired learning to conserve Bi Dinh, which houses the largest stone stele in Vietnam .

The Mausoleum of King Tu Duc (1829 – 1883), built in 1864, is a typical example of traditional Hue architecture and one of the most important sites in the royal relics complex.

Since 1993, the international community has granted nearly 6 million USD to help preserve intangible and tangible cultural heritage in Vietnam . Poland was one of the first countries to provide aid for this purpose.

Winner of Vietnam-Sweden logo contest announced

The Swedish Embassy in Hanoi on December 4 announced the winner of a logo design contest for the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Sweden (1969-2014).

The top prize went to Phi Cong Khanh, a senior student of the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts.

Four other entries which were voted the most by Facebook users were also honoured on the occasion.

Addressing the event, Deputy Swedish Ambassador Maria Selin said the special year 2014 will offer an opportunity for the two countries to review their fruitful cooperation over the past decades.

There will be a wide range of political, economic, diplomatic, cultural and sports activities during the year, she said, adding that the logo will be used on these occasions.

Launched last September, the contest drew the participation of young designers and many students majoring in fine arts.

Japanese cultural festival ready to launch

The Japanese cultural festival "Ake Ome! 2014" will take place at the Viet Nam Exhibition Centre in Giang Vo Street, Ha Noi on December 29.

The event will include around 40 stands to present foods, toys and specific handicraft products such as cold soba noodles, kadomatsu (a traditional Japanese decoration of the New Year) and carp lantern.

People will also take part in many interesting activities to celebrate New Year, like drawing eyes for Daruma dolls or wearing Japanese traditional costume Yukata, among many others.

"Ake Ome" is proceeded from the phrase "Akemashite Omedetou", which means "Happy New Year" in Japanese.

Volunteers needed for illegal wildlife blitz

Join Education for Nature-Viet Nam (ENV) on Saturday for an afternoon spent combating the illegal wildlife trade, as they inspect restaurants, bars, and other businesses in Thanh Xuan District.

Each team, consisting of one international volunteer and one Vietnamese volunteer, will look for signs that advertise wildlife, examine menus, and check for wildlife wines, live animals, or wildlife products. When the survey period is complete, ENV's Wildlife Crime Unit will notify authorities of possible violations, issue warnings to businesses, and work with district leaders to address consumer crimes occurring within their districts.

If you are interested in this mission, please register to attend at http://bit.ly/1hs8JFs.

Audio-visual exhibit opens at French Institute

The Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) is presenting an audio-visual exhibition of Vietnamese artist Phan Tuan Minh (Liar Ben) and French artist Sebastien Szczyrk (Sautel Cago) in its garden area from December 1-15.

The event showcases sketches, photos, stop-motion movies and videos. The two artists created all of the works during their two-month trip across the country.

The artists will conduct an art performance tomorrow and a painting workshop with IDECAF students on Saturday.

The French Institute is at 31 Thai Van Lung Street in District 1.

Fundraising event to be held at city zoo

Poussieres de Vie (PDV), a non-governmental organisation ensuring lasting change for children in need, will host its annual fundraising event called Kermesse at the Sai Gon Zoo on Sunday, from 9am to 4pm.

The event will feature live music, dance, magic shows, games for all ages, a climbing wall, an art exhibition and food.

All profits will be help disadvantaged children through PDV's project in HCM City and Kon Tum Province.

Foreign associations to host Christmas fun

A series of Christmas parties will be organised by foreign business associations this week.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam will hold a Christmas sundowners at the Caravelle Hotel today, while the British Business Group Vietnam will host a Christmas dinner party and dance to celebrate 50 years of the Beatles at the same hotel tomorrow. The Swiss Business Association will work with German International School (GIS) to organise a Christmas party on GIS Campus today.

Street children's paintings go on display

Dozens of paintings created by street children will be displayed at the exhibition titled Kaleidoscope, Art through the Eyes of a Street Child. The display can be seen at VinGallery from December 7-12.

The works are done by students from The Christina Noble Children art class, which was established in 2000 to offer disadvantaged children an opportunity to explore, create, and develop their artistic potential.

All proceeds raised from the exhibition will be used to provide art supplies for the upcoming school year. The gallery is at 95 Pasteur Street in District 1.