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Ha Noi hosts concert fusing Malian and Vietnamese music A night of exotic music will be performed by Malian musician Musbaba with Vietnamese artists in Ha Noi tonight. The night will include pieces composed by Musbaba, a Ha Noi-based artist, using traditional Vietnamese instruments such as the dan tranh (16-chord zither) with Malian percussion. The concert is part of a project launched in 2012 by Musbaba to gather artists from different musical genres. Since then, Musbaba has worked to combine Vietnamese dan tranh melodies with Malian rhythms. The project has created unusual yet harmonious collaborations among musicians from very different backgrounds. The concert will begin at 8pm at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street. YAN Beatfest thrills over 50,000 music lovers A view is seen at an outdoor music festival called YAN Beatfest 2014 at Phu Tho Indoor Stadium in HCMC’s District 11 last Saturday. This was one of the biggest concerts in terms of participants as it attracted over … [Read more...] about Art & Entertainment News Headlines 15/4

New heritage tree in central Quang Ngai A 300-year-old banyan in Nghia Hanh district of central Quang Ngai province has been recognised as a Vietnam Heritage Tree, the second granted with the title in the locality. A ceremony was held on April 15 to mark the event. The tree, which is 25 meters in height and 20 meters in diameter was planted at the Lam Son communal house before King Le Hien Tong’s reign (1740-1786). According to village elderly, surviving wars and natural calamities through decades, especially the fierce storms in 1910 and 1944, the banyan has developed well thanks to the villagers’ care. The Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) launched a programme to conserve Vietnam Heritage Trees in 2011. To win the honour, the trees must be at least 200 years old in the case of wild trees, and at least 100 years for those planted. Moreover, the trees should be connected with historical and cultural characteristics of the area where … [Read more...] about Art & Entertainment News Headlines 16/4

Hue Festival wraps up with colourful shows The biennial cultural Hue Festival bid farewell to thousands of visitors at the closing ceremony yesterday evening. With shows by Vietnamese and foreign artists, including those from Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines on a stage set on the riverbank, the ceremony ended the nine-day festival with numerous shows, exhibitions, folk games and street parades. The former Imperial City, which hosted at least eight shows each night, might have been the most busy location during the festival with its key shows, including Royal Palace at Night, Oriental Night, ASEAN night and fashion shows. But the festive atmosphere with music, lights, crowds and sounds seen and heard in almost every corner of the city. Performances by Vietnamese and international art troupes were also held in several remote and mountainous districts, spreading the atmosphere in a wider area. For those attending the festival, they had the opportunity to taste so many unique … [Read more...] about Art & Entertainment News Headlines 21/4

Dragonfly Theatre to stage award-winning British play Following the success of its previous plays like The Little Prince and Dangerous Liaisons, Dragonfly Theatre presents the award winning Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall. It is about a young black patient in a psychiatric hospital and his two doctors who argue about whether he is sane enough to be sent back into society. Along the way, it asks the question, "what is sanity?" The play turns the spotlight on racial prejudice and how we take care of those with mental illnesses. The play won the Laurence Olivier Award in the UK in 2001 and has been adapted into a film by the BBC. It will feature Dragonfly's lead actor Aaron Toronto and newcomers Ryan Burkwood and Peter Muruako. Both the latter two are classically trained actors from the UK theatre scene and have performed in several shows in London's West End. Blue/Orange will be performed at the Cargo Bar, 7 Nguyen Tat Thanh, District 4, three nights from May 16-18. ASEAN Ministers of … [Read more...] about Art & Entertainment News Headlines 18/4

The Amazing Race to unveil nine celebrity teams Transgender singer Huong Giang from Vietnam Idol 2012 contest and her partner, Vietnamese Canadian athlete Criss Lai, will be one of the nine teams to compete in the third season of The Amazing Race 2014 Nine couples who are models, singers and actors had a meeting with local media to announce the third season of The Amazing Race Vietnam. Models Trang Khieu and Trang Khan, singers Kiwi Ngo Mai Trang, Huong Giang Idol, Son Ngoc Minh Vmusic, Miko Lan Trinh, Dinh Khai Anh, and actors Long Dien and their partners showed up at the meeting. However, the names of the 9th couple will not be unveiled until the last minute. This year the reality show will be broadcast on VTV6 and VTV9, instead of VTV3 as in two previous years. Each pit stop of the race will be divided into two episodes and screened from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday starting from June 21. The Amazing Race Vietnam, produced by BHD and VTV3, is a 30-day race around … [Read more...] about Art&Entertainment News Headlines 23/5