Art show celebrates creativity with do paper Various contemporary art forms inspired by the Vietnamese do (poonah) paper will be showcased at Hanoi Rock City this Sunday to celebration of the traditional material. Titled Vu Dieu Cua Giay (The Dance of Paper), the event will bring together calligrapher Le Quoc Viet; a group of artists including Duong Linh, Huy An, Tien Quang, Yoyo and Tran Hien who will display an art installation on do paper; and artisan Nguyen Van Tam who will show traditional skills of making do paper. Plenty of handmade products made from do paper will also available at the event, which is being organised by Zo Project, a non-governmental organisation. The event will take place between 5 and 8pm on March 9 at Hanoi Rock City, 7/52 To Ngoc Van Street. Dong Ho paintings, calligraphy and water colour paintings or for documenting about past dynasties and family annals. Poonah paper comes from the bark of the poonah trees in the northern provinces such as Yen Bai, Lao … [Read more...]

Argentinean comes to talk about art A painting by Adriana Bustos. Argentinean artist Adriana Bustos will share her experience and knowledge of methodologies an artist often uses, such as research and production, with a particular focus on how her methods help shift her practice from one media or perspective to another. Adriana Bustos’ drawing, photography and video engage investigative and documentary research, as clearly shown in the collection ‘Proyecto 4x4’ that looks at the lives of horses that belong to people who recycle cardboard in Argentina. Her method is also portrayed in ‘Anthropology of the Mule’, which draws the parallel stories of commercial colonial routes of trade and the drug trafficking routes in Latin America. Since 2012, she has been working on a project consisting of a series of maps titled ‘Imago Mundi’. These works have established a methodology of an info-graphic discourse, where images or data have been gathered … [Read more...]

Free showing of blockbuster The Rebel Film lovers will not have to pay to watch local blockbuster “Dong Mau Anh Hung” (The Rebel) by Vietnamese American director Charlie Nguyen this Saturday from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Saigon International Film School (SIFS) in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District. The free film showing is part of a project called “Xem phim chieu thu 7” (watching movies on Saturday afternoon) and held bimonthly by SIFS. Participants can watch popular movies of Vietnam or foreign countries and discuss with invited guests like leading directors and scriptwriters and experts in the industry. Charlie Nguyen created the film in 2007 and received great applause from audiences for a combination of commercial and art features. Action scenes and martial arts of Vietnam were a big bonus to the movie which won grand prize at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in 2007. The movie helped shoot Charlie’s younger brother, actor Johnny Tri … [Read more...]

Amazing Race Vietnam starts again The third season of The Amazing Race Vietnam has started. The pre-cast was launched on Wednesday at https://www.facebook.com/cuocduakythuvn The reality television game show, based on the American TV series – The Amazing Race, will also hold mini bus trips starting from April 28, to cities and provinces nationwide including Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen, Hue, Quang Nam, Long An, Vinh Long, Tien Giang, to search for potential candidates. Audition rounds will be held in Ha Noi, Da Nang, Can Tho, and HCM City to finalise the eight teams for the third season. The game show will keep the same format including the participation of celebrities as with last year, with one minor change- the competition will include eight teams, instead of nine. Each celebrity is able to choose a family member, lover, colleague, friend, as a partner or from the pre-cast. Puppetry to mark World Theatre Day Traditional puppetry will be performed in Hanoi to celebrate World … [Read more...]

VN women feature in film festival About 10 Vietnamese filmmakers have been honoured at the 36th Creteil International Women's Film Festival in Paris. The filmmakers including veterans Viet Linh, Siu Pham and Nguyen Trinh Thi, and emerging ones such as Truong Que Chi and Nguyen Hoang Diep. The 77-minute film Homostratus by Siu Pham and Jean-Luc Mello is a joint submission by Viet Nam and Switzerland in the long fiction feature category. Film screenings and discussions are being held on the sidelines of the festival. Prominent Vietnamese film director Viet Linh will bring her film Chung Cu (Living Quarter). The film was entered into the 21st Moscow International Film Festival in 1999. Linh's films have been screened in France, the United States and Australia. Established in 1979, the Creteil International Women's Film Festival is an annual event held in Creteil, Paris, which showcases the talents of female directors. Author reprints inspiring book After its debut in 1970, the … [Read more...]

Free tickets for Trinh Cong Son music show A music show in commemoration of the late musician Trinh Cong Son will take place at Phu My Hung’s Crescent Park in HCMC’s District 7 Saturday. Themed Nhung Som Mai Viet Nam (Vietnam dawn), it will present a number of familiar and previously unreleased songs by Son, especially Moi Ngay Toi Chon Mot Niem Vui (joy for every single day). This year’s event will feature many well-known artists and singers including Thanh Lam, Hong Nhung, Cam Van, Tung Duong, Duc Tuan, Tran Manh Tuan, Viet Thanh and the late musician’s younger sister Trinh Vinh Trinh after her long absence from stage. It will also feature some child singers from Vietnam’s Got Talent and The Voice Kids. The spectacular program is directed by Nguyen Quang Dung while Tran Manh Tuan is in charge of the music section, thus promising a high-quality and unforgettable night. The organizers will also reserve 2,000 tickets for expats. To register a seat, email … [Read more...]

Tu represents Vietnam at Asia Fashion contest finale Nguyen Hoang Tu is one of the 12 finalists in the regional Asian fashion design contest – Audi Star Creation (ASC), judges have unveiled. The contest attracted 418 entries of contestants from 14 countries and territories in Asia. At the final round, 12 contestants from Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Japan, China, Indonesia and Malaysia will compete in Runway Showdown at [email protected] in Singapore on May 12. Tu’s collection named “the New Asia” features strong development of Asia from agriculture, industry, services, entertainment and particularly fashion. Vice President of Singapore Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFf) David Wang said contestants design fashion with inspiration from architecture, culture, history, social trends and even religions from their own countries. Three winners of the contest will receive 10,000 Singapore dollars and a one-year training course at FJ Benjamin Group. One of … [Read more...]

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...]

Haydn masterpiece to be sung in HCM City The oratorio The Creation, written by Joseph Haydn, a prominent Austrian composer of the 18th and early 19th century, will be performed at the HCM City Opera House on May 8 and 9. Considered to be one of the composer's masterpieces, the oratorio tells the story of God's creation of the world in six days as it is related in the Book of Genesis of the Old Testament. The classical orchestral work is structured in three parts and is scored for soprano, tenor and baritone soloists as well as a chorus. The performance, to be directed by well-known Norwegian conductor Lars Notto Birkeland, will feature international opera singers, including soprano Cho Hae Ryong, tenor Erlend Tvinnereim, baritone Halvor F. Melien, and the HCM City symphony orchestra and choir. Birkeland will play the harpsichord during the singers' recitatives. The performance is a part of the Transposition Programme, a diverse and multi-faceted project that involves leading music … [Read more...]

Local fashion designer heads for Audi Star Creation final Designer Nguyen Hoang Tu (center) and models. Vietnamese Nguyen Hoang Tu has become one of 12 finalists in the fashion design competition Audi Star Creation 2014 (ASC) in Singapore. ASC is one of the four main events of the Asia Fashion Exchange festival. The finalists, who hail from seven Asian countries and are aged between 16 and 25, have been picked following the screening of 418 entries from 14 countries. They will face off at the Runway Showdown, organized at the [email protected] in Singapore on May 12. They will be required to submit six original and commercially viable designs that reflect this year’s theme “The Asian Perspective”. All the contestants must have less than two years’ fashion design experience.  Three winners will be named by a panel of judges who are leading experts in the fashion industry. Prizes include 10,000 Singapore dollars and a one-year internship at high-end fashion … [Read more...]