Oscar from shark tale

Members of the gang in police custody

Specifically, the local police on the morning of March 04 performed an unannounced inspection at the apartment on Hoa Binh Street, Tan Phu District, where they apprehended seven suspects and seized 51 high-interest loan documents.

The Vietnamese arrestees were led by Nguyen Binh Tuan who ran a money-lending service through Facebook with absurdly high interest rates.

Items found at the scene

According to testimonies, Tuan and his gang members would verify the home address of any borrower and take their ID card, household book and other important documents as security. The sum is then wire transferred to the borrower and interest is collected every day.

The incident is under further investigations.

Chi Thach – Translated by Thao Nhien

Under the project, all 3,254 verses of the epic poem were recited and recorded in a total time of 561 minutes.

The recital featured the beautiful voices of People’s Artists Thanh Hoai and Thuy Nga, Meritorious Artist Quoc Khanh, Van Phuong and Thuy Nga, whose performances were accompanied by zitherist Tran Que Huong, instrumentalist Pham Duc Minh, flutist Le Tien Trung, and fiddle player Xuan Hai.

The recordings of the recital were divided into 12 parts with an average length of between 30 to 100 minutes, scheduled to be introduced to viewers via the YouTube Channel ‘Folklore Songs and Music’ at 8 pm every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from April 1 to 24.

The project was initiated by folklore music researcher Nguyen Quang Long, the founder of the YouTube Channel ‘Folklore Songs and Music’, the aim being to promote the time-honoured value of the ‘The Tale of Kieu’ as well as the charm of Vietnamese traditional music.

Across 3,254 verses, written in luc bat (“six–eight”) meter, the ‘Tale of Kieu’ is widely regarded as the most significant work of Vietnamese literature.

The poem recounts the life, trials and tribulations of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman, who has to sacrifice herself to save her family.

The masterpiece has been translated into many foreign languages, including Russian, French, English, German, Romanian and Spanish.

VNSO musicians are rehearsing at L’espace. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Bình

HÀ NỘI — The Soldier’s Tale, a theatre production by director Marcelino Valiente will debut at the French Cultural Centre (L’espace) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relationships between Việt Nam and Switzerland.

The Soldier’s Tale occupies a singular place in Russian-born Igor Stravinsky’s work. It is scored with just seven instruments clarinet, bassoon, clarinet, trombone, violin, contrabass and percussion.

The musical version also features a libretto by Swiss writer Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz.

“This is really tough work for me because I have never been in Việt Nam and worked with Vietnamese artists,” said Valiente through an online press conference held at L’espace.

“This work premier was used delayed in 1918 because of the Spanish Flu pandemic. We planned to show it last year in Việt Nam but it was also delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to the director, the show will entertain audiences with different music genres of jazz, waltz and tango.

The story is a dark Faustian fable between a deserting soldier and the Devil who eventually possesses his soul.

The soldier’s violin becomes a symbol of both the soldier’s soul and the Devil’s wiles. The story is based on an old Russian folk tale.

It will be performed by the seven interpretation of the Việt Nam National Opera and Ballet under the baton of conductor Tetsuji Honna.

The soldier and the devil will be narrated by French artist Quentin Delorme and Valiente. The voices will plunge the audience into another dimension where epic meets science fiction.

Valiente’s experimental staging deconstructs the story in time and space, while Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Mỹ Anh’s illustrations that scroll across the screen bring a futuristic context to the story.

“We hope that the work will be warmly welcomed by Vietnamese audience,” said Swiss Deputy-Ambassador Nicole Wyrsch at the press conference.

“The work by Stravinsky may be from the 19th century but it still is suitable in modern life questioning what will we choose, richness or happiness.

“It is great that artists from French, Japan and Việt Nam will join the work which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the relationship between Việt Nam and Switzerland.”

There are lavish productions of The Soldier’s Tale played all over the world but Valiente’s version will focus on images.

The artists will perform in French and there will Vietnamese translation screen on the stage.

The show will begin at 8pm on April 16 and 17. Tickets are available at L’espace, 24 Tràng Tiền Street, from VNĐ200,000 to 250,000 (US$8.6 to 10.8). — VNS

The film week runs from December 21 to December 27, with six classic films about one of the best children’s holidays of the year. The films include “Yellowbird”, “Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion”, “A Reindeer’s Journey”, “Santa & Cie”, “The New Adventures of Aladdin”, and “The Brand New Adventures of Aladdin”.

Among the films, “Yellowbird”, a heartwarming tale of an orphaned bird leading a migration across the world, is a special cinematic work. The film is the first 3D animation to be produced entirely in France with a talented team from Europe. French animator and director Benjamin Renner, co-director of Oscar-nominated “Ernest & Celestine” (2012), created the character designs for the film. The music is the work of British composer Stephen Warbeck, who won an Oscar for his soundtrack to “Shakespeare in Love” (1998).

The remaining films have all been recently made, with funny content close to children bringing messages close to life. Along with the desire to bring the audience warm and happy moments with family and friends, the organizing board also hopes the audience will take the opportunity to understand more about French cinema, in addition to the familiar Christmas works of Hollywood.