| Antiques discovered
in Ha Tinh Province
A group of officials from the Ha Tinh Museum discovered
hundreds of antique items dating back two – three hundred centuries, in the
central province
of Ha Tinh yesterday
afternoon. Items like pottery, porcelain and terra cotta pots and jars
were found in Cam Trang Village of Duc Giang Commune in Vu Giang District. Many of the flowerpots and jars had beautifully created
patterns. Each object was an average height of 40-80cms and weighing about
0.5-1.5kg. According to Le Ba Hanh, deputy director of the museum,
these antiques are historically very valuable. National exhibition
of children’s painting opens
A national exhibition of children’s painting opened in Hanoi on May 31 to mark
International Children’s Day (June 1).
The exhibition featured 299 paintings selected from 20,238
entries in a painting contest launched for children across the country. The paintings on display show children’s love for their
parents, relatives, friends and home land, as well as their wish for a brighter
future. The jury board presented prizes to the 70 best paintings,
including 10 gold medals, 15 silvers, 20 bronzes and 25 consolation prizes. This was part of an annual programme of children’s painting
co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of
Education and Training, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs,
and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. Vietnam Dog Show opens on Friday Vietnam National Dog Show, which is held at Phu Tho Indoor Stadium,
District 11 on Friday, is the day dog breeders and dog lovers nationwide get a
chance to admire and reward man’s best friend. The show, organized by the Vietnam Kennel Association, will
be divided into two rounds. The first round will see maximum marks of 50, of
which 20 are general, 10 for health, 10 for decoration and 10 for impression. The best contestants in the first round progress into round
two which has a maximum of 20 marks. The jury panel will give 10 marks for
demonstrations which is a big favorite with spectators, and 10 more for
spectacular moves on zigzag paths. Dogs are allowed to dress up with any kind of costume,
accessory, decoration or jewel. The awards include one first prize worth VND2 million, two
second prizes worth VND1.5 million each, three third prizes worth VND1 million
each and five consolation prizes worth VND500,000 each. Each prize will be
accompanied with a certificate from Vietnam Kennel Association and gifts from
sponsors. The show at 229
Ly Thuong Kiet Street in District 11 will take
place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Special promotion at
Life Resorts The award-winning Life Resorts group has launched a series
of special promotions at the Blue Ocean Resort Mui Ne, Life Heritage Resort Hoi
An and Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon. The group’s Mui Ne Resort has extended its “Indulge with
Life” and “Stay & Play” promotional packages through October. Selling at US$155 for two persons, “Indulge with Life”
includes two-night and three-day accommodation in a superior room with
breakfast, one 45-minute aloe vera body treatment, one $15 voucher for cooking and
beverages, and a half day bicycle use. Priced at $180 for one person, the “Stay & Play” at Mui
Ne resort includes two-night accommodation in a superior room with breakfast,
green fees at the 18-hole Ocean Dunes Golf Club and the 18-hole Sea Links Golf
& Country Club. This promotion is valid until December 31 for a minimum
booking of two persons. Life Heritage Resort Hoi An Life and Wellness Resort Quy
Nhon has also extended its Discover Life promotion through the end of October. Priced at $199 (for booking at Life Heritage Resort Hoi An
Life) and $189 (for booking at Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon), this promotion
includes two-night accommodation in a superior room with breakfast, a $30
voucher for food and beverages, a 30-minute massage for two, airport transfers,
half-day bicycle use and unlimited Internet. For more information and booking please contact Ho Chi Minh
City sales office of Life Resorts, (08) 3 844 3605 or email:
sales@life-resorts.com French and German
connection at Idecaf This month, Idecaf will screen four French movies and one
German film at the popular venue in District 1. In ‘La Question Humaine’ Simon, 40, is a psychologist at the
Department of Human Resources of SC Farb, a German-based multinational
petrochemical complex. But when an investigation is conducted on one of the
factory’s directors, Simon’s life is turned upside down. It will be screened at
3 p.m. on June 4. It’s June 1940 in ‘Les Egares’ and when the German troops
come to the gates of Paris, Odile, a teacher, runs away with her two children,
Philip and Cathy. During their escape they meet Yvan, a strange-looking
teenager with a shaved head whose colorful dress sense amuses them. He joins
them on the run and they find a house without electricity as they battle to
survive the war. Les Egares is on at 3 p.m. on June 11. It’s a beautiful summer day as Valmondois, Frederick,
Adrienne, Jeremy and their children celebrate a 75th birthday party for their
mother, Helene Berthier. She has spent her life preserving the works of her
uncle, the painter Paul Berthier. A few months later, Helene is dead. The
siblings are rich overnight. Will this new-found wealth keep them happy or will
it tear them apart? ‘L’Heure d’Ete’ will be shown at 3 p.m. on June 18. In ‘Le Chant Des Mariees’ it is 1942 and Nour and Myriam,
both 16, have been best friends since childhood. They share the same house in a
quarter where Jews and Muslims live in harmony in Tunis. Each girl desires the life of the
other, but you can’t always get what you want. It will be screened 3 p.m. on
June 25. The only German offering this month at Idecaf ‘Cherry
Blossoms’ will be featured at 7.30 p.m. on June 28. Learning that her husband,
Rudi (Elmar Wepper) has a terminal illness, Trudi (Hannelore Elsner) hides it
from him and persuades him to visit their son in Japan. During the journey, she dies
in her sleep before telling Rudi of his impending death. Grief-stricken, he
continues on towards Japan
and finally finds peace at Mount Fuji. Idecaf is at 31
Thai Van Lung Street. Tickets for all movies are
just VND15,000. Vietnam sees bright future for picture books Vietnam
has seen bright developments in picture books over the past years, said Frank
Pezza, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation, at a press conference on the
second Comics Festival in Hanoi
yesterday. The festival, held at the Hanoi Library from May 30 to June
4 by the Wallonie-Bruxelles delegation and Kim Dong Publishing House, is a
significant cultural event for both comics readers and writers in Vietnam. Following the success of the first Comics Festival in 2010,
this year’s festival features a display of comics published in the ‘Le Journal
de Spirou’ magazine and an exhibition of picture books on the theme of cats by
Kim Dong Publishing House. On the sideline of the event, well-known Belgian comics
writers Stephen Desberg and Canadian comics professor Sylvain Lemay will share
their experiences creating picture books with Vietnamese writers and artists at
a seminar called ‘The Publication of Picture Books: Challenges and Potential.’ The festival is considered a great opportunity for readers
who are interested in picture books to meet writers and exchange experiences,
thereby contributing to the development of picture books in Vietnam. “The event reaffirms that art is a cultural ambassador
bringing knowledge and strengthening relationships between countries,” said
Pham Quang Vinh, director of Kim Dong Publishing House. Beethoven’s
masterpieces to delight Hanoi
audience Two concerts entitled ‘Beethoven Cycle No 7’ will be held at
the Hanoi Opera House on June 3-4, promising to delight Hanoi audiences with well-known works by the
famous composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. The event will feature a solo performance of Beethoven’s
charming Violin Concerto in D major, op.61, by Vietnamese violinist Le Hoai Nam, who is now
a member of the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra. The concerto in D major, which had a challenging route to
fame, was written in 1806 and dedicated to Franz Clement, a leading violinist
of the day. Unfortunately, its debut did not draw much interest from the
public, and it almost fell into oblivion. After Beethoven’s death, the work was
revived in 1844 through a performance by 12-year-old violinist Joseph Joachim.
Since then, it has become one of the essential works in the repertoire of
violin concertos. Classical music connoisseurs will also enjoy Beethoven’s
symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, performed by artists from the Vietnam
National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) under the baton of renowned German conductor
Jonas Alber, former General Music Director of the Braunschweig National
Theatre. The ‘Beethoven Cycle No 7’ concerts are part of a VNSO
series of nine concerts presenting the best symphonies and concertos by Ludwig
van Beethoven. Since its debut in 2009, the project has drawn the participation
of many world-famous artists and conductors such as Michie Koyama , Tomoko
Mukaiyama, Lina Matsuda, Hibiki Tamura, Le Phi Phi and Christoph Campestrini. Children’s books
presented to Hanoi
Library The Rotary Nam Yamaguchi Club from Japan presented 450 Japanese picture books with
Vietnamese translations to the Hanoi
library on May 30. The books are displayed in the reading room of the library
so children can easily access them and learn about Japanese children as well as
picture books and stories from Japan. Speaking at the event which was organised with support from
Japan International Exchange Foundation in Vietnam, Tomoniri Irimajiri from the Rotary Nam Yamaguchi Club said:
‘By giving these books, we aim to encourage children’s dreams and desires so
they will study harder and become useful citizens of Vietnam.” “Children will also be able to learn about the people and
culture in Japan, which can
be a bridge for cultural exchange between Vietnam
and Japan,”
added Tomoniri. According to Tran Van Hoi, deputy director of Hanoi Library,
this book donation was a meaningful present for young people on International
Children’s Day. Rotary Nam Yamaguchi club is a member of International
Rotary club, which belongs to International Social Support Union. The club’s
main purpose is to support for social improvement and friendliness enhancement
in international community. Exhibition marks
Uncle Ho’s journey for national salvation An exhibition of photographs opened at Tay Ninh provincial
museum to mark the 100th anniversary of the day President Ho Chi Minh left the
country to seek a way for national salvation. Around 100 photos and documents on display are arranged
under three themes: Sen (Lotus) village, President Ho Chi Minh’s home town; his
life abroad after he left Nha
Rong Wharf;
and his time leading the country in the fight against the French and US
invaders. The exhibition will run until mid August. SGGP, VNA, FT
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