“Vietnam’s lifestyle” photograph exhibition opens in Virginia

A “Vietnam’s lifestyle” photograph exhibition has been held in Virginia, USA.

On display are 50 photos of Vietnamese land and people taken by Ngoc Thai, Vice President of the Art Council of the Vietnam Photographers’ Association.

All these in black and white showing his strong feelings for the homeland are highly appreciated.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, Ngoc Thai has met with professors of the Photography and Digital Image University and attended seminars on photography.

HCM City displays Tay Son antiques

An exhibition marking the 240th anniversary of the Tay Son Uprising of 1771 and the 222nd anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory led by the national hero Nguyen Hue city over the Chinese Qing invaders is being held at the Vietnam History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.

The exhibition titled ‘Tay Son relics- immortal glory’ displays more than 400 antique items of pottery, wood, stone, paper and metal dating back to that period in history.

Nguyen Hue (later known as Emperor Quang Trung) and his brothers Nguyen Nhac and Nguyen Lu, known as the Tay Son Brothers, led the famous Tay Son Rebellion (1771-1802). They set out to save the country from the feudal and oppressive rule of the Nguyen Dynasty.

The exhibition will run until October.

Thailand-Vietnam Contemporary Art Exhibition held

Thailand-Vietnam Contemporary Art Exhibition has opened at the National Gallery in Bangkok, Thailand.

The event is part of the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in exhibiting contemporary art of Thailand and Vietnam’s 11 universities.

On display are 80 pieces made of silk, lacquer, copper as well as statues of painters and sculptors from Vietnam University of Fine Arts, Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts and Hue University of Arts. On Thailand’s side are Thammasat, Silpakorn, Chiang Mai, Hi-tech Rajamangala and Khon Kaen Universities.

Parinya Tantisuk, an associate professor from Silpakorn University, said the exhibition aimed to strengthen the relations among the 10 universities of both countries.

Also, Truong Cong Nguyen, a lecturer at Vietnam University of Fine Arts, noted that many works from the three Vietnamese universities above had won numerous domestic, ASEAN and other international prizes.

Culture-tourism festival of Ba Ria-Vung Tau kicks off

Thousands of locals and tourists have attended a culture-tourism festival in Vung Tau city of the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, which began on the evening of February 10.

The festival, entitled ‘Rendezvous of trains’, is one of the main events that usher in a series of Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s culture, sports and tourism activities.

It will include stage and art shows that feature the province as an attractive destination for both investors and tourists. There will be also an introduction of Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s socio-economic achievements in 2011.

In addition, the introduction of culture and tourism events will be incorporated into art performances.

This is the fifth time Ba Ria-Vung Tau has organized such a festival.

Vietnam to host inaugural int’l choir competition

The first ever International Choir Competition will be held in the central city of Hoi An from March 15-18, according to Le Van Giang, Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee.

34 choirs from various countries and territories including Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Estonia have already registered to take part in the contest, he said.

Around 900 singers and musicians will contend in 13 categories of six different choir groups of various ages.

The opening performance will take place on a floating stage in Hoai River Square on March 16.

The event is co-organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Quang Nam province authorities and the German-based Interkultur organization.

Diverse cultural and tourism activities held in central region

The central city of Da Nang calls on its people to together continue to build a “peace bird garden” in the East Sea Park on Pham Van Dong street.

Recently, the management board of Son Tra Peninsula and tourism beaches in Da Nang has set up a “peace bird garden” at the East Sea Park by raising nearly 1,000 doves. The park will be developed into an entertainment site for local residents, and foreign and local tourists.

The programme attracted many tourists and local residents, especially students in the city. The event also aims to raise public awareness of the need to protect the doves and condemn actions of killing the birds in Da Nang.

The management board has also organized sightseeing tours to Son Tra peninsula and other interesting activities for both visitors and local residents.

Meanwhile, nearly 10,000 visitors including 4,000 international tourists have visited ancient town of Hoi An. Between February 2 and 8, My Son relics have welcomed nearly 8,000 visitors including more than 4,500 foreign arrivals, mostly from Japan and China.

A photograph exhibition on Vietnam opens in France

A photo exhibition on the war in Vietnam opened in Paris, France on February 9. On show are more than 50 photos taken by the late photographer, Henri Huet, and his co-workers, such as Nick Ut, David Burnett and Kyoichi Savada.

They feature different perspectives on the war in Vietnam with a focus on American soldiers in distress, local suffering and children’s fear. At the entrance is Henri Huet’s famous photo “Thomas Cole” of a wounded American taking care of other soldiers.

After seeing such photos many American people changed their views of the war in Vietnam and joined the antiwar campaigns in the US.

Photographer Henri was born in Vietnam. His father was French and his mother was Vietnamese. During nearly 20 years, Henri Huet focused on the painful life of Vietnamese people during the wartime. He died on February 10, 1971 in the line of duty in Laos. His photos are a good reminder of the war devastations and coordinated efforts to build a world of peace and humanity for future generations.

Korean computer graphics to be on show

A computer graphics exhibition will open at the Korean Cultural Centre in Hanoi on February 12.

70 pieces of work will give visitors a complete picture of the Republic of Korea’s computer graphics industry with its unique features of modern art.

The event will draw the participation of three Vietnamese artists Cong Quoc Ha, Nguyen The Duy and Nguyen Van Cuong.

The exhibition will last until February 16.

Uncle Ho painting enters VN Guinness Book of Records

The largest painting of Uncle Ho’s testament, written on palm leaf made by artisan Vo Van Tang from Nui Sap town, Thoai Son district in the southern province of An Giang, has entered the Vietnam Guinness Book of Records (Vietbooks).

Featuring five pictures of President Ho Chi Minh on one side and the text of his testament on another side, the 1.22m x 2.24 m painting is the district’s fourth Guinness record – after a calligraphy painting of 108 Tam (Heart) words, an artifacts display house, a statue of a four-armed Buddha and two ancient stone steles at Linh Son Co Tu pagoda.

Nguyen Van Be, head of the provincial tourism and culture complex management board, said the painting is a unique artistic work that meets domestic and international tourist demand for art culture.

He added that during this Lunar New Year festival, the complex welcomed over 100,000 visitors, an increase of over 20 percent against last year.

Eight nations and territories attend VICC1

The first Vietnam international choir festival and competition (VICC1) will be held in Hoi An city in the central province of Quang Nam from March 16-19.

The event is expected to draw the participation of over 1,000 domestic and international singers from eight countries and regions including Estonia, Hongkong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Indonesia has the largest number of troupes (12), followed by the Philippines (10).

Vietnam has five troupes including children chorus Sol Art, the female singing group from the Friendship Cultural Palace, a chorus from the UNESCO Culture Centre in Hanoi and a chorus from Quang Nam.

VICC1 is an important cultural event co-organized by Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Quang Nam province and the German-based Association InterKultur.

The event is part of the 2011 Vietnam National Tourism Year programme in the central southern coastal region and Phu Yen province, scheduled to take place on April 1.