HCMC TV’s Cai luong performance to be held in Bac Lieu

The monthly cai luong performance called Vang Trang Co Nhac, usually held on a full-moon day by Ho Chi Minh City Television will be organized in the Mekong Delta Province of Bac Lieu for the first time on May 26.

The cai luong (traditional southern amateur music) devotees in the Mekong Delta region will have a chance to enjoy lyrical cai luong songs and extracts of famous plays during the show.

Well-known cai luong actors and actresses including Bao Quoc, Trong Huu, Phuong Loan, Phuong Hang, Trong Phuc, Bui Trung Dang, Thu Van and Ngoc Doi will join the performance.

Bac Lieu is the birthplace of “Da Co Hoai Lang”, an immortal cai luong piece written by musician Cao Van Lau in 1919, which tells the story of a wife waiting for her husband to return from the battlefield.

Cuba introduces new book on Uncle Ho

A book on the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh by Cuban author Julio A. Garcia Oliveras was made public in Havana on May 24 on the occasion of his 121 st birth anniversary (May 19, 1980-2011).

Speaking at the ceremony, held by the Institute of International Relations (IIR) under the Cuban Foreign Ministry, IIR Director Isabel Allende praised the life and revolutionary career of President Ho Chi Minh, who devoted all of his life to the struggle for national independence and liberation.

Julio A. Garcia’s book, entitled “Ho Chi Minh, a patriot and 60 years of revolutionary struggle”, us expected to better young Cuban generations’ understanding about the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese nation, she added.

The author related his unforgettable memories during the time he worked in Vietnam as Head of the Cuban military mission to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos (1966-1969). During the period, he witnessed the sacrifices and losses of the Vietnamese people as well as the US air force’s destructive bomb attacks on Vietnam’s cities, villages, schools and hospitals.

Julio A. Garcia extolled the revolutionary will, morals and boundless patriotism of President Ho Chi Minh during 30 years of living abroad to seek ways to save the nation.

On the occasion, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Vu Chi Cong presented the IIR with a DVD of the documentary film on Uncle Ho’s overseas revolutionary operations and important milestones of the Vietnamese revolution.

Musicians play Samaritan for sick workers

Top Ho Chi Minh City instrumentalists will perform at concerts on Saturday and Sunday to raise money for poor workers with serious illnesses.

“Unforgettable melodies” at the HCMC Labor Culture Palace will feature guitarists Nguyen Tri Doan and Tran Phuong Quang, pianist Phan Gia Anh Thu, and saxophonist Nguyen Tan Quoc.

Hanoi to host 2nd Belgian-Vietnamese Comics Festival

The first Belgian-Vietnamese Comics Festival held in Hanoi last yearThe 2nd Belgian-Vietnamese Comics Festival will take place in Hanoi from May 30 to June 4.

The event will include an exhibition at the Hanoi Library featuring the famous Belgian comic strip “Spirou,” which was created in 1938. It will also showcase Vietnamese comic books with the theme of the cat—this year’s zodiac sign in Vietnam.

Famous Belgian comics writer Stephen Desberg, the event’s guest of honor, will meet with local writers and students during the festival.

A major event will be a seminar on the publication of comics in Vietnam, gathering Vietnamese and Belgian comic publishing houses.

Held by Wallonia-Brussels Delegation to Vietnam and the Vietnamese Kim Dong Publishing House, the annual event aims to boost the exchange between the two countries’ comics industries.

Last year in Hanoi, around 62 works by Vietnamese and Belgian comics writers were displayed.

Dance show viewers vote with their feet, actor gone

Actor Huy Khanh became the third contestant to be eliminated from this season’s Dancing With the Stars reality show on Vietnam Television’s VTV3 after a jive and tango challenge last night.

Despite not getting the lowest score from the judges, he was eliminated after a nationwide audience vote found he was the least favorite.

Rock singer Pham Anh Khoa, who jumped to the top two weeks ago and has been in the safe zone since, surprised the audience by coming last with 30 points.

Khanh scored 31 points but the rocker was saved from elimination due to his popularity with the audience.

Unlike in his earlier routines, Khoa was unable to express himself or remain focused during the tango, earning him negative comments from the judges.

He danced nervously and without any real passion, one of them said.

Model Vu Thu Phuong, who again placed in the bottom group, did no better at the jive.

Despite surviving several rounds, she has yet to show any progress. All of focus appears to be on how she looks on the dance floor, which this time involved a dress that showed off most of her body.

The top group, which includes singer Thu Minh and actress Thanh Thuy, again proved they could be a match for Ngo Thanh Van and Doan Trang, two brilliant dancers who fought all the way for last year’s title.

Minh’s tango, inspired by the movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” got 35 points and praise from Quang Dung, the filmmaker who became a judge last episode, that she was “sexy and fierce.”

The last competitor to step on the floor, Thuy performed a dazzling, show-stopping jive routine in which she impersonated Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe.

Deservedly, she got perfect 10’s from two of the judges and nine from the other two.

European cooking festival in Hanoi

The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam will hold its sixth annual European Cuisine Festival on May 28 at the National Library of Vietnam in Hanoi.

The festival will showcase European food and drink from more than 19 local leading restaurants alongside live music, dance performances, activities for children, and a lucky draw.

Tickets cost VND250,000 (US$12.5) and include nine food and drink coupons. They can be purchased at the EuroCham office in Hanoi at 1 Thanh Nien Road and Pane e Vino restaurant at 3 Nguyen Khac Can.

Admission will be free for children under 10 years old.

Japanese mime to enchant Vietnamese audience

Renowned Japanese mime Iimuro Naoki will perform in Ho Chi Minh City from June 7-8 and Hanoi from June 10-11.

This is the second time the artist has come to perform in Vietnam. His first Vietnam shows took place in Hanoi and the ancient capital city of Hue city in 2010.

During his performances this June, the artist will lure Hanoian audiences with his new and attractive performances, including “A World in Balance”, which gained a gold medal at the third World Delphic Games in 2009 while watchers in HCM City will have the chance to enjoy his popular performance “Angel”.

Iimuro Naoki has toured the world and won a number of Japanese and international prizes. His silent movements penetrate the language barrier and inspire his audiences with not only laughs but also the depth of stories of ordinary life.

Admission to the HCM City performances is free while tickets for entrance to Hanoi shows will be sold at reasonable prices, especially for students at the Japan Culture Exchange centre at 27 Quang Trung st.

Special circus programme celebrates international children’s day

In response to the International Children’s Day, the Vietnam Circus Federation will undertake, from May 28 to June 1, a special circus programme by famous director Nhu Lai, based on a fairy tale and named “The witch’s land and the brave man”.

Children will be able to enjoy many excellent performances by clowns, conjurers and acrobats.

“This is one of the few circus plays which is elaborately staged and includes educational content to help children adopt good attitudes”, said director Nhu Lai. Especially, clothes, lighting and sound for the play have been well prepared by the Vietnam Circus Federation. Besides this, some of the seat rows have been removed to meet the requirements of the play.

“The witch’s land and the brave man” play brings children into a wonderland where animals can communicate with people. There is a brave man who overcomes many challenges to rescue his friend from the witch’s land. He tames a giant elephant (a circus elephant) and fights wicked witches riding their flying broomsticks (circus acrobats) to eventually save the beautiful and talented girl from the witch’s land.

This thrilling story is a meaningful gift for children on the International Children’s Day. The play will be performed from May 28 to June 1 at 67-69 Tran Nhan Tong Street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi.

Exhibition brings together different styles of RoK painters

An art exhibition entitled ‘Three People, Three Styles’ opened at the Republic of Korea Cultural Centre in Hanoi on March 24.

The forty three works on display represent the differing styles of three Korean painters Woo Kyeong Hwa, Yoo Haejung and Kim Minseung, all of whom live and work in Hanoi.

Woo Kyeong Hwa is interested in creating drawings in chalk on the theme of the Teddy bear, a friend of many children all over the world. Female artist Yoo Haejung loves to comprehend the beauty and uniqueness of stones, which are often considered lifeless and inanimate. Artist Kim Minseung brings to the exhibition sophisticated still life pencil drawings which express the youthfulness and vitality of Korea’s younger generation.

The exhibition will last until May 30.

PV