46 artists nominated for HTV Awards 2011

The 5th HTV Awards 2011 for cinema, music and stage will be given by the Ho Chi Minh Television company on April 4.

Dramatic actress Hanh Thuy is nominated for “Best supporting actress” and “Best dramatic actress”.

The HTV Awards honor popular artists who have made outstanding contributions to the development of Vietnamese music, theater and film, based on viewers’ votes. This year 46 artists have been nominated in various categories.

Artists compete for “Best Pop Male/Female Singer”, “Best dramatic actor/actress”, “Best cai luong actor/actress”, “Best comedian”, “Best actor/actress” and “Best Supporting actor/actress”.

The “Face of the year” prize will be awarded to an artist who has been the most outstanding.

The awards ceremony will take place at 8.30pm on April 4 and will be broadcast live on HTV9 channel.

Painting exhibition by Da Lat doctor

An exhibition of 42 oil paintings by Doctor Duong Dinh Hung is being held at the Hoan My General Hospital in Da Lat.

The exhibition called “Colors of life” depicts the diverse colors of nature, and was created during the doctor’s various travel and business trips throughout the country.

Doctor Duong Dinh Hung works at the Department of Plastic Surgery of the Hoan My General Hospital in Da Lat.

The exhibition will run from February 27 until March 12.

Australian, Vietnamese guitarists perform moved show

An unplugged guitar concert featuring Australian and Vietnamese artists in Ho Chi Minh City Wednesday received big applause from the audience, who saw two foreigners accompany a local in a famous piece of music by late famous composer Trinh Cong Son.

The Opera House that night listened to Leonard Grigoryan and Joseph Tawardros from Australia, together with Vietnamese one-arm guitarist The Vinh and vocalist Thuy Tien.

“The Brothers in concert” was a moved performance in which the disabled artist played Trinh Cong Son works with harmonica on his mouth and the Australians demonstrated their repertoire that crossed cultural and stylistic barriers.

Khazakstan-born Grigoryan played classic guitar, while Egyptian-born Tawadros performed with oud, an Arabic cousin of the guitar.

The concert started with the Vietnamese artists set by The Vinh and vocalist Thuy Tien, who plays together with Vinh in their band Gifts of Tide. Then came the Australian set where Grigoryan went solo first, Tawadros played next, and their duo performance followed.

The final was a trio combination where The Vinh played Ha Trang (White Summer) – a very popular song by Trinh Cong Son – with guitar and harmonica. Grigoryan accompanied him on guitar and Tawadros on his oud.

The Australian Government organised the performance.

“This concert does not only enhance cutural exchanges between Australia and Vietnam, but also provides an opportunity to join with Vietnam to celebrate famous musician Trinh Cong Son on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his death.”

His death anniversary is on April 1.

Foreigners to show films in Vietnam

The sixth Chilean film week was launched in Hanoi on March 2.

The event, jointly held by the Chilean Embassy in Vietnam and the Hanoi Cinema club, will last till March 5.

During the Film week, four prize-awarded films including “La Nara” (Charwoman) , “El regalo” (the Gift), “Teresa” and “A Un Metro de Ti” (A stop away from you) will be on show. They all reflect the social situation in Chile and are expected to help Vietnamese viewers better understand about the country’s culture and people.

Another event, the Francophone Film Festival, will take place in Hanoi , Hue city and Ho Chi Minh City from March 18 to April 18, according to the Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The event, co-organised by the Cinema Department and the International Francophone Organisation, is part of activities to welcome Int’l Day of Francophone on March 20.

The festival will introduce movies from French-speaking countries, including France, Greece, Switzerland, Belgium, Tunisia and Vietnam, which will focus on emerging issues of the modern life, including information and technological hack.

Two ancient jars dug up in central Vietnam

The two ancient ceramic jars unearthed in Quang NamTwo ancient ceramic jars dated back to hundreds of years ago were found Thursday in Aboc tunnel, Anong commune, Tay Giang district, in the central province of Quang Nam.

They are 52 cm tall and their mouths have a diameter of 18 cm.

According to Alang Lay, deputy chairman of Anong Commune’s People Committee, the two ancient objects were dug up from a depth of 2 meters from ground level when local youths were repairing the tunnel.

One of the two lids was slightly cracked.

These two jars have been sent to the commune People’s Committee for preservation.

Hung King’s Temple Fest to kick off April

Hung King’s Temple Festival will take place at Nghia Linh Mountain in Hy Lang Commune of Phong Chau District in Phu Tho Province next month, featuring a wide range of traditional activities like palanquin procession, rice cake contest, incense-offering ceremony, among others.

This year’s event, which will run from April 7 – 12 (5th – 10th day of the third lunar month), is to be jointly held by Phu Tho and five other provinces, namely Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh, Nam Dinh, Quang Ngai and Dong Thap.

The festival will showcase a lion dance, a Xoan singing (ancestor worship singing) festival, Ca Tru (a kind of classic opera), an exhibition of offerings to the Hung Kings and a contest on making the traditional “banh chung” (square glutinous rice cake) and “banh day” (rice cake).

Phu Tho province will also host an international seminar on “The worship of Hung Kings” as part of efforts to seek UNESCO’s recognition of the festival as an intangible cultural heritage.

The province also plans to set off low-range firework performance to celebrate the ceremony at 9:00 pm on April 11 (also the Hung King’s death anniversary).

The event is an annual occasion to pay tribute to Hung Kings, whose contribution to the foundation of the nation is revered at as well as to show love and pride for the country.

This year’s festival is expected to draw 6 million tourists.

State employees are allowed a three-day leave on this occasion, according to Lao Dong.

Legend has it that Lac Long Quan, who was a dragon, met and married fairy Au Co, who later gave birth to 100 eggs from which 100 children were born.

2010 Hung King’s Temple Festival’s opening ceremony

The couple then parted ways due to their different origins. The man went seawards with 50 of their children, while his wife went to the mountains with the other half of the clan.

The eldest son, who followed his father, later installed himself as Vietnam’s first Hung King and today’s Vietnamese people are said to be descendants of those children.

“Meeting Vietnam-Spain” concert in Hanoi

World-acclaimed Spanish conductor Carlos Cuesta led an orchestra of Spanish and Vietnamese musicians in a classical concert held at the Hanoi Opera House on March 2.

The “Meeting Vietnam-Spain” concert was part of the Cultural Cooperation Project sponsored by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.

The concert was performed by many famous artists, such as singer Francesca Calero (Soprano) who sang seven Spanish folk songs, Violin Soloist Ngo Van Thanh and Viola Soloist Do Minh Thuan.

Under the baton of conductor Cuesta, 10 members of the Youth Orchestra of Madrid joined musicians of the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra to present Beethoven’s famous 9th Symphony as well as some rare Spanish pieces.

Cuesta, who is the current conductor of the Atelier Gombau Chamber Orchestra, is one of the most prolific conductors on the Spanish music scene.

His great interest in modern music has seen him at the forefront of numerous musical releases as well as recording the works of several Spanish and Latin American authors and composers.

He was granted First National Prize in Artistic and Professional Excellence in Argentina in 2001.

Vietnam’s treasures on display in RoK

Almost 165 antiques dating from Vietnam’s Nguyen dynasty in the 19th century are currently on display in Gyeongju in the Republic of Korea (RoK) from February 28 - March 15.

The exhibition is a joint effort between the Gyeongju National Museum and the Monuments Conservation Centre in the former imperial city of Hue.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Gyeongju Mayor Choi Yang-rak and the Gyeongju Museum’s Director Yi Young-hoon expressed hopes that the exchanges and cooperation between the countries in general and the two twinned cities in particular would prosper in the future.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Tran Trong Toan thanked the staff at Gyeongju’s Museum and the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre for organising the event, saying that he believes that the exhibition will attract both RoK and Vietnamese visitors.

The antiques, such as ceramics, books cast in bronze and old royal clothes, help to offer an insight into the history and culture of the Southeast Asian nation under the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945) as well as many other similarities between the two countries.

Earlier, a similar exhibition was held in the RoK National Palace Museum from November 9, 2010 - February 6, 2011.

Japan Foundation holds Furoshiki exhibition

An exhibition of Furoshiki, Japanese wrapping cloths, was held in Hanoi by the Japan Foundation Centre for Culture Exchange in Vietnam on March 3.

The exhibition displayed different types of furoshiki, most of them from Japan, as well as others from Vietnam which won awards in the 2nd international furoshiki contest in Japan.

FiveVietnamese students won prizes in the competition including one grand prize, one hounorable mention and two consolation prizes.

Grand prize winners will be commercially produced and promoted through the Japan Foundation’s activities worldwide.

Two Japanese instructors, Hiroko Handa and Yoko Yamamoto, also held a brief public class to help people understand more about the art of furoshiki.

The furoshiki contest is an annual event held by the Japan Foundation to promote cultural exchange between it and other nations and to introduce this traditional craft that can be used today to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags and packaging, thereby protecting the environment.

Furoshiki is a square piece of cloth used for various purposes such as wrapping and carrying items of different shapes. Dyed in various colors and patterns, today it is also used for wrapping gifts, as well as for table coverings and interior decoration. Furoshiki goes back to the Edo Period (1603-1868), when public bathhouses became widely accessible. The tradition was then handed down through the generations as an essential part of the Japanese lifestyle.

Bilingual edition of Vietnam- Korean folktales published

The Korean Cultural Centre launched a bilingual book of ten Vietnamese and Korean folktales in Hanoi on March 3 that will further understanding between the two cultures, particularly for children of Vietnamese and Korean parents.

The 150 page book, published in Vietnam for the first time, includes popular Vietnamese folktales such as Cay Khe (The Starfruit Tree); Banh Chung Banh Day (Square and Round Glutinous Rice Cakes); and Cay Tre Tram Dot (The 100 Jointed Bamboo Tree), as well as Korean tales including ‘Stream Water Makes You Younger’, ’Dog and Cat’, and ’The Tiger Repays a Debt of Gratitude.’

“The book aims to create harmony between the soul and spirit of both Vietnamese and Korean people through the messages in the traditional stories,’ said the director of the Korean Cultural Centre, Keum Gi Hyung.

According to director Keum, there are currently 150,000 Vietnamese- Korean couples, 40,000 of which live in the RoK. They face a language barrier that makes it difficult to learn about the literature from each other’s country. “The book will help meet the increasing need for studying the history and culture behind Vietnamese – Korean families, particularly for the children,” added Keum.

Nguyen Van Tinh, head of the International Co-operation Department of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, “The launch of this book will boost cultural exchanges between the two countries and it also represents the developing relations between them, particularly in the cultural fields.”

The also book features illustrations by Vietnamese artists that make it more accessible to young readers.

The Korean Cultural Centre presented the book to the Vietnam National Library and the RoK- Vietnam Friendship Association.

The book will also be distributed to Korean faculty at Vietnamese universities and libraries as well as to Vietnamese- Korean families, the RoK Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Families and Gender Equality.