National then folk singing festival opens; Cinematography for Schools film festival to kick off; Celebrities support children’s charity; Vietnam cultural festival held in Taiwan

The third national then folk singing and tinh musical instrument playing festival kicked off in the northern province of Bac Can yesterday.

The festival draws the participation of more than 300 artists and artisans from 11 groups of 11 provinces.

The festival aims to promote and preserve then - the traditional singing of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic people.

During the opening night, the audiences had a chance to enjoy special performances imbued with the cultured identity of northern mountainous region by ethnic minority artists from Bac Can Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau…

The festival will last until August 27.

Cinematography for Schools film festival to kick off

A film festival named ’Cinematography for Schools’ will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from August 26-28.

The festival will feature 13 short films, 13 cartoon films and 10 documentary films, created by teachers and students from eight primary schools of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The festival is co-ordinated by the Viet Nam Cinema Institute, the Ministry of Education and Training’s Department for Primary Schools and the Swedish Film Institute. It is also funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

This activity lies in the framework of the ’Supporting Vietnamese Culture for Sustainable Development’ project of the Swedish Government in the 2005-2009 period.

Celebrities support children’s charity

Celebrities, including actress Ngo Thanh Van, actor Johnny Tri Nguyen, and singers Ho Ngoc Ha and Dan Truong, will be charity ambassadors for the “For Children’s Hearts 2009” program.

The ambassadors will donate to the fund and call on their fans, Yume social network members, businesses, organizations and individuals to support the program.

“If they are not treated soon, a large number of children with heart disease will die, as they may only live six months to a year. We hope the program will receive a great number of kind hearts from the community,” said the organization committee.

The charity program is organized by Yume.vn, a social networking website, and the VinaCapital Foundation aiming at funding free surgery for disadvantaged children with congenital heart disease.

People can access www.traitimtretho.yume.vn to support the program, which takes place from August 20 to October 20.

Vietnam cultural festival held in Taiwan

A Vietnamese cultural festival was held in the Taiwan’s largest city of Taipei on August 23 with the participation of over 1,000 Vietnamese workers and the municipal authorities.

The festival aimed to honour the contributions made by thousands of Vietnamese workers employed in the territory and celebrate Vietnam’s National Day (September 2), said the Mayor of Taipei Hau Lung-bin.

Mayor Hau asked the Vietnamese workers to contact the municipal office for labour issues to solve any difficulties at work or in everyday life.

He said that the city now has over 5,000 Vietnamese workers and over 1.300 of them married to local residents.

PV