Fourth Singer’s Day to be held in Quy Nhon; Promoting cooperation in translating Vietnamese literature; Hung Kings feted in Phu Tho; More foreign artists to attend Festival Hue city 2010

More than 200 singers will attend “Singer’s Day”, the biggest annual event for them, in the Central City of Quy Nhon on January 18-20.

The event is expected to raise VND10 billion for charity from 2 major programmes: a Gala dinner to auction off articles provided by the singers and kindhearted people on January 19 and a New Year’s display of martial arts in the City’s Stadium the next day.

The Khat Vong Xuan (the Spring’s Hope) music show on January 18 will broadcast on Vietnam Television (VTV3 channel) on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Singer’s Day is an excellent chance for singers, composers, MC and directors to gather and discuss how to improve the quality of community art events and raise funds for the poor, especially those who were badly affected by the powerful storms Ketsana and Mirinae last year.

Promoting cooperation in translating Vietnamese literature

The Vietnam Writers Association on January 8 signed agreements on cooperation in translating Vietnamese literature during the 2010-2015 period with publishing houses and translators from 10 countries all over the world.

The event is part of the international conference on Vietnamese literature being held in Hanoi from January 5-10.

The international partners came from the US, India, Russia, Hungary, the Philippines, Sweden, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia and China.

Also on the occasion, the Vietnam Writers Association granted medals to 50 writers, poets and translators from 15 foreign countries, who had made great contributions to introducing Vietnamese literature to the world.

Additionally, a night of poetry reading was held on January 8 in the northern province of Quang Ninh. In the next two days, international delegates will visit some of Vietnam’s most famous historical sites such as Ha Long Bay, Yen Tu Temple and Thanh Chuong district.

Hung Kings feted in Phu Tho

A wide range of activities will be held in the northern province of Phu Tho during the Hung Temple Festival from April 14 to 23 to celebrate the death anniversary of the Hung Kings.

The Hung Vuong Museum will open on April 14, and the seventh culture, sport and tourism festival for northeastern provinces will take place in the Hung Temple complex from April 14-17, involving Cao Bang, Lang Son, Bac Kan, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang.

A festival “Getting Back to the Roots” will also take place in Phu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai. Other activities include a swimming contest, and an exhibition of books and research on “xoan” folk songs, which will be submitted to UNESCO for recognition as a world intangible cultural heritage site.

More foreign artists to attend Festival Hue 2010

Around 40 groups of artists from 29 countries and territories have registered to perform at the Festival Hue 2010 under the theme “Cultural heritage with integration and development” to be held in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue from June 5-13.

The focal point of this year’s festival will be the charming Dai Noi (Royal Palace) in the evenings with many interesting banquets and games. Besides the Royal Palace and An Dinh Forbidden Palace, a number of places in the city, the surrounding parks and tourist attractions will see many festivities, with daily performances of folk’s games and cooking available in most of the streets.

Along with various cultural shows from overseas artists, the Festival will revitalise some unique royal traditions like the Xa Tac Platform Ritual, the Royal Night and the Discovery of the Huong (Perfume) River’s Legend.

To mark Lord Nguyen Phuc Lan’s choice of Hue as the country’s former imperial city, festival organisers will stage a special programme depicting local people’s journey to reclaim the southern land and military manouver in the past.

PV