Int’l fireworks contest 2010 opens in Da Nang; Tien Giang to host first Viet Nam Fruit Festival; Canadian bilingual singer entertains at City hotel; Megastar unveils ‘How to train your dragon’ contest

At the opening ceremony, the three teams from Portugal, Japan and Vietnam put on a 20-minute show each.

The Portuguese team began the contest with its “Dragon and Fire” performance.

According to Tamaya Kitahara fireworks Company, a representative of the Japanese team, they used the best kind of fireworks in both the traditional and modern styles. With the experience of having 150 firework displays every year worldwide, the Japanese team created the image of dragon flying in the sky together with the image of Ngu Hanh Son (five marble mountains), describing the development of Da Nang City.

The Vietnamese team’s performance with 5 parts lasting 4 minutes each left spectators with a deep impression of Da Nang-a young city full of energy and vitality.

Tien Giang to host first Viet Nam Fruit Festival

The first Viet Nam Fruit Festival, organised by Tien Giang’s People’s Committee, will run from April 19 to 24.

“Under the theme ‘Viet Nam’s Fruit in a Time of Integration’, the festival organising board wants to show off the diversification and richness of fruit in Viet Nam to local and foreign friends and tourists,” said Tran The Ngoc, chairman of the Tien Giang’s People’s Committee.

“The festival will be a chance to honour farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs and companies for their contribution to the development of fruit in Viet Nam,” Ngoc said.

More than 700 kiosks and art shows will display fruit products from around the country.

Aside from a number of events, there will be a scientific seminar on fruit market.

Vietnamese fruits are sold in 50 countries.

In the south, fruit is grown on 280,000 ha – nearly 70 per cent of the total fruit-farming area in the country.

Canadian bilingual singer entertains at City hotel

Melanie LeBlanc, a bilingual singer from Canada with a repertoire of English and French songs, is Park Hyatt Sai Gon’s new resident entertainer.

LeBlanc graduated from the University of Moncton and the Theatre Randolph Academy and has performed in numerous Canadian theater productions like Rockbound (Two Planks and a Passion Theatre) and A Christmas Carol (Theatre New Brunswick).

“This is my first time in Viet Nam. Honestly, I feel a bit lost and alone, but I have only been here a few days.

“I’m hopeful I’ll make many wonderful discoveries about the place and the people. It takes time to get over culture shock. However, I feel lucky to be here and thankful for the opportunity.”

She performs every night except Tuesdays at the Park Lounge until June 19.

Megastar unveils ‘How to train your dragon’ contest

Megastar, the country’s leading film distributor, has announced a dragon-painting contest for people aged between six and 29 with the prize being invitations to the premiere of the animated 3D Hollywood film How to train your dragon probably at the end of April.

It is open to contestants in Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, and HCM City and Dong Nai Province who have to hand-paint a dragon using any material but without using computers. Each contestant can send no more than one entry.

The contestants will be divided into two age groups – six to 15 and 16 to 29 – and they can get the paper from and send their entries to local Megastar cineplexes before April 9.

Twenty six of them will be invited to the film along with their families besides getting cash prizes.

Int’l fireworks contest expected to attract 70,000 visitors

Crowds of people are flocking to the Han River in Da Nang City to watch the international fireworks contest to be held on the evening of March 27.

Over 70,000 visitors are forecast to spread through Bach Dang, Tran Hung Dao and 3-2 streets, and the road in front of the Cham Museum.

The festival, costing a total of VND24 billion, promises to be a golden opportunity for travel agencies to increase their profits.

Along Bach Dang street, 200 stone statues by two famous sculptors based in Da Nang, Tien Hieu and Nguyen Hung, are being displayed to show the talent in Non Nuoc village. Flowers are also showing off their beauty and the combination of the stone and the flowers is very attractive to viewers.

Tourists will have the opportunity to visit sightseeing places in Da Nang City such as Ba Na Mount, the Son Tra peninsula and Ngu Hanh Son (five marble mountains), and see 25,000 flower garlands and coloured lanterms released in the evenings of March 27-28.

5th Int’l Cinema Television Sports Festival opens

The 5th Federation International Cinema Television Sports (FICTS)-Vietnam Festival will be held in Da Nang City from March 27 to May 30.

Entries will compete in six events, including documentary, feature, advertising, scientific and educational films, animation and television game shows.

The winners will participate in the FICTS which will be held in Milan, Italy.

The festival is a chance to honour cinematographic works which have high artistic and creative value, and for domestic and foreign film-makers to meet and exchange experiences.

Lao PM welcomes writers from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia

Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh on March 25 received a delegation of writers who are in Vientiane to attend the third conference of writers from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The PM urged the writers to undertake bilateral and trilateral cooperation programmes in the coming time. He said he hoped the writers would create more high quality works to help the people of the three countries - especially the young generations - understand more about the tradition of solidarity among the nations.

On behalf of the Vietnamese delegation, chairman of Vietnamese Writers’ Association, poet Huu Thinh, promised that Vietnamese writers would try their best to promote the traditional friendship between Laos and Vietnam through translating more works of Lao literature into Vietnamese and by helping the Lao Writers’ Association build their headquarters.

PV