A work by Le Kinh Tai.

Vietnam entries in RoK contemporary photo exhibition

Vietnam has sent four photographs to the ASEAN-Korea Exhibition of Contemporary Photography which will be on display at the Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul, in the Republic of Korea (RoK), from May 13-25.

The four works were taken by Le Kinh Tai, Deputy Head of the Digital photography club in Ho Chi Minh City and Richard Streitmatter–Tran. Two of them, ‘Obsession 2’ and ‘Victory’ were honoured with international photography awards in Austria in 2000.

The ‘Emerging Wave’ photography exhibition gathers the best works by photographers from across ASEAN and the RoK.

While addressing the opening ceremony, the Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK, Tran Trong Toan, said that besides giving photographers the chance to meet with each other, the exhibition provides a good opportunity to bring people from ASEAN countries and the RoK closer together.

After Seoul, the exhibition will move to the southern coastal city of Pusan from June 18 until August 8. 

Fifth European food festival in Hanoi
 
The fifth European food festival will take place at the National Library on Trang Thi Street in Hanoi on May 22.

The festival was first held in 2005 to promote and advertise the diversity of European culture through special dishes, and strengthen co-operative ties and exchanges between Europe and Vietnam.

This year’s festival will include many famous restaurants and hotels in Hanoi. Guests will have a chance to enjoy a variety of dishes and entertainment such as magic, a concert and a lottery to win two free tickets to visit Europe or a two-night stay at the Hanoi Opera Hilton.

Ancient artifacts discovered in Ha Tinh 
 
A pair of millennia-old pots has been found and put on display at the Ha Tinh Provincial Museum in central Vietnam. 

Le Ba Hanh, the museum’s deputy director, said the objects were 2,000 years old.

He said one three-legged copper pot belonged to northern Vietnam’s Dong Son Culture while the other ceramic pot came from the Sa Huynh culture, which was located further south.

One of the 45-cm tall copper pot’s legs was broken, but the relic was still attached to two straps used to carry it.

The pot was in good shape and still polished, demonstrating the sophisticated casting techniques of the time.

The ancient 50-cm tall ceramic pot is still intact.

Hanh said that the two unique ancient artifacts had been discovered by villagers in Nghi Xuan District, near the Phoi Phoi-Bai Coi archaeological site at Xuan Vien commune in Ha Tinh.

Locals picked up the copper pot while collecting waste and sold it to teacher Nguyen Ninh, who then offered the object to the museum on May 6, 2010.

Contemporary Japanese art exhibit opens in Hanoi  
 
“Passage to the Future,” an exhibition featuring 42 artworks by 11 Japanese contemporary artists, opens May 14 at the Hanoi Exhibition House. 

Organized by the Japan Cultural Exchange Foundation, the exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and videos. It is part of several events that the foundation is organizing to mark the upcoming 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The exhibition reflects the artists’ tendency to shift focus from everyday life to the expression of very personal perceptions and feelings, says a press release issued by the foundation.

Since 2007, the exhibition has toured many countries including Germany, the UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, the Philippines and India. Besides Hanoi, it will also tour Ho Chi Minh City and Hue in June and July respectively.

The exhibition in Hanoi, on 29 Hang Bai Street, will run from May 15 to 24.
 
Thai Nguyen Culture and Tourism Week 2010 to be held

The festival will feature culture and art identities of ethnic minority groups

The Thai Nguyen Culture and Tourism Week 2010 will take place from May 18 to 25 in the museum for Vietnamese nationalities’ culture in Thai Nguyen.

The event, held by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the Thai Nguyen provincial People’s Committee, is one of activities to welcome the first National Ethnic Minority Congress.

The festival will feature culture and art identities of the North, Centre and South of Vietnam through various performances of folk songs, dance and music of ethic minority groups across the country, such as the Khmer, Pa Then, Bana, Mong, Nung, Cham people. The culinary culture, traditional costume and rituals of the three regions will also be introduced within the festival.

Other activities will include an exhibition displaying photos of President Ho Chi Minh in Thai Nguyen province, a photo exhibition on the first National Ethnic Minority Congress and the inauguration ceremony of an outdoor display area of the Museum of Vietnamese nationalities’ culture.

Also on this occasion, a seminar on Thai Nguyen tourism in connection with Hanoi capital city and the northernmost provinces – destination of the Museum of the Vietnamese nationalities’ culture will be held.

Mekong Delta life-featured drama to be aired this month  
  
An award-winning drama featuring the life of poor duck farmers in the fields of the Mekong Delta will be aired on the HTV9 channel from next Wednesday onwards.

Based on Troi dat nhung manh doi (Drifting life pieces) by Tran Thoi, the Vit keu dong (Crying ducks in the field) depicts conflicts among the farmers and those between them and local authorities when faced with the bird flu threat.

The eight-episode drama, which won the best drama award at last year’s national Canh dieu vang (Golden Kite) Awards, will be aired at 6 p.m. on every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.

Hue autumn brought to southern city 
  
Romantic autumn in the central town of Hue is the theme of an exhibition currently open in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mua thu bay (Flying autumn), which opened last Saturday, shows 16 abstract works by Nguyen Duy Linh, lecturer at the Hue College of Arts. Linh has held several exhibitions of his works in foreign countries like England and Japan.

Some of the oil paintings on show have been painted with a trowel, instead of just brushes.

The exhibition, open till next Wednesday, is held at Tu Do (Freedom) Gallery at 53 Ho Tung Mau Street, District 1.

Spanish DJ to spin in HCMC and Hanoi  
  
Spanish DJ & producer Del Horno will play on Friday May 14 at Club 98, 98 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City and on Saturday May 15 at Civilize Club, 210 Tran Quang Khai Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.

Entrance is free for everyone.

Originally from Barcelona, Del Horno has been nominated as best DJ and DJ revelation 2007 in Spain. As a music producer he released many compilations of which 3 went Gold (50,000 copies sold) and 2 went Platinum (100,000 copies sold).

Del Horno started spinning in 1988 as a Funky DJ but quickly moved into House music. He made his name in Barcelona playing in clubs such as Comics, Verdi, DB and Kadigo.

He then became resident DJ for nine years at Chasis in Mataro, Spain where his reputation spread throughout the country and the rest of Europe. He has since played in many countries around the world including France, USA, Russia, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Korea, Indonesia and Colombia.

Mountains eager for Hanoi’s millennium anniversary

The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai is to open a week of culture and tourism on May 29 to join the entire nation in preparation for Hanoi’s millennium anniversary which is four months ahead.

Tran Huu Son, Head of the Provincial Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports, highlighted an open horse racing for the entire northwestern mountainous region, home to about 20 ethnic minority groups, as the core of the event.

The itinerary will include art programmes illustrating local ethnic groups’ cultural identities and a culinary art festival.

It is part of a programme of co-operation in trade and tourism between Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho provinces, said Son.
 
Community-based ecotourism management discussed
 
Delegates from nations in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) are discussing community-based ecotourism planning and management at a workshop in the ancient city of Hue, Thua Thien-Hue province.

The workshop from May 12-18 is part of a sustainable development programme among GMS nations – Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – to reach unanimous definitions in this field.

The workshop, sponsored by the Vietnamese Government and the Mekong Institute of Thailand, also includes field trips to community-based ecotourism sites in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand , helping map out an action programme on this kind of tourism among the GMS nations.

A series of reports dealing with the definition of community-based ecotourism management and planning, relations with poverty reduction and bio-diversity protection and an overview of eco-tourism in the sub-region were presented at the workshop.

Earlier, in last October, representatives from the Hue tourism vocational training school, Thailand’s Mekong Institute and tourist experts from GMS countries conducted field trips to ecotourism sites in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
 
Book on Ho Chi Minh published in Russia
 
The publication of a book on President Ho Chi Minh was launched in Moscow on May 14 to celebrate his 120th birthday.

The book is composed of 16 writings by Russian political activists, diplomats and reporters who used to live and work in Vietnam, as well as those who had the chance to meet Uncle Ho.
 
Speaking at the introducing ceremony, Vladimir Resin – Vice Mayor of Moscow said President Ho Chi Minh was an outstanding 20th century political activist, who devoted his whole life to his nation.

Glazunov, an author who lived in Vietnam for a long time and met Ho Chi Minh many times, says he wants future generations to know more about Vietnam and its national hero.

The book also expresses Russia’s viewpoint towards Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh and its understanding of Vietnam’s challenges in the past and the country’s ultimate victory, says Glazunov.

The Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Bui Dinh Dinh emphasised that Uncle Ho was not only an excellent leader of the world’s revolutionary campaign but also Vietnam’s beloved president and father of the nation.

The ambassador reviewed the great leader’s achievements in the foundation of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the August victory.

Dinh affirmed that the image of Ho Chi Minh and his thoughts will always be in the hearts and minds of Vietnamese people and international friends and hoped the book would be warmly welcomed in Russia.

PV