International Francophone day to take place in Vietnam

Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City will hold various events to celebrate the 2010 International Francophone Day which is scheduled to run from mid March to early April this year.

The information was announced on March 10 by a group of embassies, delegations, and Francophone-related organisations in Hanoi and the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Romanian Ambassador Dumitru Olaru, who chairs the group of Francophone embassies and organisations, this year’s event coincides with the 40th founding anniversary of the International Organisation of the Francophone (OIF) and the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. Therefore, he said, a wide range of activities will be designed to highlight the diversity of French speaking cultures, which can be best conveyed by cinema.

A film festival will be held in the three cities, showing 13 prize-winning films from seven Francophone countries.

There will also be a concert of two Vietnamese musical forms, “Tru” (ceremonial singing) and “Quan ho” (love duets singing), which have been recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

Artistic photo contest launched in Ho Chi Minh City

The third photo contest entitled ‘The Hidden Charm’ has been launched by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism.

Under the theme ‘24 Hours in Sai Gon – Ho Chi Minh City’, photos should feature various kinds of culture, sport and tourism activities held by the city’s tourism sector.

As many as 100 photos will be selected for display at the September 23 Park as part of activities of the sixth Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival, which will be held early next month.

The first prize is worth VND 7 million and a tourist tour to Thailand. 

The contest’s deadline is March 31. All professional and amateur photographers nationwide are eligible to the contest.

Entries should be sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Magazine at No. 140, Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
 
Propaganda posters competition on national events launched

A competition on propaganda posters was launched in Hanoi yesterday to mark the 65th anniversary of August Revolution and the National Day (September 2).

A photo contest with the theme on people’s cultural life was also opened on the same day.

Propaganda posters should feature national grand events and achievements recorded during the past 65 years whereas photos must highlight the people’s unity in building up a new cultural lifestyle. 

The two contests are eligible for all Vietnamese professional and amateur artists at home and abroad.

The contests are organised by the Hanoi Culture Department, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

HCMC Book Fair returns bigger, better than ever
 
The sixth annual Ho Chi Minh City Book Fair will this year feature more than 200,000 new publications and a staggering 20 million copies of books.  

The fair, the largest of its kind in Vietnam, will see participation this year of more than 150 local and domestic enterprises with more than 470 display booths at the city’s Le Van Tam Park in District 1.

The week-long event, running from March 15-21, also offers a chance for local and foreign publishers from France, Germany and Spain – as well as writers and the public – to meet and discuss literature.

Renowned Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, author of the book “Silk,” is set to attend the festival to hold a discussion with Vietnamese readers.

In addition, First New Publisher will introduce the book “Establishing a Career with Bare Hands” by Thai billionaire Vikrom Kromadit who will also be on hand to discuss his work.

Mr. Kromadit, CEO of Amata Corporation Public Company Limited, is ranked Thailand’s 34th richest person with a net worth estimated at US$145 million.

Also attending the festival, Eran Katz, holder of the Guinness World Record for Memory, will speak on how to develop good memory skills.

Local writers including Bich Ngan, Ta Thi  Ngoc Thao, Nguyen Nhat Anh and journalist Pham Thanh Long, meanwhile, will hold a discussion for Vietnamese book lovers. 

This year’s event will also feature two seminars on detective literature and Tet (lunar New Year) holiday books, in addition to several other exhibitions and attractions.

Book on Vietnam-India ties published

A book entitled “Traces of Indian culture in Vietnam” by Indian writer G.Sharma has been made available to the Indian public.

The book highlights the time-honoured relations between Vietnam and India through the remains of the My Son ancient towers and traces of Cham culture, which was affected remarkably by Indian culture, Dr. Karan Singh, a well-known philosopher and thinker, said at the launch ceremony in New Delhi on March 10.

He spoke highly of contributions made by G. Sharma, who is also president of the India-Vietnam Association in India’s East Bengal state, to bolster the understanding and friendship between the two countries while calling on Indian people to strengthen ties with Vietnam, especially in the cultural field.

The cultural event drew the participation of India’s former Foreign Deputy Minister Ashok Maheshwari, former Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Jagdish Chandra Sharma, Dr. Harivansh Chaturvedi, director of the “Cay da” (Banyan Tree) publishing house, representatives of Vietnamese Embassy in India and other diplomats of the two countries.

Hanoi to host concert series

The Ascending Dragon Music Festival will kick off this week in Hanoi with musicians from the Grammy Award-winning Southwest Chamber Music orchestra and members of the Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAM).

The six-week festival, a collaboration between musicians from the US and Vietnam, is to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi capital.

During the cultural exchange, 19 Americans will visit Vietnam in March, while 19 Vietnamese will tour California in April and May for three weeks.

Performances in Vietnam will take place at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, the Hanoi Opera House and the HCM City Conservatory Concert Hall.

World premieres of newly commissioned works by Alexandra du Bois, Kurt Rohde, Pham Minh Thanh and Vu Nhat Tan will be held on March 11. The premier of American composer Ellicott Carter’s “On Conversing with Paradise” will be held on March 19. The famed musician is now 101 years old.

Various events to commemorate the Hung royalty

A wide range of cultural and sport activities will be held in the northern province of Phu Tho to mark the Hung Kings’ death anniversary and the Hung Temple Festival in 2010.

This was announced at a meeting held in Hanoi on March 10 by the organizing board of these significant events.

According to the Prime Minister’s decision, the celebration of Hung Kings’ death in 2010 will last 10 days, from April 14-23. The incense offering ceremony will take place on April 23 (the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month). Other activities, including art performances, exhibitions and folk games, will he held in the Hung Temple complex and surrounding areas.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoang Tuan Anh, who is also deputy head of the organizing board, asked functional agencies and local authorities to make thorough preparations to commemorate the Hung Kings’ death anniversary and successfully organise the Hung Temple Festival. “Special attention must be paid to ensuring a clean and safe environment, good traffic order and social security”, he said. “Art troupes should also prepare their performance programmes carefully, with a focus on highlighting traditional cultural values”.

During the Hung Temple Festival, the 7th Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival for Ethnic Groups in the Northeastern Region will also take place together with an art programme entitled “Van Lang-Thang Long-Hanoi Capital – thousand-year old history”.

Vietnamese films to hit city screens

A celebration of Vietnamese cinema has been planned for next week to honour Vietnamese film talents.

The event will be launched with the event “A Day of Vietnamese Cinema” on March 15.

The entire cinematic event will include seminars and activities from March 10-15 in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The highlight of the event will be the Golden Kite Awards on March 14 in Hanoi. Awards will be given out by the Vietnam Cinematography Association to the best artists and work in a number of categories, including: cinematography, television series, documentary and research. Awards for the best actress and actor in television series will be awarded for the first time this year.

Classic movie buffs will have the chance to watch old films and meet the film makers during the event.

In celebration of the 100th International Women’s Day, the Vietnam Film Institute and the Vietnam Women’s Museum has jointly opened a photo exhibition featuring female film stars in classic Vietnamese movies.

PV