Art & Entertainment News In Brief Quynh Mai to compete in Asia’s Next Top Model   Vietnamese model Quynh Mai left for Singapore on November 22 to attend the 4th Asia’s Next Top Model 2015. As a professional dancer, the 20-year-old girl, 1.71 m high with measures 88-66-101, has a nice body and confident catwalk. Mai was listed in Top 45 of Miss Universe Vietnam 2015 pageant, and entered the final rounds of Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2013 contest and Top 30 of So You Think You Can Dance contest in 2012. “I’m very glad to represent Vietnam in Asia’s Next Top Model. I will try my best at the event,” Quynh Mai said. Miss Universe 2015 3rd Official Hot Picks Miss Vietnam Pham Thi Huong‘s latest photos did convince our team of beauty experts that Vietnam is on fire this year, reported Missosology in its latest round of Miss Universe 2015 Official Hot Picks. The foundation has been set for the Southeast Asian nation’s first Big4 Top5 finish and it is increasingly clear that the momentum is on Miss Huong’s side for third place. With her oriental charm, she simply exudes class and finesse. She also has the advantage of experience says Missosology in a post on its website. Rounding out the top 5 of the third round Missosology Hot Picks is the newly crowned Miss Brazil Marthina Brandt in first, Miss India Urvashi Rautela in second, Miss Russia Vladislava Evtushenko in fourth and Miss Indonesia Anindya Kusuma Putri ranked fifth. Yokai: Experience music in colour with Anne Paceo Fast-emerging French drummer Anne Paceo is bringing her jazz music sensation hit Yokai known widely in the jazz world for its brilliant merging of the sounds of Catalonia, Brazil and Africa to the Vietnam stage. Organizers of the European Music Festival have revealed she will play a wide selection of her infectious absolutely buoyant melodies in Ho Chi Minh City on November 27 and in Hanoi on November 28. Admissions to the concerts are free. Further information can be found at http://25yearseuvietnam.vn/eumusic2015. A tireless traveller, she has performed in nearly 40 countries and created links with jazz, pop, and world musicians from all around the globe. Graduated from the National Conservatory of Paris, she has released three albums and has received many awards including Django d’Or in 2009 and Victoires du Jazz in 2011. Excavation of ancient tomb made public in Binh Dinh The initial analysis of an ancient tomb excavated in An Nhon district in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh has been made known. According to archaeologists, the tomb contained a mummified man aged from 67 to 70 years old. He was believed to be Vietnamese based on the characteristics of his nasal cavity and orbit. Dr Nguyen Lan Cuong, head of the excavating team, told Vietnam News, that the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology decided to excavate and research this tomb as it was located in a residential area which had been reconstructed. "This area had been dug up by locals for building houses, so it was harder to study the mummy because water had leaked into the tomb," he said. "We hope we can find out more about the embalming skills and funeral processes by studying this newly-found mummy." The ancient tomb was dated back to the 19th century. The locals discovered it on October 12 when they were constructing roads for a resettlement plan. First instrumental rock album released The lead guitarist of popular rock band Black Infinity has just released an instrumental rock music ensemble CD dubbed "Tiger Nguyen". This is the first instrumental rock album of its kind in the country. The CD consists of ten works composed and mixed by Tiger Nguyen. He said the album was inspired by the four natural elements, earth, fire, air and metal. "The audience can feel all the harmony of the surrounding nature through up and down musical notes from a guitar," he said. Tiger Nguyen is known as the lead guitarist and composer of the band. Moon worshipping festival begins in Mekong province Ok Om Bok, the Khmer people's annual festival of worshipping the moon, opens today in Tra Vinh City in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tra Vinh. The two-day festival begins with a ngo boat race, a traditional boat of the Khmer shaped like a Naga snake, on the Long Binh River. Khmer traditional sports, games and cuisine will be featured at the Ao Ba Om Cultural and Tourism Park over two days. A trade fair showcasing industrial, agricultural and handicraft products from nine cities and districts will be held at the province's Cultural House during the festival. The event will close with a special performance with singers and dancers from the provincial traditional art troupe at the park on Wednesday. The Ok Om Bok festival, falling on 15th day of the tenth lunar month, is one of the three main festivals that the Khmer celebrate every year. It is a chance for the Khmer to show their gratitude to the Moon Goddess for giving them a bumper harvest and rich aquatic sources. In 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised the Ok Om Bok festival as a national intangible cultural heritage. K+1 channel to air French supernatural drama series Loyal audiences of the French supernatural drama television series The Returned, or Les Revenants, will have the chance to watch part two when it airs on K+1 channel in Viet Nam on Tuesdays, beginning today. The second part of the show, which consists of eight episodes, premiered in France on September 28 on Canal+, and in the United States on October 31 on SundanceTV. The series was created by Fabrice Gobert based on the 2004 French film with the same title, which was directed by Robin Campillo. Its first season debuted in November 2012 and won the International Emmy for best drama series the following year. Hai The Gioi resurfaces 60 years later The film Hai The Gioi (Two Worlds) produced by the Tan Viet Nam Film Studio in France in 1953 and directed by Pham Van Nhan will be screened in Viet Nam this November, according to Blue Productions. The black-and-white film will be screened tonight at HCM City's Rex Hotel, where it was first shown in 1954, before moving to IDECAF on Saturday. Apart from students who receive scholarships from the Government or an organisation to study abroad, many Vietnamese students had to rely on their parents to pay for their study fees. Sixty years ago, the 61-minute film told a story from the Indochina War when many Vietnamese students in France didn't receive financial assistance from their families to continue their studies. Tan, a law student, had to find an extra job to pay for his study fees. During that time he contracted tuberculosis (TB), and due to his exhaustive workload, he died. Hong Anh from Blue Productions told Viet Nam News that the film still posed a topical question because in the past, TB was considered as bad as HIV/AIDS because there was no effective medical treatment. Anh said 96-year-old director Nhan wished to screen his film as a gift for local residents. "I was touched by his wish to screen it for free," she said, adding that if it received a good response, Blue Productions would sell cheap tickets so that everyone could enjoy it. "All the money will go to a charity for TB patients," Anh said. This film and director Nhan's Gia Hanh Phuc (Price of Happiness, 1953) and Vi Dau Nen Noi (Why It Was So, 1954) have been restored and digitalised by the French National Cinema Centre CNC. They were screened last September in France. Nhan was born in 1919 in the former province of Ha Dong, and now lives in the south of France. He was one of the last of 90,000 Vietnamese workers who went to France from 1939-40 to alleviate the country's labour shortage. Most of them were young, between 20 and 30 years old. Once in France, they had to adapt to the industrial work, modernisation and culture. They were also confronted with a colonial power on its own soil, a power in the throes of defeat, struggling with its contradictions, which upset the myth of the omnipotent mother country, homogeneous and invincible. Pham Van Nhan's first film was a historical documentary about President Ho Chi Minh, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and a movement that supported overseas Vietnamese in France. Vietnam heritage photo contest wraps up An awards ceremony for the 2015 Vietnam Heritage Photo Contest was held by Vietnam Heritage Magazine on November 23 in Ho Chi Minh City. After four months of launching , the contest received 4,740 entries of 537 photographers in and outside the country. In the single photo category, the photo “Dem hoa dang” (Flower Lantern Night) by Le Trong Khanh received the first prize. “Tranh dua” (Competition) by Tran Bao Hoa and “Khung troi hanh phuc” (Happy Heaven) by Vo Quoc Thanh were awarded the second and third prizes. In the collection category, first, second and third prizes were presented to a sets of photos “Le cap sac nguoi Dao Do Sa Pa” (A Mature Ceremony of Dao Do Ethic Group in Sa Pa) by Pham Bang, “Tren dong song huyen thai” (On the Legendary River) by Tran Binh An and “Ngay Tet voi tre em H’Mong” (Tet Holiday with H’Mong Ethnic Children) by Tran Dao Si. Earlier, seven exhibitions with 100 outstanding works from the competition were organised in cities nationwide, including Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang, Phan Thiet and Hanoi. Vietnamese culture shines light in China Traditional Vietnamese art performances, rituals and folk games were among the highlights of the Vietnamese Culture Festival Day on November 22 in Guilin, China. The event, organised by the Association of Vietnamese Students at Guangxi Teachers Education University, was one of the activities held to mark the 65th founding anniversary of Vietnam – China diplomatic relations and Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20). Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Rector of the University Bai Xiao Jun said Vietnamese students make up one of the biggest crowds of overseas students at the University, which serves students from 60 countries across the world. He hailed the annual event, saying that it helps introduce the essence of Vietnamese culture to local and international friends. Le Anh Tuan from the General Consulate of Vietnam in Guangxi said the agency has continuously cooperated with the local education sector to encourage Guanxi-based Vietnamese overseas students to study, participate in activities that involve their homeland, preserve and promote their country’s beauty, observe the local regulations, and contribute to fostering the friendship between Vietnam and China. During the event, participants enjoyed traditional food normally served on Tet (New Year) across Vietnam. Photo exhibition gives rare insight into Vietnam in 1980s A photo exhibition on Vietnam’s tourism before the country opened its door to the world opened on November 22 at the Vietnam House in Paris, giving French viewers a rare bit of insight into the lives of Vietnamese people in the 1980s. The exhibition includes 30 photographs by photographer Michel Blanchard, former head of the AFP News Agency’s Office in Vietnam. They capture Vietnamese people and their lives between 1981 and 1988 when he worked in the country. There are also photos from times he returned to Vietnam. Visitors to the exhibition can explore the beauty of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, full of small, short houses with roofs covered with moss, bustling streets, Ha Long Bay, the old Quoc Hoc Hue High School, the simple lives of Vietnamese people before the reforms, Hanoians going to markets to shop for the Lunar New Year, Nguyen Hue Walking Street and HCM City’s cultural features. Vietnam was liberated 40 years ago, but the country opened its doors to foreign tourists 15 years after, due to difficulties caused by war and sanctions imposed by the US and its allies, said Blanchard. There were not many foreigners in Vietnam back then, and photos from that period could help people understand more about the difficult times before the economic boom in the 1990s, he said. Talking to a Vietnam News Agency reporter, Blanchard said he felt lucky to be in Vietnam during the 1980s and saw Vietnam’s changes. He said he admired Vietnamese people, who not only overcame difficulties and deprivation, but also always kept a sense of optimism about them. Blanchard was head of the AFP News Agency’s Office in Vietnam from 1981 to 1983. He returned to Vietnam many times in the following 10 years as a tourist guide, and to visit his relatives and friends. 2 mln EUR in ODA mobilised for Phong Nha –Ke Bang The Prime Minister has given the nod to a project on sustainable conservation and management work at the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh. The project has a total investment of 2.175 million Euro (EUR) (2.324 million USD). The German government will provide 2 million EUR (2.1 million USD) in non-refundable official development assistance (ODA).The work is expected to finish by the end of 2016. Under the plan, the park will develop information and biodiversity monitoring systems, with a view to strengthening forest management and protection works. New production models will be built to improve livelihoods for local residents, particularly women and ethnic minorities, thus contributing to biodiversity conservation. Another goal of the project is to intensify cross-border cooperation between the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park and Laos’ Hin Nam No National Protected Area (NPA) via increasing information exchanges between the two sides. The PM assigned the Quang Binh provincial People’s Committee to carry out the project in accordance with regulations, ensuring the work will be implemented effectively. Located in Bo Trach district, the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park covers 85,754 hectares with a 195,400-hectare buffer zone. It is among the 238 most important ecological zones in the world. Phong Nha – Ke Bang won UNESCO heritage recognition in 2003 thanks to its system of 300 different caves and grottos, which date back some 400 million years. With a length of 7.7 kilometres, the Phong Nha cave system is said to have the longest water cave and the most beautiful grottos. Festive programs at Caravelle Saigon The Caravelle Saigon Hotel is putting on a number of programs for diners towards the end of this year. From now until December 24, the mid-town hotel and partners is holding a silent auction at a champagne corner for Vietnam’s only publicly available bottle of Moët & Chandon Impérial Golden Leaf for patrons to taste Moët Champagne. All proceeds raised from the winning bid will go to Heartbeat Vietnam Program of VinaCapital Foundation, which helps needy children with heart defects. There will be a silent auction for a Viña Errázuriz wine dinner at the Reflections Fine Dining on November 25 from 7 p.m. Diners will be served a five-course menu with Chilean wines, among others. Errázuriz wine ambassador Nicolas Happke will attend the event and share his thoughts and anecdotes. Part of the evening will be a silent auction to help raise funds for the needy children at Saigon Children Charity. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri