Art & Entertainment News in Brief Vietnam film festival to be held in HCM City   The 19th Vietnam Film Festival will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from December 1 to 5, announced the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) at a press conference held in the city on October 29. Themed “Vietnam’s Cinema - Ethnicity, humanity, innovation and integration", the national cultural event aims to demonstrate cinematographic works imbued with rich national identity, humanity and creativity as well as to honour artists with remarkable achievements in the field. The festival, organised by the MCST and the HCM City People’s Committee, will include a number of award categories, such as awards for movies, awards for individuals, and people’s choice awards.  Numerous activities will be held on the sidelines of the event, including exhibitions, cultural exchanges and workshops on the cinema.  Films available at the festival will be screened free-of-charge in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang. Quang Nam heritage project gets financial support A project on restoration and preservation of heritage sites in Quang Nam province is being implemented, Vice-Director of Quang Nam's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Xuan Tinh said.  The project involves the setting up of a vocational training centre. The initiative aims to increase management and competency in preserving cultural and relic sites in the central province. It could also increase the value of local cultural heritage spots. The project is being launched as part of cooperation between the relevant agencies of the department and Quang Nam Vocational School. Accordingly, the project will receive a total investment of nearly 27 billion VND (1.3 million USD), 70 percent of which will be funded by the Italian government and the rest by the Polytechnic University of Milan (Polimi) and the local budget. Under the project (2015-2018), the Quang Nam Vocational College School will cooperate with the management board of My Son Relic and Tourism Department to launch six-month courses on both theory and practice, which will be taught by experts from the Polytechnic University of Milan. The 120 trainees will be university graduates, young officials and lecturers working in the province and nearby provinces, who are concerned about heritage preservation. After finishing the courses, about 10 or 12 outstanding trainees will continue to be trained as experts in methods of restoration and preservation of heritage. There are about 60 national and 300 provincial heritage sites in Quang Nam province. In addition to receiving financial support from governments and international organisations, the province has set up its own projects to restore heritage sites after the national programme on restoring heritage sites ends at the end of this year. The provincial administrators have just approved an investment of 80 billion VND (3.8 million USD) for a project to restore national and provincial heritage sites in the 2016-2020 period.-VNA Vietnamese jewelry shines in Ninh Thuan The Women's Jewelry in the South exhibition has opened at the Southern Women's Museum in the central coastal province of NinhThuan. The collection includes 171 jewelry items such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings, made of bone, horn, crystal, gems, gold, silver and bronze. The jewelry dates from the 15th century, and includes pieces made by Vietnamese, Hoa, Cham, Khmer, Bana, Ede, M'nong and Stieng. According to the provincial Cham Cultural Research Centre as well as the organisers, from the Old Stone Age, Vietnamese women wore necklaces made of simple materials like earth, stone, bamboo, wood and bone. In the New Stone Age, they strung together seashells to make necklaces that were believed to bring luck on a working day. From the 16th to 20th century, techniques and materials were refined. Women used long golden necklaces with faces having shapes of hearts and letters. The Cham women in Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan provinces in the 18th century preferred to wear three necklaces of different sizes made of agate, silver or gold. The Khmer women liked silver and bronze jewelry engraved with little flowers, Aspara dancers, Naga snakes and dragons. Nguyen Thi Tham, Director of the museum, said: "The exhibition gives information on techniques used to make jewelry it the south, as well as descriptions of the significance and meaning of these items in history." She said the jewelry reflected women's family, status and position in society, and was also used to pray for fortune and prevent evil. "I hope through the exhibition young generations understand the role of women of the minorities during historic periods, and contribute to preserving and promoting the country's heritage," she added. Nguyen Thanh Thao, a student at Nguyen Trai High School in the province, said: "The collection is so informative and interesting. It provides a perspective on women's jewelry and their daily lives." The exhibition will close on January 31, 2016. Photo exhibition on Vietnamese heritage sites opens in Da Nang As many as 100 photos featuring natural and cultural heritage sites are being showcased at an exhibit that opened on November 2 in the central city of Da Nang. They were chosen from thousands of entries in a photo contest, launched for the second year, to highlight national heritage as well as the landscapes and culture of the central province of Binh Thuan. The event was jointly organised by the Vietnam Heritage Magazine under the Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Association and Canon. Head of the jury board Hoang Trung Thuy hailed the diversity and quality of the entries from more than 500 artists both abroad and at home. The contest helped popularise the peaceful landscapes of Vietnam while contributing to protecting the nation’s heritage. The exhibition will run until November 7. Vietnam attends ethnic cultural event in Hong Kong Vietnam introduced its traditional culture at the 2015 Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances’ opening show, held in Hong Kong (China) on November 1. Additionally, Vietnamese people living in Hong Kong and Macau (China) brought to the event a number of special dances imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity. These performances received a warm welcome from visitors. The 2015 Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances also presented the cultures of 16 other Asian countries and territories and ASEAN nations, including Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Started in 2010, the event aims to promote cultural exchange by showcasing traditional ethnic music and dance performances by Asians residing in Hong Kong. Cultural exchange fosters ties between Vietnam and India Artists from Vietnam and India have joined a traditional art performance on October 31 in an Indian city as part of activities planned to mark the 43rd anniversary of two countries’ diplomatic ties.  The show forms part of the seventh Vietnam-India People-to-people Festival, which took place from October 27 to November 1 in Karnataka state’s Tumkur city.  It saw the participation of crowds of delegates, artists from the two nations and an audience of thousands.  The delegates hailed the solidarity and traditional friendship between the two nations and peoples.  President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Vu Xuan Hong said Vietnam would never forget the support Indian people gave Vietnam in its past struggle.  He also expressed admiration for the achievements India has made, affirming that the two peoples had done their utmost to support each other in the past and in current nation-building efforts.  The same day, the Vietnamese delegation participated in exchanges with a number of Indian socio-political organisations and educational institutions. Khmer people prepare for moon worship festival The ethnic Khmer people in the Mekong Delta will celebrate Ooc-om-bok Festival, one of their most important traditional festivals, on November 25-26.  The festival, known as the Moon Worshipping Ceremony, takes place on the evening of the 14th of the 10th lunar month. It begins around 7-8pm when the moon's position is high in the sky. People celebrate at home outdoors or at ceremonies at Khmer pagodas. They pray for good luck, happiness, good weather and bumper crops.  On the second day, the long boat race is held. A boat is about 24m long, 1.2m wide and is able to hold about 40 people. Each team represents a pagoda, village or community.  In Soc Trang province, the boat race will be held in Soc Trang city. Every year, the race attracts thousands of people who watch from the riverbanks. The sound of Khmer music instruments contribute to an exciting atmosphere along the river.-VNA Vietnam culture, tourism potential introduced in Mexico The Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico organised a workshop on October 29 to introduce Vietnam’s culture and tourism potential to Mexican friends.  ​ A representative from the embassy spoke about the geography, history and political system of Vietnam, while introducing attractive destinations in Hanoi, Quang Ninh province, the central region and the Mekong Delta.  Mexican students asked questions about the air route from Mexico to Vietnam, how to learn Vietnamese, the number of international tourists to Vietnam, and measures to protect foreign visitors.  Most of the participants said they were impressed by Vietnam’s long-standing culture and hoped to visit the country in the near future. They also hailed Vietnam’s potential to develop tourism.  The workshop forms part of the ASEAN culture week being held in the Latin American country.  During the event, the Vietnamese Embassy will join counterparts from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand in a national customs show, a workshop on ASEAN and its relations with Mexico, and a photo exhibition on the land and people of ASEAN. Hanoi focuses on boosting cultural tourism Hanoi’s tourism sector is planning a number of activities to make breakthroughs and boost sustainable development with a focus on cultural tourism.  With thousands of years of history, Hanoi has a unique culture with various historical relic sites, festivals and trade villages, which are helping the city become more attractive to both domestic and foreign tourists.  Along with eco-tourism, resorts and entertainment centres, cultural tourism is also defined as a core pillar in the city’s tourism master plan until 2020 with a vision to 2030 and related projects.  The new Department of Tourism is also expected to help strengthen tourism management and promotion.  The city will organise a number of seminars between State management agencies and travel enterprises through the end of this year to update each other on their operational situations and popularise new policies while analysing the city’s tourism market and reviewing the number of accommodation facilities, transport firms and travel agents for better management.  Stronger public relations campaigns will also be held through mass media and a website on Hanoi tourism at hanoitourism.gov.vn, enabling tourists to search for information more easily.  A guidebook on local three to five-star hotels will also be published in five languages: Vietnamese, English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. The city is set to take part in the Jata tourism fair in Japan and offer intensive tourism training to locals in a number of trade villages like Bat Trang, Van Phuc and Phu Vinh.  Some major projects will also be implemented to develop diverse tourism forms, including those to increase Hanoi’s tourism products from 2016-2020 with orientations to 2030, promote the Giong festival space in Gia Lam and Soc Son districts, and upgrade the Ba Vi-Suoi Hai area to a national tourism site by 2020.  In the first half of this year, the capital welcomed over 9.98 million visitors, a 3.38 percent rise year-on-year, including 1.53 million foreign arrivals, up 5 percent over the same period last year. Luxury resort in Ha Long Bay opens The luxury tourism complex Vinpearl Ha Long, developed by Vingroup, one of Vietnam’s leading property developers, opened on October 31 in the northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh.  The complex was built on Reu island in Ha Long Bay, one of the world’s natural heritages recognised by UNESCO.  The 1.2 trillion VND (53 million USD) complex has a five-star nine-storey hotel with 384 rooms and clusters of restaurants and a convention centre, entertainment facilities, bars, swimming pools and artificial beaches.  The Vinpearl Ha Long is the first and biggest five-star sea resort in the north of Vietnam. It will begin welcoming customers since November 1. National cai luong competition opens The national cai luong (reformed opera) competition opens in Bac Lieu city on Friday. Organised every five years by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Professional Cai Luong Festival has this time attracted 30 theatres and troupes, including seven private troupes, mostly from Binh Dinh and Long An provinces and HCM City, Da Nang, and Can Tho. The HCM City-based Tran Huu Trang Theatre, one of the region's biggest, is set to unveil a new style by staging contemporary social plays Chien Binh (The Soldier), Lau Dai Cat (Sand Castle) and Doi Nhu Y (Hope for A Happy Life). Directed by Phan Quoc Kiet, Doi Nhu Y highlights the challenges urban people face in preserving the country's traditional values amid modernity. It features a group of young performers. The city's Theatre Association has also used young actors for its historical entry titled Trung Than (Loyalist). Directed by Meritorious Artist Hoa Ha, the play is about the royal secrets of the Nguyen Dynasty. Taking on rivals from State-owned theatres, actors from private troupe Sao Minh Beo are pinning their hopes on an old legend. Trang Lam Quan (Head of the Village) is a tragicomedy based on several popular Vietnamese legends titled Trang Quynh ( A legendary wit living in the 18th century). Directed by Meritorious Artist Pham Do Ky, it is based on the story of a young man who leads his villagers against landowners. The play borrows from old stories to highlight today's social issues. "We have invested VND500 million (US$22,000) in making the stage with costumes and sound and light effects," Hong Quang Minh, 39, the troupe's owner, who plays a leading role, said. Minh uses a troupe to perform live music on stage instead of playing recorded music, which is the norm in cai luong. He has also invited 60 students from theatre schools and drama clubs to accompany his own 20 actors. The host city's Cao Van Lau Theatre, the contest venue, will stage its latest productions Dao Duy Tu, Que Huong Va Me (The Country and Mother), and Bong Bien (The Sea). While Dao Duy Tu is based on the life of Dao Duy Tu, the great scholar, poet and military advisor who served under the Nguyen Dynasty, Que Huong Va Me and Bong Bien both examine social conflicts. Festival organisers said artists would vie for awards for best play, best director, best scriptwriter, and best actor. "To prepare for the festival, we have spent a lot of effort, time, and money on the stage, with beautiful costumes and sound and light effects," Khuu Minh Chien, head of Cao Van Lau, said. "All our artists have also worked hard to get into the characters they play in an effort to draw theatre lovers back to cai luong, one of the country's three traditional arts along with tuong (classical drama) of the central region and cheo (traditional opera) of the north." The festival will also see forums and seminars on the art in which traditional art and music researchers and critics will take part. They will discuss ways to preserve and popularise the art of cai luong among youth. The festival will go on until November 23.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School comes to HCM The HCM City Book Distribution JSC (Fahasa) yesterday launched the English-language book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney as well as the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. The publisher Penguin Group UK released book 10 of the Diary of the Wimpy Kid series worldwide at 8am on Tuesday Vietnamese time. Last year, Fahasa launched book 9 of the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, which sold well across the country. Fahasa also released the ninth edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, which includes Speaking Tutor, Ispeaker and 700 new entries in the print edition. Vietravel named top travel agency in VN, Asia Vietravel was named Asia's Leading Travel Agency and Viet Nam's Leading Travel Agency at the World Travel Awards ceremony held in Hong Kong recently. The Vietnamese tour operator beat seven other agencies, including Thailand's Diethelm Travel Group, Kuoni India and Japan's JTB Corp. It is the second consecutive year Vietravel has won the titles. It was the only Vietnamese nominee at the 22nd World Travel Awards. Vietravel has also been nominated for the World's Leading Travel Agency award, which will be announced soon. World Travel Awards acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry. Established in 1995, Vietravel has recorded significant growth and has become a leading tourist company in Viet Nam and the Asian region. Vietravel has an extensive office network, with more than 40 offices nationwide and branches in Cambodia, Thailand and the United States. According to the company's five-year plan for the 2015-20 period, Vietravel aims to become Viet Nam's first multinational tourist company.  Vietnamese model brings her floating catwalk to River Seine Vietnamese model Jessica Minh Anh presented an autumn collection on Thursday in a unique way, with a "floating catwalk" on the River Seine in Paris. The model cum entrepreneur hosted the event, inviting a group of guests aboard the Seine's giant glass boat to witness the stunning 100m catwalk. The multi-faceted glass windows gave the illusion of the models walking on water as the boat cruises. As a result, Paris landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and the 37 famous bridges crossing the river became the backdrop for the catwalk. Marco Goncalvez, Operation Manager of Compagnie des Bateaux Mouches, said: "We are extremely honoured to work with Jessica Minh Anh on this special project. "We have been admiring her iconic productions at places such as the Grand Canyon Skywalk, Hudson River, London's Tower Bridge, and One World Trade Center for years. It is a privilege to have our venue added in Jessica's famous series of unconventional catwalks." Anh's catwalk was the centrepiece of the J Autumn Fashion 2015 showcasing a range of labels, including Lebanese haute couture designer Rouba. G, Turkish talent Gulnur Gunes, Saudi Arabian fashion house Ot Kutyr Atulier, Peruvian artist Ani Alvarez Calderon, Kiwi heritage brand Iwi Creations, and 5.8.0 creative studio from Hong Kong. In July 2015, Anh created the world's first solar-powered catwalk. It followed her previous events at the Eiffel Tower in France, the Tower Bridge in London, One World Trade Center, Gardens by the Bays Skyway in Singapore, Petronas Twin Towers' Skybridge in Malaysia. She produced the world's highest fashion show on the Grand Canyon Skywalk at 1,220m above the Colorado River. Before the catwalk on the River Seine, she turned the Hudson River in New York into the world's newest runways. Talking about her unique runways, Anh said: "I believe the most outstanding designs should be showcased at the best of locations, using the most creative catwalk concepts. It's a challenging process, but very rewarding." Anh, who was born in Ha Noi, Viet Nam but raised in Moscow, Russia, received formal training in piano and fine art before studying under a scholarship in Malaysia. The catwalk producer currently resides in Paris but travels internationally to produce three unique runways each year.  Binh Quoi Resort No 1 wins Golden Spoon cooking award Binh Quoi Resort No 1 in HCM City's Binh Thanh District won first prize in the semi-final round of the third annual Chiec Thia Vang (Golden Spoon) cooking contest. Together with nine second-prize winners, Binh Quoi Resort No 1 team will compete for the VND1 billion (US$44,400) prize to be awarded in the final round in December. The third annual Golden Spoon competition aims to identify the country's best chefs and dishes. It was launched by the Binh Duong Province-based Minh Long I Company and the Business Studies and Assistance Centre in May. The contest is supported by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism and Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who want to build a "culinary map" for Viet Nam.  Thai Nguyen to hold tea festival The northern province of Thai Nguyen will hold the third Thai Nguyen Tea Festival on November 26-28. The event will consist of 12 activities, including a Tea Cultural Festival under the title "The Diversified Colour of Vietnamese Tea", a trade and tourism fair, an artistic photo exhibition and art performances. The festival will attract the participation of many domestic tea companies and delegations from the country's tea cultivation areas and international tea delegations from China, India, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey. Thai Nguyen is famous for vast tea cultivation areas such as Tan Cuong in Thai Nguyen City, Trai Cay in Dong Hy District and La Bang in Dai Tu District. It has more than 20,000ha of tea with annual fresh bud output of more than 190,000 tonnes, ranking second in the country's tea output, after the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. Nearly 1 million visitors visited in the first nine months of the year, including 3,000 foreigners.  Co Thach beach, a pristine beauty Co Thach Beach in Tuy Phong District's Binh Thanh Commune is a must-see destination in the central province of Binh Thuan as it has a pristine beauty, yellow sands and colourful stones. Located in a deserted area 90km from Phan Thiet City, the beach has clear water and quiet waves. The beach is covered with small stones in various colours and shapes, pushed to the shore for thousands of years. The stony surface – about 1km long and 200-300m wide – looks stunning as the colourful stones glisten under the sunlight. Co Thach also has giant rocks with different shapes and legends associated with them. One rock looks like an elephant and another like an ostrich. The giant rocks are an ideal place for fishing or relaxing at the seaside. Located near the beach, Co Thach Pagoda (Cave Pagoda) is also an attractive destination. The pagoda was built on a low mountain in 1835-36 and has been recognised as a national historic site. It attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists a year.  VNS/VNA