ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 29/6 Poet Tran Dang Khoa awarded abroad Well known Vietnamese poet Tran Dang Khoa has been honoured with the Sunthorn Phu Award in recognition of his great contributions to Southeast Asian art and literature. Sunthorn Phu (1786–1855) was a famous poet in Thailand and an outstanding global cultural activist. His greatest work – the epic ‘Phra Aphai Mani’, is considered an encyclopedia that has had strong influence on the spiritual lives of the Thai people for over two centuries.0 This year, the Sunthorn Phu Award was presented to 10 ASEAN poets, including Tran Dang Khoa from Vietnam. Addressing the awards ceremony, Khoa expressed his admiration for the great Thai poet and the award named after him, saying his winning prize will encourage him to to introduce Vietnamese literature to international readers. He also mentioned the late great Vietnamese great poet Nguyen Du, who is famous for Truyen Kieu (The Tale of Kieu), and who, together with Sunthorn Phu, will continue influencing readers and writers in the region and around the world. RoK Day attracts crowd in Danang The central city of Danang and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines jointly held a Republic of Korea (RoK) Day in the city on June 28. As part of the “Danang – Summer Destination 2013” programme and the introduction of the Danang – Seoul air route, the event features photos of the RoK and its people. Local viewers enjoyed an artistic performance by Sachoom, one of the RoK’s top performance art troupes, in the Bien Dong (East Sea) Park. Sachoom performed a nonverbal dance which uses body language to tell short and succinct stories of the rise and fall of three friends, namely Jun, Sun and Bin. Since their debut performance in 2004, Sachoom has made more than 3,000 appearances in the RoK, Britain, Japan, Germany, Russia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, China and Vietnam. International kite exhibition opens in Nam Dinh More than 20 countries across the globe are showcasing over 200 kites of various shapes and colours at the Vietnam International Kite Exhibition, which opened in the northern province of Nam Dinh on June 28. The three-day event aims to create a playground for Vietnamese and international artisans to exchange and learn from each other, contributing to highlighting the traditional cultural features of people in the Red River Delta and the unique characteristics of Hue kite art. Along with a number of traditional kites from the UK , Germany , Japan and Cambodia , the Uncle Teu kite (8m long and 2m wide) made by the Hanoi Kites Club, which has joined a number of international festivals, is present at the event. Nearly 30 kites decorated with LED lights are expected to cheer up audiences in a night kite flying performance on the same day. Czech Republic hosts Sao Mai 2013 singing contest The 2013 Sao Mai (Morning Star) television singing contest has taken place in the Czech Republic, choosing the nine contestants to the European region’s final round scheduled for Germany on July 20. The selected include Le Van Hoang, Nguyen Duc Tien, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Do The Anh, Pham Ha My, Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Nguyen Thi Thuy Man, and Hoang Si Phong. The contest was judged by a jury comprised by Vietnam Arts and Culture Association Czech Republic President Doan Cat, BizMedia Company Representative Tang Thi Van Anh, Sao Mai TV Singing Festival European Chief Nguyen Xuan Hung, renowned artist Le Thi Huyen Thanh, the Embassy of Vietnam’s Consular Office Head Hoang Le Thuy Phuong, and Association of Vietnamese in Czech Republic Vice Chairwoman Tran Thi Nga.    The festival is co-organised by the Czech Republic branch of the Vietnam Arts and Culture Association and BizMedia Company. Both the Czech Embassy of Vietnam and the Association of Vietnamese in the Czech Republic support the contest. The television show Sao Mai Diem Hen (Morning Star-Rendezvous) is held every two years and broadcast live on Vietnam Television. Contestants perform in the three genres of chamber music, folk, and pop. The 2013 competition was opened to Overseas Vietnamese in Europe for the first time. Danish Embassy showcases Vietnamese paintings Vietnamese artists are being asked to lend their works to the Danish Embassy in Ha Noi as part of a project to highlight Vietnamese fine art, launched by the embassy's Cultural Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF). Between 20-25 paintings in various styles will be selected for display at the embassy at 19 Dien Bien Phu Street, Ha Noi, over a period of six months. Artists should send photographs of their entries to the embassy before July 26. The exhibition and exchange between artists and the public are both due to get underway in August. The project was launched last year with the first paintings being put on display at the embassy last January. Sci-fi film gears up for debut with poster contest Lua Phat , a 3D action-fantasy written/directed/acted by Vietnamese American star Dustin Nguyen, is ready for its nationwide launch in mid-August but until then it is launching a poster contest from now until August 10. The contest is divided into three phases. The first and second phases from now until July 15 are to create posters for the leading characters named Dao and Anh played by Nguyen and popular actress Ngo Thanh Van respectively. The last phase from now until August 10 is to design the movie poster. Organizers will grant two prizes in each phase, including the audiences’ vote and Nguyen’s pick. The total prize money is worth up to VND80 million. For further information, access https://www.facebook.com/LuaPhatTheMovie. Lua Phat by Nguyen and Viet Film Studio under BHD Company tells the story of a village where innocent people are oppressed by local gangsters. Hien (Thai Hoa) who is a baker in the village calls on his wife Anh and villagers to fight against the oppressors. At that moment, Dao, a mysterious, strong man, comes and witnesses this battle. He joins forces with the villagers and it’s the beginning of a fierce battle as well as the discovery of the inside story of the strong man. “The movie’s point of view is influenced by some American classics like Shane, High Noon and The Searcher. Thus, it will be a combination of cowboy films and action movies in a Hollywood style featuring majestic settings and designs to bring audiences sa romantic epic on the wide screen,” said Nguyen in a statement. The movie comes to cinemas nationwide from August 22 with the participation popular actresses Ngoc Diep and Phi Thanh Van and Hollywood action star Roger Yuan. Fine art program on Spratly to be televised live on TV stations Ho Chi Minh City Television in collaboration with the  Department of Politics of the Navy Force on Sunday will hold program under theme "Singing about Spratly Islands- Song Tu Tay islands" that will come live from 5 pm to 8 pm on HCMC Television. Famous singers, artists and young people will perform folk songs on sea and islands, fishermen and soldiers who sacrifice for protecting and defending the country sovereignty. The content of folk songs expresses love to islands, fishermen, officers and soldiers who protect national sovereignty. The program will be televised live from Spratly archipelago and Song Tu Tay island (in Khanh Hoa province) to Military Zone 7 stadium in Phu Nhuan District. French institute presents weekly film screening The Institute of Cultural Exchange with France will screen three movies and an animation every Saturday in July. The films include L'Exercice de L'Etat (The Minister), Mariees mai pas Trop (The Very Merry Widows), La Princesse de Montpensier (The Princess of Montpensier), and the animated comedy Les Triplettes de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville). All films will be screened at 3pm with Vietnamese subtitles. The institute is at 28 Le Thanh Ton Street in District 1.- Swedish musician offers free concert A night of electronic music will be offered by prominent Swedish musician Henrik Frisk and his Vietnamese students tomorrow night in Ha Noi. It's a part of the Dom Dom (Fire-fly) project launched by Vietnamese artists in co-operation with foreign partners early this year as a hub for experimental art and music. It offers upcoming artists a chance to explore their creative potential. Since April, Frisk has been giving workshops in electronic music to young Vietnamese musicians hoping to create a unique and exciting version of Vietnamese experimental music. The concert, titled Mystic Echo, is a chance to witness the development of a new group of original young musicians. The free concert will be held at the Viet Nam Cinematography Association's theatre in 51 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ha Noi. Free rock night in Ha Noi A free rock night featuring six finalists from 42 bands competing at Tiger Translate national rock contest will be held at Thong Nhat Park in downtown Ha Noi tomorrow. Visitors must be 18 years of age or over. The bands include 18+, Dong Do, Bui Gio, Hac San, Hemelians and Parasite. The champion at this final show will have a chance to share the stage with Lacuna Coil, an Italian metal band from Milan, at the Tiger International event on July 20 in HCM City. Formed in 1994, Lacuna Coil was inspired by the combination of gothic imagery and music. Its members are known for composing mid-tempo songs consisting of prominent guitar lines and contrasting dual female/male vocal harmonies to help create a melodic, detached sound. HCM City war museum tops survey The War Remnants Museum in HCM City was voted one of the best five museums in Asia in the latest Travelers' Choice Attractions survey conducted by TripAdvisor, one of the world's largest tourism websites. The museum, located at 28 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3, displays documents, photos and artefacts showing the aftermath of the American War. It is one of the most popular museums in the country, attracting approximately half a million visitors every year. According to the museum's statistics, about two-thirds of these are foreigners. Two other museums in Viet Nam – the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology and the Viet Nam Women's Museum, both in Ha Noi – entered the list of the top 25 museums in Asia. The Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology, placed sixth on the list, on Nguyen Van Huyen Road opened to visitors in November 1997. It showcases around 29,000 artefacts representing the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Vietnamese ethnic groups and Southeast Asian countries. The Viet Nam Women's Museum, placed 11th, at 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street in Ha Noi is dedicated to the role Vietnamese women played during the past struggles for national independence as well as in the current national construction and development. Tourists voted for their favourites among more than 1,260 destinations in 39 countries around the world, including landmarks, museums, parks and amusement parks. TripAdvisor helps people with travel information and posts travel-related reviews and opinions, in addition to engaging in interactive travel forums. It currently operates in 30 nations and has created the world's largest tourism community, with a website viewed by around 60 million tourists that receives more than 75 million comments every month. Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/SGGP