Art & Entertainment News 6/9 Exhibit features photographs on the art of dancing   More than 100 of this year's best photographs on the art of dancing are currently on display at an exhibit in the capital city that runs until September 14. The photographs, on display at Exhibition House on 29 Hang Bai Street, were selected from more than 500 entries of photographers from here, as well as the northern provinces of Son La and the Thai Nguyen and southern province of Bac Lieu, who competed in the Second "Dance of Life" Festival. The entries in the festival, which the Ha Noi Dancers' Association and Ha Noi Photographers' Association organised, consist of dancers' portraits, as well as high moments in the professional and public performances of ballet, contemporary and folk dance and other types of dancing. Festival of traditional culture to take place in Da Lat A festival showcasing traditional costumes and presenting traditional cultural features will be organised in Da Lat City from October 31 to November 2. During the festival, there will be many traditional games and shows where artists from 36 delegations will perform traditional songs. The festival is a part of the National Tourism Year 2014 – Tay Nguyen-Da Lat. Dien Khanh ancient citadel to become pedestrian-only area The People's Committee of the central province of Khanh Hoa has decided to move all administrative offices, army units and schools out of Dien Khanh ancient citadel, transforming this area into a walking area in order to attract more visitors. The People's Committee of the central province of Khanh Hoa has decided to move all administrative offices, army units and schools out of Dien Khanh ancient citadel, transforming this area into a walking area in order to attract more visitors. The citadel is a famous historical relic in Dien Khanh Town. Built in the 18th century, the citadel still has many original architectural features. Boat lantern festival to be held in HCM City A lantern festival will be organised from 6pm to 10pm next Tuesday at the Sai Gon Port in District 1 of HCM City. During the festival, tourism boats on the Sai Gon River will be decorated like lanterns with different themes. The event aims to advertise river tourism to domestic and foreign visitors. Southern museum displays old ceramic objects Over 600 ceramic objects made in the old southern style dating back to the end of 19th century are on display at the provincial museum in the southern province of An Giang. The objects include various ceramic genres such as Cay Mai, Old Sai Gon, Lai Thieu and Bien Hoa. Cay Mai ceramics are dedicated to Buddhism, while Sai Gon and Lai Thieu cover daily utensils glazed in blue and decorated with vivid decorative patterns of trees, flowers and animals. Bien Hoa ceramics have a more colourful glaze. Products of this genre were awarded gold medals at international fairs in Paris in 1925 and 1932. The exhibition will run until October 29. Contest challenges students to make films about their dreams A short film-making contest for Vietnamese children organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Japanese Embassy will kick off this Saturday at the National Cinema Centre, 87 Lang Ha Street. Under the theme My Dreams, junior and high school students will make three-minute films conveying their thoughts and aspirations in life. Each group will be made up of three students, and the top three groups will be invited to the Asian International Children's Film Festival to be held in Minami-Awaji, Japan, on November 29. Vietnam to attend 3rd ASEAN Film Festival in Czech The Vietnamese film “Lua Phat” (Once Upon A Time in Vietnam) will be screened at the third ASEAN Film Festival scheduled to take place in Prague, the Czech Republic from September 9-13. The information was unveiled by Minister Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy Hoang Thuy Duong and ambassadors of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to the Czech Republic at a press conference  promoting the festival in Prague on September 3. Directed by Vietnamese-American Dustin Nguyen, Vietnam ’s first action-fantasy tells the story of a village where innocent people are oppressed by local gangsters and a baker in the village calls on his wife and villagers to fight against the oppressors. Together with “Lua Phat”, the festival will also feature “RPG Metanoi” from the Philippines, “Ladda Land” from Thailand, “Garuda di Dadaku” from Indonesia and “Songlap” from Malaysia. Vietnamese art spotlighted in Paris Vietnamese art came into full swing at an ongoing workshop in Paris, ranging from sculpture and lacquer painting to ceramics, fashion designing and archaeology. Speaking at the opening ceremony on September 4, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung said he was pleased and proud to see various Vietnamese art forms introduced and displayed at France’s prestigious cultural addresses, such as the national institute for art history and the museums of Quai Branly and Guimet. The workshop creates an opportunity for participants to discuss the special features of Vietnamese art, as well as how the country has worked to preserve and promote artistic values, contributing to the diversification of world culture. President of the French Institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xavier Darcos said the event was meaningful for the locals and offered a glimpse into Vietnam’s cultural heritage. The seminar is part of Vietnam Year in France, which aims to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Similar workshops, in combination with a lacquer painting exhibition and documentary screening, will be held until September 6. Tuong Theatre honoured with Independence Order The Vietnam 'Tuong' (Classical Drama) Theatre held a ceremony on September 4 to celebrate its 55th anniversary and receive the Independence Order, first class in recognition of its contributions to preserving and upholding national traditional cultural heritages. The Vietnam Tuong Theatre, originally the Northern Performance Art Troupe, was established in 1959 with only 15 members, under a decision of the Ministry of Culture, now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in a bid to realise the Party and State’s guidelines in developing national culture. Artists at the theatre won their first gold medal in 1962 at the National Professional Stage Festival for their work entitled ‘Tieng Goi Non Song’ (The Call from the Motherland). The accolade generated motivation to encourage the artists to practice harder and to delight audiences with high-quality performances. Over the past 55 years, the theatre’s artists have brought to stage 88 works featuring various topics. In addition to composing new Tuong plays, the artists have also restored ancient Tuong excerpts and passed them down to younger generations. The theatre provides regular performances to audiences and boosts international co-operation by promoting the art of Tuong to foreigners. Speaking at the ceremony, Director of the Theatre, Pham Ngoc Tuan stressed that in a context when the country’s culture has widely and deeply integrated into the world, the theatre’s members placed priority on safeguarding the quintessential and traditional Tuong arts, while adapting their performing style to meet the increasing demand of audiences. Tran Hung Dao statue to be built on Nha Trang beach The construction of a statue of Tran Hung Dao, the Supreme Commander of Vietnam during the Tran Dynasty, has begun at Bach Dang Park on Nha Trang beach, Khanh Hoa province. The launch ceremony saw the attendance of General Tran Dai Quang, Poliburo member and Minister of Public Security, and local leaders. The copper statue will be 10m tall, including 6m of the reproduced general and a 4m pedestal. The construction’s cost is socialised. According to Dam Quang Hat, Head of Tran Hung Dao Temple’s Managing Board in Nha Trang city, the statue shows people’s respect to the national hero, and together with the temple, which was built in the city centre 50 years ago, will form a cultural and historical relic cluster to educate younger generations about patriotism and responsibility to protect the national sovereignty over sea and islands. Chinese watercolors of Vietnam’s seas and islands The Chinese art club in HCMC on Tuesday opened a watercolor exhibition, featuring 55 pieces, on Vietnam’s seas, islands and beautiful landscapes to celebrate the National Day. The highlights of this exhibition are paintings to show love for Vietnam’s seas and islands such as Ra khoi (Sailing) by artist Truong Lo, Bam bien (Cling to the sea) by Tran Van Hai, Hai au (Seagulls) by Ly Tung Nien, and An cu lac nghiep (Peaceful Settlement) by Truong Han Minh, said artist Ly Khac Nhu, president of the club. Besides paintings to praise Vietnamese fishermen’s’ diligence and industriousness, the exhibition also displays numerous solo and collective works of artists to show national unity as well as portray a peaceful Vietnam, said artist Tran Van Hai, vice president of the club. Many of the paintings on display are highly recognized and praised in HCMC Association of Fine Arts’ annual exhibitions with various techniques used by artists such as “literati painting” or “ink and wash painting” using red, black or blue ink that go perfectly with Chinese calligraphy to create such neat structures. The show runs until September 8 at the association, 218A Pasteur Street in HCMC’s District 3. Source: VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND