Art & Entertainment News 9/4 Vietnam joins Asia Pacific Ladies’ Charity Bazaar The Vietnam Embassy in Tokyo participated in the 39th Asia-Pacific Ladies Friendship Society (ALFS) Festival and Charity Bazaar held on April 8, 2015 at the ANA Intercontinental Hotel in Tokyo. The Bazaar is a yearly project of the ALFS, an organization of spouses of ambassadors and ladies from Japan and the Asia Pacific region. Proceeds from the annual Bazaar are given to charitable institutions in each member country. This year’s Bazaar was graced by Her Imperial Highness Princess Hitachi and the spouse of Vietnam’s Ambassador to Vietnam. More than 3,000 guests visited the Bazaar, where they had a chance to buy local products and sample traditional cuisine from the Asia-Pacific countries. Popular among the guests were Vietnamese made artefacts. Vietnamese traditional dishes were also a big hit. The ALFS was established more than 45 years ago, and has a long list of accomplishments in deepening understanding and friendship among Asia-Pacific women and their families. Fireworks display to mark National Reunification Day Ha Noi will set off fireworks at five locations on National Reunification Day on April 30, the capital's culture, sports and tourism department said yesterday. High-range 15-minute fireworks will be set off at 9pm at Hoan Kiem Lake, Thong Nhat Park, Van Quan Lake and My Dinh National Stadium, besides Son Tay Town's Flower Garden. Hue festival spotlights traditional crafts Two hundred artisans from 40 craft villages across Vietnam will gather for a large-scale festival honouring their skills and creations in central Thua Thien-Hue province. The biennial traditional craft festival is scheduled to take place in the heart of Hue city, including popular sites like Phu Van Lau (Pavilion of Edicts), Hue culture museum and Nguyen Dinh Chieu pedestrian walkway from April 28 – May 2. Sewing, embroidery, jewellery-making and pottery are among a wide range of conventional crafts presented at the event. The festival also features a special space dedicated to artisans, a Hue cuisine feast, workshops, photo exhibitions, kite flying and boat racing. This is the sixth festival of its kind to be held in Thua Thien-Hue. Ben Tre coconut festival 2015 launched The fourth Coconut Festival was launched in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on April 7. Themed Vietnam’s coconut palm in integration and development, the festival aims to introduce and promote Ben Tre’s coconut industry as well as to provide a forum for coconut farmers and enterprises to share experience and information on coconut growing, processing and consumption. The event included an art space for installation of coconuts and coconut products, a cuisine festival, contests, a ceremony to honour coconut farmers and workshops relating to the industry’s development. Ben Tre has about 63,000 ha under coconut palms, the country’s highest area, yielding about 500 million coconuts per year. Coconut products are being exported to 68 countries and territories around the world with a value of more than 200 million USD annually. Phu Quoc to host photo exhibit of rescued wildlife Large-sized photos of over 40 endangered wildlife species will be on display at the Mango Bay Resort on Phu Quoc Island from April 15 to May 15 with the aim of providing a peek into the life of rescued animals. Featured in the photos are individuals that have been saved by the event’s organizer, conservation advocate NGO Wildlife At Risk (WAR). The exhibition will not only inspire the audience by beautiful moments of endangered wildlife but also urge them to take part in conservation by saying no to illegal wildlife products, WAR said in a statement. They show the real beauty of each endangered species such as Asian Leopard, Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon, Moon Bear, Green Peafowl, Pangolin, Loris, Hawskbill and Common Pheasant. The animals used to be victims of illegal poaching, trading or consumption and have been rescued by WAR. Most of them are now living in the forests where they were released while some are being taken care of at WAR’s rescue facilities in Ho Chi Minh City and Kien Giang Province. “It’s barely possible to see those endangered wildlife in the wild. We are also lucky to not only see those wildlife but help them to be freed,” said WAR CEO Nguyen Vu Khoi, who had taken most of the photos. “I hope that the audience will not only enjoy the beauty of endangered wildlife but also understand our efforts in wildlife protection. I also hope that each of them will support us so that we can save more endangered wildlife,” he said. The exhibition will be opened for free from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.daily. WAR will sell the photos to raise fund for its rescuing activities. Writing contest on Vietnam-EU ties launched A writing contest themed “What impresses you most about the European Union. Let’s share your feeling and win a ticket to Brussels” has been launched as part of activities in respond to the 25th anniversary of Vietnam-European Union (EU) diplomatic ties (1990-2015). Initiated by the EU Delegation in Vietnam, the contest invites Vietnamese citizens under 35 years old who are living and working in Vietnam. It aims to enhance mutual understanding between Vietnam and EU, especially helping the youth get an insight into the relations. Through the contest, young Vietnamese people are offered a chance to express their knowledge, thoughts and feelings about EU and the EU-Vietnam diplomatic ties. The contest will last until May 5. An award ceremony will be arranged in May. The winner of the contest will receive a round-trip air ticket to Brussels, Belgium. EU is currently the leading export market of Vietnam with two-way trade hitting over US$35 billion in 2014. Meanwhile, Vietnam is the fourth largest trade partner of the EU among ASEAN countries, and the 30th among the union’s global trade partners. Argentinean press hails personality and work of Vietnam’s late president The Argentinean newspaper La Gaceta has published an article by the journalist Alina Diaconu on the late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and his poems in the “Prison Diary”. In the article “The poet Ho Chi Minh”, Alina Diaconu said her visit to Vietnam last January revealed that the late President was not only a revolutionary, a politician and a statesman, but also a poet. According to Diaconu, “Prison Diary” showed a great personality, depicting the perseverance of the revolution and resilience to overcome hardships with hope and optimism. Despite being in prison, Ho Chi Minh demonstrated his poetic soul and love of nature through his art, Diaconu stated. In the seven-page article, the journalist also recounted the life and revolutionary career of Ho Chi Minh as well as the milestones of the Vietnamese nation under the leadership of the late president. While crossing the border to China in 1942 to seek support for the Vietnamese struggle for national liberation, revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh was arrested and detained by Chinese Kuomintang authorities. "Prison Diary" consists of 133 poems written in Chinese Han script from August 29, 1942, to September 10, 1943. It was translated into Vietnamese in 1960 and since then has been translated into a number of languages. On October 1, 2012, the Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung signed a declaration recognizing "Prison Diary" as a national treasure. Exhibition on Truong Sa, Hoang Sa opens in Ben Tre An exhibition on historical and legal evidence proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos opened in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on April 7. The exhibition, co-organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ben Tre People’s Committee, showcases a collection of maps, documents, publications and objects that conclusively affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa. All of the artefacts represent important historical and legal evidence asserting Vietnam has explored, exploited and exercised sovereignty over the two archipelagos and other waters since the 17th century in an uninterrupted and peaceful manner. The event aims to infuse the Vietnamese people and Vietnamese overseas with patriotism and determination to safeguard the country’s sea and island sovereignty. The exhibition, which will run until April 11, is the 23rd of its kind held across the country. Photos of battlefield reporters to be exhibited An exhibition themed “Reporters on the battlefield” will be held from April 14 to May 10 in Hanoi, showcasing dramatic battlefield photos taken during wartime. The exhibits will include outstanding works by veteran reporters such as the Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) newspaper’s Doan Cong Tinh, Chu Chi Thanh and Hua Kiem of the Vietnam News Agency and Mai Nam of the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper. On the sidelines of the exhibition, several reporters, including Chu Chi Thanh and French photographer and film-maker Patrick Chauvel, will attend a talk show to share stories about their career and their duty on the battlefields. The events are part of the activities to mark the 40th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the National Reunification (April 30). Youth Union festival blooms in Ha Noi Two rows of flowers were planted on both sides of Ba Trieu Street's pavements, Hoan Kiem District, on Sunday, to celebrate the Ha Noi Youth Union's 20th festival. The event, which attracted 200 volunteer students from local and provincial universities, was organised by the Ha Noi Youth Union and several government organisations. The students joined hands to help round up the fences and plant flowers underneath the large trees. "I was sent for training in the Union's work, so I decided to participate in this event. I think this idea means a lot for environment protection, so I will tell my classmates to implement it in our university," Phung Thi Thanh Nga from Hai Phong University said. The 1.9km-long pavements are expected to be covered with Indonesian chrysanthemums and golden dewdrops (sky flowers), the two flowers that easily adapt with the surrounding environment. Nguyen Van Bao, one of the visitors, said the activity had given the street a makeover. "Ba Trieu is one of the most beautiful streets of the capital. The colours of these flowers have added to the charm of these ancient trees. I feel so happy to see them every day, and hope the authority will have more unique flowers planted on other streets," Bao said. The deputy secretary of the Ha Noi Youth Union, Nguyen Van Thang, said the Ba Trieu flower lanes are the second of ten lanes scheduled to be set up in the capital in 2015, after the first flower lanes were established on Phan Chu Trinh Street. "This activity really helps to remind our citizens about the responsibility to build more green-streets," he said. Free music to mark Reunification Day A free new music programme at theatres, parks, universities, industrial parks and export processing zones in HCM City will be held regularly as part of the city's cultural activities to celebrate the country's Reunification Day on April 30. The programme, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in co-operation with local authorities, will offer 53 shows beginning next week and ending in late September. It features several hundred performers from 11 State-owned art troupes in Ha Noi, HCM City and other provinces. Some of the featured shows include artists from the Viet Nam Circus Union, the Viet Bac Theatre of Traditional Music and Dance, the Viet Nam Opera and Dance Theatre and the Viet Nam Cai Luong (reformed theatre) Theatre. The Viet Bac Theatre of Traditional Music and Dance, in co-operation with its partner, the Viet Nam Puppetry Theatre, will stage the event called Viet Bac Hoa Chung Khuc Khai Hoan (Singing the Song of Triumph). The show will feature well-known Kim Dung and Xuan Ai, Quoc Hung, Thuy Dung and Anh Tho. Songs and dances in praise of love, friendship, family and country, composed by veteran musicians such as Hoang Viet and Tran Hoan, will be featured. The programme will be held on April 30 at the Sen Hong Stage located in September 23 Park in District 1. It will tour universities and parks every weekend. The Ha Noi-based Viet Nam Tuong (classical drama) Theatre will also conduct a special tour in the city to feature tuong, a symbolic form of traditional art in central Viet Nam. During their tour, the artists will perform dozens of extracts from famous traditional plays. To attract city audiences, actors will combine cai luong, a southern art form, and tuong, by using modern materials on stage. Songs composed by veteran musicians such as Phan Huynh Dieu and Hoang Viet will be featured. Tran Thi Anh, a migrant worker of Linh Trung Export Processing Zone, said: "We hope this free programme will entertain us on the holiday, after days of hard work." Tickets are free at the Department of Culture and Sports at 164 Dong Khoi Street, District 1. For more information, visit the website: http://www.svhttdl.hochiminhcity.gov.vn. Creating customized adornments with leather sculpture art in Vietnam Your personal adornments such as purses, handbags, and belts can become unique thanks to ornamental patterns carved on the surface of their leather. In Vietnam, the leather sculpture art has grown into a favorite trend recently although it has existed in other parts of the world for centuries. Different shops now offer the leather carving service at client’s request or display carved leather items for sale in Ho Chi Minh City and other major provinces and cities. Saigon Handmade Leather at www.saigonleather.com is an example. A group of young men in the city, who founded a group named Saigon Leather Crafting, have managed to learn to carve on leather-made objects and earn dosh from their service. Items made of cow leather are more suitable for carving complicated patterns owing to its thickness and durability. Leather can be crafted into elaborate animal and plant shapes, painstakingly created by hand. Specific tools like stitching prongs, carving devices, and swivel knife blades are needed to make holes and create patterns on leather. Hoang Sa tribute rituals held in Quang Ngai The Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa (Paracel) flotilla soldiers (Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa) was held in the An Hai communal temple, on Ly Son island in the central province of Quang Ngai on April 5. The rituals, held annually for hundreds of years on the island in the second month of the lunar calendar, are a tribute to the sailor-soldiers who left their homeland to tap natural resources and safeguard the country’s sovereignty. According to Vietnam’s feudal state history, the Hoang Sa flotilla was set up to patrol the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos to explore resources and defend national island sovereignty when the Nguyen Lords began their reign in the south of the country. Thousands of sailors overcame roaring waves and storms to survey sea routes, plant milestones and erect steles affirming national territory in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, and extract marine resources at the orders of the Nguyen Lords. Their missions were full of dangers, and many of them never returned. During the rituals, paper boats with effigies of sailors are launched into the seas and respects are paid to the lost sailors’ symbolic tombs. The ceremony is observed in Ly Son and many coastal areas in Quang Ngai. Earlier on April 4, An Hai commune held a ceremony praying for the Agriculture God’s support for a bumper crop in the year. US$6.2 million raised to restore Diec pagoda in Nghe An The restoration of Diec ancient pagoda started in Nghe An province on April 5 with a total fund of VND 134 billion (US$6.2 million) from non-State resources and support from benefactors and organisations. Located on Quang Trung street, Vinh city, Diec pagoda was built at the end of the Tran dynasty (1226-1400). According to historical documents, during the Can Vuong (Support the King) movement against the French colonists and the movement for national independence, the pagoda was a meeting place of patriotic scholars strategising for national salvation. The pagoda also hosted great meetings to protest a trial against nationalist Phan Boi Chau (1867-1940) and to observe a memorial service for patriot Phan Chu Trinh (1872-1926). An original of ‘Van Chieu Hon’ (Elegy for All Wandering Souls) by great poet Nguyen Du was found in the pagoda in 1926. The pagoda underwent preservation in both 1914 and 1930. However, with time, the pagoda has become severely degraded. The restoration aims to preserve and promote the historical value of the site in order to meet the cultural and religious demands of the locals. On the occasion, the Nghe An provincial Buddhist Sangha presented a decision appointing Most Venerable Thich Tho Lac as the abbot of the pagoda. Source : VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri