VietNam Life Style: 10/24/10

Friday, October 29, 2010

Postal stamp set salutes ASEAN Summit

HA NOI — A stamp set entitled Viet Nam in the ASEAN Community was unveiled on Wednesday at the National Convention Centre in Ha Noi to commemorate the ASEAN Summit being hosted in Viet Nam.

Artist Nguyen Du's designs beat out 22 other entrants to be chosen for the stamps, which feature the national flags of the ten ASEAN member states arranged in the shape of a flying dragon.

The image reflected the stability and prosperity of ASEAN due to the sound policies applied during Viet Nam's ASEAN presidency in 2010, Du said.

The stamp set was offset printed on gummed standard paper by the Postal Stamps Printing Co in HCM City.

Award winning French pianist to play in Ha Noi

HA NOI — French pianist Jean Gabriel Ferlan will perform pieces by Beethoven, Chopin, Faure and Franck next Tuesday at the French Cultural Centre in Ha Noi. Ferlan has won prizes at international piano festivals in Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain and France.

HIV/AIDS exhibition to open in capital

HA NOI — An exhibition called HIV/AIDS in Viet Nam: 20 Years of Changes and Challenges will be held at the Museum of Ethnology in Ha Noi on November 22 to mark HIV/AIDS prevention month (November 10-December 10).

The event will be jointly organised by the museum, the Centre for Community Health Research and Development (CCRD), the Ford Foundation and Columbia University in New York.

According to the CCRD, the event will spotlight the HIV/AIDS problem in Viet Nam, past and present, with the recollections and experiences of HIV/AIDS victims as well as the difficulties faced by health staff, policy makers and researchers.

Since the first case of HIV was discovered in the country in 1990, the virus has quickly spread on a national scale and affected many aspects of Vietnamese society, it said.

It is just one of 10 events being held across the country to mark the 20th year of Viet Nam's HIV prevention campaign. — VNS

Airlines transport supplies to flood victims

Vietnam’s low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific and national flagship Vietnam Airlines are transporting relief aid items for free to families in the central flood-hit areas.

Jetstar Pacific said it would deliver for free all legitimate aid supplies from organizations and agencies on its daily flight from HCMC to Vinh, for families in Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces until November 15.

Vietnam Airlines said it would collect donations for flood victims on its flights from HCMC and Hanoi to Vinh, Dong Hoi, Hue and Danang. It announced it would also transport supplies donated by Vietnam Fatherland Front, the People’s Committee of cities and provinces, the Vietnam Red Cross as well as local and foreign charities.

The national carrier has collected VND1.2 billion and basic necessities from staff to help the flood victims. It has distributed VND50 million to families and donated books and notebooks to children in the region.

Every week, Vietnam Airlines has 126 flights to Danang, 49 to Hue, 28 to Vinh and eight to Dong Hoi. Jetstar Pacific currently operates a daily flight between HCMC and Vinh, but will double the service from October 31 after delivery of a new Airbus A320 brings its aircraft fleet to seven.

Vietnam Airlines asked organizations and agencies to call either Luu Minh Viet on 0975316886 or (04) 39742808 or Nguyen Cao Cuong on 0912 827 777 or (08) 62 555 777; ext 7756 and 7776 to register for relief aid transportation.

Interested organizations and agencies can contact Jetstar Pacific via 0989609600 or visit its headquarters at 112 Hong Ha in HCMC’s Tan Binh District.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Airlines transport supplies to flood victims

Vietnam’s low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific and national flagship Vietnam Airlines are transporting relief aid items for free to families in the central flood-hit areas.

Interested organizations and agencies can contact Jetstar Pacific via 0989609600 or visit its headquarters at 112 Hong Ha in HCMC’s Tan Binh District.

Airlines transport supplies to flood victims

Vietnam’s low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific and national flagship Vietnam Airlines are transporting relief aid items for free to families in the central flood-hit areas.

Interested organizations and agencies can contact Jetstar Pacific via 0989609600 or visit its headquarters at 112 Hong Ha in HCMC’s Tan Binh District.

Money exhibition marks artist’s death

An exhibition in Hanoi to mark the one year death anniversary of artist Vu Dan Tan (1946-2009) will show his pro-humanism paintings of money.

Tan created his money series over a period of nearly a decade from 1994. It’s iconography, in combination with the work’s conceptual premise of exchange, can be understood on many levels. Embodying Vu Dan Tan’s unfailing humanism, the work is pan-cultural in reach.

The artist depicted his own interpretations of the euro, Hong Kong dollar, the Iraqi dinar, and English pound, amongst others. The series also honored the connections between peoples and their cultures.

Unwilling to accept the power of real money in the real world, Vu Dan Tan fabricated their more valuable substitutes, loudly announcing his faith that it was beauty and nothing else, which would save the world, said Natasha, wife of the late artist.

Vu Dan Dan was a great innovator and craftsmen and often worked with salvaged or available materials, cryptically telling the story of the times.

The exhibition runs till November 14 at Salon Natasha at 30 Hang Bong Street in Hanoi.

I Am Giant heats up Hard Rock Café

Four piece rock band, I Am Giant, from the U.K - Photo: Courtesy of the Hard Rock Cafe

U.K rock band, I Am Giant, will play two nights, November 10 and 11 at the Hard Rock Café in HCMC’s District 1.

“After the first performance at Tiger Translate – a cross-cultural platform highlighting Asian creativeness and collaboration with Western visionaries in Danang City in May, we all wished to have another chance to play for more rock fans in Vietnam,” the band said in an email.

The music of the four-piece is a quintessence of alternative/indie/melodic rock inspired by Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Muse and Rage Against the Machine.

“We have played before with two famous Vietnamese rock bands, Ngu Cung and Microwave… We could not understand their songs but we could feel the same rock language when we performed on stage with them.”

The band just finished a popular tour of New Zealand. I Am Giant has also been invited to play at surfing contests in the U.K, France and Bali.

Tickets are VND100,000 inclusive of a Coors Light Beer or a Jim Beam Cola plus a place in the draw for prizes from Hard Rock and Coors Light.

Hard Rock Café is at 39 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, HCMC.

Foreign jugglers lure local children

Balls in the air: Ali Evans (right) and Fran Donovan, from Wales (right), show their skills. — Photo Thanh An

HA NOI — Lately, teenagers and children have been frequenting the Sunday afternoon circus performance of a foreign entertainment group at Ha Noi Botanical Park.

The group which includes amateur artists of many nationalities, shows each audience outstanding and original skills. One of the members of the group, Fran Donovan, a petite from Wales, England carefully juggles colourful balls of all different sizes, catching them with her skilful hands.

"When I was a child, my parents used to take me to the local circus and to festivals on weekends. Watching people and animals performing magic tricks made a strong impression on me," said Donovan.

Donovan and her boyfriend Ali Evans started the group and invited their friends to join.

"I love children a lot. It was a great idea to teach them my tricks," she says while her hands are busy playing with five fabric balls.

"Beginners should practice with two balls of the same size. First, throw one ball into the air and watch it closely, not too high or too low so you are able to focus on the ball. When the first ball is already up, continue by throwing the second ball."

After living in Viet Nam for a year and a half, Donovan and her group all come from Ha Noi Circus Club, have performed in several places in Ha Noi. Most of the audience members are children, but more and more teenagers and young adults are coming to the shows. According to Donovan, the size of the audience changes constantly. Sometimes people she's never seen before pass by to watch the group perform.

"We do not have many toys to bring to the park, so we've asked our Vietnamese friends living in the Old Quarter to make more balls for us. The staffs are made from bamboo, and the clubs are made from rattan, which makes them very strong and stiff", added Donovan.

Evans, the group's leader, as well as an English teacher at the Australian Centre for Education and Training, is capable of playing with all the toys and said that patience is necessary to study circus.

"You can juggle as many balls as you want, as long as you practice everyday. It really depends on how much you try," he said.

Like Evans, others members in the group have a main career, but they still serve audiences without pay.

One of Evans's student, Bui Thi Hong Nhung, from the Ha Noi University of Agriculture, said, "I have never tried to learn these skills before. I only saw performances of animals and people in the Ha Noi central circus. Ali is a good teacher and a brilliant artist. This could be my new hobby."

Another member from France, Franny, attracts children with her poi performance.

"Poi is a performance art in which one or more balls are suspended from a certain length of flexible material, usually a plaited cord, and swung in circular patterns by the artist," said the poi artist.

The group plans to perform more skills in Ha Noi's Thong Nhat Park so that more children can come and watch.

"We just want to meet people and have fun. Money is not of certain to us," said Donovan. — VNS

Culture Vulture

Budapest-based Vietnamese designer, Luu Anh Tuan, will present his creations at the annual Dep Fashion Show (DFS) on Sunday in Ha Noi. His works combine modern western and traditional oriental features. The 30-year-old designer, who is regarded as a Hungarian fashion phenomenon, talks with Culture Vulture about his creative jobs and the inspiration for his collection.

What led you to work in fashion?

My two older brothers, who studied fine arts, introduced me to the arts when I was very young; that played a significant role in my inclination towards fashion. My interest grew when my family moved to Hungary in 1989. I had more access to European art and culture.

I decided to study fashion in the Textile Design Department at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest, as well as at the London College of Fashion. I specialised in fashion and accessory design.

How do fashionistas greet your creations?

Since launching my own fashion label, Anh Tuan, in 2006, I've been invited to join the Budapest Fashion Week every year. My designs were presented at the New York Fashion Week in September 2009 and at the London Fashion Week in February 2010, and are regularly featured in leading fashion magazines like ELLE, InStyle, Marie Claire, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan.

Why did you decide to join the DFS?

I joined because I knew the show was organised by Dep magazine, a leading Vietnamese fashion magazine equivalent to some famous international publications. I believe in Dep and the show itself as it is a large fashion show for Viet Nam.

After spending years building my reputation in the fashion industry, I realised it was the right time for me to return to Viet Nam. Vietnamese fashionistas can glimpse European fashion through my creations. Also, by presenting my collection, I am proudly presenting the success I've achieved after more than 20 years spent living abroad.

Can you reveal anything about your collection to be presented at the show?

Unlike my previous collections, which relied heavily on the use of geometric constructions, the collection for DFS presents more "Asian elements". It is colourful with traditional Asian patterns and themes, including wind, clouds, dragons, and fire.

The pieces are made mainly from Asian luxury materials such as classical Tibet hand-woven brocade, silk, organza, leather, and furs. By using these "Asian elements", I hope the collection will remind the audience of traditional values.

I spent two and a half months completing the collection, which includes 40 outfits as well as bags and shoes.

Do you have ideas for another collection that incorporates Asian features?

Vietnamese women's traditional black silk trousers have made a special impression on me. I see these trousers as a "fashion specialty" of Viet Nam. Although many generations of Vietnamese women have worn them for hundreds of years, they are not popular anymore. That's why I like the idea of redesigning Vietnamese women's clothes as well as traditional clothes from other Asian cultures.

Can you talk more about your current work in Budapest?

Besides running my own showroom, I also manage four other stores in Budapest and Szentendre.

After the DFS in Ha Noi, I have to prepare for my own show set to take place in Budapest in December. All creations presented at the DFS will be showcased at my solo show as well. — VNS

A tale of a family’s struggle to cope

Dustin Nguyen’s character, Vo, (L) in a rare moment of intimacy with the rescued prostitute, Suong, played by Do Thi Hai Yen, who also starred in the Quiet American - Photo: Courtesy of BHD

Canh dong bat tan (Floating lives) is a Vietnamese movie for the emotions and the senses. The film-makers beautifully capture the textures and sounds of the Mekong Delta in this aptly named tale about wanderers and how they cope with events in their lives.

The slow moving story takes place on a small wooden diesel motor boat, typical of boats in the waterways in Dong Thap province where the filming was done.

The boat carries the four main characters, who have almost no connection with anyone or anything beyond the boat’s gunwales, except for a flock of ducks.

The sounds of ducks and the beautiful cooing sounds of the teenage son named Dien (played by Vo Thanh Hoa), who tends them, are woven throughout the soundtrack. The ducks embody the uneducated teen’s defiant and sometimes reckless loyalty that he simply lives without question or fear.

The story starts out when Dien saves a beautiful young woman from an all woman village lynching squad, who are screeching for her blood because she prostituted herself to one of their husbands.

The horribly beaten woman named Suong (played by Do Thi Hai Yen) escapes by staggering through a maze of riverside wooden gangways, and by chance collapses on the bow of Dien’s family’s boat. Dien vouches for her to his brooding father, Vo, (played by Dustin Nguyen) and the boat slowly motors her away from danger.

Dien’s sister Nuong (played by Lan Ngoc) nurses her below deck, through three days of semi-consciousness. When she has enough strength, the frank-speaking Suong quickly builds relationships with the brother and sister, but it’s impossible for her to reach the father whose dark energy pervades the boat as it chugs through the canals. To Dien and Nuong, she plays the part of the mother they lost a decade ago and helps to heal some of their long-felt hurt. To the cruel father, who is too obsessed and angered by the way he lost his wife to give his children love, Suong is a worthless prostitute that is nothing but a burden to him. As the duped husband, Dustin Nguyen plays the victim role well and it is shocking when he tries to dump his children also.

The young director, Nguyen Phan Quang Binh delves adroitly into the emotions contained in Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s short story, “Boundless Rice Field”. The audience cries and giggles as they recognize characters from their own lives on the screen. The acting is good without being brilliant and the translation for the subtitles is done with sensitivity. The grainy quality of the film suits the subject matter and goes wonderfully with the sound making it a must to see at the cinema.

One of the amazing things about the life of these wanderers is how vast and impersonal the Mekong Delta is. It is vital for the children to stay with the boat. If they get separated from it, it would disappear forever. The insecurity is almost tangible.

In one scene, Dien climbs a tower in the paddy fields to try and spot Suong; he vainly scans the endless fields and canals and is left in emotional desolation. Lifelines like mobile phones or emails are worthless to this broken family, who live an almost cashless life except for the sale of a few ducks or eggs. It’s a lyrical depiction of the isolating powerlessness of poverty and the sense of smallness in a vast uncaring wilderness. Love is the only security they have.

VND3.3 billion in takings

Canh Dong Bat Tan, which was produced by BHD Co. Ltd. and Vietnam Studio, had VND3.3 billion in takings after three-day showing in the country’s cinemas.

On the first day, the film burned up the box office worldwide. In HCMC, Cinebox Hoa Binh sold 2,000 tickets and Thang Long Cinema 900, eight times more than the Korean movie Hearty Paws and American flick, The Other Guys. It also blitzed Vietnamese production, Inferno, which only sold 670 tickets in its first three-days. Megastar Cineplex Hung Vuong had to get an extra copy so it could have Floating Lives screening in three cinemas with shows starting every half an hour. On three days of last weekend, over 11,000 movie-goers rushed to HCMC-based cinemas Galaxy Nguyen Du and Galaxy Nguyen Trai. A representative of BHD said there are 23 copies of the film currently screening nationwide, 17 of them in HCMC. By Tuong Vi

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A tale of a family’s struggle to cope

Dustin Nguyen’s character, Vo, (L) in a rare moment of intimacy with the rescued prostitute, Suong, played by Do Thi Hai Yen, who also starred in the Quiet American - Photo: Courtesy of BHD

The slow moving story takes place on a small wooden diesel motor boat, typical of boats in the waterways in Dong Thap province where the filming was done.

The boat carries the four main characters, who have almost no connection with anyone or anything beyond the boat’s gunwales, except for a flock of ducks.

The story starts out when Dien saves a beautiful young woman from an all woman village lynching squad, who are screeching for her blood because she prostituted herself to one of their husbands.

VND3.3 billion in takings

Canh Dong Bat Tan, which was produced by BHD Co. Ltd. and Vietnam Studio, had VND3.3 billion in takings after three-day showing in the country’s cinemas.

A tale of a family’s struggle to cope

Dustin Nguyen’s character, Vo, (L) in a rare moment of intimacy with the rescued prostitute, Suong, played by Do Thi Hai Yen, who also starred in the Quiet American - Photo: Courtesy of BHD

The slow moving story takes place on a small wooden diesel motor boat, typical of boats in the waterways in Dong Thap province where the filming was done.

The boat carries the four main characters, who have almost no connection with anyone or anything beyond the boat’s gunwales, except for a flock of ducks.

The story starts out when Dien saves a beautiful young woman from an all woman village lynching squad, who are screeching for her blood because she prostituted herself to one of their husbands.

VND3.3 billion in takings

Canh Dong Bat Tan, which was produced by BHD Co. Ltd. and Vietnam Studio, had VND3.3 billion in takings after three-day showing in the country’s cinemas.

Music show marks Toyota’s 21st year in Asia

Lorenzo Castriota Skanderbeg conducts his symphony orchestra

Orchestra Citta de Firenze from Florence, Italy, will perform the Toyota Classic Symphony at the Hanoi Opera House tonight to mark the Japanese company’s 21st anniversary in the Asia Pacific.

Renowned conductor Lorenzo Castriota Skanderbeg will wield the baton while tenor Leonardo Melani and talented young Vietnamese pianist Luu Hong Quang, who won the first prize at the 2009 Chopin Piano Contest in Australia, will perform.

The symphony promises an evening of classical Italian music with concertos and symphonies, extracts from traditional Italian operas like Rossini’s La gazza ladra and Verdi’s Giovanna d’Arco.

The show is a part of a series of performances being held from October 23 to November 12 in many Asian countries.

In Vietnam it has been held annually since 1997, acquainting Vietnamese audiences with world masterpieces and enabling local artists to perform with foreign professionals.

The money raised from ticket sales will go into the Toyota scholarship fund for young Vietnamese musicians.

Halloween creeps up on HCM City

HCM CITY — It has been creeping up on this city, and none too surreptitiously.

Halloween celebrations in HCM City have increased in popularity over the last few years and it has become a more elaborate affair each year.

Nowhere is this reflected more than in the costumes that many shops in the city have imported for the revelries this year. The choice is much wider and the products more expensive.

With a week to go for the festival, business is bustling.

Vanel Tuan, director of Lien Huong Ltd Co, said this year the products are more diverse and two to three times higher in quantity than last year. The company used to sell around 10 kinds of masks and costumes, but this year they have 25 kinds of costumes and more than 150 masks.

For the products imported by his company, retail costume prices range from VND60,000-250,000 (US$3-12.5) while masks cost between VND12,000 and VND15,000, Tuan said.

Superman and Spiderman costumes, angel and butterfly wings as well as a collection of monster masks are perennial favourites, and most of these are made in China.

Halloween accessories are sold in souvenir and toy shops. The youngsters can choose and purchase their costumes and accessories including fake fingernails and teeth from www.lienhuong.vn.

Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31, mainly in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland. It is catching on in several other countries including Australia, New Zealand and Viet Nam.

The festival has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday known as All Saints' Day, but has no religious connotations today.

Typical Halloween activities include trick-or-treat, where kids wearing costumes go from door to door in a neighbourhood and are given gifts of candy and other tidbits; costume parties; carving pumkins into jack-o'-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, apple bobbing and visiting haunted attractions.

Le Thu Huyen, who owns the Chip Chip souvenir shop in District 7, said this masks of famous personalities like Michael Jackson that light up are a big favourite this year. Harry Potter costumes are out of stock, she said.

Apart from costumes and other personal accessories, there are those who want to go the whole hog, as they do in the US, where this festival is celebrated with something akin to religious fervour. There are several products on sale for such people as well, like a coffin from which a human skeleton springs up suddenly. This costs more than VND3 million ($150).

Custom made Halloween costumes are also becoming more popular. Hoang Nhat Nguyen of the Kien Do Ltd Co in District 10 said they have received more than 20 orders from customers aged 14-22.

Depending on the customers' needs, the company offers advice, selects materials and suitable accessories to complete the costume in two to seven days for between VND350,000 and 2 million ($17.50-100).

Holiday choices

Many private firms, public agencies, restaurants and leading hotels are cashing in on the increasing popularity of Halloween. On offer are buffets and Halloween parties with different themes.

Phuong Nga Ltd Co, a business with 10 years of experience in organising Halloween festivals for children through its Funny Land toy shop chain, said it has exciting games and activities on offer this year, like making effigies of the devil and a design contest for the popular cartoon character Casper, the friendly ghost.

The company's festival celebrations are being organised on October 30-31 at one of its stores in District 3, with entrance tickets priced at VND160,000 ($8).

The festival will be celebrated at the Dam Sen Cultural Park as well. Customers dressed in costumes will be offered free entrance tickets

The Tho Ngoc Club in District 3, the Student Cultural House and the Chip Chip store are other places where the festival will be celebrated under different themes. Some of the events will raise funds to help households in the flood-ravaged central region. — VNS

Citibank employees celebrate Global Community Day

Citibank employees and schoolkids from Long Truong Secondary School in District 9. The program aimed to motivate the kids to continue their education - Photo: Ngoc Diem

About 140 Citibank employees, families and friends volunteered to spend one day of their weekend to refurbish a library and offer basic banking knowledge to students at a secondary school in HCMC for their annual community day on Saturday, October 23.

Citibank volunteers donated over 800 new and used books, five used computers and 10 new bookshelves to Long Truong Secondary School in Ong Nhieu Village, Long Truong Ward, District 9. Apart from painting and renovating the school library, volunteers conducted 10 group sessions with students to share their career development stories and introduce the basics of banking business.

The event, jointly organised with the NGO, Save the Children, marks the fifth annual “Global Community Day” of Citigroup Inc. On the day, more than 45,000 Citi volunteers around the globe came together as a team to support the community in various projects: literacy, housing, environmental protection, nutrition and healthcare.

“Global Community Day is an annual initiative that celebrates what we do to make a difference in our communities every day,” said Brett Krause, Citibank Vietnam Managing Director and Citi Country Officer. Located about 20km from the city centre, Long Truong School is in a fast urbanising suburb with many social challenges and has a high dropout rate among students. Citibank staff focused on encouraging students to commit to continuous education, according to Krause.

Bank volunteers told inspiring stories about their own study experience, how they overcame hardship in the past and ended up working in the banking sector.

Also on this day, a hundred Citibank Hanoi staff and friends joined in renovating the library of Ha Cau orphanage in Ha Dong, which they have volunteered all year round to support.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Citibank employees celebrate Global Community Day

Citibank employees and schoolkids from Long Truong Secondary School in District 9. The program aimed to motivate the kids to continue their education - Photo: Ngoc Diem

Bank volunteers told inspiring stories about their own study experience, how they overcame hardship in the past and ended up working in the banking sector.

Also on this day, a hundred Citibank Hanoi staff and friends joined in renovating the library of Ha Cau orphanage in Ha Dong, which they have volunteered all year round to support.

Everyone can be golfer at Café Screen Golf

A guest plays golf at the Café Screen Golf Hoang Mai at 384/1B Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, HCMC’s District 3 - Photo: My Tran

My boss once shared these words of wisdom with me: “The smaller the ball, the higher the social position.” The sentence is not perfectly correct, but it means that golf is a game for the rich. But funnily enough that statement has been disproved, as everyone can play golf at Café Screen Golf, Hoang Mai, 384/1B Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, HCMC’s District 3.

Hoang Mai, the owner of the café that is the first of its kind in HCMC, said the idea was inspired by his father’s Korean friend who said Korea has about 5,000 indoor screen golf outlets. He said he has noticed the interest level in the noble game increasing in Vietnam as the average income increases.

“Not many Vietnamese have the time and money to go to the golf course, so ordinary people who love golf can come to the café, hang out with other golfers and play for only VND400,000 per hour,” he added.

The café that opened early this month, has three screen golf indoor rooms, one free putting room and an area for serving drinks and food. Each screen golf room is equipped with a set of sticks, shoes, gloves, cameras, projector and other high-tech equipment.

Korean simulation technology has advanced so much that there is an actual real-life feel of golfing, closely replicating the fairways and accurately simulating the golfing action, that makes it appealing not only for practice but also for affordable fun and informal social gatherings.

The players can choose a 9-hole to 18-hole round of virtual golf and choose one of 40 golf courses of the U.K., Japan and Korea. On the screen, clouds roll by in high definition while tree branches sway in a virtual breeze and melodies of birds twitter. The ball drops into a water hazard and creates virtual ripples, swishes through tree leaves or rolls into the hole with a satisfying rattle while spectators cheer.

The room is also equipped with high speed wireless sensors to create a screen golf device that measures the distance of the drive and the spin on the ball. After the rookies tee off, there will be professional golfers on screen to give you advice, illustrating correct position, distance, force and spin function.

The screen recalibrates to show golfers the view from her or his ball’s new position to the flag. As they prepare for the next shot, the computer tilts the swing mat to replicate the incline and advises which club to use. Later it also helps them visualize their putt; virtual drops of water crawl across the screen to indicate how the green slopes.

“I am really excited with this game. I feel as if I am on a real golf course with the virtual space and virtual sounds,” said Tini, a player at the café, adding that the golf course would be especially good for women as they didn’t have to worry about their skin in the sun.

It is a good place for newcomers to the game to practice before heading to real golf courses, Tini added.

In the rooms, there are chairs for friends or family to sit and enjoy drinks while you play.

Drinks and food are priced from VND11,000 to VND59,000. Until the end of this month, the café is offering a 50% discount - only VND200,000 per hour.

Anyone who wants to buy their own virtual set up to play screen golf at home, can also order at the café. For more information, contact (08) 3526 8480.

Everyone can be golfer at Café Screen Golf

HCMC University of Architecture comes first and second at Holcim Prize

The team from the HCMC University of Architecture in the moment of triumph at the award ceremony of the Holcim Prize 2010 in HCMC last week - Photo: Holcim Vietnam

Two of three teams from the HCMC University of Architecture defeated other competing teams to grasp the gold and silver prizes in the final round of the Holcim Prize 2010 competition in HCMC last week.

A four-member team of the university won the first prize trophy and pocketed VND50 million for its ecological floating toilet project and another VND150 million to translate their research into reality within six months. The other team of the university got the second prize worth VND10 million for its project to build floating houses in the flood-prone Mekong Delta.

The third prize worth VND7 million went to a team from the Hanoi University of Architecture. The 12 teams attending the final were from the HCMC University of Architecture, the HCMC University of Technology, Can Tho University and the Hanoi University of Architecture.

“We wish that the winners, supported by the application fund from Holcim, will have a successful implementation of their research result in the next six months and will bring back great benefits for the community within the project area as well as to the society at large,” Gary Schutz, general director of Holcim Vietnam Ltd., said in his opening remarks at the final competition held at the HCMC University of Technology.

Organizer Holcim Vietnam also granted three other prizes in the sustainable construction, environment and community categories to the teams from the HCMC University of Technology, Can Tho University and the Hanoi University of Architecture respectively. The six remaining teams received consolation prizes.

The Holcim Prize 2010 attracted over 95 entries from the four universities which outlined their creative ideas on community development, sustainable construction and environmental protection.

Schutz of Holcim Vietnam said, “Let’s make Holcim Prize a successful way to activate the smart and curious minds of the students who participate in a way which makes you all “Sustainable Development Ambassadors” within your campus life and for the rest of your life! If it does then Holcim Vietnam looks forward to receiving more participation in Holcim Prize 2011.”

HCMC University of Architecture comes first and second at Holcim Prize

The team from the HCMC University of Architecture in the moment of triumph at the award ceremony of the Holcim Prize 2010 in HCMC last week - Photo: Holcim Vietnam

The Holcim Prize 2010 attracted over 95 entries from the four universities which outlined their creative ideas on community development, sustainable construction and environmental protection.

Panasonic awards film-makers at Hanoi schools

A team from Phan Chau Trinh Secondary School have won the Kid Witness News program organized by Panasonic Vietnam for young film-makers in Hanoi.

The film named “Vong tron” (Circle) won the best film last week, earning the team members flight ticket prizes to Singapore for the regional contest, while other top prizes went to teams of Giang Vo Secondary School, M. V Lomonoxop school and Ly Thuong Kiet Secondary School among others.

Using the theme of recycling a waste milk container into a useful item, the winning entry called for people to be more aware about the protection of natural resources and the environment.

Shinichi Wakita, general director of Panasonic Vietnam, said, “The award aims to create an exciting extracurricular activity for pupils to develop their talents and creativity by producing video clips using Panasonic’s modern equipment.”

The winning team’s entry will represent Vietnam first at the regional then at the global contest organized by Panasonic. The winners of the global contest will be named in July in Japan. Six leading teams will be granted six-day trips to Japan.

The Kid Witness News program has been run in Vietnam since 2006. So far 12 teams from secondary schools in Hanoi have taken part in the program.

ASEAN orchestra formed, to perform in Vietnam

Vietnamese pianist Nguyen Tuan Manh

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The HCMC Conservatory of Music formed the ASEAN symphony orchestra earlier this month to perform in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi during this week’s ASEAN Summit.

The orchestra features 60 Vietnamese musicians and 24 from other ASEAN member nations, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

Public concerts will be held at the HCMC Conservatory of Music at 8 pm today and Hanoi Opera House Thursday.

A third, on Friday at the Vietnam National Convention Center in Hanoi, will be just for summit participants.

The musicians will perform symphony concerts under the baton of Japanese conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura, who has been the director of music and conductor of the HCMC Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra since 1993.

The performances will include “Academic Festival” by Johannes Brahms as the overture and “Symphony No 9 in E Minor from the New World” by Antonin Dvorak.

Young Thai violinist Anna Sowanna will perform “Carmen Fantasy” for Violin and Orchestra by Pablo Sarasate while Vietnamese pianist Nguyen Tuan Manh will play “Concertstuck” for Piano and Orchestra, Op.79 by CMV Weber.

Tickets to the shows will cost VND150,000 (US$7.5) to VND250,000.

Vietnamese toy makers off to the fair

HA NOI — Vietnamese toy makers have registered to join an International Toy Fair to be held in Germany on February 2-8 next year, said Spielwarenmesse, a fair organiser and marketing services provider for the toy sector.

Nguyen Van Dung, a Ha Noi toy maker, said by attending the fair he would learn from foreigners making toys to help promote the local toy industry.

Ernst Kick, Spielwaremesse CEO, said at a meeting with toy makers in Ha Noi yesterday the fair would display more than 1 million different toys, plus toy know-how, innovation and networks.

The fair aimed to show sustainability in the toy industry, Kick said.

More toy manufacturers were pursuing environmentally compatible paths, he said. They were setting up ecological production lines or strengthening children's environmental awareness through play themes linked with nature.

The Nurnberg Toy Fair had the motto Toys go Green, Kick said. It would present ideas to encourage toy professionals to run their business operations in a more sustainable way.

Toy manufacturers already making products complying with ecological aspects or acting in line with social standards would provide best practice examples.

Forums on the toy business and special introductions on the most up-to-date toys would be held, while product managers, educators and psychologists would contribute their views on the design of the packages, product and colour to the role of dolls, action figures and technical toys, Kick said.

The fair was expected to welcome more than 78,000 visitors and 2,500 reporters.

For further information visit the website www.toyfair.de or www.yourtoycom.com . — VNS

ASEAN orchestra has talent from 15 countries

A new symphony orchestra, assembled from the best musical talents from around Southeast Asia, will perform three nights for the 17th ASEAN Summit in Vietnam (October 28-30).

Hanoi and HCMC will have one public concert each - in HCMC October 26 at the HCMC Conservatory of Music, 112 Nguyen Du Street, District 1 at 8 p.m., and in Hanoi Oct. 28 at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District at 8 p.m. The third concert at Vietnam National Convention Center in Hanoi on Oct 29 is only for summit participants.

Music director and conductor of HCMC Conservatory Music Symphony Orchestra, Yoshikazu Fukumura, auditioned more than 80 classical musicians from 10 ASEAN countries and five countries outside the grouping. He said he would guarantee a superb performance.

The Academic Festival – Overture by Johannes Brahms will open the program, followed by Carmen Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra by Pablo Sarasate, featuring solo violist Anna Sowanna from Thailand, and Concertstuck for the Piano and Orchestra, Op.79 by C.M.V Weber, featuring solo pianist Nguyen Tuan Manh from Vietnam. The last piece on the program would be Symphony No.9 in E Minor “From the new world” by Antonin Dvorak.

Tickets are on sale for VND150,000 to VND250,000. For more information, contact the HCMC Conservatory of Music or the Hanoi Opera House.

Monday, October 25, 2010

ASEAN orchestra has talent from 15 countries

A new symphony orchestra, assembled from the best musical talents from around Southeast Asia, will perform three nights for the 17th ASEAN Summit in Vietnam (October 28-30).

Tickets are on sale for VND150,000 to VND250,000. For more information, contact the HCMC Conservatory of Music or the Hanoi Opera House.

ASEAN orchestra has talent from 15 countries

A new symphony orchestra, assembled from the best musical talents from around Southeast Asia, will perform three nights for the 17th ASEAN Summit in Vietnam (October 28-30).

Tickets are on sale for VND150,000 to VND250,000. For more information, contact the HCMC Conservatory of Music or the Hanoi Opera House.

Mexican artists to grace Hanoi stage

The Mexican percussion quartet Tambuco

World-renowned Mexican percussion group Tambuco will join with local troupe “Phao Hoa” (Fireworks) to perform at the Vietnam National Academy of Music at 8 pm tonight.

This event aimed to promote mutual cultural exchange between the two nations.

Tambuco Percussion Ensemble has celebrated its acclaimed career after 15 years of international concerts, establishing itself among the finest percussion quartet today.

Tambuco -- founded in 1993 by four distinguished Mexican musicians Bringas Alfredo, Gonzales Miguel, Tudon Raul, and Gallard Ricardo -- is ranked among the finest and most innovative in the world.

"Highest artistic quality, a great sense of aesthetic sense and technical virtuosity beyond any doubt," The Washington Post of the US said.

The Fireworks, a pioneer in performing contemporary music in Vietnam, was founded in 2002 by Vietnam National Academy of Music’s lecturers and students including Doan Mai Huong, Vu Nguyen Anh, Mac Thang Long, and Le Bang.

The troupe was invited to perform at Cracking Bamboo international percussion festival in 2008 and 2010 in Hanoi, which was the encounter between South-East Asian and European music.

The entry will be free at 77 Hao Nam Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi.

Contest promotes ‘green' journalism

HA NOI — The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and international engineering firm Siemens last week signed an agreement under which VietnamPlus, VNA's online newspaper, will be a media sponsor for Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award 2010.

The award is intended to acknowledge journalists in the Southeast Asia region for excellence in reporting on energy efficiency, industrial productivity and sustainability issues in both print and online media.

"We are very pleased to receive strong co-operation and support from VietnamPlus for this important initiative," said Siemens Viet Nam president and CEO Erdal Elver. "Thanks to this agreement, information about this prestigious award will be able to reach the media community more widely and attract a more diverse pool of good candidates."

"Green technology and sustainable environment are important issues to the entire society, and VietnamPlus, as part of the Vietnam News Agency, is ready to be an active player to promote good reporting in this field and the quality of journalism in general," said VietnamPlus editor-in-chief Le Quoc Minh.

Submissions in the three award categories will be evaluated in English, so entries in other languages must be accompanied by an English translation. Winners will receive cash prizes as well as an opportunity to attend a seminar on sustainability and new technologies held by the Technical University of Berlin, and to visit Siemens' R&D and production centre in Germany.

Submission will be received until December 31, with more information about the award available at www.siemens.vn/SGTJA2010. — VNS

Ford rewards employee’s technician skills in contest

Campaign promotes environmental practices

HA NOI — Hundreds of students and other volunteers joined in the Green City Tour campaign in Ha Noi, HCM City and Da Nang yesterday, aiming to promote public awareness of environmental protection.

The campaign, part of Toyota Viet Nam's Go Green Programme, was co-organised by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources' Department of the Environment Protection and the Ministry of Education and Training.

Volunteers cleaned streets and distributed stickers containing simple and practical messages of how to conserve energy and protect the environment in their daily lives. Many contain short messages, such as Remember to Tighten Me (to be pasted on water taps), Clean Before Using (to be pasted on microwave ovens and irons), and Turn off the Screen When Not in Use (to be pasted on TV screens and computer monitors).

The Green City Tour campaign will be held on weekends between now and March 2011, co-ordinating closely with local governments and groups such as the Women's Union and representatives of residential units and apartments. For further information, you can visit the website www.gogreen.com.vn. — VNS

Sunday, October 24, 2010

South Africa sex industry did not see World Cup boom

South Africa's sex business did not see any spike in activity during the soccer World Cup and the male patrons who participated in the trade practised safe sex, according to a survey obtained on Friday.

"There were not significantly more clients seen per sex worker during the World Cup period," said the survey from the South African Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Task Force that was conducted in conjunction with the UN Population Fund.

There were worries ahead of the June-to-July sports spectacle that it would lead to an increase in human trafficking and in the spreading of HIV because South Africa has one of the highest infection rates of the disease in the world.

The survey said there was little change in the average number of clients per week -- 14.4 on average -- for sex workers during the World Cup and reported condom use for males was at about 99 percent.

There were more foreign clients for the sex workers, but "this may mean that a part of the local clientele was temporarily replaced by foreign clients," it said.

There was massive condom distribution ahead of and during the Cup to prevent the spreading of HIV/AIDS.

The survey was conducted among 663 sex workers.

New culture show to lure visitors to HCMC

Photo: Tuoi Tre " style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> xin chao

Artists rehearse an act of the "Xin Chao" in Ho Chi Minh City Circus on October 20, 2010

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Starting this December, locals and tourists will have a chance to experience a cultural show organized by the Xin Chao Art performance Co. Ltd, featuring cultural traits of Vietnam to attract tourists.

Entitled “Xin Chao” (Hello), the premier with 50 artists will kick off on December 3 and will continue every night at 6.30pm at the Ho Chi Minh City Circus Theater at September 23 Park in District 1. Sunday shows are meant for kids and family with discount fares.

There will be three parts featuring the tale of Lac Long Quan and his wife Au Co, who are believed to be the first ancestors of Vietnam, heroines Trung Sisters and the contemporary life in Vietnam.

“Xin Chao” is the same genre as Cirque du Soleil, a dramatic mix of circus arts and performances originated from Canada that has been widely spread to Japan and Macau.

The script is written by Laura Burke, an American producer and director who have been living, working and researching on Vietnamese culture and history over the last 8 years. She has also participated in different art activities such as her recent staging a traditional musical show called Ho Xuan Huong at HCMC’s Opera House.

For this new project, Laura expects to employ Binh Dinh martial art and Vietnamese traditional and cultural habits into the show to attract international audience.

This is also a chance for young artists in different fields like circus, martial arts, aerobat and dancing to show off their talents in a big stage for long term.

“There are many tourists coming to HCMC every year. However, they are only hanging around bar, cinema or restaurant because there is no entertainment place with Vietnamese culture,” said Augustus Greaves, representative of the show.

“Vietnam is a beautiful country with a rich culture. We need to exploit the cultural traits to attract tourists and they will spend more and have more reasons to stay in Vietnam.”

Friday, October 29, 2010

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Vietnamese pianist Nguyen Tuan Manh

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Artists rehearse an act of the "Xin Chao" in Ho Chi Minh City Circus on October 20, 2010

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