VietNam Life Style: 11/21/10

Saturday, November 27, 2010

European Music Festival features performances by Austrian duo

HA NOI — The Austrian duo z.b.+ performs in Ha Noi tomorrow as part of this year's European Music Festival.

Christof Dienz is a classically-trained musician who played bassoon for the Vienna Opera Orchestra during the 1990s, touring extensively with that organisation before discovering the zither. His 2005 album Dienz Zithered received the Pasticcio Award from the Austrian cultural radio station O1 for an exceptional Austrian CD, and Dienz was presented the SKE award in 2006. He also won a number of other prizes and appeared at music festivals around the world.

Bassist Matthias Pichler studied studied jazz at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz. He has received the Hans Koller Jazz Prize twice and was named Best Sideman of the Year in 2006. Last month, Pichler won first prize in the International Double Bass Convention in Berlin.

The duo's debut performance will take place at the Youth Theatre at 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street, Ha Noi. They will then appear in HCM City on Monday for a performance at the Conservatory of Music, 112 Nguyen Du Street, District 1.

China publishes book on Ho Chi Minh to celebrate 60 years of relations

Beijing — China 's World Knowledge Publishing House has published a book on President Ho Chi Minh on the occasion of the 60th founding anniversary of the China-Viet Nam diplomatic ties.

The 296-page book titled Ho Chi Minh – A Legendary Life is authored by former Chinese Ambassador to Viet Nam Li Jia Zhong. It is divided into four chapters following the president's life since his young days until he wrote the famous testament: his journey abroad to seek the way to liberate the country, his leadership in the August Revolution and the struggles against the French colonialists and the US aggressors as well as stories about Ho Chi Minh with many photos.

In the foreword of the book, the head of the China Diplomatic Writers Association Wang Chou praised President Ho as a great leader of the Vietnamese people and a close friend of the Chinese people.

Wang said the President had devoted all his life to national liberation and independence and stood side by side with the Chinese people in the most difficult time of its revolution.

"With a revolutionary spirit and an upright life, Ho Chi Minh is forever a bright example for us to follow," he said.

Circular issued on management of excavated, salvaged properties

HCM CITY — The Ministry of Finance has issued a building circular on a Government decree on the management of excavated or salvaged properties found in Viet Nam.

The decree 96/2009/ND-CP, which took effect on October 30, 2009, concerns the authority and liability of relevant agencies over the management of excavated or salvaged properties discovered by individuals or organisations.

Under the circular 88/2010/TT-BTC, the Government must set up a council to assess the value of properties, pay the fees for exploring, excavating and salvaging the properties, and disburse the value of the properties and reward the individuals or organisations that found the properties.

Any disbursement must be in accordance with current financial management regulations, according to the circular.

Many old ships have been found under the seas in the provinces of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Kien Giang, Quang Nam, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau and others.

Many antiques salvaged from the ships have been transferred to national museums for management, preservation and display under regulations of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. — VNS

Arts journal now also in English

Bowled over: Studies on Vietnamese Fine Arts Scientific Information Bulletin 2008 includes articles on ancient and contemporary fine arts. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI — The Viet Nam University of Fine Arts's Institute of Fine Arts has published an English translation of its annual academic bulletin Studies on Vietnamese Fine Arts Scientific Information 2008, with plans to issue translations of the 2009 and 2010 editions next year.

The bulletin, a yearbook of the fine arts scene, has been published annually since 2002 and has been warmly received by experts for its form and full-colour content. The 300-page, lavishly illustrated 2008 edition contains articles on ancient and contemporary fine arts and applied arts.

"It has been commissioned to function as a bridge between Vietnamese fine arts and the world as well as a forum in which artists and researchers exchange their views on academic issues," said Institute of Fine Arts director Le Anh Van.

Printed by The Gioi (World) Publishers, the journal will be issued for free to research institutes, fine arts colleges and universities, libraries, galleries, diplomatic organisations and cultural centres.

"About seven years ago, I had a chance to visit South Korea's National Museum of Fine Arts and realised that many Vietnamese paintings were respectfully displayed in the halls," said the director of the The Gioi Publishers, Tran Doan Lam.

"The director of the museum told me that they were interested in learning more about Vietnamese fine arts but could find very few documents in English. I promised him that we would publish a work in English to serve international researchers. Now my promise has come true." — VNS

Rival for old ceramics village

by Cong Thanh

Theme park: A craftsman makes a clay jar at Minh Hai craft village in Gia Lam District, Ha Noi. Tourists can practice pottery-making skills during a visit to the site.

A new craft village site, the Minh Hai ceramic village, which has been built near the Bat Trang ceramic village, began welcoming tourists last month, and offers more choice for tourists looking for a day out from Ha Noi.

Bat Trang Village is a well-known half-day tour from Ha Noi, but the new site will offer travellers more choices in exploring a large natural site with folk performances and a backdrop modelled in the typical style of craft villages in the northern delta region.

The 10-ha Vietnamese art village displays different traditional handicraft trades, such as ceramics, silk, woodwork and bamboo.

A lake stage has been set up at the site to feature traditional Vietnamese folk performances such as cheo (traditional opera), chau van (spiritual music), quan ho (love duet) ca tru (ceremonial singing), and water puppetry twice a day every Saturday and Sunday.

Visits cost from VND150,000 (US$7.5) to VND300,000 ($15) for a day-time tour.

The cost includes pottery practices, cultural performances, lunch and fishing from the lake.

Getting there

What's for dinner? Different galleries in the Minh Hai craft village display tri-coloured ceremic products, a unique ceramic product of northern Viet Nam. — VNS Photos Hoai Nam

The site is situated near Bat Trang Village, near the foot of the Red River dyke, and is a 20-minute bus journey from the city centre. The No 47 bus leaves from Long Bien station to Bat Trang Village every 15 minutes from 5.30am to 8.20pm daily.

The bus route winds the 12km river dyke from Chuong Duong Bridge to the east and runs across the site gate, which is 300m from Bat Trang.

Visitors can explore both the site and Bat Trang Village over a few hours.

Hanoian Nghiem Huyen Trang and her friends visited the site as soon as it opened last month.

The 19-year-old student said she preferred taking a motorbike rather than the bus along the river dyke road, but the unfinished road was particularly dusty. However, the Hanoian had a perfect day at the site after touring the ceramic village on a buffalo-drawn cart.

The group also saw water puppetry shows, pottery, reading and fishing with lunch on a raft.

Trang, who grew up in the Old Quarter, said she enjoyed the peace and quiet of the place, just 20-minutes from the crowded city centre.

"I still remember the dust and smoke emitted by the kilns in Bat Trang Village a few years ago when I first visited, but I'm excited by the new craft village site," Trang said.

"I was clumsy when trying the pottery and fishing, but it was interesting to give it a go as I'm a city girl. It was great when we caught some fish from the raft," she said.

Pottery gallery

Nguyen Minh Hai, the owner of the Minh Hai craft village, designed the gate of the site in the shape of a pottery-kiln, while pavilions and stilt houses surround a big lake.

The passageway imitates a stream with dotted stepping-bricks in the middle.

Hai, 40, who has 20 years of experience in the tourism and pottery industries, wanted the site to offer a new look at traditional ceramic villages.

"Bat Trang Village has been long-known as a pottery centre, but it's not easy to promote it as a charming destination due to its polluted environment. Although villagers have introduced gas furnaces to replace coal-fired kilns," said Hai.

"I launched the cart-buffalo service 10 years ago, but I want to lure tourists with a new tourist product," he added.

The site has different galleries showcasing silks from Van Phuc Village in Ha Dong town; brocade weaving from Sa Pa; wooden furniture, rattan and bamboo products, terracotta from Bau Truc in Ninh Thuan Province and precious stone from Yen Bai Province.

"It's like a miniature centre for Vietnamese craft villages. I even made myself a flower pot with the help of a craftsman in the ceramic workshop," said Tran Thanh Van.

Van, 28, a shop assistant from Ha Noi, said she was glad to make the clay pot within half an hour.

Craftsman Nguyen Van Doanh, 36, instructs visitors practising with porcelain clay.

"I teach them how to form thing with hands and a slab-roller. It lets them do a bit of handicraft," Doanh said.

"Tourists can take home unfinished things that they make themselves. We want to let visitors have a bit of fun for a few hours."

The tour closes with cultural performances. — VNS

Vietnamese tunes to swing along to big jazz band

HA NOI — Popular Vietnamese songs will be presented in jazz arrangements by a big band led by the nation's leading jazz musician and impresario, Quyen Van Minh, in a concert in Ha Noi next Monday.

Tenor saxophone player Minh and his 16-piece band first performed Vietnamese songs in swing arrangements last April during the Jazz & Vietnamese Songs tour through Ha Noi, Hai Phong and HCM City. The shows were an initial experiment in combining Vietnamese and American music styles, said Minh, who is also the owner of Minh's Jazz Club in Ha Noi.

In addition to a programme of Vietnamese songs, the band in Monday's concert will perform such jazz standards as In the Mood, I've Got You under My Skin, and They Can't Take That Way from Me.

Guest artists will include singer Tung Duong, winner of the 2004 Sao Mai Diem Hen (Morningstar Rendezvous) singing contest, and Minh Bien, an amateur singer from HCM City.

"While Tung Duong is a very popular singer in Viet Nam, Minh Bien will be a surprise for audiences since he possesses a very good voice," Minh said.

The Monday's concert to be entitled Quyen Van Minh and Friends with Jazz will take place at the Ha Noi Opera House at 8pm. Tickets, priced at VND300-500,000, are available at the Opera House or at Minh's Jazz Club, 92 Tran Vu Street. — VNS

Viet Nam tops travel polls

Viet Nam has emerged as one of the top destinations for travellers from Thailand, Australia, Japan, and Singapore, a recent survey compiled by Visa and the Pacific Asia Travel Association found.

The survey polled 6,714 respondents in 13 countries and territories and found that among travellers most likely to visit Viet Nam in the next two years, 17 per cent are from Thailand, 16 per cent are from Australia, and 11 per cent are from Japan and Singapore.

Most of the potential tourists listed natural scenery, new places, and affordability as their main motivation for visiting Viet Nam.

They plan to budget more than US$1,200 for their next vacation and pay more for good food and opportunities to experience a new culture.

Food festival month arrives

Rice dishes from around the country and cuisines from around the world will feature at two food and culture festivals to be held in HCM City in December.

Hat Lua Que Toi (My Country's Rice Grain), to be held at the Binh Quoi Tourist Park in Binh Thanh District from December 10 to 12, will showcase some 100 rice dishes.

From December 27 to January 3, the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will host the Tastes of the World 2010 festival at the September 23 Park in District 1.

It will feature food from 20 countries.

Viet Nam promo in Egypt

Representatives from Egyptian travel agencies attended a seminar held by the Vietnamese embassy in Egypt to promote Vietnamese tourism on Monday.

Besides screening a short film on Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Sa Pa, Da Lat, and some beautiful beaches, the embassy also provided participants a full list of Vietnamese travel agencies and information about the country's economic potential.

Ambassador Pham Sy Tam told them that Viet Nam is a safe and ideal destination for tourists.

Air link from Da Nang to Japan

On December 15 Vietnam Airlines will launch a new route from Da Nang to Narita on the outskirts of the Japanese capital Tokyo.

Seven flights per week will fly the route which will go through HCM City to Japan, departing Da Nang at 2.55am and arriving in Narita at 1.20pm.

After March 31, Vietnam Airlines will begin flying directly between Da Nang and Narita.

The carrier also begins direct flights between the central city and Hong Kong today.

Binh Thuan delays yacht festival

The first international sailing festival in Binh Thuan Province, scheduled to be held from December 8 to 11, has been pushed back to January 15 – 18 due to bad weather.

Le Thi Thanh Lien, deputy director of the province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the organisers fear the weather will affect the yachts' performance.

Binh Thuan will host the race together with the Viet Nam National Administration for Tourism, Viet Nam Airlines, and XT AsiaINC.

It will feature around 200 yachts cruising from Mui Ne to Cape Ke Ga and Hoa Thang Beach. — VNS

Epic poems given to province

Literary pinnacle: A copy of The Tale of Kieu in Vietnamese, published in Ha Noi in 1915. — VNS Photo Thai Loc

HCM CITY — A Catholic priest in HCM City recently presented a collection of more than 200 copies of the epic poem Truyen Kieu (The Tale of Kieu), written in several languages, to the central province of Thua Thien – Hue.

Truyen Kieu, written by national poet Nguyen Du in the ancient Vietnamese Nom script, in the early 19th century, is often referred to as the pinnacle of Viet Nam's literary heritage.

It tells the life, trials and tribulations of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman who, to save her father from prison, sells herself into marriage with a man, not knowing that he was a pimp, and is forced into prostitution.

Particularly noteworthy in the collection are 27 copies of work printed in the Nom script in 1872, 1886 and 1891 under the Nguyen dynasty, Viet Nam's last royal dynasty. There are 50 copies of Truyen Kieu printed in Vietnamese with the oldest one published by Ich Ky Publisher in Ha Noi in 1915 and more than 170 French, English, German and Korean versions of the poem.

The collection, which also includes a painting featuring Thuy Kieu by celebrated artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem, is now displayed at the Office of the Archdiocese of Thua Thien-Hue Province.

The owner of the collection, Father Nguyen Huu Triet of Tan Sa Chau Church in Tan Binh District, said he hoped the collection would be enjoyed by lovers of old books. — VNS

Publishing house obtains rights to publish Fidel Castro's memoirs

HCM CITY — Cuba's History Office, that represents former president Fidel Castro, has agreed to give the HCM City-based Tre (Youth) Publishing House the rights to publish the leader's memoirs in Vietnamese, according to the director of Tre Publishing House.

The books, titled La Victoria Estrategica (The Strategic Victory), released in Cuba in August this year, and La Contraofensiva Estrategica (The Strategic Offence), released in September, will be translated into Vietnamese by Le Xuan Quynh, vice chairman of the Viet Nam-Cuba Friendship Association from the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

The books are scheduled to hit bookstores across the country next year.

Spanish musician El Guincho to open music festival in HCM City

HA NOI — A performance on Sunday featuring Spanish musician El Guincho will kick off the European Music Festival in HCM City.

El Guincho is the recording alias of Pablo Diaz-Reixa, who gained recognition from his 2008 Spanish modern music album, Alegranza!.

Influenced by several artists, including the New York-based indie rock band Animal Collective and the Brazilian psychedelic rock band Os Mutantes, El Guincho's musical style incorporates elements of Afrobeat, dub, Tropicalia and rock & roll. His music is a great mixture of styles.

El Guincho has recorded four albums so far, including two releases this year – Piratas de Sudamerica and Pop Negro.

His performance in HCM City will start at 8pm at the city's Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1.

Tomorrow, El Guincho will perform at Ha Noi's Youth Theatre, 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street.

Tickets for his performance in Ha Noi are available for free at the Embassy of Spain at 4 Le Hong Phong Street, while the tickets for the HCM City performance can be collected from the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of Spain at 21 Phung Khac Khoan Street (5th floor), District 1.

Group seeks UNESCO recognition for southern amateur singing

BAC LIEU — A meeting to define the values of don ca tai tu (southern amateur music) in order to seek UNESCO recognition of the art as a form of intangible heritage of humanity was held on Wednesday.

The conference gathered over 30 researchers, educators, cultural administrators, and musicians in the southern province of Bac Lieu, considered the cradle of the art.

When King Ham Nghi fled from Hue to the central province of Quang Tri in 1886, many patriots and court musicians accompanied the king before spreading throughout the south and joining anti-French movements, bringing their music along the way.

Class strives to preserve central region folk melodies

PHU YEN — A class teaching bai choi (folk melodies of central region), as well as heritage preservation skills, has been held in the central province of Phu Yen for more than 200 cultural workers. The class is part of a programme begun in August by the Folklore Arts and Culture Preservation Fund and the provincial Folklore Culture Research Association to preserve bai choi. — VNS

Old Quarter celebrates culture

Tea time: Visitors learn about Vietnamese tea-drinking culture at 28 Hang Buom Street. — VNS Photos Truong Vi

Time to spare: Tourists contemplate 50 historic clocks from the collection of Nguyen Trung Dung, displayed at Dong Lac Temple.

HA NOI — Ha Noi's Old Quarter is hosting a tea ceremony and an exhibition of vintage timepieces until Saturday, as well as a discussion of traditional culture in the capital city.

The tea ceremony will take place at 28 Hang Buom Street, while the collection of clocks will be displayed at Dong Lac Temple, 38 Hang Dao Street.

The Vietnamese often drink tea, chew betel or smoke a cigarette as a prelude to conversation, reflecting the folk saying, "A quid of betel starts the ball rolling".

Tea drinking is an integral part of many Vietnamese cultural rituals, from holidays to wedding, and it brings friends and family together in conversation and celebration.

"Brewing Vietnamese tea is a sophisticated artform which takes a lot of time to master," said researcher Hoang Anh Suong. "But it can also be enjoyed in a very simple manner. Simply boiled green tea leaves can bring people closer in an informal conversation."

At the tea ceremony, Suong and other researchers will speak about the history of tea culture, the manner of drinking, and the differences among Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese tea drinking.

Meanwhile, at Dong Lac Temple, collector Nguyen Trung Dung will display over 50 historic clocks.

Clock-collecting has been a popular pastime among intellectuals in the capital city since the 19th century, Dung said, with collectors fascinated by the different designs and decorations and the way in which the sound of the ticking clocks reflects the passage of time and the value of every moment of life.

Finally, the old house at 87 Ma May Street will host a talk by researchers Giang Quan and Nguyen Vinh Phuc about Ha Noi's culture, helping visitors understand the way Hanoians live and receive guests. The discussion, held to accord greater respect the value of Ha Noi's traditions, was organised as part of the celebrations of the Viet Nam Heritage Day on Tuesday. — VNS

Culture Vulture

German writers Ingo Schulze and Zuli Zeh spent the month of October in Viet Nam searching for inspiration on a tour that took them from the north to the south of the country.

Schulze also took the opportunity to introduce his book Adam and Evelyn which will soon be published in Viet Nam. He talks with Culture Vulture about his trip.

Could you tell our readers about your recent trip through Viet Nam?

I was invited by the Goethe Institute in Ha Noi to present the Vietnamese translation of my novel Adam and Evelyn. I have wanted to visit Viet Nam for along time. I come from the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was informally known as East Germany, from the City of Dresden, where many Vietnamese have worked and studied.

My book describes the time from August to November 1989, in which many people lost their fear of the authorities and marched in the street for freedom and self-determination.

In September, when Hungary opened its borders to Austria, my characters, Adam and Evelyn, must decide if they should go to the west or drive back to the East Germany. They are faced with the same questions as Adam in Eve in the bible – To stay or go, What is temptation, what is good, what is evil? – which one could say are questions that underlie every aspect of current events.

I was in Ha Noi for one week, where I enjoyed the 1,000-year anniversary celebrations, spent three very beautiful days on Cat Ba, then visited Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, My Son and finally HCM City, where I had another reading.

What impressed you most?

Of course I enjoyed my encounters with my translator and friends, with artists like Le Quang Ha, and other literature and art lovers. I also found that daily like, which I had some time to enjoy, fascinated me.

If someone doesn't know anything about Germany or Viet Nam, then nearly everything needs to be explained. Traffic in Viet Nam is completely different than in Germany. A Vietnamese street, a Vietnamese shop are hardly comparable to their German counterparts. In Germany, work and free time/family are much more separated. Public and private lives are more clearly distinct from one another.

In Viet Nam, a lot happens on the street, in the open. I enjoyed that very much, I never felt lonely.

What do you do with your experiences in Viet Nam?

It was my first trip to Viet Nam. I thought I could perhaps find a few analogies to compare with my experiences of system change, but I didn't find much.

I am working on a travel diary based on my notes. It is not easy to come to terms with the flood of impressions. The deciding moment of a journey is always the moment of return.

You talked with Vietnamese readers about your book Adam and Evelyn which will be released soon in Viet Nam. What did you say to the readers in Ha Noi and HCM City?

The readers only knew a few extracts from the book, but they noticed that it was mainly women who made confident decisions, both in private life as well as in business.

We also touched on a very basic question about the life of a writer: can you make a living from books. In Germany I earn a part of my income from readings in bookstores, cultural centres, schools and universities.

Have you read any Vietnamese books? Do you know about Vietnamese literature?

I have begun to learn about Vietnamese literature and depend on German and English translations to do so. I find Pham Thi Hoai very good, I have read two of her books. I have just started reading stories by Nguyen Huy Thiep.

I find it very encouraging that in Viet Nam, the short story is so recognised, this is unfortunately not the case in Europe. I read Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh in English.

Looking back on your trip, what did you like most about Viet Nam?

I don't like generalisations, because you can find people you like being with everywhere, and others you don't, whether you can speak their language or not. What I liked very much in Viet Nam was the friendliness and the humour. Sometimes just a small gesture was enough to make us burst out into ringing laughter. — VNS

Friday, November 26, 2010

Bilingual food festival held

HA NOI — The Vietnamese-Korean food culture festival will be held this weeken in the National Agriculture Exhibition Centre.

Visitors will engage in cultural activities, see traditional martial arts and enjoy the countries' traditional dishes.

Eight Korean dishes and two Vietnamese dishes, each for VND5,000 (US$0.25), will be served.

All proceeds will be donated to charity.

Dance for AIDS awareness

HA NOI — Dance for Life in Viet Nam will be held at American Club in Ha Noi on Saturday and aired on VTV6 at 6pm.

As many as 1,000 Vietnamese youth and thousands from 27 other nations will dance together to raise HIV/AIDS awareness. The programme will also attract well-known local artists.

Royal conferments donated

HA NOI — Pham Van Khoi, the ninth generation of the Pham Family, living in Quang Ninh District of the northern Quang Binh Province, has donated 15 royal conferments to the National Archives of Viet Nam.

The conferments were appointed to Pham Si, the sixth generation of the Pham Family and the second-ranking mandarin, who contributed to the protection of security within the court from the reigns of King Minh Mang (1791-1841) to Khai Dinh (1885-1925).

Ballet tells story of citadel

HA NOI — A classical ballet entitled Love Story of Co Loa Citadel, adapted from the historical love story Magic Crossbow, will be performed tonight in the Ha Noi Opera House.

The show is organised by the French Embassy and the Viet Nam National Opera and Ballet. It will be directed by Vietnamese artist Pham Anh Phuong and choreographed by Bertrand d'At of the National Opera Ballet Theatre in France's Rhin Province. — VNS

Vietnamese German has Dipolar lacquer show

A painting from Khai Doan’s Dipolar exhibition - Photo: Courtesy of the organizer

An exhibition of lacquer art called Dipolar by German artist, Khai Doan, will open on December 3 at the Museum of Fine Arts in HCMC.

The subjects include cities, family photos, and some motives of Dong Ho traditional paintings.

Doan called the exhibition Dipolar because it means two poles, a technical term from physics indicating the resistance in the things and phenomena of life. The name represents the near and far, young and old, familiar and strange, abstract and concrete.

The exhibition of 30 paintings done between 2005 and 2010 is sponsored by the German Consulate General in HCMC.

Khai Doan is a Vietnamese German artist, graduated from Fine Arts and Design in Germany and currently living and working in HCMC. His first exhibition in
Vietnam titled “Joint Venture” was held 2005 in Hanoi and HCMC. For more information visit the website www.ho-chi-minh-city.diplo.de and www.khaidoan.com.

Dipolar will be on at the gallery at 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1 until December 15.

Vietnam Swans fired up to win Indochina Cup

The Vietnam Swans Australian Football team is fired up for their first Indochina Cup victory this Saturday at the RMIT fields in District 7.

After winning two games at the Asian Football Championships in October the Swans are ready to end the season on a high note.

“We think we are in with a good chance, not underestimating the opposition, as they’ll be strong and fighting hard,” said Club President Phil Johns.

Johns said he thought the Cambodian Cobra’s were the major threat. “The Cambodians are a really good outfit and we saw a massive improvement last time we played them and there’s no reason that trend won’t continue.”

Australians will be descending on Saigon from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vung Tau, Hoi An and Hanoi to play in the four sided contest with Thailand Tigers, Laos Elephants, Cambodian Cobras at the Swan’s home ground.

There will be six 30 minute games in the round robin championship starting at 11:30 a.m. and finishing at 4:30 p.m. followed by presentations and a party at La Cantine in the city.

Australian Consul General Graeme Swift did the draw for the Indochina Cup on Tuesday at his office.

This will be the fourth Indochina Cup since 2007. Thailand have won twice and Lao once. The Lao side has a number of Laotian players that play for them including their captain.

Johns said with Swans players coming from Vung Tau, the Central and Hanoi to play at the cup, the Vietnam Swans really is a national team.

“Footy is really starting to kick along in this region,” he said.

Chop into a tree cake in Saigon

Tree cakes at the new Le Tokyo Baum Café have rings like the growth rings of a tree - Photo: Yen Dung

If you haven’t been to Germany or Japan you may not be familiar with Baumkuchen, or “tree cake”.

The delicious cake, so named because it has concentric rings like the growth rings of a tree, is a specialty at a new café in District 1 called Le Tokyo Baum.

Even though the cake originated in Germany, the special equipment and skills to make baumkuchen in Vietnam came from Japan, where it’s been popular since 1920, Nguyen Duc Nghia from Le Tokyo Baum said.

A cake has 15-30 layers. To achieve the ringed effect, it is baked on a special rotisserie and layers of cake mixture are brushed on, one layer at a time, and let bake. The process is repeated 30 times and the individual Baumkuchen are cross-sectioned off revealing the golden rings that give the cake its name, which literally means “tree cake” in German.

Japanese buy Baumkuchen cake as a gift, because they like its tree-like growth rings. It is a wish for longevity and prosperity to the receiver.

Nghia expects people to buy the cake to give to business associates, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and baby showers.

Le Tokyo Baum serves the cake in four flavors, vanilla,chocolate, orange and green tea with tea, coffee or fruit juice. Cakes to take home start at VND100,000 for a small one.

Le Tokyo Baum is located at 46 Nguyen Van Trang Street, District 1, HCMC.

Advocates For Written Vietnamese

Alexandre de Rhodes and Han Thuyen, the two short streets in District 1, and their environs are good places to visit in Saigon. The chances are that you will end up sitting there sipping coffee and watching the rhythm of the Saigonese life.

Roughly half a month ago, November 5, was the 419th death anniversary of Alexandre de Rhodes, the Roman Catholic French-born evangelist, who has been widely believed to be the founder of the Vietnamese alphabet now in use. Although Alexandre de Rhodes’ real role in creating the modern Vietnamese characters remains controversial and many Vietnamese scholars have still challenged what he really did in the past, the priest’s contribution to the development of the written Vietnamese language is indisputable.

In the realm of Alexandre de Rhodes’ due credit, we should let historians do their job. As far as a visitor to Saigon is concerned, some notable things in this city about the evangelist should be aware of. They are the street named after him and another just a few blocks away from the former.

Alexandre de Rhodes in District 1’s Ben Thanh Ward is not a long street. Nor is its width. It is just about 280 meters long and 20 meters wide, connecting with Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street at one end and Pham Ngoc Thach Street at the other. But the street’s length and width has nothing to do with its prestige. Alexandre de Rhodes is among the oldest streets in town.

Archives show that the street was first built almost 140 years ago, on June 2, 1871, when Saigon was under the French rule. Christened at birth as Paracels (Hoàng Sa), the disputed island off the coast of Vietnam, the street was renamed Colombert just a few months later in the same year. The street was renamed Alexandre de Rhodes on March 22, 1955 under the Saigon regime. On April 4, 1985, it became Thai Van Lung Street before regaining the former name Alexandre de Rhodes some time later.

The man the street is named after, Alexandre de Rhodes, was born in 1591 in Avignon, southern France. In 1625, as an evangelist, Alexandre de Rhodes arrived in Hoi An, central Vietnam. He soon started his Catholic preaching in the new land where Roman Catholicism remained little known. Since Catholicism was considered heresy at that time, Alexandre de Rhodes was expelled from Vietnam six times. However, he would return every time he could manage to find a chance.

The French evangelist was known as the founder of Vietnam’s modern alphabet which is based on Latin characters. Alexandre de Rhodes was also famous for his “Dictionarium Annamiticum Lustianum et Latinum” (Dictionary of Vietnamese-Portuguese and Latin), considered one of the first works on the modern written Vietnamese language.

From Alexandre de Rhodes, cross the two blocks of Ba Muoi Thang Tu, the park in front of the famous Reunification Palace, and Le Duan Boulevard, and you’ll arrive at HanThuyen Street. This street is named after Han Thuyen, born Nguyen Thuyen, a historical figure living in the 13th century under the Tran Dynasty. Born in Thanh Lam District in what is now Hai Duong Province in northern Vietnam, Han Thuyen was assigned to the post of Thng th B Hình, something like “minister of justice” nowadays.

At first glance, Han Thuyen, a Vietnamese born in the 13th century, seems to have no connections whatsoever with Alexandre de Rhodes, who was born in late 16th century in France. But history has its own reasons when the two parallel streets in front on the Reunification Palace are given the present names.

While Alexandre de Rhodes is credited with the creation of modern written Vietnamese, the name of Han Thuyen has gone down in history as a developer and advocate of ch Nôm, the old written Vietnamese language based on Chinese characters. Scholars still disagree on the time the old written Vietnamese originated—with some believing that it was formed in the 10th century when Vietnam regained her independence from China—but they all agree that the written characters represent the country’s then effort to break away from the influence of the northern neighbor.

Just as Alexandre de Rhodes, Han Thuyen as a street has a long history. Built at the same time as Alexandre de Rhodes, Han Thuyen was christened Hong Kong in 1871. Similarly, on March 22, 1955, it was renamed Han Thuyen which has been retained till the present time.

What visitors can expect of the two streets are their pleasant surroundings. Aside from the Reunification Palace, a historical and architectural landmark in Saigon at which both streets end, places of interest abound in the immediate environs—the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, the HCM City Central Post Office, the luxurious Diamond Plaza, and Dong Khoi Street, to name just a few.

Much to the delight for the street-smart Saigonese connoisseurs, Alexandre de Rhodes and Han Thuyen streets offer several coffee shops which can provide them with some of the best seats in town to watch Saigon scenes.
To the city folks, the short street of Han Thuyen is also a place in mind when they are in need of greetings cards. All the year round, card stalls on the sidewalk will be available for anybody who wants to pick their cards of choice. But the busiest time for them is undoubtedly Christmas and Lunar New Year.

Watch Your Feet! Flowers Are Out There!

Greener sidewalk makes a freener city

The green sidewalk endeavor in HCM City should attract community participation to last long and take full effect

A group of foreign tourists is strolling on the sidewalk along the Unification Palace on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia in District 1, HCM City. While the sun is shining brightly over their heads, their feet glide past green leaves and colorful flowers of low bushes in flower beds along the curbside.

Those flower beds which have been around for over a year now are part of an initiative referred locally as “va hè xanh” which literally means green sidewalk. The main idea relates to providing the sidewalk in the inner city with more green coverage.

Years ago, the municipal authorities kicked off their effort to give a facelift to the cityscape by renovating the sidewalk in the inner city. Different materials have been used, from concrete surface to zigzag-patterned paving tiles, a failed emulation of what has been applied successfully in the neighboring Thailand.

The latest option, hard surface concrete floor tiles, seems to be the top choice of authorities. However, according to specialists and scientists, the hardened surface of the sidewalk is working at the expense of the absorbency of the local terrain. In other words, the completely paved sidewalk in the inner city has aggravated flooding when heavy rains come or at high tide.

Meanwhile, the inner Saigon is desperately short of green trees. In line with plans, the per capita area of green trees in this city should have been between six and seven square meters by 2010. What’s more, experts say that in a year the inner city proper whose supposed population is 3 million people would dispose of more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide, 2,500 tons of dust and 160,000 tons of toxic gas. To neutralize these harmful substances, it requires 25 square meters of green trees per people. Much to the disappointment of those concerned, the current figure is less than one square meters per head.

Finally, an old concept came to life again. In addition to existing lines of wood trees, rows of flower beds where herbs and grass are planted should be in place. The sidewalk will then be adorned with the combination of high trees and low herbs.

As soon as the initiative in making the sidewalk greener was endorsed, all the plans to completely harden the surface have been halted. Instead, a sidewalk which is at least three meters wide is subject to the “green program.” A section of the sidewalk ranging from one meter to 2.5 meters is used as pedestrians’ walkway; the rest, from the curb to the walkway, will be for flower beds. Particular, wherever possible, creepers are grown along walls or fences.

Aside from increasing water absorbency, the green sidewalk also lessens what experts dub the “fireball” effect in which concrete or asphalt surface adds up to the increased heat in quarters with high density of construction.
Although the area of the “green sidewalk” which has been implemented remains modest in comparison with the total natural area of the inner city, it is still significant in that it conforms to the notion of a livable city where green foliage is underscored.

In this regard, there have been worrying signs. In various places, sidewalk flower beds were poorly protected. They are occupied for other purposes—a gathering point for chatting friends or a temporary storage for hawkers. As a result, flowers and herbs were destroyed, leaving ugly scenes.

An essential way to strengthen water absorbency and reduce heat, greener sidewalk will enable the cityscape to look nicer and friendlier, both to local inhabitants and visitors. What this campaign for green sidewalk is still lacking may be measures to attract the participation of communities. Without that public support, the “green sidewalk,” first initiated by the authorities, would not last long and take full effect.

Vietnamese, I Love

The author of this article, a Vietnamese businessman working in Singapore, tells his own story on how his mother tongue has helped him in business and how much he loves it

In my school years, I had to learn French as a foreign language, which forced me to grapple with the riddles of French grammar—regular and irregular verbs, genders of nouns, agreement of adjectives, sequence of tenses and nasal pronunciation, to name just a few. I once dreamt that I was born a Frenchman so that I could relieve myself of such a burden. After graduation from university, I had to learn English. Then I wanted to become a native Briton because I thought he would need to study no other language when the whole world speaks English!

I don’t know whether you would laugh at that ridiculous thought of mine. In fact, it was my foreign language skills, starting with French, which earned me an opportunity to work at one of Vietnam’s leading banks shortly after my university graduation in 1990. Thanks to my English, I fulfilled the task assigned to an overseas representative of a Vietnamese commercial bank. Using my English, I have learned other languages—for instance Chinese, Thai and Malay—been exposed to various cultures, and improved my knowledge through reading and communicating. It was also English that gave me a chance to finish my master’s degree at one of the most prestigious universities in the region and around the world.

Nowadays, on my way of being a consultant, foreign language command is one of my indispensable survival kits in Singapore where different cultures of multilingual and multiracial communities from over the world converge.
However, another potent “weapon” has helped me survive and fare well during more than a decade of living and working in a foreign country. Many Vietnamese citizens have yet to be fully aware of the miracles of that weapon—the Vietnamese language itself.

I still bear in mind my first business lunch in Singapore with a senior official from the United Overseas Bank. Following our conversation about economic and financial topics, the official posed questions on Vietnamese culture, spoken and written language, arts and cuisine. I felt helpless and ashamed at the time as I was unable to provide him satisfactorily with what he wanted to know. It then turned out to me that my country had many wonders and intrinsic values I should be fully aware of.

My father was a teacher, but fate has brought me a business career. I still remember my first days in business when in conversation or waiting for consulting or translation contracts to be inked, several of my clients said they intended to learn Vietnamese. Obsessed with the poverty suffered by a teacher’s family during the hard times after Vietnam’s reunification in 1975, I used to consider teaching a second job while nurturing bigger dreams. Yet, as a destiny, I have become an accidental instructor of Vietnamese in addition to consultancy and trade representation. I cannot afford to refuse the interest in the Vietnamese language and culture evinced by foreign learners in Singapore.

But my pride in being able to “export” the Vietnamese language and culture in Singapore has been much dented by many common bad practices of some Vietnamese here. The word “Vietnam” is sometimes associated with “red-light” districts, such as Geylang and Joo Chiat. Vietnamese women have been covered in scandalous news in both the mainstream Straits Times and the local sensational press. A considerable number of Vietnamese students have created “jobs” for Singapore police forces and have helped Singapore reporters “enrich” their features of court cases. In our chat, a friend told me that the image of “Vietnam Inc.” in this island state is tarnished as it has suffered numerous injuries. But I love it anyway. That’s it! We Vietnamese have a song named “Gin thì gin mà thng thì thng” (literally, “I love you although I’m disappointed in you”).

Not long ago, I watched a music show titled “Tôi yêu ting nc tôi” (I love my country’s tongue) organized at the National University of Singapore by Vietnamese students to raise funds for in-country disadvantaged children. Among the guests to the show was musician Pham Duy [whose song was used for the name of the show]. Tickets were sold out and the auditorium was full. Despite minor problems, the performance was successful given the Vietnamese spirit of “in preference to uprightness, not wealth.”

As the representative for a sponsor of the program, I shook hand with the students and congratulated them on the success, expressing my thanks to them for having brought to this island state the songs, dances, smiles and national long dresses distinctively Vietnamese.

Fate was kind to me that I was born a Vietnamese and my mother tongue is Vietnamese. Should I ever have a rebirth, I would prefer to be a Vietnamese to speak Vietnamese again. As part of my job, I have always tried to improve my foreign languages. However, the more I learn about them, the deeper I feel I know about my native tongue.

(*) Director of Vietnam Global Network, a Singapore-based consulting firm

Winter Fun For Some, Curse For Others

Happy winter: Schoolgirls in their colorful winter outfits pose for photos

When Saigon becomes chilly, some get excited while others frown

In this sun-burnt southern city, sweaters are thought to be a redundant luxury. However, during this past week, winter outfits are in vogue in Saigon as the first spells of cold weather have arrived earlier than usual.

On the weekend, it kept raining lightly throughout the daytime. When night fell, it became colder and the temperature dropped to the bottom in early morning. By the time the city woke up, Saigon saw a scene different from the daily routine as its streets were full of people in sweaters lending color to the cityscape.

December is often the coldest month in HCM City when the lowest temperature during a day may fall to below 20oC at daybreak. However, the average temperature in December is not much lower than that of the hottest month of the year. Take 2008 for example, the average temperature in December, the coldest month, was 26.9oC compared with 29.5oC in April, the hottest month, and the year’s average of 27.9oC.

Normally, Saigonese expect a few chilly days in December. When these days come in the last two weeks of the month, they give Saigonese Christians a feeling that Christmas is in the air.

But the current cold spell has brought an “early winter” to the Saigonese. On Monday, the temperature dropped to 19oC at sunrise.

Meteorologists in town say chilly days come as a result of several factors. Cold air from the north and central Vietnam is rushing south ward. A low pressure swept through Ca Mau, Vietnam’s southernmost province.

Meanwhile, an atmospheric depression has been spotted stretching from the southern central province of Binh Thuan to Ca Mau. Due to this slow moving depression, it continued raining throughout the day.

Weather forecasters say the lowest temperature in southern provinces will be between 19oC and 23oC, and the cold weather spell will linger until next weekend.

In the scorching hot HCM City, schoolgirls are arguably those who enjoy the current chilly spell. It’s time for them to take out their beautiful sweaters long buried in wardrobes, or to beg parents for new ones. On the way to school, their colorful sweaters definitely enliven the streets and please passers-by.

Nonetheless, nobody welcomes the “Saigonese winter” more heartily than owners of sweater shops. Despite being a tropical city, Saigon is home to many shops selling outfits for cold weather. For almost all the year round, these shops’ main clientele consists of those who need warm clothes on outbound trips to temperate territories. An unexpected winter will surely make the winter wear business brisker at least for a while.

On the other end, the business of cold drinks may be in the blue. Winter sees the demand for iced drinks and beer fall. But “one man’s meat is another’s poison”: Many Saigonese shift to choosing hot drinks and hot foods in chilly days, which very much pleases those in this business. Cold beer may temporarily lose its high rank, hard spirits are probably on the rise, though.

Some young lovers are also among Saigonese who prefer chilly days. As it becomes colder, young couples on a motorbike will feel bigger the urge to get closer, as closer as possible.

While some schoolgirls and young couples may take cold weather for fun, many others are not so eager. For factory workers on their way home or to work late at night or in early morning, the chilling atmosphere has the least of romanticism. The same to hawkers in the streets. They and their relatives need more warm clothes to wear and more food to eat, and that means more money. To the poor, a winter during an economic downturn is always much colder.

Painting by King Ham Nghi auctions in Paris

The painting Declin du jour by Ham Nghi King to be auctioned in Paris on Wednesday

A painting by Vietnam’s Emperor Ham Nghi (1872-1943) will go on auction in Paris on Wednesday, November 24, reports Tuoi Tre.

Bidding will start at 800-1200 euro.

According to the website Millon & Associe, the king painted the small oil on canvas painting called Déclin du jour (Sunset) in 1915 while he was living in the Gia Long Villa in the Algerian capital of Alger.

Phan Thanh Hai, deputy director of Hue Monuments Conservation Center, said he expects other paintings of the king to come on auction in Paris in the future.

Ham Nghi was the eighth Emperor in Vietnam’s Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). He ruled for only one year (1884-1885). Together with Emperors Thanh Thai and Duy Tan, Ham Nghi orchestrated several revolts against the French colonists. In 1885, he led the Can Vuong uprising.

Ham Nghi was arrested by the French and exiled to Algeria in 1888. He died in 1943 and was buried in Aquitaine, France in 1965.

Most cities in Vietnam have major streets bearing his name.

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