VietNam Life Style: 12/26/10

Friday, December 31, 2010

Vietnam dance group to host hi-hop contest

Vietnam’s leading hip-hop dance group Big Toe

A hip-hop contest will be monthly organized for nationwide dancers in preparation for a final round at the end of next year, says Nguyen Viet Thanh, head of the Southeast Asia hip hop champion crew 2010, Big Toe.

Thanh said that the move was aimed at offering opportunities for hip hop lovers nationwide to practice, compete and enhance their dancing skills and develop the Vietnamese hip hop movement.

The first monthly contest was held on December 26 in Hanoi, attracting 66 dancers throughout the country, competing directly in a knock-out format. The judges included members of Hanoi-based Big Toe namely Nguyen Anh Duc, Bui Manh Thang and Nguyen Manh Nam .

Thanh added he hoped to invite foreign dancers to join the judges for the final round.

"We want to develop hip hop as a healthy way for Vietnamese youths to express their characters," he said. "The final winners will represent Vietnam to compete at an international competition."

Big Toe won the Battle of the Year (BOTY) Southeast Asia in Singapore in October to earn the 10-member dance team tickets to France for the BOTY International Final 2010 competition in November.

Founded in 1992 when hip hop first arrived in Vietnam with just seven members, the crew has grown to 60, and won national and international acclaim.

BOTY is an international competition for break-dancers. Each region or country will have one representative at the BOTY International Final in France.

Top ten culture, sports and tourism events in 2010

Vietnamese film director Dang Nhat Minh (R) was honored in Los Angeles, US by the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Photo: Tran Hoang Anh

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Thursday announced ten outstanding cultural, sports and tourism activities in 2010 for Vietnam including president Ho Chi Minh’s 120th birthday and the Hanoi millennium anniversary.

Following are top ten events in 2010:

1. The US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Dang Nhat Minh, renowned Vietnamese director of “Don’t Burn” in Los Angeles November 10

2. Cultural and fine art activities to celebrate the 80th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, late president Ho Chi Minh’s 120th birthday, the 65th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2 and the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam National United Front

3. Cultural, sports, and tourism activities marking the grand celebration of the Thang Long-Hanoi millennium anniversary including the biggest-ever parade held at Ba Dinh Square on October 10

4. The Saint Giong Festival and Soc Temple in Hanoi recognized by UNESCO as humankind’s intangible cultural heritage

5. Vietnam hosted some international cultural and sport events for the first time including International Fine Art Photo Exhibition, International Film Festival, International Piano Contest, Miss Earth 2010, and the Thang Long-Hanoi International Football Cup

6. The sixth national sports festival

7. The Vietnamese sport delegation bagged 33 medals including at five Olympics sport events for the first time at the 16th Asian Games, Guangzhou, China

8. Vietnamese disabled athletes secured 17 medals, ranking 11th out of 42 delegations at the first Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China

9. Vietnam warmly welcomed the 5 millionth international tourist - Chinese auditor Zhou Zhing who was presented with gifts, a medal, a return ticket for the trip, and a Hue-Da Nang tour for two

10. Vietnam launched the tourism promotion campaign “Vietnam – Your Destination”, aiming at attracting foreign tourists to Vietnam and promoting domestic tourism. The country’s tourism industry has received more than 5 million visitors from abroad and is estimated to earn more than VND100 trillion (US$5 billion)

Airline magazine published in Japanese

HA NOI — Heritage, the Vietnam Airlines inflight magazine, began publishing a Japanese edition on Wednesday to serve passengers on flights between Viet Nam and Japan.

The magazine, in its 10th year of publication, is considered a bridge to introduce Vietnamese culture and fashion to international friends.

Mister Viet Nam pageant final begins

HA NOI — The final round of the Mister Viet Nam 2010 pageant will take place in the southern city of Vung Tau tomorrow and will be broadcast live on VTV9 and VTV4.

Thirty contestants are competing in such categories as Mister Gentlemen, Mister Sports, Mister Talent, Mister Environment, and Mister Knowledge.

Viet Nam Television and the Bac Dau Entertainment Co have co-organised the pageant with an aim to find a winner who represents Vietnamese men who are confident, fashionable, strong and elegant.

The winner will receive a cash prize of VND750 million (US$38,500) and represent Viet Nam in the Mister International 2011 competition to be held in the Philippines.

Researchers digitise Thai ethnic script

THANH HOA — A project to compile fonts for the ancient script of the Thai ethnic group has been approved by the central province of Thanh Hoa.

The project will be carried out by the Thanh Hoa Informatics and Media Centre with the aim to popularise the use of the Thai language.

The specialists will also research the differences between the scripts of the Thai in the province and elsewhere in the northwestern region of the country. — VNS

Anti-hunting film wins green movie award

HA NOI — A film featuring the illegal hunting of wild animals won a special prize at the fourth Environmental Film Festival held in Ha Noi on Wednesday.

Le Hoai Phuong received VND30 million and the Viet Nam Green Award for his documentary Toi Ac Rung Xanh (Crime in the Forest).

The film depicts hunting activities of wild animals in Binh Thuan Province.

The film's topics and visual effects have left a strong impression on the jury and audiences.

To make the film, Phuong and his staff spent three years following and working with illegal hunters, who agreed to the filming but asked the director to conceal their faces.

"Phuong's work condemns people who destroy forests and hunt wild animals. His film's message calls on people to protect and keep the world and environment safe from disease," said Bui Dinh Hac, veteran film director.

The VND20 million first prize was shared by Vuong Duc for the movie Rung Den (Black Forest), Gia Hung for the documentary Ngu Ngon Thoi Nay (Modern Fable), Trong Hoa for the investigating report Thien Tai va Nhan Tai (Natural Calamities and Man-Made Calamities), and Nguyen Nhan Lap's cartoon Meo Vat (Small Trick).

Ha Noi-skilled director Duc's Rung Den is a quality film that attracted young audiences back to the cinema after its release in 2008. It featured young actors such as Kieu Chinh and Thach Kim Long.

The film described the tragic lives of people who destroy forest land.

Viet Nam Green winner Phuong said that making films featuring environmental problems was not a new experience in Viet Nam.

"Through our work, we hope audiences can learn about saving the natural world and have a visual treat as well," he said.

Organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and its partners, the Viet Nam Cinematography Association and Viet Nam Television, this year's national Environment Film Festival attracted 131 entries, including 70 investigating reports, 35 documentaries, 18 science films, four films and four cartoons. — VNS

Japanese print maker exhibits in Hanoi

A katazome print of a railway line in Hanoi by Japanese artist Toba Mika - Photo: The organizers

An exhibition of katazome paintings, called “Nara and Hanoi – Linking Eternal Capitals” by Japanese artist Toba Mika will be at the Temple of Literature and Vietnam Art Museum in Hanoi from January 6-25.

The katazome exhibition will commemorate Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary and Nara City’s 1300th anniversary.

The Japanese artform is a method of dyeing fabrics using a resist paste applied through a stencil, something similar to Indonesian batik.

Toba Mika came to Vietnam in 1994, after traveling through other South Asian countries. She has painted around 100 Vietnamese landscapes and has had exhibitions in Hanoi in 2003 and in Hue in 2005.

In this exhibition, Toba Mika will introduce 35 paintings, mostly Vietnamese landscapes. She made prints of small streets in Hanoi, riverside houses in HCMC, urban scenes and tropical landscapes, which Toba Mika calls her own ‘world heritages’.

The prints show houses lining railway lines, walls scribbled with numbers and words and dimly lit slums.

After appearing in Hanoi the show will move to Yakushi-ji Pagoda in Japan.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Japanese print maker exhibits in Hanoi

A katazome print of a railway line in Hanoi by Japanese artist Toba Mika - Photo: The organizers

The katazome exhibition will commemorate Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary and Nara City’s 1300th anniversary.

The Japanese artform is a method of dyeing fabrics using a resist paste applied through a stencil, something similar to Indonesian batik.

Toba Mika came to Vietnam in 1994, after traveling through other South Asian countries. She has painted around 100 Vietnamese landscapes and has had exhibitions in Hanoi in 2003 and in Hue in 2005.

The prints show houses lining railway lines, walls scribbled with numbers and words and dimly lit slums.

After appearing in Hanoi the show will move to Yakushi-ji Pagoda in Japan.

Feudal-time stone and bronze instruments revived

THUA THIEN HUE -- The South Korea's Centre for Traditional Performing Arts has just handed two replica sets of music instrument, which had been used under feudal reigns in Viet Nam, to the Hue Relics Preservation Centre.

The sets include 12 bronze (locally named as bien chung) and 12 stone bars placed in order of different levels of tones (bien khanh), which have been said to be originated in ancient China, then transferred to some Eastern Asia countries including South Korea and Viet Nam.

The bells are cast with a hook on the top of each for hanging. There are four parallel emerged lines circling the bell's body. There are nine small buttons over the bell for knocking on.

Each stone bar are made in "L" shaped letter and has a hook for hanging, too.

Since 2009, the South Korea experts have co-operated with the Vietnamese partners to do research and produce the two sets using total made-in-Viet Nam materials and traditional Vietnamese producing skills.

Artisan Kim Hyunkon, who have produced Korean traditional instruments for 50 years now and has directly worked on the project, said the Vietnamese royal bronze and stone instruments were much similar to those in South Korea despite some differences in their appearances.

He confirmed that he was contented with the sound of the newly-produced instruments for Viet Nam because of the exact ratio of bronze, tin and lead mixed for casting.

The two sets of instrument then will be given to artists from the Hue Traditional Royal Arts Theatre, who then will revive the ways of using the instruments with the helps of concerned Vietnamese and South Korean experts.

The sets will be used to perform at Te Giao ceremony and Xa Tac, which are two important worshipping ceremonies practised in Hue imperial citadel in the past, at next biennial Hue festivals.

In Viet Nam, the two sets had been used during the reigns of Le (1427-1788) and Nguyen (1802-1945).

Under the Nguyen reign, the two sets were used by royal music band as hanging instruments at various important royal ceremonies like the royal ceremony at Thai Hoa Palace, Te Giao ceremony, Xa Tac worshipping ceremony.

Since the end of the Nguyen rule in 1945, no one has been able to produce the sets as well as play them. Only some pieces of the two sets had been preserved at the Hue Royal Antiques Museum until the South Korean experts offered some helps. - VNS

Insect world bursts into song

Guitar hero: Le Minh Son will perform at the Opera House on Saturday in a programme entitled Guitar for Myself. — File Photo

HA NOI — Songwriter Le Minh Son will perform at the Ha Noi Opera House on Saturday, in a New Year's Day programme entitled Guitar Cho Ta (Guitar for Myself).

As part of the show, Son will perform songs with singer Ha Linh from their upcoming album together which, he said, "will feature songs about insects, inlcuding the spider, bee, beetle, ant and grasshopper".

Singers Thanh Lam and Tung Duong will also perform, and the show will feature the debut performances of new pieces by Son entitled Giot Nuoc Mat (Teardrop), Mat Trang To (Big Moon), and Hay Uong Gio Bien Khoi Mot Lan (Try to Drink the Ocean's Wind Once).

The night's programme will be rounded out with performance of jazz and Latin pieces which have been re-arranged by Son for his guitar with an ensemble of musicians.

Son, 35, was voted "Musician of the Year" by The Thao & Van Hoa (Culture & Sport) daily in 2004. His song A I A won the Song of the Year award in 2005 at the annual Bai Hat Viet (Vietnamese Songs) competition.

Son's albums include Gieng Lang (Village's Well) and the recent Mot Khuc Song Hong (A Melody of Red River), as well as Guitar for Myself. His most popular hit was Chuon Chuon Ot (Red Dragonfly), recorded by singer Ngoc Khue in 2003.

Son, a graduate of the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, now teaches at the Ha Noi Arts College.

Saturday's performance begins at 8pm, with tickets available at the Ha Noi Opera House. — VNS

Culture Vulture

Director Tran Anh Hung's latest film Norwegian Wood recently premiered at Ha Noi's Megastar Cineplex, with the film to open in cinemas nationally tomorrow. Hung, an overseas Vietnamese who lives in France, spoke about the film adapted from the popular novel by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.

How have you tried to ensure fans of the novel are not disappointed when they watch your movie?

I don't care about it. I was just interested in making a good movie. If the movie doesn't match what audiences' imagined, that's their affair, not mine. This is the first time I've made a movie from a well-known novel. I not only tried to tell the story in images, but I wanted to express my thoughts and feelings when I read the novel. I choose a way to go straight to the heart of the matter, without beginning with a character's recollection as usual.

What's more, the novel did not address the relationship between past and present or cause and effect. If I made the movie following the novel's structure, I would have had to add more details than are present. But there's already a lot of information in the original.

I began to shoot the movie in winter and delayed it in five months waiting for summer. Japanese actors are great, and the languages barrier was not a problem. We could understand each other well because of the common language of cinema.

Director Jean-Jacques Annaud's 1991 film The Lover, based on the book by Marguerite Duras, ignited a constroversy because of the many sex scenes in the film. There are also a lot of sex scenes in Norwegian Wood. But the sexuality in the novel is handled in a very pure way. How did you convey that in making this film?

The director needs to have an exact eye. While sex scenes attract interest, they need to be there for good reason. In the movie, when the protagonist has sex, it is significant and psychologically changing. So I made these scenes special. I focused on the expression on the actors' faces. When watching the movie, audiences will feel it.

Sex in a movie should relate to the theme of the movie. What is the theme of Norwegian Wood? It is that a main female character cannot make love and it leads to her death. It makes her guilty because she thought that her boyfriend's death was due to this reason. Murakami seems to overaccentuate sexuality. Sexuality is the salvation of his characters.

Did you have any trouble with Murakami, who is known to be very tough?

We didn't have any trouble with Haruki Murakami. He knows the cinema. The writer cannot intervene in the director's work. We discussed a lot and it was very good for me. It helped me to write the script. He was satisfied when he watched the movie. I think I'm lucky. Before I reached agreement with Murakami, he didn't want anybody to make a movie from his novel.

The novel focuses on characters' psychological states more than on situations. How do you sustain the interest of audiences in the movie?

The novel reminds me of my youth, with a lot of love and emotion and everything I experienced. It brings me to a special sadness about life and loss which people possible may not have had a chance to see. It is the reason why I made the movie. I believe that it will touch the hearts of audiences. If audiences reach the end of the movie and have remembered their own emotions of first love or fear of loss, I will have been successful.

The movie is being screened in Japan and I know that there have been many responses to the film in Japanese. I've been too busy to ask assistants to translate them for me. I will know in a few weeks.

I cannot guess the responses of Vietnamese audiences. I will have to wait for the answer. Obviously, I hope they will be moved after the come out of the theatre. — VNS

Work starts on eco-village

HA TINH — A project to build an eco-village in Tien Chuong Commune in the central province of Ha Tinh to prompt increasing awareness of the need for environment protection started yesterday.

Jointly launched by Toyota Viet Nam (TMV) and the Viet Nam Environment Protection Agency (VEPA), the project also aimed to help local people learn how to preserve natural resources for sustainable development, said organisers.

The VND800 million project, funded by TMV, will include different training courses on environmental hygiene and how to use safe water in an effort to improve community health.

"Local people will also be trained to improve infertile soil and develop eco-systems along and around their fields; new cultivation methods and how to use suitable fertilisers and pesticides," said Akito Tachibana, general director of TMV.

He said local people would be supplied with 200 books guiding them on how to deal with waste around their homes and community and protect safe water resources.

Last year, a similar project was launched in An San Commune in the north-western province of Lao Cai's Bat Xat District, benefiting some hundreds of local people on how to improve their living standards.

The projects are as part of the major Go Green Programme jointly held by the TMV, the VEPA and the Ministry of Education and Training since 2008. — VNS

HCM City to host music, song show

HCM CITY — A traditional music and song show will usher in the New Year at HCM City's Dam Sen Park tonight.

The show Mua Xuan va Nguoi Linh (The Spring and Soldiers) features dozens of excerpts from popular cai luong (reformed opera) plays in praise of the country, its history and culture.

The songs highlighting the work of soldiers are composed by veteran artists, including Phan Huynh Dieu, Doan Nho and Hoang Hiep.

The show expects an audience of 2,000.

Residents in remote areas will also have access to the show, which will be broadcast live on the HCM City Television's HTV9 channel.

"By listening to traditional music, young generations can improve their love and knowledge about the country and its history and culture," said Vo Minh Lam, one of the city's young cai luong stars.

Lam will perform in excerpts from cai luong plays such as Rang Ro Viet Nam (Brilliant Viet Nam) and Nu Tuong Co Dao (A Female General), which feature Viet Nam's historical events and national heroes.

Lam is one of the evening show's five young performers who will perform with the older generation on stage, including veteran cai luong stars Bao Quoc, Bach Tuyet and Kim Tu Long.

The show begins at 8pm tonight at Dam Sen Park in District 11. Admission is free. — VNS

HTV to screen new series

HCM CITY— HCM City Television this week will begin broadcasting a new TV series about King Ly Thai To, born Ly Cong Uan, the founder of the city Thang Long (now Ha Noi).

The 40-episode Ve Dat Thang Long (Arriving in Thang Long), which began filming four months ago, is one of the city's projects that are celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of the nation's capital.

Each episode describes historic events taking place in the country and the capital Hoa Lu before and after Ly Cong Uan was enthroned as the first king of the Ly dynasty.

In 1010, King Ly Thai To made an important decision to move the capital from Hoa Lu in present Ninh Binh Province to Thang Long.

The script for the TV series, which is directed by Tran Ngoc Phuong, is written by well-known author Pham Thuy Nhan.

Taking part in the series produced by HTV in co-operation with M&T Pictures are 80 artists of HCM City with well-known artist Ly Hung playing Ly Cong Uan.

Arriving in Thang Long which will air on HTV 9 at 8.30pm fromThursday to Sunday every week, beginning on January 1.

Capital to open music centre

HA NOI — The Ha Noi Musicians Association is planning to launch a Centre for Music Development in June 2011 to support composers in developing and publicising new works, said association chairman Ho Quang Binh.

The establishment of the centre was approved by the association's 10th Congress.

Cham site found in Quang Ngai

QUANG NGAI — The remnants of a Cham Temple dating back to the 10th century have been discovered in Mo Duc District in the central province of Quang Ngai.

The temple, named Dinh Ba So (Mother of Cham Land) by local residents, contains stone linga and yoni believed to be the first found in Quang Ngai, said Nguyen Dang Vu, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Writers to discuss war themes

HCM CITY — Writers Da Ngan and Wayne Karlin, one Vietnamese and one American, will hold a talk about the themes of war at Hoa Sen College in HCM City today, with visiting American students from George Mason University to participate.

Ngan will discuss different aspects of the war and its aftermath in Ngan's novel Gia Dinh Be Mon (An Insignificant Family). While in Viet Nam, the American students are expected to visit the family of martyr Hoang Ngoc Dam, depicted as one of the main characters in Karlin's novel Wandering Souls.

HCM City to host audio-visual expo

HA NOI — The Recording Industry Association of Viet Nam will host an audio-visual expo in HCM City from December 31 to January 2. Gathering 14 companies from around the country, the fair will display over 5,000 products, including CDs and DVDs at discounted prices.

Pop singers and cai luong (reformed opera) performers are scheduled to appear to encourage customers to buy authorised, non-pirated products.

Capital cracks down on superstition

HA NOI — The Ha Noi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has ordered communities in the capital city to set up steering committees and organising boards to manage and control superstitious activities at traditional festivals as well as the burning of paper offerings at relic sites.

The department has also asked localities to ensure security, traffic safe and food hygiene at cultural events. — VNS

Fans throng to see Sun Wukong actor

Actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong shows a child how to pose like Sun Wukong at the book signing on Tuesday afternoon - Photo: Tuong Vi

Liu Xiao Ling Tong, a famous Chinese actor loved in Vietnam for his portrayal of Sun Wukong in the 1986 Chinese TV series, Xi You Ji or “Journey to the West”, was swamped by fans at a book signing in HCMC’s District 1 on Tuesday.

His newly published autobiographical novel “Luc Tieu Linh Dong binh Tay Du” is the best-seller here after its huge success in China. In the book Tong writes about what it was like playing the role of Sun Wukong for 17 years.

This is the second time the actor has visited Vietnam since the first trip with his father in 1998. At the book signing at Fahasa Tan Dinh Bookstore, the actor said he was moved to see so many adoring fans. “Sun Wukong is the symbol for the relationship between Vietnamese and Chinese people,” Tong said to the crowd.

When asked about new movies based on the 1986 TV series, “Journey to the West”, the actor said, “I appreciate new scripts but definitely object to remakes that distort the spirit and meaning of the original literary work.”

“There are even scripts that tell of a love between Sun Wukong and female devils and I will never take part in those movies,” he added.

His latest series called “Wu Chengen and Xi You Ji” which has 50 episodes is currently screening in China. The film tells about the life of Wu Chengen, the author of Xi You Ji and how he created the story. Liu Xiao Ling Tong plays the main role of Wu Chengen.

Tong’s visit is part of cultural exchange events to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam. China Radio International and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism cooperate to bring Chinese actors and art groups to Vietnam. Journey to the West was screened in the U.S., Japan, Germany, France and ASEAN countries, including Vietnam.

The actor will have a talk with students from University of Social Sciences and Humanity in HCMC; a talk online with fans via a local newspaper and a visit to Galaxy Nguyen Du cinema to meet fans in District 1 on Thursday. He will return home on Thursday.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Fans throng to see Sun Wukong actor

Actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong shows a child how to pose like Sun Wukong at the book signing on Tuesday afternoon - Photo: Tuong Vi

“There are even scripts that tell of a love between Sun Wukong and female devils and I will never take part in those movies,” he added.

STF donates scholarships to flood-hit children

Poor students at La Chu Elementary School receive scholarships from Le Ngoc Hong Ha, managing director of STF on Monday - Photo: Kinh Luan

The Saigon Times Foundation (STF) under the Saigon Times Group has granted 208 scholarships worth VND500,000 each to students in four flood-hit communes of Ninh Phuoc District in Ninh Thuan Province.

The area including Phuoc Huu, Phuoc Thuan, Phuoc Dan and Phuoc Hai communes was the first to be visited by the program called “Donating scholarships to flood-hit children to go to school”, to prevent poor children from dropping out of school.

Thanks to kind-hearted businesses and donors, STF raised VND284 million in one month. After visiting the worst hit areas, STF provided the money for scholarships to students in Ninh Thuan, Quang Nam and Binh Dinh provinces. A team from STF will visit Binh Dinh on Dec. 31 and Quang Nam on January 10 to hand out 180 scholarships in each locality.

STF was established in 2002 by the Saigon Times Group and business people to support education and training, and contribute to human resource development to aid national development.

German opera questions nature of innocence

An opera written by a German and Austrian trio will be performed by Vietnamese artists at the Hanoi Opera House on January 14 as part of German Year in Vietnam 2010.

The opera, titled “Man goes through the valley”, has music written by German composer Pierre Oser, with lyrics by Tankred Dorst and his wife Ursula Ehler. Oser will instruct the Vietnamese artists who were handpicked from Vietnam Opera Ballet Theater and Vietnam National Music Institute.

Tankred Dorst is one of the most famous modern writers in Germany.

The opera is based on a European legend about a man named Parzival, who left his home valley to discover the world. Parzival is a wild, warlike but very innocent boy, who grew up with his single mom. His mother, Herzeloid, who is broken-hearted because of his father’s death in battle, wants Parzival to keep away from all disasters, war and death, so she does not allow him to communicate with human society.

However, the deprived isolation thrust onto Parzival robs him of the ability to love and he does not know right from wrong.

The opera asks whether the boy learn how to love when he meets the community.

The dialogue is in Vietnamese and the songs in German. All singers, musicians, actors and dancers are Vietnamese.

Free tickets are available from the second week of January at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi.

City fans line up for Monkey King’s signatures

Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong is talking with his fan while signing autographs in Fahasa Bookstore in Ho Chi Minh City on December 28, 2010

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Hundreds of fans queued up Tuesday to meet Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong, known for his portrayal of Sun Wukong or the Monkey King in a popular 1980s Chinese TV series “Journey to the West”.

The fans waited in long queue at the Tan Dinh Fahasa bookstore on District 1’s Hai Ba Trung Street, where the 52-year-old actor autographed his books “Liu Xiao Ling Tong – Journey to the West”, which was recently published in Vietnamese by Chibooks publishing house.

Among them is Nguyen Van The, an 82-year-old man, who crossed hundreds of kilometers to the bookstore to see the Monkey King in the flesh.

“I have to get his signature so that my neighbors and relatives believe that I have gone to HCMC and met Sun Wukong. Otherwise they just think that I come here to buy books,” he said.

He added that he liked the scene in which Sun Wu Kong disturbed the heaven.

Kieu Tat Thang, 49, had come to the bookstore early to see Liu Xiao Ling Ton: “I have read many Chinese books prior to 1975 and “Journey to the West” is my favorite. I appreciate its humane element.”

At a corner, two high school students Kim Vy and Nhat Anh were happy to obtain his signature. “We are very fascinated with the ‘Journey to the West’ film. We have seen it many times.”

According to schedule, the actor will visit the Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School and have Q&A session at some news agencies on December 29 before returning to China one day later.

San Diu folk songs fade with time

Few people of San Diu group now can sing Soong Co folk songs. Local authorities has begun a project to preserve the art together with other cultural values of local ethnic groups. - VNS File Photo

TUYEN QUANG – The folk singing of the San Diu ethnic group in the northern province of Tuyen Quang is fading with time, worry local elders.

The folk lyric singing, known as Soong Co, is rarely heard now, even in Ninh Lai Commune, Son Duong District, where the form was believed to have originated. Over 70 per cent of the population of Ninh Lai Commune are of the San Diu group but few young people can now sing the songs.

"I even don't know how to speak the San Diu language, let alone sing the traditional songs," say some teenagers in the area.

Do Van Huong, 66, is one of the rare remaining locals who still can, and he recalls the memories of his youth and falling in love with his wife, Hoang Thi Suu, during nights of singing Soong Co.

"Back then, men who couldn't sing Soong Co wouldn't have been able to find a wife," said Huong. "In springs, when farmers weren't so busy in the fields working, young people always joined singing festivals."

Teams of singers travelled around, stopping at every village and recruiting more members at each stop, he said.

"The lyrics are simple spoken language, yet they contain melodies inside," said Le Thi Long, 61, from Ninh Lai Commune. "People loved to sing Soong Co since, through the songs, they could speak out their feelings and hopes."

While young people sang the songs to find lovers, old people used them to teach the youth about the merits of the ancestors and good behaviour, Long said.

According to Nguyen Viet Thanh, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, teens from local ethnic groups no longer wear traditional clothes, speak ethnic languages, or have even grown up in homes of traditional design.

The customs of other ethnic groups in the province were also fading, Thanh said, including the Long Tong (Field Work) Festival of the Tay ethnic group, the Cap Sac (coming of age) ceremony and Tet Nhay (New Year's Dance) of the Dao group, the Nhay Lua (Fire Dance) of the Pa Then group, and the Sinh Ca songs of the Cao Lan group.

The province has begun a project to preserve these cultural values, with a budget of up to VND3.8 billion (US$1.9 million). The project includes research on the cultural values of seven ethnic groups in 45 villages in the districts of Na Hang, Son Duong, Chiem Hoa, Yen Son and Ham Yen.

From that research, the most endangered heritage would be prioritised for preservation efforts, with some local festivals to be reconstituted in conjunction with economic and tourism development efforts. – VNS

‘Monkey King' star wows crowds

Man of the moment: Internationally acclaimed actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong signs autographs for fans during his visit to HCM City yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photos Van Dat

Monkey shines: Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong has won audiences' hearts around the world since the 1980s in his role as Sun Wu Kong in Xi You Ji (Journey to the West).

HCM CITY — Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong, who has been winning audiences' hearts around the world since the 1980s in his role of Sun Wu Kong in the Chinese legendary film series Xi You Ji (Journey to the West), arrived in HCM City yesterday, after a meeting with fans in Ha Noi.

His stellar performance of the Monkey King has won the hearts of generations of Asian audiences, and led to his sterling reputation around the world.

Children, teenagers and adults, whose childhood is linked to the film, came to listen to their idol and see whether his kung fu skills are as excellent as those used in the film.

The actor was besieged by autograph hounds and fans wanting to take photographs.

Thousands of people crowded HCM City's downtown to see their idol yesterday while the internationally acclaimed movie star held an autograph session for his Vietnamese-language book.

The actor said he was happy to see the love of his fans during his visit, which is his second, to HCM City.

"The friendship of the two countries remains stable. I bowed my head three times in front of President Ho Chi Minh when visiting his mausoleum. During the 1950s, my father performed in the role of Sun Wu Kong for your President," the actor said.

"The Chinese and Vietnamese people love the character of Sun Wu Kong in the film very much. I believe that the icon is a friendship symbol of the two countries."

The actor said his family was thankful to the author of the novel Wu Cheng En. "My family would not have the fame if the novel had not been written."

Four generations of his family have played the role of Sun Wu Kong, who is also known as Qi Tian Da Sheng (Great Sage Equal to Heaven).

Along with the news about the movie, the actor said he would release a 3D movie Wu Cheng En and Xi You Ji in Viet Nam.

Liu Xiao Ling Tong's birth name is Zhang Jin Lai. He was born in Shanghai on April 12, 1959.

He performs as an actor for CCTV and the China Television Production Centre.

At the beginning of 1982, Liu began acting as the Monkey King in the film Journey to the West, which was directed by Yangjie, and produced by CCTV and China Television Production Center.

After being aired in1988, the television serial was warmly welcomed both home and abroad.

It was awarded the special prize of Flying Sky Prize and the first prize of Golden Eagle Prize.

Liu was also awarded the best male actor and the top star of Ten Stars of Film and Television of that year.

His five-day visit to Viet Nam is co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and China Radio International, as part of a series of cultural events to celebrate 60 years of Viet Nam -China diplomatic relations.

The 51-year-old will also chair an exchange with students at the HCM City University of Social Science and Humanities today, telling them about his role in the movie, which brought his family worldwide fame.

During his visit in Ha Noi, the actor visited Ha Long Bay, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the Temple of Literature.

The actor who learned kung fu, monkey gestures and Chinese opera skills with his father at the age of six has performed in the past in South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau and other locations.

He will return to China tomorrow. — VNS

‘Sharp' exhibition hits the right notes

Taking a breather: Nghi ngoi (Resting), an oil painting by Luong Luu Bien, is one of 26 works by seven artists on display at the Dau Thang exhibition at HCM City Fine Arts University's Applied Arts Centre.

HCM CITY — Seven HCM City artists born in the 1970s display their artistic evolution in a group show of paintings and installation works at the Dau Thang (Sharp) exhibition at the HCM City Fine Arts University Applied Arts Centre.

The name of the show, which contains 26 paintings and a sculpture, refers to a music notation that indicates a note is higher in pitch by a semitone (half step).

"It is an example of a difference in creation, meaning differences to yourself, and differences between you and others," say artists.

Artist Bui Tien Tuan said he was affected by the beauty of women, which offered him "unlimited sources of inspiration".

The 39-year-old artist's five paintings depict women in poses of innocence, sexiness and assertion.

His paintings contain traditional Vietnamese material, including silk, which is often used to express the beauty of landscapes and inner feelings.

But Tuan uses the material to highlight his ideas about the arts and women.

Tuan, a graduate of the HCM City Fine Arts University, won the silver prize at the National Fine Arts Exhibition in Ha Noi last month.

He has had several solo and group exhibitions in Ha Noi, HCM City and Seoul.

Another artist, Luong Luu Bien, has five oil paintings that depict the inner life of people.

The exhibition also highlights acrylic and oil paintings by Nguyen Son, Vo Duy Don and Phuong Quoc Tri.

Their colleague, Mac Hoang Thuong, displays seven portrait sketches, while La Huy uses wax and newspaper to create his installation work.

All seven artists have held successful exhibitions in Viet Nam this year.

The exhibition at the university's Applied Arts Centre is at No 5 Phan Dang Luu Street and runs until December 31. — VNS

Hip-hop steps up in monthly contest

Upside down: Big Toe dance crew performs. — VNS File Photo

HA NOI — A hip-hop contest will be organised every month for dancers throughout the country in preparation for a final round at the end of next year, according to Nguyen Viet Thanh, head of the Southeast Asia hip hop champion crew 2010, Big Toe.

Thanh said that the move was aimed at creating opportunities for hip hop lovers throughout the country to practise, compete and enhance their dancing skills and develop the Vietnamese hip hop movement.

The first monthly contest was held on Sunday in Ha Noi, drawing 66 dancers from across the country who competed directly in a knock-out format. The judges included members of Ha Noi-based Big Toe namely Nguyen Anh Duc, Bui Manh Thang and Nguyen Manh Nam.

Thanh hoped to invite foreign dancers to join the judges for the final round.

"We want to develop hip hop as a healthy way for Vietnamese youths to express their characters," he said. "The final winners will compete as Viet Nam's representatives at an international competition."

Big Toe won the Battle of the Year (BOTY) Southeast Asia in Singapore in October this year to earn the 10-member dance team tickets to France to compete at the BOTY International Final 2010 in November.

Founded in 1992 when hip hop first arrived in Viet Nam with just seven members, the crew has grown to 60, and won national and international acclaim.

BOTY is an international competition for break-dancers. Each region or country will have one representative at the BOTY International Final in France. — VNS

Yxine short-film winners announced

Director Do Dang Thuong (L) receives a cash prize from the Yxine Film Fest for his film “The Journey Unknown” - Photo: Courtesy of the organizer

A five-minute film by a young Vietnamese American, Vu Quang Huy, won four prizes including best director and best actor at the Yxine Film Fest, an online short-film competition, on Sunday in HCMC.

The winners of the contest that opened in May were announced at the website www.yxine.com.

Huy’s film, “Thinking of You”, was also granted the Golden Heart Award and Best Cinematographer by the five member jury: director Viet Linh, director Nguyen Quang Dung, journalist Le Hong Lam, critic Nguyen Thanh Son and novelist Ho Anh Thai.

“The Journey Unknown” by Do Dang Thuong won best screenplay and best editor. “L.O.V.E” by Vu Ngoc Phuong won the Red Heart Award voted by the audience. “Up in the Tree” by Bui Quoc Thang received New Heart Award for emerging directors.

“Thinking of You” had previously won a Hidden Genius award, a short film competition open to emerging filmmakers by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association held at the University of California, Los Angeles in April.

During the duration of the Yxine competition, there were twenty movies screened on the website.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Vietnamese Student wins online short film festival

“Thinking of You” by Vietnamese-American Vu Quang Huy has won the Golden Heart prize for best film at YxineFF, Vietnam's first online short film festival.

The chemical biology student from the University of California (UC) also received prizes for best director and best cinematography at a ceremony held at Ho Chi Minh City's BHD Cinema Star Sunday.

American student of the UC, Christy Yang won the prize for best actor.

Huy's film, produced in 2009, is a vignette about a quirky flower-shop girl and the elusive "object" of her desire.

He is polishing the script for a movie version of the film he hopes to make in the next two years.

The five-minute version also won the Audience Award at Hidden Genius, a short film competition sponsored by the Vietnamese-American Arts and Letters Association.

It has been screened at various festivals like the Vietnamese International Film Festival and San Diego Film Festival.

At the YxineFF, animated film The Journey Unknown by Do Dang Thuong of HCMC grabbed the best script and best film editing prizes.

The 4-minute-40-second film depicts the journey of an unnamed, faceless character that jumps out of a book's page through the book that takes it through heaven, destruction, urbanization, and war.

Thuong said he actually created the character and background from paper before resorting to stop motion, an animation technique.

The film is the 23-year-old's first production and was screened at the Future Shorts Festival, which is organized by the global short film community, held in Vietnam last year.

The organisers of YxineFF, the Sai Gon Media Company and local film aficionados, gave away the Red Heart prize for best film chosen by audiences to L.O.V.E by Vu Ngoc Phuong, an overseas Vietnamese from the Philippines.

Up in the Tree, directed by Bui Quoc Thang of Hanoi, won the New Heart prize for the film with creative and new ideas.

All the award-wining films can be watched at the festival's website at www.yxineff.com.

The festival, which was launched in May, aims to broaden the independent film-making community in Vietnam and offer local film-makers an opportunity to promote their works worldwide.

It showed 20 films in the Competition category for 10-minute films, 21 films in the Panorama category for 30-minute shorts made in the last three years, and 12 films made by young directors in the In Focus category.

Monthly hip hop contest to be held

HA NOI -- A hip hop contest would be organised every month for dancers throughout the country in preparation for a final round at the end of next year, according to Nguyen Viet Thanh, head of the Southeast Asia hip hop champion crew 2010, Big Toe.

The first monthly contest was held on Sunday in Ha Noi, drawing 66 dancers from across the country who competed directly in a knock-out format. The judges included members of Ha Noi-based Big Toe including Nguyen Anh Duc, Bui Manh Thang and Nguyen Manh Nam.

Thanh hoped to invite foreign dancers to join the judges for the final round.

"We want to develop hip hop as a healthy way for Vietnamese youths to express their characters," he said, "The final winners will compete as Viet Nam's representatives at an international competition."

Big Toe, won the Battle of the Year (BOTY) Southeast Asia in Singapore in October this year to earn the 10 member dance team tickets to France to compete at the BOTY International Final 2010 in November.

Founded in 1992 when hip hop first arrived in Viet Nam with just seven members, the crew has grown to 60, and has won national and international acclaim.

BOTY is an international competition for break-dancers. Each region or country will have one representative at the BOTY International Final in France. - VNS

Student wins online short film festival

Best cuts: Scenes from The Journey Unknown by Do Dang Thuong of HCM City grabbed the best script and best film editing prizes. — File Photo

HCM CITY — Thinking of You by Vietnamese-American Vu Quang Huy has won the Golden Heart prize for best film at YxineFF, Viet Nam's first online short film festival.

The chemical biology student from the University of California (UC) also received prizes for best director and best cinematography at a ceremony held at HCM City's BHD Cinema Star on Sunday.

American student of the UC, Christy Yang won the prize for best actor.

Huy's film, produced in 2009, is a vignette about a quirky flower-shop girl and the elusive "object" of her desire.

He is polishing the script for a movie version of the film he hopes to make in the next two years.

The five-minute version also won the Audience Award at Hidden Genius, a short film competition sponsored by the Vietnamese-American Arts and Letters Association.

It has been screened at various festivals like the Vietnamese International Film Festival and San Diego Film Festival.

At the YxineFF, animated film The Journey Unknown by Do Dang Thuong of HCM City grabbed the best script and best film editing prizes.

The 4-minute-40-second film depicts the journey of an unnamed, faceless character that jumps out of a book's page through the book that takes it through heaven, destruction, urbanisation, and war.

Thuong said he actually created the character and background from paper before resorting to stop motion, an animation technique.

The film is the 23-year-old's first production and was screened at the Future Shorts Festival, which is organised by the global short film community, held in Viet Nam last year.

Up in the Tree, directed by Bui Quoc Thang of Ha Noi, won the New Heart prize for the film with creative and new ideas.

All the award-wining films can be watched at the festival's website at www.yxineff.com.

The festival, which was launched in May, aims to broaden the independent film-making community in Viet Nam and offer local film-makers an opportunity to promote their works worldwide.

Singer returns with Latin twist

by Van Dat

Hot chocolate: Singer Doan Trang holds an irreplaceable position in audiences' hearts. — File Photo

HCM CITY — When she was a child, Cao Thi Doan Trang practiced diligently and won her audiences' hearts with her sweet voice.

Today, although she is not as popular as other top singers, she holds an irreplaceable position in audiences' hearts. It's all thanks to her creativity and hard work.

From her early years in singing, during her 20s, Vietnamese pop and Latin-influenced singer Doan Trang won listeners' acclaim with the song Khi Toi 20 (My 20s). Now in her 30s, Trang has sung the song again, but in English.

Trang is marking her decade of professional singing by creating something new and surprising for her audience. All of her hit songs have now been transcribed into English and performed with a Latin style.

Everyone says that Trang, the girl who loves to wear an ao dai (traditional long dress) with jeans and was given the name "Chocolate" because of the colour of her skin, wants to try her luck beyond the country's borders.

But Trang says that what she has done in her latest album, the Unmakeup, is a gift for local audiences.

When she participated in the Hattori Memorial Music Festival in Osaka in 2006, Trang won approval from foreign audiences there.

After the recent scandal in the media about Trang's miniskirt that she wore during a social outing, she wants more than ever to prove her real talent to the public.

Though there have been other singers with a Latin style, Trang, who graduated from the English Department of HCM City University of Foreign Languages and Technologies and the city's Music Conservatory, believes the new album and her renditions of songs will fire up audiences.

Several songs that have made her a well-known quantity composed by musicians Vo Thien Thanh, Quoc Bao and Luu Thien Huong are part of the album.

The slender singer started the project more than three years ago when she recorded her first English album in Germany with her team.

"It was the first time I had the pleasure to work with the all-German Band and with a talented sound engineer Sebastian in the famous city of Weimar," Trang recalled.

During the time in Germany, Trang had to get up at seven in the morning and work until 10pm every night.

Trang's manager, Cao Trung Hieu, her youngest brother, the person who always offers new ideas and consults on her singing style, named the album the Unmakeup.

"Don't misunderstand. This doesn't mean that I don't have my face made up or I am not well dressed while singing. What my youngest brother means is that we can find simplicity in each work of the album," she explained.

The entire album was made unplugged: no wires, strings, no electrical connections. It is simple and plain yet pleasurable and intricate once its core structure is dissected and explored.

Trang wrote one of the 10 songs, Cinderella, and performed with foreign musicians Roland Buettgen, Rainer Peter, Thomas Lieven and Vincent Nguyen. Though Trang sings of a fairy tale in her song, she gives it fire with a Latino music and singing style.

"I feel that my music and foreign language is mature when I work with a team of professional musicians," she said.

The fan of pop singers Shakira and Jennifer Lopez has released several albums, including Bon Mua Tinh Yeu (All Season Love), Chocolate, Socodance, Am Ban (The Negative) and Da Khuc (Serenade)

Trang is currently recording an album with songs combining modern and traditional styles, which will be issued in a few months.

Chocolate was born during a time when she was taking part in several musical competitions as a girl, which gave her more confidence to perform on the stage.

During her time in primary, secondary and high school as well as university, she was a key amateur singer at the schools.

At the age of 23, in 2001, she began her professional career after getting a second prize from HCM City Television's singing contest.

Friends say it's Trang's creativity and character that have brought her success and a stable position in Vietnamese show business.

Trang says she's happy with what she has achieved. Though she has never been listed among the top singers of the country, she is distinguished from others by her unique style. — VNS

Japanese cartoon festival to be held in Ha Noi

HA NOI — An array of eight famous Japanese animated films will be screened at the National Cinema Centre on January 12-16.

The event is being jointly held by the Japanese Culture Department, the Japanese Cultural Exchange Centre in Viet Nam, the Cinematographic Department and the National Cinema Centre.

The festival will especially feature Spirit away directed by Miyazaki Hayao in 2001, which won the Golden Bear award in 2002 and was among the Oscar competitors for best animated feature film at the 75th annual Academy Awards ceremony.

Spirit away tells about the adventures of a 10-year-old girl, Chihiro, who is accidentally thrown into a "spirit" world. While working at a bathhouse catering to spirits and gods, she tries to rescue her parents from a spell that transformed them into pigs.

Prior to the event, popular voice actress Mitsuki Saiga, guitarist Kazuya Nishikawa and several film makers will engage in an exchange with Vietnamese audience.

Cartoon pilgrims may get free tickets at the Japanese Cultural Exchange Centre at 27 Quang Trung Street, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi, as from 2pm on January 5.

Opera House to count down to New Year's Eve

HA NOI — A special New Year's Eve countdown party will be held outside the Ha Noi Opera House at 9pm on Friday to usher in the new year with entertainment and countdown clocks facing in four directions.

The programme, sponsored by Heineken, will feature performances by singers My Linh and Nguyen Duc Cuong and music by DJs Jonathan Glaser from Sweden, Tempo from the US and Tuan Kruise of Viet Nam.

TV festival celebrates individual contributions

CAÁN THO — Individual contributions were recognised for the first time at the 30th annual television festival that ended on Sunday in the southern city of Can Tho.

The Best Director award went to Bui Quoc Viet for Dam Laây Bac (Marsh), produced by VTV's Television Film Production Centre.

Best Actor was awarded to Huynh Cong for his role as Huynh Van Nghe in Vo Ngua Troi Nam (The South's Heroes), produced by HTV's Television Film Company.

Actress Ho Thanh Ngoc won Best Actress for her role as Lua in Me Chong Nang Dau (Mother and Daughter-in-Law) by Vinh Long Television.

Best Cameraman went to Nguyen Thanh Phuc for his work on Vo Ngua Troi Nam.

There were more than 750 entries at the festival, including documentaries, reports, TV series, theatre and musicals.

Seminars were also held at the festival on digital television and children's programming. — VNS

Monday, December 27, 2010

A rural taste for international tourists

Finland President Tarja Halonen (R) laughed a lot as she tried to practice rowing coracle in Hoi An ancient town

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The “Farmer – fisherman” tour offering tourists a chance to catch fish and collect rubbish like real farmers on the Thu Bon River in Hoi An ancient town has attracted many international tourists.

The tour is not to discover and sightsee the landscape, but is aimed at turning tourists into true fishermen who would live in the countryside and collect rubbish on Thu Bon River, Bay Mau Coconut Village, and the Hoi An’s Cua Dai sea.

Finland President Tarja Halonen selected this tour several years ago.

She also tried to practice rowing coracle and to be a fisherwoman during a week in Vietnam. Before returning to her country, she thanked the tour operator for offering her a meaningful and interesting holiday.

She said she was happy to be a fisherwoman, and to enjoy the life of the rural people and shared happiness with gentle and optimistic fishermen.

“Especially, I can taste the local traditional culture. Those are my unforgettable moments in Vietnam.”

The tour founder Tran Van Khoa hailing from Hoi An said that he formed this tour because 80 pct of the Vietnamese population earns a living from agriculture like fish catching and breeding.

“Vietnam has exported millions of tons of rice and seafood each year”.

This green tour not only helps promote Vietnamese culture to the world, but also contributes to protecting the environment.

On average, 4,000 international tourists book the tour every year, said Khoa.

Here are some photos of the tour “Farmer – Fisherman”:

intl tour

Intl tour

I am your dad, not the monkey: Chinese actor

Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong, famous for starring as Sun Wukong or Monkey King in a popular 1980s Chinese TV series, raises numerous monkeys to the point his daughter thought one monkey was her father.

The 51-year-old internationally-acclaimed star in the epic ‘Journey to the West’ gave an exclusive interview Saturday with Tuoi Tre during his five-day tour in Vietnam starting December 25.

Can you communicate with monkeys in real life?

The number of monkeys I keep in my house are even more numerous than my family’s offspring.

But it’s not always an advantage if you keep close contact with the monkey. My daughter grows up thinking that she is a daughter of the monkey.

Even my wife sometimes becomes shocked at seeing our house like a hideout for monkeys. Also she is sometimes panicked seeing me in anger with my eyes opening wide [in imitation of the Monkey King].

I know a photographer who won an international award with a photo he took of me and a monkey. At the time, I was costumed as Sun Wukong and the real monkey looked like it was trying to shake my hand.

It’s in the animal’s instinct to raise its hand upon seeing me. The picture undergoes no modifications like Photoshop or whatsoever.

The monkey shares similar feelings with humans being, has happiness, anger, love and hatred. It may become sulky if you tease it with fruits but then take them back.

If you treat a monkey well, it will return the favor to you.

You announced that you will not teach anyone how to act the Monkey King the way you did

TNK 2

A minor crisis has taken place with the role of Sun Wukong in China. Those who act differently from me will not be accepted by the audience. But doing it similarly to me is called mimicking.

Many learners who train themselves to become actor of the Monkey King admitted that the more they tried to mimic, the more impossible the task would be.

So I don’t want to teach anyone because I want to let them study themselves from what I did and develop it into their own, not to mimic it.

Besides, I now find it interesting with the other job: writing and taking care of the Hall of Fame of Wu Cheng’en [who is credited with authoring the novel] and an exhibition hall for me [in the eastern province of Jiangsu].

What do you think about new variations of Sun Wukong, the main character of the novel?

In some films adapted from the novel, they let Sun Wukong having sex with monsters, or marrying an adopted daughter of the Bodhisattva of Mercy.

I always give the advice when I come to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and others that ‘you should develop it not to distort it’.

One of the main characteristics of Sun Wukong is honesty.

I know children in Vietnam enjoy watching Sun Wukong on television every summer and I want to tell them that Sun Wukong always keeps his eyes over children’s development.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Vietnam’s leading hip-hop dance group Big Toe

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