VietNam Life Style: 1/23/11

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Thousands flock to flower festival

The 2011 Spring Flower Festival in Tao Dan park

Photo: VNA

Thousands of people in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi began visiting the annual spring flower festival that opened Wednesday.

A Spring Flower and Drinks Fair which opened in Hanoi will see some last-minute politicking for the selection of Vietnam 's national flower.

The fair will also feature a photo exhibition by HCMC-based photographer Tran Bich dedicated to the lotus, a leading candidate for designation as the national flower.

Bich is dedicated to photographing the lotus, and his images capture the many shapes of the lotus, from bud to faded flower.

Orchids, peach and ochna blossoms are also in contention for the title of national flower, however.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will gather votes on the national flower, national costume and national wine during the festival, and the national flower will be announced on January 28 at the Vietnam Lotus Spirit Gala.

At the Lotus Spirit Gala, artisans from Hanoi, Hue and HCMC will create crafts and artworks celebrating the lotus, including lotus lanterns and sculpture and silk lotus.

"We have used many materials to celebrate the lotus," said Hanoi-based artist Nguyen Manh Hung. "Since it's not the season of the lotus in the north now, we have received fresh lotus from the southern province of Dong Thap ."

The competition to select the national costume hasn't gone as smoothly.

"The ao dai is already the national costume for women, but it's difficult to choose the national costume for men," said Vi Kien Thanh, chief of the ministry's art, photography and exhibitions department.

Meanwhile, the selection of a national wine plan is still in the survey stage, Thanh said.

Over the past three years, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietmam Alcohol, Beer and Beverage Association have nominated ruou can (wine drunk from a jar), rice wine, coconut wine and apricot wine for the honour.

The Spring Flowers and Drinks Festival will continue through January 30 at the Culture and Art Centre at 2 Hoa Lu street .

The fair will exhibit and offer prizes for wines and spirits made by both traditional and modern methods, offer opportunities to sample wines, tea and coffee, and will feature performances, folk games, an ao dai (traditional long dress) fashion show, and calligraphy exhibition, as well as recreate customs such as the Kitchen Gods Festival. At least 50 enterprises will also display products for Tet, including decorations and ornamental trees.

Ha Giang province will take the spotlight, recreating a provincial market day with local specialities, cuisine and festivities of the province's ethnic people, including pan-pipe dance and folk duets.

The week-long event, which will last until February 1, a day ahead of the Lunar New Year, displays the beauty of Vietnamese flora in Phu My Hung Residential Area, HCMC.

This festival hopes to attract around 500 booths, displaying all kinds of flowers, plants, birds, fish, ceramics and calligraphy.

This year's flower festival in HCM City is expected to attract thousands visitors with a rich assortment of blossoms.

The Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival 2011 features a contest of special Vietnamese flowers and ornamental trees, called Hoa Dong Co Noi (Flower of Countryside).

Nguyen Thien Tich, vice chairman of the municipal Association of Orchids and Ornamental Trees, said, "It's a chance for everyone to explore the abundant flora in the country."

The country has more than 12,000 flowers and other kinds of plants.

Along with the contests, the week-long festival will include other activities such as a ceremony to release flowers and garlands, and floating lanterns on Ban Nguyet Lake .

The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers, which will be lit for photo opportunities.

Different festival areas include Cat Square with flowers arranged in the shapes of cats, the ochna, apricot and peach blossom section, 12 animal designations of the lunar calendar and the legend about the man, Mai An Tiem, who discovered the watermelon.

There will be music shows at the festival every night until the evening of February 1.

The festival, co-organised by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company and HCMC Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than 500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year) products.

Last year, more than 500,000 visitors visited the flower festival held in the residential area.

The majority of these products were produced in the city and outlying areas.

Also on Jan.26, 30 flower markets opened around the city to welcome city dwellers shopping to decorate their houses during the New Year's days.

Flower exhibitions will be held at major parks like Gia Dinh, Le Van Tam and September 23. Ochna, kumquat and daisy are among the most popular.

In District 8, flowers carried by boats from the Mekong Delta are being displayed along the canal at Ben Binh Dong. The market recalls the hectic trading activity of Sai Gon 100 years ago.

Around 25 flower markets in districts 5, 6, 10, 11, Go Vap, Tan Phu, Thu Duc, Binh Tan and Cu Chi have opened.

HCM City displays Tet culture

Signature tradition: Artists at work at the calligraphy market in front of the Youth Cultural House on Pham Ngoc Thach Street in HCM City's District 1. — VNS File Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City is preparing for traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) with music shows, charity activities, art exhibitions and calligraphy markets.

The Youth Cultural House has launched a Tet Festival for city residents, especially for students who cannot return to their hometowns during Lunar New Year festivities.

Famous singers including Phuong Thanh, Hien Thuc and Quang Linh will perform at a music show at the cultural house today.

At the Aám Tinh Mua Xuan (Warm Spring) concert, an auction of Viet Nam's largest paper crane, made of 18,000 cranes, will be held to raise funds for gifts for 15,000 poor children and people.

The city's teenagers will have a chance to learn how to make the southern Viet Nam's traditional cylindrical glutinous race cake, banh tet, at the Banh Tet Festival, held next Monday.

All cakes which are made at the event will be given to needy children.

The cultural house will also organise dozens of cultural, entertainment and sports activities until February 7.

The city's Information and Communications Department, for the first time, will host a book exhibition on Mac Thi Buoi Street, a section from Dong Khoi Street to Nguyen Hue Street, from January 31 to February 6.

The Uoc Mo (Wish) exhibition will display more than 1,000 titles of children books and thousands of other titles from eight publishers and distributors, including the HCM City Book Distribution Corporation (FAHASA), Dai Truong Phat Company, Vinabook, Sai Gon Media, the General Science Library, and Cuu Duc, Nhan Van and Thanh Nghia bookstores.

Visitors can read books on-site, borrow them, or bring their own books and exchange for others at the exhibition.

Calligraphy

As one of Vietnamese traditions, before Tet, people visit calligraphers (ong do) asking for New Year greetings that wish people happiness, healthy, wealth or longevity.

Nearly 100 young and old calligraphers wearing the traditional Vietnamese costume ao dai (traditional long dress) gathered on the city's main streets last Saturday to compose the greetings in black and yellow ink on red paper.

As usual, a red covering is on the front of the Labourer's Cultural House on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street in District 3.

The annual calligraphy market features 35 stalls, including members of the cultural house's Vietnamese Calligraphy Club and students from city universities.

Thanh Loc, a tour guide of Viettravel, said he took part in the event when it was first launched four years ago.

"However, it took me 10 years to practise calligraphy to have confidence in selling calligraphy to people," he said.

Another calligraphy market in front of the city's Youth Cultural House on Pham Ngoc Thach Street features more than 30 artists from the cultural house's calligraphy club and neighbouring provinces.

Apart from calligraphy, ink and wash paintings, oil paintings and embroidered paintings with calligraphy are also displayed at the market.

The calligraphy works and paintings sell for VND50,000 – 1,000,000 (US$2.5 – 50), depending on the craftsmanship, size, and materials.

Both markets will remain open until February 2 (Lunar New Year's Eve). — VNS

Antique exhibition to open during Tet

HA NOI — Antique lovers will be able to indulge at a new exhibition that is being organised by Ha Noi's Antiques Lovers Club.

Royal robes that were worn by kings and mandarins from the Nguyen dynasty, ceramic ware from the Le and Nguyen dynasties and paintings by famous Vietnamese contemporary artists will be on display at the event.

The exhibition will be held at the Exhibition House at No 93 Dinh Tien Hoang Street till February 25.

Antique collector Nguyen Truong, chairman of the club noted that an enormous amount of effort was given to preserve the objects on display.

Hue to organise prayer for peace and happiness

HUE CITY — A traditional festival to pray for peace and happiness will be held at Hue City's Huyen Tran Cultural Centre.

The eight-day festival will begin on February 10 (the 8th day of the first month of the lunar calendar), featuring three cultural events that highlight the historic royal city's culture and lifestyle.

Dozens of traditional theatre, music and song programmes will be staged by members of professional and amateur art troupes.

Traditional games such as chess and martial arts will feature several hundred people and masters of kung fu.

Visitors will also enjoy open-air culinary and flower-arranging activities during the festival.

The festival is expected to attract 50,000 people.

CNN praises 17th century Truong Luy rampart

HA NOI — CNN aired a documentary on the Truong Luy rampart on Wednesday.

The television station said the site was of significant archaeological interest and an ideal destination for adventure tourists in Southeast Asia.

Truong Luy, which was built in the 17th century, runs north to south for about 200km through the central provinces of Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh along the Truong Son mountain range. — VNS

Friday, January 28, 2011

Dong Thap's ‘house of love' proves a popular attraction

by Thanh Ha

Warm-hearted home: The Huynh Thuy Le House is one of the most popular locations for foreign tourists when they visit the southern province of Dong Thap.

Style: Vietnamese aspects combine with Western features creating a unique decor which attracts thousands of people per month. — File Photos

DONG THAP — Do you know what is the most famous house in Viet Nam? Maybe you'd answer "No" because even I only discovered it by accident.

The southern province of Dong Thap is wellknown not only for its populous and fertile land, known as the "rice bowl" of the nation, but is also home to the house made famous by Marguerite Duras in her novel The Lover.

Located in Sa Dec, the oldest town of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, the house first became a tourist site in 2007 and has since welcomed thousands of visitors.

The house was the home of the lover Duras took when she was just 15.

Her story tells of a couple who fell in love at first site on a ferry-boat running along the Tien River from Dong Thap to Sai Gon (now HCM City). They failed to have the support of their families who were from different classes and nationalities.

Huynh Thuy Le was a local inheritor of the province's richest family while French Duras was a daughter of Marie Donnadieu, a poor principle at the L'Ecole Primaire de Jeunes Filles de Sadec (Sa Dec Primary Girl School) the oldest school in the province, now renamed the Trung Vuong Primary School.

They fell deeply in love with each other although they could not tell to anyone, especially Le's family whose father had arranged a marriage between Le and a beauty from Tien Giang Province, whom later became his wife.

They knew about the obstacles but could not stop their love from developing for over a year and a half before his family became aware of the affair.

Le had to marry the arranged bride, while Duras and her relatives returned to France.

Years after the war, Le came to Paris and made a phone call to Duras to say his love for her would continue until his death.

Fifty years after their separation, the call relived the memories of the affair for Duras as though it was yesterday; and from those recollections the novel L'Amant (The Lover) was published in 1984.

The novel became a best-seller, with more than 2.4 million copies printed. In its first year of publication The Lover grabbed the Goncourt prize, a prestigious French award. The semi-autobiographical novel was then translated into 43 languages including Vietnamese and dramatised into a movie of the same name by director Jean-Jacques Annaud in 1992 starring Jane March, Lisa Faulkner and Tony Leung Ka Fai.

Apart from the love story, the house also attracts many people because of its beautiful combination of Eastern and Western architectural styles.

The 250sq.m old house at 225A Nguyen Hue Street, was constructed mainly of wood in 1895 by Huynh Cam Thuan – a wealthy local man. The Vietnamese three-roomed house was then upgraded into a French-styled villa which is what visitors can see today.

The floor was paved with patterned tiles imported from Ardeche, France. The 30-40cm-thick wall is constructed by solid bricks covering the wooden structure.

The roof consists of double tiles with two curved gables making it look like a boat, a typical symbol of the Southern waterways region.

The Western architecture is displayed by the house's front, ceiling, windows and balconies. All of them are decorated with Renaissance-styled reliefs. Meanwhile the Eastern aspects, mainly in Chinese style, are the furniture such as wardrobes, beds and altars which are carved and lacquered skilfully with flowers, animals and trees, displaying the original landlord's wealth.

When Le died in 1972, his family moved to live in France and the house was nearly abandoned. The Dong Thap Tourism Company was assigned to manage the house in 2006 and the house welcomed its first visitors a year later.

"The house is almost identical to how they left it, as Le's daughter on a visit to Viet Nam provided us with decorative details that we could copy," said Huynh Thi Kieu Xuan, a company tour guide.

The interior of the house has photos of the French writer and movie scenes on display.

The house which is also known as the Green House because it was previously painted in green [it is white now] while the rooms were decorated with wood and green glass.

The entrance fee is VND10,000 (US$0.5) per person. The fee includes a guide who can speak English or French, while tea and sugar-coated ginger are served for free. But interested tourists can also book a homestay here at a cost of $30 per room per night which covers a breakfast and lunch or they can enjoy lunch or dinner with Vietnamese and European dishes readily available.

"The house is on the list of must-visit places among foreigners, especially the French, who have read the book or watched the movie," said Tong Duy Minh, director of the Dong Thap Tourism Company.

"Many of them love to stay in the house and act as what the house owner did in the past although the conditions here are not comfortable for them. There isn't any air conditioning, nor fridge or bathroom inside the house," Minh said.

The house which was recognised as a national relic in 2009 has received an average of 1,000 visitors per month, double the figure of 2009.

"They want to be here also because of the house is next to the river and a market. Visitors can make a walk through and witness local residents living and working. We have already received some students who have booked the room for a week to discover life here," Minh said.

Minh said that the house would be much more beautiful in the future as the provincial museum is collecting more of the house's lost objects from Le's relatives. — VNS

Cruise ship brings 3,000 visitors

Three international cruise ships brought more than 3,000 visitors and crew to HCM City last weekend.

US vessels Nautica, which came with 7,000 passengers, and SeaBourn Pride, which had 100, anchored at Sai Gon Port last Saturday. The visitors went around HCM City and to the Mekong province of Tien Giang. The Nautica later visited Chan May Port in Thua Thien-Hue and Ha Long Bay before leaving for Hong Kong. The SeaBourn Pride anchored in Da Nang and Ha Long Bay before also leaving for Hong Kong today.

The Italian-flagged Costal Classica dropped anchor at Lotus Port in HCM City and its 2,500 passengers visited HCM City and My Tho. It later went to Da Nang, Hue, and Ha Long before leaving on Wednesday.

Plan to attract Japanese investment

Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam provinces and Da Nang plan to set up a joint representative office in Japan as part of a programme to attract Japanese tourists to Viet Nam.

Travel firms, Vietnam Airlines, and a Japanese organisation have pledged support, and the office is expected to open later this year.

"We want to open it soon since Japan is among our important markets," said Tran Quoc Thanh, deputy director of Thua Thien-Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Regional countries to produce 3D tour

Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar will jointly produce a documentary titled Four Countries – One Destination to promote their tourism industry.

It will make use of 3D filming to depict the countries' history, culture, and daily life.

It will focus on exotic destinations like the Temple of Literature, Thang Long royal citadel, and handicraft villages in Ha Noi, the Mekong River, the ancient capital of Luang Prabang, and Thap Luang in Laos, Angkor Wat, the ancient capital of Angkor Thom, and Sea Lake in Cambodia, and the Shwe Dagon pagoda, ancient capital of Mandalay, and Bagas city in Myanmar.

First helicopter tour takes off

An MI 172 helicopter took off from Da Nang Airport last week with 24 tourists on board to popular sites like Son Tra Beach, Mount Ngu Hanh Son, Cua Dai Beach, and Cham Island.

It was the first helicopter tour conducted by the Northern Air Services Co and the Vitours. In the beginning, besides the Russian-made MI 172, a French EC 155B1 will also be used for the tours.

There will be a flight each before and after Tet, with each tourist paying nearly VND6 million (US$300).

Phan Thiet offers Tet festivities

Phan Thiet will hold a series of cultural and sports events from January 30 to February 8 to mark the Lunar New Year in early February.

There will be music performances, sports, folk games, and lion dances in most of the city's 16 wards.

The Bien Xanh theatre group will hold music galas in the communes of Tien Thanh, Phong Nam, and Thien Nghiep.

Tien Loi - Tien Thanh Tourist Park will have a fireworks display on New Year's Eve on February 2.

A boat race will be held on the Ca Ty River on the February 4 and the Mui Ne Sand Hill Run will be held two days later.

Furama Resort to hold Tet market

The five-star Furama Resort Da Nang will organise a Tet market for tourists from January 27 to 30, offering guests the experience and colour of a Vietnamese country market and craft village.

They can witness people making banh chung (square glutinous cake with green bean and pork), fortune tellers in traditional costumes in action, and ong do (calligraphers) drawing "parallel sentences" and creating Dong Ho folk paintings. — VNS

Their time to shine

Lakeside: Ho Guom (Sword Lake) by HCM City Fine Arts College lecturer Le Xuan Chieu.

Talk to the hand: Toi Dang Lang Nghe (I Am Listening) by Tran Thi Ngoc Linh, a student at the HCM City Fine Arts College.

HCM CITY — A group of 52 artists from HCM City is presenting an overview of current lacquer paintings at their exhibition at the HCM City Fine Arts College.

Son Mai Sai Gon 2011 (Sai Gon Lacquer) features more than 50 works in different styles, using the traditional material of lacquer.

Being a native of northern province of Ha Tay (now part of Ha Noi), the influence of Le Xuan Chieu's birthplace can be seen in his art works.

The lecturer of the city's Fine Arts College's highlighted work is Ho Guom (Sword Lake), featuring Vietnamese girls in traditional costume ao dai (traditional long dress) at Ho Guom, a landmark of Ha Noi.

Like Chieu, landscapes and beautiful women are also sources of inspiration of veteran artists like 83-year-old Hoang Tram's Ha Long (Ha Long Bay) and Ca Le Dung's Xom Cau Van (Cau Van Village).

This year's exhibition features works of artists born in the 1980s, including students of the city's Fine Arts College Tran Thi Ngoc Linh and Vu Thi Thuy Dung.

The youngest participant, Linh of the college, brings a modern breath and image to her lacquer work. Linh's Toi Dang Lang Nghe (I Am Listening) portrays a girl in modern clothes listening to music with an earphone.

Held for the first time last year, the event falls on December 21 of the lunar calendar, the day that honours the memory of the ancestor who founded Vietnamese lacquer-making.

The exhibition remains open until February 12 at the Applied Arts Gallery at HCM City Fine Arts College, 5 Phan Dang Luu Street, Binh Thanh District. — VNS

Artist donates sketches to Hue

Fantastic cat: Four of 12 cat sketches that artist Le Ba Dang has donated to Hue.

HUE — Paris-based Vietnamese artist Le Ba Dang has donated his unique collection of 12 cat sketches to the city of Hue on the occasion of Viet Nam's Year of the Cat.

The collection will be displayed at Le Ba Dang Arts Centre, 15 Le Loi Street.

The paintings, many dating back to the 1950's, are typical of the first works Dang sold in Paris. Drawn in a Chinese calligraphy style, the ink portraits depict inquisitive, agile cats.

Dang decided he'd try drawing small sketches of cats to sell. He sold over 160 paintings in the first month and after expanding his work to ceramic plates, the business provided his family with a steady income for the next five years.

Dang, who was born in the central province of Quang Tri in 1921, immigrated to Paris in 1939. He joined resistance forces to fight fascism in France but was captured by the Germans and held as a prisoner of war.

After the war, he studied at the Toulouse Arts Institute and became famous across Europe.

He held his first exhibition in Paris in 1950 and in 1989, he was honoured by the International Institute of Saint-Louis, USA. He was also awarded the Culture and Arts Medal by the French government in 1994. — VNS

Photos spotlight tourist attractions

HCM CITY — Two hundred photographs by journalists working for tourism publications are on display at an exhibition that opened in HCM City on Wednesday.

Sac Xuan Du Lich 2011 (Spring Colours in Tourism) marks the first anniversary of the HCM City Photographers Club, and has colour and black-and-white photos taken last year by 21 members depicting landscapes, people, and other images that attracted the photographers.

La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the HCM City Culture, Sport and Tourism Department, thanked them for their contribution in showcasing the multi-colours and diversity of HCM City and also the country to both domestic and international audiences.

The exhibition, at the Journalists Association's office in District 1, will go on until February 10.

Last year club members held a photo exhibition in February to mark the 1,000th anniversary of capital Ha Noi last year and another themed HCM City – 24 Hours in April.

An exhibition titled Truong Sa Ngay Nay (Truong Sa Nowadays) by Hoang Chi Hung, the club's head, last August raised VND200 million (US$10,000) for soldiers on Truong Sa (Spratly) Island. — VNS

Veteran cai luong artist dies at 74

Song in his heart: Performer Tan Tai. — VNS File Photo

HCM CITY—Veteran traditional performer Tan Tai, one of the southern region's most talented cai luong artists, passed away at his home from illness on Wednesday in HCM City.

Born in 1938 in An Giang Province's Nui Sap District, Tai, whose real name was Le Tan Tai, was a primary teacher after school, but he loved singing tai tu (a kind of Southern traditional music) when he was a child.

He began his theatre career as a cai luong (reformed opera) performer in 1962. Travelling across the region, Tai worked for leading cai luong troupes, including Buom Vang, Da Ly Huong, Hau Giang and Kim Chung.

After four years of performing professionally, he won the Thanh Tam Prize, the city award for the year's best cai luong artists.

From1962 to 1975 he worked with music producers in Sai Gon, now HCM City, to record more than 1,000 tai tu songs and perform as a leading character in 500 cai luong plays, playing an important role in preserving and developing the art.

In 1964, he opened his own troupe called Thu Do, attracting young performers.

He was honoured with the title "King of cai luong recording" by music producers and fans.

After 1975, he worked for the Hau Giang Cai Luong Troupe then in 1990, he started work as a guest artist for the city's Tran Huu Trang Theatre.

A prolific performer, Tai devoted his life to cai luong, which celebrates the culture and lifestyle of Vietnamese people in the south.

The performer's funeral will be held on Monday at the Nghe Si (Artists) Temple in Go Vap District. — VNS

The Rice That Cures

Medicinal properties and remedies of sticky rice

Sticky rice, or glutinous rice, is a staple food of Vietnamese people, second only to plain rice. Sticky rice is also used as a main ingredient for various kinds of cakes and sweet soups.
In traditional Vietnamese medicine, sticky rice is considered to be sweet and warm, and good for the stomach. It is therefore used to refresh the body and treat asthenia, diarrhea and stomach inflammation and ulcers.

Cooked sticky rice

Simmer a little ng sâm (Codonopsis pilosula), jujubes and purified sugar; cook sticky rice and serve it in a dish; put the simmered ng sâm and jujubes onto the cooked sticky rice and then add the broth. Eat this dish to treat tiredness, sleeplessness, anorexia and edema.

Sticky rice cooked with mc nh (cloud ear fungus – Auricularia polytricha) is good for blood cells and thus can help prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Regular intake of sticky rice cooked with mung beans (Vigna radiata) is good for the blood circulation, urination and the eyes. Mung bean-sticky rice is also a laxative. It is a food of choice for those in their convalescence period, or those with nearsightedness.

Sticky rice cooked with pumpkin is good for those with diabetes, as it delays the carbohydrate absorption of the body. Intake of the pumpkin-sticky rice is also recommended to detoxify the body and prevent colon cancer for the elderly.

Sticky rice cooked with sweet potatoes is good for the kidneys, blood circulation and digestive system. Intake of sweet potato-sticky rice can help lower the cholesterol level in the blood and prevent the risks of constipation, rectum cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Sticky rice cooked with taro (Colocasia esculenta) can help detoxify the body and facilitate urination. It is a digestive food and is thus good for those with indigestion or intestinal disorders.

Sticky rice porridge

Prepare porridge with sticky rice, u en (literally means black beans), or catjang (Vigna cylindrica), and jujubes. Eat this porridge once or twice a day to treat anemia due to iron deficiency.

Grind sticky rice and cook it into a thin porridge; add honey and eat it a few times a day to relieve nausea and vomiting. This soup is also good for bile production.

Roast sticky rice and then simmer it with a little fresh ginger and water. Drink the broth during the day to cure nausea and vomiting.

The thin porridge prepared with sticky rice and jujubes is recommended to be eaten once or twice a day by herbalists to treat stomach inflammation and ulcers.

Prepare porridge with sticky rice and lotus seeds. Intake of the porridge in the morning and evening is recommended for those with asthenia or in their convalescence period.

Cook porridge with sticky rice and mung beans. Eat the porridge every day to support the treatment of diabetes.

Saigonese Wherea bouts During Tet

As Tet (Lunar New Year festival) is in the air, discover some places of choice of the Saigonese when they are celebrating their traditional festival

Several years ago, the Weekly featured a photo essay one picture of which showed an expatriate was jogging right in front of the downtown Ben Thanh Market during the morning rush hour. Normally, it isn’t either the right place or the right time for that type of sport. But in this particular case, the expat could go jogging because he made it in the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Among the unusual things about Saigon during Tet is that this most populous city in Vietnam becomes unbelievably quiet and less crowded. Traditionally, Tet lasts three days, and thus the phrase ba ngày Tt (the three days of Tet) has been so common in Vietnam. In fact, Vietnamese have longer holidays for Tet. This year, State-employees, particularly those working in administrative agencies, will enjoy an eight-day Tet, the longest days off work in recent years.

HCM City is home to 7.2 million people with a family book (official registration). Nobody can state exactly the city’s transient population. But according to estimates, it is sure to surpass the 1-million level. So, where would those 8 million-plus Saigonese go during Tet because if they all stay inside Saigon, the streets will not be so deserted?

As is their custom, many Vietnamese return to their birthplace or the place where their parents live during Tet. Going back home to the provinces is therefore an intrinsic need of people who come to HCM City to work. With very few exceptions, visiting workers or temporary dwellers leave the city for their birthplaces on Tet holidays. On their same bus, railway coach or flight are also those Saigonese still feeling the urge to return to the provinces. At a guess, therefore, more than 1 million will be on their way out of the city.

Take to the streets during the few hours prior to the time the Lunar New Year arrives and you’ll see that it is the period the streets become most desolate. As a tradition, everybody has to return home to wait for New Year’s Eve. Then family members will get together before the altar in the house to worship their ancestors. Because everyone tries to get home to welcome the first moments of the New Year, very few are outside.

But this picture will change dramatically as soon as the clock strikes 12 to mark the New Year’s arrival. The streets then become crowded again, especially those streets leading to pagodas. Many Saigonese (and Vietnamese) keep the habit of visiting a pagoda immediately after midnight on New Year’s Eve, believing that their prayers at pagodas during the first hours of the New Year will bring them what they expect.

As many Saigonese come home at dawn, the whole city wakes up very late in the morning of the first day of the New Year.

Traffic is still light until nine or 10 o’clock. Those who take to the streets are on their way to pagodas where they will pray for health, wealth and luck in the new year. During the first days of the New Year, pagodas—big and small in town—are much frequented by Saigonese. The most famous names in this regard include Vinh Nghiem and Xa Loi pagodas in District 3, Tinh Xa Trung Tam in Binh Thanh District, and Nam Thien Nhat Tru in Thu Duc District, to name just a few.

As much frequented as, if not more, pagodas by Saigonese are recreational facilities and public places. Topping the list of the indispensable names is Nguyen Hue Flower Street. For the past few years, the flower street has become a brand name for HCM City in the Tet festival. During the week-long event, which is slated for Jan. 31-Feb. 6, sections of Nguyen Hue and other streets in the neighborhood will be turned into pedestrian areas. This year, flower displays and other shows and activities are expected to attract more than 1 million visitors.

Comparable to Nguyen Hue Flower Street is Tao Dan Park where Spring Flower Festival is held. The park in District 1 has established itself as a magnet to those Saigonese who seek places of fun to entertain themselves and their loved ones.

Amusement parks are also attractions to Saigonese during Tet. Suoi Tien and Dam Sen are outstanding venues. Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9 is a favorite place for visitors, especially families with young children. During the Tet festival last year, Suoi Tien welcomed 800,000 visitors. The same number of visitors is expected this year.
What else aside from pagodas and theme parks?

A considerable number of residents in Saigon plan their tours during Tet, making the festival a peak time for tour operators. Of the domestic trips, pilgrimage tours are among the most frequently booked. Huong Pagoda on the outskirts of Hanoi, Yen Tu Pagoda in Quang Ninh Province, the Temple of Hung Kings in Phu Tho Province and Chua Ba Pagoda in An Giang Province are the favorite destinations.

Although smaller in number, some Saigonese, in particular those under forty of age, can afford overseas tours.
Saigonese holidaymakers during Tet will return home fresh and energetic to get ready for the year ahead. The first of January marks a new calendar year. But to Saigonese, and Vietnamese as well, a new bustling year starts only after Tet holidays.

Awareness Of Climate Change

HCM City must be steadfast in the determination to relocate polluters in the inner city to avert the effects of climate change

It was almost nine o’clock last Wednesday morning, but the sky was bleak and still shrouded by a thin mist. A gentle rain then unexpectedly came down. Taking the motorbike for a customer, the security guard in front of a bank on Nguyen Van Linh Parkway in HCM City’s District 7 sighed, “Oh well, we can’t predict what the weather will be like nowadays. Saigon used to have two seasons in a year, the dry and the rainy ones. But it doesn’t anymore. Everything’s changed because of climate change!”

Spring rains and mist are expected in HCM City. To some, very fine showers in the springtime are even a source of inspiration for poetic creativity. Explaining misty mornings this past week, meteorologists said that the misty weather is an annual phenomenon in the dry season in HCM City. They predicted that the city would have more mist and colder temperature in the sunny season this year.

So, mist and rains in the dry season are usual weather patterns in Saigon. But the security guard’s blame on climate change for the precariousness of the weather may be justifiable as well.

Believe it or not, the environment in this southern city has deteriorated over the years despite efforts made by authorities and communities to reverse the bad situation. Access http://hepa.gov.vn, the official website of the HCM City Environmental Protection Agency, and you’ll find some statistics backing this argument.

Measurements taken in November this year indicate that air pollution in general was worse than that in October. For instance, 90% of the measurements of the dirt content were below par, ranging from 0.43 to 0.91mg/m3, or 1.4-2.7 times higher than the national standard.

Noise pollution is also worrisome. Almost nine out of ten measurements were higher than the permitted level, ranging from 66 to 85dB. For your reference, humans feel comfortable if the noise surrounding them is from 40 to 60dB, and can tolerate for a short while noise whose intensity is from 60 to 80dB. However, if noise exceeds the 80dB level, it will adversely affect human health and hearing ability.

What’s more, organic, biological and oil contamination in the Dong Nai River, the main source of water supply for HCM City and the neighboring provinces, was ever higher.

Environmental protection in HCM City, hamstrung by a lack of the local residents’ awareness, remains a thorny issue. But public awareness of environmental protection and climate change is being raised among the local communities. What the security guard said at the beginning of this article can be seen as an encouraging sign.
In a late October working session between members of the HCM City People’s Council and the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, delegates pointed out three vexing problems for the environment. Council members cited relocation of polluting factories in the inner city, contaminated canals and arroyos and untreated wastewater discharged by hospitals. They are all old issues which have dragged on for years, though.

These problems should have been radically tackled. In the meeting, Truong Trong Nghia, vice chairman of the Economic-Budgetary Committee of the People’s Council, was quoted by the local press as saying that seven polluting businesses in the relocation program which started in 2003 were still in place in residential quarters. Worse, these big manufacturing polluters are either state-owned or have a state stake. Over the past seven years, they have been there and have polluted the city unpunished!

When it was first launched in 2007, the Department of Environmental Police under the Ministry of Public Security was expected to minimize pollution in Vietnam. In fact, environmental police have done their job. A speaker at the meeting, Nguyen Quoc Hung, head of the environmental police in HCM City, said since June 2009, environmental police officers under his supervision had fined 155 polluting businesses. The polluters had to pay VND3.2 billion for their violations. However, as the fines were way too modest relative to the costs of installing treating facilities, polluting entities have opted for paying fines rather than buying treatment equipment.

In protecting the city’s living environment, who should lead the way? Authorities or the public? Whoever does that should pay attention to the following fact. Environmental experts have pointed out that HCM City is among the 10 cities in the world which are most affected by climate change.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Unique hybrid music to daze HCMC tonight

A music show entitled “The ever-green desert” by composer Le Van Tuan will take place at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera Theater today at 20:00 at No. 7 Cong Truong Lam Son Street in District 1.

This will show off a new kind of music called CROR – the combination of four different genres: classic, romantic, opera and rock developed by Tuan.

According to the composer, the four genres: classical, romantic (Renaissance period), opera (17th century), and rock (20th century) come from different eras with hundreds of years’ difference, so the combination is not easy and will create a strange feeling in the audience.

In CROR music, classical is understood as something that brings you back to the original sound of human, romantic as the romance that can only be achieved when there is true freedom in your soul while opera is the expression of operatic emotions in a modern way.

They require performers to indulge themselves in the characters, and rock, unlike the typical understanding of rock as fast rhythms, here will be presented as the beats of our breaths and the speed of blood running through our veins.

CROR was first coined in 2005 and have been patented by Vietnam’s Copyright Office.

So far 9 CROR symphonies have been composed with hundreds of songs.

In 2010, Tuan released his debut album with 8 tracks, and in the CROR concert this January 27, he will introduce his second album with another 8 CROR pieces.

Non-key, non-rhythm, and non-melody

Highly appreciative of Tuan’s work in CROR music, singer Quoc Tru, holder of the honorable title Excellent Artist and former head of the vocal music department of HCMC Conservatory of Music, said, “Tuan’s music is non-key, non-rhythm, and non-melody”.

It’s spontaneous. This type of music requires performers to have a certain musical level, and those who are amateurs will ‘tremble’ dealing with this music. I have listened to and really enjoyed his music, with no difficulty, but I think it requires time for it to be welcomed by the public.”

Talking about his music, Tuan emphasized its ‘for a united world’ purpose, “CROR is an appeal for people to get closer to each other, to sympathize with the miserable, to lend them a hand.”

Cai luong legend dies from infections

Cai luong actor and singer Tan Tai

Reformed theater (cai luong) actor Tan Tai was gone at 6:00am Thursday at the age of 73 at his private house in Ho Chi Minh City after a long time suffering from bile duct infections.

Le Tan Tai – his full name – was born in 1938 at Vinh Trach Commune, Nui Sap District, Long Xuyen Town, An Giang Province.

Best known for his melodious and sweet voice for a man, Tan Tai had been a teacher before choosing reformed theater acting as his career.

He started by joining the Buom Vang (Yellow Butterfly) troupe in 1959. After 4 years, Tan Tai became its main actor and then won a gold medal in a prestigious cai luong competition named ‘Thanh Tam Awards’ thanks to his leading role as Diep Nhut Lang in a play called Cat Dung Phuong Tu performed in 1963.

He was also the main actor for other renowned theater companies in former Saigon like Thu Do, Da Ly Huong, and Kim Chung. Some of the classic plays starring Tan Tai include Khoi Song Tieu Suong, Bong Hong Sa Mac, Co Gai Do Long, Anh Hung Xa Dieu, Tieng Vong Ba Deo, Vo Tong Sat Tau, Suong Mu Tren Non Cao, to name but a few.

He was crowned ‘the Emperor of plastic discs’ after recording more than 400 discs of cai luong plays and thousands of nostalgic songs in the 1960s. His recordings sold like hot cakes and he even earned up to 1 gold tael (a record high at the moment) for each of the discs released then.

Recently, he took part in several cai luong performances and organized his first live show in January 2009 entitled ‘Dem tri an’ (A Night for Gratitude) at the Hung Dao theater in the southern metropolitan to mark his 50 years being part of the Vietnamese artistic form.

His children include Tan Beo and Tan Bo who are now among the most favorite comedians in Vietnam.

Tan Tai’s funeral will be held at his private house at 109 Nguyen Duy Street, Ward 9, District 8.

He will be buried at the Chua Nghe Si cemetery in Go Vap District , Ho Chi Minh City at 8:00 am on January 31.

Noted artist gives Hue sketches of cat

Two cat sketches by Le Ba Dang.

HUE - Paris-based Vietnamese artist Le Ba Dang has donated his unique collection of 12 cat sketches to the city of Hue on the occasion of Viet Nam's Year of the Cat.

The collection will be displayed at Le Ba Dang Arts Centre, 15 Le Loi Street.

The paintings, many dating back to the 1950's, are typical of the first works Dang sold in Paris. Drawn in a Chinese calligraphy style, the ink portraits depict inquisitive, agile cats.

Hue writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong recalled a story about the artist's early days in Paris, when he struggled to make ends meet.

Dang, who was born in the central province of Quang Tri in 1921, immigrated to Paris in 1939. He joined revolutionary army troops to fight fascism in France but was captured by the Germans and held as a prisoner of war.

After the war, he studied at the Toulouse Arts Institute and became famous across Europe. He held his first exhibition in Paris in 1950 and in 1989, he was honoured by the International Institute of Saint-Louis, USA. He was also awarded the Culture and Arts Medal by the French government in 1994. - VNS

HCMC to open tourism park

Bamboo park: Viet Nam At A Glance resembles a giant garden. Traditional flowers, together with bonsai, fruit and bamboo trees adorn HCM City's new tourism park. — File Photo

HCM CITY — A tourism park with a strong cultural theme is being built in time for Tet (lunar New Year) in HCM City's suburban Cu Chi District.

Viet Nam At A Glance, located off Bo Cap (Scorpion) pier in An Phu Commune, resembles a giant garden with traditional varieties of flowers, bonsai, and fruit and bamboo trees of various kinds and sizes.

But designers and carpenters worked hard to create a 22.5-ha village that depicts the cultural and daily aspects of the life of people in various regions of the country.

It has hundreds of model houses, rickshaws, and everyday objects made of bamboo, wood, and clumps of rice straw and grass.

Artisans from as far-flung areas as Cao Bang make traditional dishes, cakes, liquor, and handicrafts, which are both displayed and sold.

There is a playground for traditional games that takes older people back to their childhood when they themselves played those games.

Music and dance and food related to ethnic groups can be seen at several spots around the park.

"We have worked hard with our suppliers, including farms, agricultural companies, and tourist agencies, to make our park one of the city's biggest and best cultural and entertainment centres," Tran Thi Tuyet Nga, a member of the park's managing board, said.

"Through its unique products, we hope visitors will discover and enjoy slices of Viet Nam's history, culture, and lifestyle in different regions.

"I'm sure both local and foreign photographers and artists will find inspiration here."

She and her 200-strong staff hope to welcome 40,000-50,000 visitors during the Tet holidays in the first week of February.

Henry Nguyen Lam, a Vietnamese-American businessman who is visiting the country for Tet, says: "My family and I will tour Cu Chi and visit Viet Nam At A Glance."

Entry tickets cost VND50,000 to 95,000 and are available at the venue. They can also be booked at 08 2218 1465.

The park's website at http://www.motthoangvietnam.vn offers more information. — VNS

Thousands flock to festival

People visit the Spring Flower Festival which opened yesterday in HCM City's September 23 Park. The eight-day festival hopes to attract about 500 booths displaying all kinds of flowers, plants, birds, fish, ceramics and calligraphy. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vu

Daisy chain: Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, a farmer from Dong Thap Province, takes care of his daisies a few hours before the flower festival is due to open in Phu My Hung Residential Area. — VNS Photo Van Dat

HA NOI — Thousands of people in HCM City and Ha Noi began visiting the annual spring flower festival that opened last night.

A Spring Flower and Drinks Fair which opened in Ha Noi will see some last-minute politicking for the selection of Viet Nam's national flower.

The fair will also feature a photo exhibition by HCM City-based photographer Tran Bich dedicated to the lotus, a leading candidate for designation as the national flower.

Bich is dedicated to photographing the lotus, and his images capture the many shapes of the lotus, from bud to faded flower.

Orchids, peach and ochna blossoms are also in contention for the title of national flower, however.

At the Lotus Spirit Gala, artisans from Ha Noi, Hue and HCM City will create crafts and artworks celebrating the lotus, including lotus lanterns and sculpture and silk lotus.

"We have used many materials to celebrate the lotus," said Ha Noi-based artist Nguyen Manh Hung. "Since it's not the season of the lotus in the north now, we have received fresh lotus from the southern province of Dong Thap."

The competition to select the national costume hasn't gone as smoothly.

Meanwhile, the selection of a national wine plan is still in the survey stage, Thanh said. Over the past three years, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Viet Nam Alcohol, Beer and Beverage Association have nominated ruou can (wine drunk from a jar), rice wine, coconut wine and apricot wine for the honour.

The Spring Flowers and Drinks Festival will continue through Sunday at the Culture and Art Centre at 2 Hoa Lu Street.

Ha Giang Province will take the spotlight, recreating a provincial market day with local specialities, cuisine and festivities of the province's ethnic people, including pan-pipe dance and folk duets.

The week-long event, which will last until February 1, a day ahead of the Lunar New Year, displays the beauty of Vietnamese flora in Phu My Hung Residential Area, HCM City.

This festival hopes to attract around 500 booths, displaying all kinds of flowers, plants, birds, fish, ceramics and calligraphy.

This year's flower festival in HCM City is expected to attract thousands visitors with a rich assortment of blossoms.

The Phu My Hung Spring Flower Festival 2011 features a contest of special Vietnamese flowers and ornamental trees, called Hoa Dong Co Noi (Flower of Countryside).

Nguyen Thien Tich, vice chairman of the municipal Association of Orchids and Ornamental Trees, said, "It's a chance for everyone to explore the abundant flora in the country."

The country has more than 12,000 flowers and other kinds of plants.

Along with the contests, the week-long festival will include other activities such as a ceremony to release flowers and garlands, and floating lanterns on Ban Nguyet Lake.

The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers which will be lit for photo opportunities.

There will be music shows at the festival every night until the evening of February 1.

The festival, co-organised by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company and HCM City Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than 500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year) products.

Last year, more than 500,000 visitors visited the flower festival held in the residential area.

The majority of these products were produced in the city and outlying areas.

Also yesterday, 30 flower markets opened around the city to welcome city dwellers shopping to decorate their houses during the New Year's days.

Flower exhibitions will be held at major parks like Gia Dinh, Le Van Tam and September 23. Ochna, kumquat and daisy are among the most popular

In District 8, flowers carried by boats from the Mekong Delta are being displayed along the canal at Ben Binh Dong. The market recalls the hectic trading activity of Sai Gon 100 years ago.

Around 25 flower markets in districts 5, 6, 10, 11, Go Vap, Tan Phu, Thu Duc, Binh Tan and Cu Chi have opened. — VNS

Giant flying cat to herald New Year

A manned hot air balloon 18m in diameter with the face of a smiling cat will rise high on the New Year Eve February 2 in downtown Ho Chi Minh City to welcome the Year of the Cat.

The balloon, which is to be piloted, will fly 50 meters high from District 1’s 23/9 Park near the iconic Ben Thanh market.

The aerostat measures 22 meters tall, 18 meters in diameter and 2,000 cubic meters in volume.

Visitors can see and photograph the balloon from February 3-6 at 7AM-9AM30 and 17PM-20PM30.

Before taking flight, the balloon’s wicker basket will open to take in written notes from visitors and passers-by. Their messages of hope and love will surely fly high.

Established 7 years ago, Ho Chi Minh- based Chien Thang Company who designs and produces the balloon participated in many cultural festivals throughout the country as well as business campaigns.

It also employs the first hot air balloon flight crew in Vietnam.

Fireworks dazzle the city

Ho Chi Minh City also announced it will hold firework displays in 9 spots spreading over 9 districts of the city to welcome the new year.

The displays start the same time at midnight February 2 and will last fifteen minutes.

High-altitude fireworks will be set off at the Caric Shipbuilding Factory in District 2, District 7’s Administrative Center project site in District 7, Go Vap Cultural Park project site in Go Vap District, Hoc Mon District’s Nga Ba Giong Memorial Temple in, and Ben Duoc Memorial Temple in Cu Chi District.

The four other displays, at a slightly lower height, will be at the National Culture and History Park in District 9, District 11’s Dam Sen Cultural Park, Mau Than 1968 Memorial Temple in Binh Chanh Districts and Can Gio District.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

HCMC opens 30 spring flower markets today

30 spring flower markets across Ho Chi Minh City open today to sell apricots, orchids, chrysanthemum, peach blossom and other typical flowers for this Tet or the New Year of the Cat, announced the city People’s Committee.

By the afternoon of January 25, the three parks 23-9 and Le Van Tam in district 1 and Gia Dinh in Phu Nhuan District have been fully covered with abundant flowers and ornamental trees, said Tran Thien Ha, director of HCMC Greenery and Park Company.

Meanwhile, the flower market in Ban Nguyet (semicircle) Lake in District 7 has seen great number of visitors and flower vendors joining.

The highlight is the flower market along the river in District 8, promising to offer celebrators a rural taste.

The city also organizes 25 other flower markets in districts 5, 6, 10, 11, Go Vap, Tan Phu, Thu Duc, Binh Tan, Thu Duc, Binh Tan, and Cu Chi.

In other news, a big balloon will fly 50m high at the 23/9 Park from February 2 – 5 to celebrate the lunar new year, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

Followings are images of other flower markets:

flower 0

flower 1

flower 2

flower 5

Beautiful faces to light up screens during Tet

“Bóng ma học đường” delves into issues faced by teens with relation to family, love, and school violence

Three eagerly awaited Tet releases -- “Thien su 99”, “Bong ma hoc duong,” and “Co dau dai chien” -- all star hot actors and actresses.

“Bóng ma học đường,” the first Vietnamese 3D film, produced by Thien Ngan Movie JSC and directed by Le BaoTrung, delves into issues faced by teens with relation to family, love, and school violence.

The horror-comic flick narrates the story of horror writer Nam Linh played by renowned comedian Hoai Linh.

After killing himself, Linh becomes an old ghost under a ghost lord who also controls a group of super-bad teenage ghosts. Elly Tran plays a teen ghost who always bullies Linh.

Linh is ordered by the ghost lord to kill his son if he wants to save his soul. In the process of grappling with this cruel dilemma, Linh discovers the issues facing children, including his son.

This film also seeks to shed light on the causes of school violence, a burning topic last year after many video clips of fights between teenage girls were posted online.

Elly Tran appears in a bikini along with other beautiful ghosts played by Ngoc Diep and Quynh Anh. The Vietnamese-Chinese beauty is well known to netizens for boasting about her bust and hip measurements.

Elly Tran

The film also stars Hoang Son, Wanbi Tuan Anh, Truong Quynh Anh, Thien Minh, Dinh Ngoc Diep, and Tim.

The film will be released nationwide January 26.

‘Thiên sứ 99’

“Thiên sứ 99” (Heavenly messenger 99), produced by Phuoc Sang Company, is a humorous and gentle love story of Thien Minh, the son of a Love Goddess, who is banished to the earth to look for a love arrow that he lost.

Thien Minh must obtain 99 love expressions from girls to regain the arrow and his power. When he is about to complete his mission, he recognizes he is in love.

thien su 99

Will he return to heaven or stay back?

Thien Minh is played by hottie Huynh Anh.

Critics have, however, panned his acting as awkward, the film as lacking humor, and Diem My’s dialogues for not being smooth.

The film also stars singers Ngo Kien Huy and Khong Tu Quynh.

The critics also said the screenplay is sloppy and the photography modest. But Phuoc Sang believes its film, released nationwide January 21, will be successful.

‘Cô dâu đại chiến’

“Cô dâu đại chiến” (Bride in a big fight) is a laugh-a-minute about a love story between five girls and a guy named Thai played by Huy Khanh.

Thai is the only son of a rich family and leads a fast life. He flirts with four girls with different personalities and backgrounds at the same time.

All of them eventually fall in love with him and seek various ways to express their love, leading to a series of funny happenings.

co dau dai chien

One day Thai falls in love with a gentle, beautiful girl named Linh, played by Ngoc Diep. Linh is a painter. She believes in Thai’s love and he decides to say goodbye to his other girlfriends and marry Linh.

On their wedding day, Thai’s four former lovers appear with weapons in their hands. A fight breaks out among the girls, causing chaos.

Critics and many artists think this is the best film to be released during Tet. The film also features several attractive actors and actresses.

Beautiful faces to light up screens during Tet

“Bóng ma học đường” delves into issues faced by teens with relation to family, love, and school violence

Three eagerly awaited Tet releases -- “Thien su 99”, “Bong ma hoc duong,” and “Co dau dai chien” -- all star hot actors and actresses.

The horror-comic flick narrates the story of horror writer Nam Linh played by renowned comedian Hoai Linh.

After killing himself, Linh becomes an old ghost under a ghost lord who also controls a group of super-bad teenage ghosts. Elly Tran plays a teen ghost who always bullies Linh.

Linh is ordered by the ghost lord to kill his son if he wants to save his soul. In the process of grappling with this cruel dilemma, Linh discovers the issues facing children, including his son.

This film also seeks to shed light on the causes of school violence, a burning topic last year after many video clips of fights between teenage girls were posted online.

Elly Tran

The film also stars Hoang Son, Wanbi Tuan Anh, Truong Quynh Anh, Thien Minh, Dinh Ngoc Diep, and Tim.

The film will be released nationwide January 26.

‘Thiên sứ 99’

Thien Minh must obtain 99 love expressions from girls to regain the arrow and his power. When he is about to complete his mission, he recognizes he is in love.

thien su 99

Will he return to heaven or stay back?

Thien Minh is played by hottie Huynh Anh.

Critics have, however, panned his acting as awkward, the film as lacking humor, and Diem My’s dialogues for not being smooth.

The film also stars singers Ngo Kien Huy and Khong Tu Quynh.

The critics also said the screenplay is sloppy and the photography modest. But Phuoc Sang believes its film, released nationwide January 21, will be successful.

‘Cô dâu đại chiến’

“Cô dâu đại chiến” (Bride in a big fight) is a laugh-a-minute about a love story between five girls and a guy named Thai played by Huy Khanh.

Thai is the only son of a rich family and leads a fast life. He flirts with four girls with different personalities and backgrounds at the same time.

All of them eventually fall in love with him and seek various ways to express their love, leading to a series of funny happenings.

co dau dai chien

On their wedding day, Thai’s four former lovers appear with weapons in their hands. A fight breaks out among the girls, causing chaos.

Critics and many artists think this is the best film to be released during Tet. The film also features several attractive actors and actresses.

'King's Speech' crowned head of Oscar nominees

Colin Firth

Photo: AFP

British historical drama "The King's Speech" has been crowned the Oscar frontrunner, earning 12 nominations for the multibillion-dollar film industry's top honors.

The understated royal film starring Colin Firth as a stammering King George VI beat rivals including "True Grit" and Facebook film "The Social Network," in nods for the 83rd annual Academy Awards to be held February 27.

"True Grit," the Coen brothers' take on the classic Western, garnered 10 nominations while eight each went to hi-tech thriller "Inception" and "The Social Network," which had been tipped as Oscar favorite.

"Your head spins when you hear the news," Firth told the Today Show after the nominations were announced, joking that his career had gone into orbit since he was first nominated for best actor Oscar last year.

"It's almost like I was fired out of a cannon this time last year and I'm still orbiting Pluto,' he joked, adding: "It's quite extraordinary."

Firth's rivals on the shortlist for the best actor Oscar are Javier Bardem for "Biutiful," Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network," James Franco in "127 Hours," and Jeff Bridges in "True Grit."

The British actor, who lost out to Bridges for best actor last year, joked when asked whether he would have to kneecap the "True Grit" star to prevent the same thing happening.

"Something has to be done," he quipped.

Best actress nods went to Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right," Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole," Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone," Natalie Portman in "Black Swan" and Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine."

"The King's Speech" won Oscar nods for best film, three acting categories, as well as for directing, editing, musical score, art direction, cinematography, costume design, sound mixing and original screenplay.

Firth, who won a Golden Globe earlier this month for his performance in the British movie, is widely tipped for a best actor at the Oscars show next month, the climax of Hollywood's annual awards season.

And Helena Bonham Carter, who plays his royal wife, was nominated for best supporting actress, while Geoffrey Rush, who plays the speech therapist who helps the king, was also nominated, for best supporting actor.

"That's the best thing about it, to be going together, to have the royal flush thats the most gratifying," Firth told the Today Show.

Rush added: "As an Australian, I'm as excited to be recognized and honored by the Academy as my character must have been when his London speech therapy business flourished when the future King of England happened to pop by."

The British movie's Oscars nomination success was welcomed by the Stuttering Foundation, saying the film "has brought overwhelmingly positive attention to the plight of people who stutter.

"'The King's Speech' gives the stuttering community a hero who inspires and a movie that promotes understanding and acceptance of the complexities of stuttering," said its president, Jane Fraser.

Facebook blockbuster "The Social Network" had been tipped to earn the most Oscar nominations, after winning four awards at the Golden Globes on January 16.

But industry observers had noted that the British royal movie could do better at the Oscars because it is better suited to the tastes of the 6,000-plus members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The British movie also got a small boost over the weekend when it won best picture award at the Producers Guild of America awards.

The Oscar nominations were announced by last year's supporting-actress winner Mo'Nique, joined by the Academy president Tom Sherak.

The 10 films nominated for best picture Oscar were: "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," "The King's Speech," "127 Hours," "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," and "Winter's Bone."

Nominated for best animated film -- an increasingly high-profile award as technology helps create stunning blockbuster family movies -- were "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Illusionist" and "Toy Story 3."

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The 2011 Spring Flower Festival in Tao Dan park

Photo: VNA

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