VN singer wins top prize at Golden Voice Festival

Diva: Singer Thu Minh performs the song Shadow of the Kapok Tree at the ASEAN Golden Voice Festival 2010. — File Photo

HCM CITY — Vietnamese singer Thu Minh has won a gold medal in the folk music category at Saturday's ASEAN Golden Voice Festival 2010 in HCM City.

The female singer performed the song Bong Cay Konia (Shadow of the Kapok Tree), which had previously earned her first prize at the Television Singing Contest in 1990.

In the same category, judges also awarded a silver medal to another female Vietnamese singer, H'Zina Bya, who won the recent Star Television Singing Contest in HCM City.

Indonesian singer Netta Kusumah also received silver medal for her performance.

Thailand's Plengraphun Kingthong and Myanmar's Kyaw Zin Min claimed the bronze medals.

In the pop category, singers Herson Silas from Indonesia and Sri Nazrina Johari from Brunei, collected golds, while silver was granted to Kasim Hoang Vu, the winner of Viet Nam's Sao Mai Diem Hen (Morning Star – Rendezvous) singing contest in 2004.

The bronze prizes for pop went to Tung Lam from the host country and Brunei's Mohammad Fikri Bin Abdullah.

Vietnamese singers Thu Minh and Kasim were bestowed with the "Favourite Singer" title, while 18-year-old Malaysian Ikhwal Hafiz was judged "The Most Promising Singer".

Created by the HCM City Television, the annual ASEAN Golden Voice Festival aims to strengthen the cultural exchange between ASEAN member countries. This year, singers from ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam, performed at the festival. — VNS

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Vietnamese singer takes gold at ASEAN Golden Voice Festival

HCM CITY - Vietnamese singer Thu Minh has won a gold medal in the folk music category at last Saturday's ASEAN Golden Voice Festival 2010 in HCM City.

The female singer performed the song Bong Cay Konia (Shadow of the Konia Tree), which had previously earned her first prize at the Television Singing Contest in 1990.

In the same category, judges also awarded a silver medal to another female Vietnamese singer, H'Zina Bya, who won the recent Star Television Singing Contest in HCM City.

The Indonesian singer Netta Kusumah also recieved silver medal for her performance.

Thailand's Plengraphun Kingthong and Myanmar's Kyaw Zin Min claimed the bronze medals.

In the pop category, Kasim Hoang Vu, the winner of Viet Nam's Sao Mai Diem Hen (Morning Star - Rendezvous) singing contest in 2004, collected silver, while golds were granted to singers Herson Silas from Indonesia and Sri Nazrina Johari from Brunei.

The bronze prizes for pop went to Tung Lam from the host country and Brunei's Mohammad Fikri Bin Abdullah.

Vietnamese singers Thu Minh and Kasim were bestowed with the "Favourite Singer" title, while 18-year-old Malaysian Ikhwal Hafiz was judged "The Most Promising Singer".

Created by the HCM City Television, the annual ASEAN Golden Voice Festival aims to strengthen the cultural exchange between ASEAN member countries. This year, singers from ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam, performed at the festival. - VNS

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ASEAN Golden Voice Festival opens

The ASEAN Golden Voice Festival 2011 opened last night at the HCMC Television Theater, with 17 singers from ASEAN nations.

The singers used the opportunity to meet other singers from the region and introduce their country’s music to Vietnamese audiences, reports VietnamPlus.

Last night at the theater at 14 Dinh Tien Hoang Street in HCMC’s District 1 singers performed folk and traditional genres in their native language. They will perform pop songs in English on Friday night. The awards gala party on Saturday night will be broadcast live on HTV9.

Singers Thu Minh, Kasim Hoang Vu, Do Tung Lam and H’Zina Bya will represent Vietnam. The other 13 contestants are Plengpraphun Kingthong and Wongloung Sirilux from Thailand, Khim Su Su Naing and Mr.Kyaw Zin Min from Myanmar, Netta Kusumah Dewi and Hershon from Indonesia, Uela Basco from the Philippines, Samsann Annda and Vannika  from Cambodia, Iqwal Hafiz and Katherine Chan from Malaysia and FIQ and Moon from Brunei.

Two singers from Japan, Annabel Yu and Okuma Ryo, will attend the event as guest singers.

The judge panel will include song-writer Tran Long An, Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Duong Thu of the host country, Indira Sotyawati from Indonesia and Toshiba Emi from Japan.

The organizers will award four gold medals, four silver and four bronze medals and an audience choice prize.

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ASEAN Golden Voice Festival opens

The ASEAN Golden Voice Festival 2011 opened last night at the HCMC Television Theater, with 17 singers from ASEAN nations.

The singers used the opportunity to meet other singers from the region and introduce their country’s music to Vietnamese audiences, reports VietnamPlus.

Last night at the theater at 14 Dinh Tien Hoang Street in HCMC’s District 1 singers performed folk and traditional genres in their native language. They will perform pop songs in English on Friday night. The awards gala party on Saturday night will be broadcast live on HTV9.

Singers Thu Minh, Kasim Hoang Vu, Do Tung Lam and H’Zina Bya will represent Vietnam. The other 13 contestants are Plengpraphun Kingthong and Wongloung Sirilux from Thailand, Khim Su Su Naing and Mr.Kyaw Zin Min from Myanmar, Netta Kusumah Dewi and Hershon from Indonesia, Uela Basco from the Philippines, Samsann Annda and Vannika  from Cambodia, Iqwal Hafiz and Katherine Chan from Malaysia and FIQ and Moon from Brunei.

Two singers from Japan, Annabel Yu and Okuma Ryo, will attend the event as guest singers.

The judge panel will include song-writer Tran Long An, Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Duong Thu of the host country, Indira Sotyawati from Indonesia and Toshiba Emi from Japan.

The organizers will award four gold medals, four silver and four bronze medals and an audience choice prize.

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Postal stamp set salutes ASEAN Summit

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

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

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

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

Award winning French pianist to play in Ha Noi

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

HIV/AIDS exhibition to open in capital

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

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

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

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

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

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ASEAN orchestra formed, to perform in Vietnam

Vietnamese pianist Nguyen Tuan Manh

Photo: Tuoi Tre

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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ASEAN begins culture swap

Fourth wall: Delegates from the Indonesian Consulate General in HCM City perform exciting traditional dances during a cultural exchange programme. — VNS Photos Van Dat Fusion: Vietnamese models present Singaporean traditional costumes at the event.

HCM CITY — Representatives and young people from ASEAN countries gathered yesterday at the HCM City Youth's Cultural House to open a cultural exchange week, which runs through September 4.

The event will feature several activities that will showcase the cultures and lifestyles of the 10 countries. The week-long event has been organised to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Ha Noi, the 65th Anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, which falls on September 2.

General consuls to HCM City from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Laos and others diplomatic agencies will participate in the cultural exchange programme.

Traditional clothes from ASEAN members were introduced at a fashion show during the opening ceremony.

University students from the Lao Students' Association, who are studying in HCM City, and representatives from the Indonesian, the Philippines, and Thai Consulates General performed traditional dances and songs during the event.

Six food stalls were erected to introduce the traditional cuisine of the countries, which allowed guests and participants to taste the variety of dishes from the 10 countries.

A photography exhibit also opened that features photographs from the revolution and development of Viet Nam. The exhibit also highlights the cultures and beautiful sights in ASEAN countries.

A contest was organised to test and inform Vietnamese students about the cultures and history of ASEAN members. Popular folk games from the Southeast Asian countries were also introduced to visitors during the exchange.

A music programme to celebrate the National Day and an event to introduce art works composed by Vietnamese youngsters during the recent trans-Viet Nam composing camps will held later this week. — VNS

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