Electric cars for Ha Noi tourists

HA NOI — Dong Xuan Joint Stock Co plans to import electric cars for tourists visiting Ha Noi this year.

Tours will be conducted in five urban districts – Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Tay Ho, Dong Da and Hai Ba Trung.

The company initially plans to offer two guided tours for a trial period. The first will take in cultural sites such as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) and Ngoc Son Temple. The second will take tourists along the Hong (Red) River and around West Lake.

More than 7,000 visitors travelled by electric car around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter in Ha Noi over the recent Lunar New Year Festival, according to Do Xuan Thuy, director of the Dong Xuan Company.

Nguyen Manh Hung, chairman of the Viet Nam Auto Transportation Association, said the tour operator should buy small cars that are more suitable to the narrow streets of the Old Quarter.

Top English Idol clips selected

HA NOI — The 15 top video clips made by contestants in the Apollo English Idol competition have been selected for the final round.

The competition's judging panel also announced the top five clips that won the most votes from audiences.

The clips feature Vietnamese students singing in English, and are available at the Apollo English Idol website apolloenglishidol.video.zing.vn.

The competition's first prize will see the wining video aired on YanTV for one year, plus a cash award worth VND10 million and a full English scholarship at Apollo English.

Photo exhibition builds culture

HA NOI — A photo exhibition titled All People Unite to Build a Cultural Life has opened at Exhibition House at 45 Trang Tien Street, Ha Noi. A similar show is being held at Friendship Cultural Palace, 91 Tran Hung Dao Street.

The exhibitions display the cultural activities of the Vietnamese people in festivals, handicrafts, education and sports. They will run until Saturday.

Orchestra holds auditions for choir

HA NOI — The Ha Noi Music Association will recruit members for its orchestra this Sunday at 19 Hang Buom Street, Ha Noi.

Named Ha Noi Harmony, the orchestra has been set up to perform foreign and domestic musical works.

Candidates of any age who have good voices can register. The orchestra of 32 members is a voluntary group.

Ancient graves found

QUANG NGAI — Six graves belonging to the Sa Huynh Culture that flourished between 1000 BC and AD 200 have been discovered in Tay Tra District in the central province of Quang Ngai.

Objects buried in the graves included glass earrings decorated with animal heads, stone tools, iron knives and pottery.

The archaeological site will be excavated until the end of May, according to Nguyen Dang Vu, director of the provincial department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Artists paints family on paper

HA NOI — Artist Tran Hoang Son will display portraits on hand-made Vietnamese do paper at a solo exhibition named Family Tree.

The works are composed in three parts. The first is a family tree with portraits of people from many generations. The second comprises the "new family" of friends that one adopts in their own private world, and the third is life in the village, the source of all Vietnamese family life.

The exhibition will run until March 18 at Art Viet Nam Gallery, 7 Nguyen Khac Nhu Street, Ha Noi. — VNS

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Musician releases English album

Simple melodies: Musician Nguyen Xinh Xo is also the leading vocalist on his first album Afterlife. — File Photo

HA NOI — US-based Vietnamese musician Nguyen Xinh Xo has just released his first album in English in Viet Nam.

Xo, 33, became famous in Viet Nam after composing Dong Ho Treo Tuong (Wall Clock), which won the Song of the Year award at the national Vietnamese Songs music contest in 2009.

Entitled Afterlife, the album includes 50 English pop songs using electronic music, most of which have not been released. Xo is also the leading vocalist on the album, which he produced himself.

"I tell the story by myself with my own feelings through my voice," he said. "[The album] is a gift to my late father."

Xo said he produced the album in his studio at home, which he said is more convenient than outsourcing the work.

Composing in Vietnamese is much harder than composing in English, he said.

"The Vietnamese language contains too many tones, which lead to more fluctuating melodies. That is why English is such a popular language to compose in," he said. "However, it is the musical score itself that is the main message carrier for the songs, not the language."

Xo added that he produced the album not for profit but to promote his music.

Xo was born in Ha Noi in 1978. He began learning the violin at five. His father, Nguyen Xinh, also a musician, was former director of Viet Nam Musicology Institute and deputy rector of the then Viet Nam Academy of Music.

Xinh was killed in a traffic accident when Xo was 18.

Xo's mother also taught the violin and is an accomplished performer, as are many of his family members.

Xo graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management and information technology. Later, in 1999, he went to study in the US, where he now works as a music teacher. He is also taking a master's degree in electronic music. — VNS

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Cambridge ESOL launches competition for teachers

Cambridge ESOL, part of the U.K-based University of Cambridge, has announced the 2011 Cambridge English Competition for teachers worldwide who do not speak English as mother tongue.

Those joining the competition will submit a 150-word essay by March 1, 2011 to talk about their experience, difficulties and challenges that they have faced when teaching English in their countries.

The topic of this year’s competition is “Briefing your solution for difficulties as teaching English and what you do to create a better learning experience for your students.”

Six winners will be selected and each of them will be offered one of three development courses, including Language and Methodology Refresher (Young Learners), Language and Methodology Refresher (Secondary/Adults), and Teaching Business English for two weeks.

These six teachers will start their courses at the U.K-based Bell Teacher Campus, Homerton College in Cambridge and will be fully-funded for their trips to the U.K from August 14-27, 2011.

In 2010, Cambridge ESOL received over 2,000 entries from teachers in 45 countries. Vietnam and four other teachers from Taiwan, Poland, Kazakhstan and Argentina won the trip to Cambridge to improve English teaching methods.

For more information, visit www.cambridgeesol.org/wow/events/cambridge-english-competition.html or email at  info@cambridgeesol.org.vn, and for registration at  www.surveymonkey.com/s/camenglishentryform

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Supermodel contest to crown winner in HCM City on Saturday

HCM CITY — The annual Super Model Competition will crown its winner in HCM City tomorrow.

Forty finalists will take part in talent and quiz competitions before the jury.

The event, produced by HCM City Television (HTV) and Cat Tien Sa Company, is organised by Thoi Trang Treû (New Fashion) magazine.

The aim is to discover young and talented models for the country's modelling industry.

The jury chose 40 finalists to compete in fashion shows and dozens of cultural and charity activities.

The top two women and men will receive trophies and cash prizes of VND50 million (US$2,500) each.

Organisers will also give prizes to both women and men for the Best Photograph, Best Appearance and Favourite Fashion Model.

Paris exhibition presents Ha Noi through photographer's eyes

PARIS — Photos of Ha Noi by French artist Dominique De Miscault are on display at an exhibition in Paris.

The exhibition entitled Ha Noi Nowadays introduces the 1,000 year old city with photos of its ancient quarters and large landmarks like the Ha Noi Opera House and the Metropol Hotel.

The exhibits features many beautiful sites in Viet Nam and Ha Noi.

Dominique De Miscault exhibited her work in the capital in 1994 and 1998, and in HCM City in 2003.

Luxury yoga, fitness centre opens in Ha Noi

HA NOI — After opening two immensely successful clubs in HCM City, California Fitness&Yoga Centres have landed in Ha Noi.

Located in the new Sky City Tower at 88 Lang Ha Street, the new fitness centre offers fitness programmes, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, and other services, including five yoga studios, an aerobics studio, a juice bar and internet lounge, a kids fitness centre, and a swimming pool. The centre also offers holistic beauty treatments.

The club offers four membership levels and operates from 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday.

Apollo students earn Cambridge English certificates

HA NOI — Apollo English has granted certificates to more than 300 young learners in Ha Noi and HCM City.

The Cambridge English certificates were awarded to Apollo English students, aged 7 to 12 years old, who sat for three tests titled Starters, Movers and Flyers.

The Cambridge English tests for young learners are part of Apollo's summer programme each year.

Chairman of Apollo English Khalid Muhmood said students at the school gain confidence in their English skills.

"Seeing the children's progression in their English learning is a great joy to me and also for their parents," he said.

"The certificates are the students' ‘shields' that makes them more confident and familiar with international-style examinations. It's a good start for their future". — VNS

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Olympic English contest launched

HCM City — Registration opened yesterday for the Olympic English Contest 2010 in HCM City for high school pupils who wish to practice English and gain essential skills for entering the workforce in the near future.

The three-round contest, being held jointly by Apollo English and the Department of Education and Training of HCM City, is open to 10th and 11th grade pupils from all HCM City high schools.

The first round will be held on October 10 at a high school in HCM City. Contestants will take a 100-question multiple choice test with questions spanning across various topics, such as culture, history and society.

Second round contestants will be challenged with a 50-question multiple choice test and a 50-question listening test.

The final round will include two parts: a quick Q&A session and an oral presentation session.

Khalid Muhmood, chairman of Apollo English said: "This is the first time Apollo English is holding this contest in co-ordination with HCM City's Department of Education and Training, and we are honoured to create a meaningful playground for pupils in this city. Organising this contest is one of our efforts to show our commitment to the development of Vietnamese students and to create a frequent academic playground that helps build confidence and winning results."

Contest registration is open until October 4. Pupils can register at their schools or online at http://apollo.edu.vn/olympic. — VNS

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SHTP donates English study aids to school

The Saigon High-Tech Park (SHTP) on Monday donated English study aids to Long Thanh My Elementary Schools in District 9.

It included about 500 books, CDs, games and posters for English study.

Long Thanh My School will use the donation to hold English story telling contests, karaoke singing in English, creative club and English film screenings.

The donation was a SHTP social activity under this year’s “For a developed and happy community” program, to assist education of local students and to mark the park’s eighth anniversary on October 24.

Hotel Equatorial brings joy to kids and oldies

On the occasion of Mid-Autumn Festival, the Hotel Equatorial HCMC on Monday visited homeless old people and children at Thanh Loc Center in HCMC’s District 12.

The hotel team together with the hotel’s ambassadors, supermodel Ha Anh and actor Chi Bao, brought food, moon cakes and lanterns to organize a warm Mid-Autumn Festival for the elderly and children there. Established since 2006, the center is home to 279 disabled old people and 63 disabled children from 3 to 18 years old.

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MoET, British Council launch website for teachers

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in cooperation with the UK’s international educational organization British Council has launched a website with resources for local high school teachers.

The website www.teachingenglish.edu.vn links to a large selection of reference resources and English textbooks approved by MoET for grades 10, 11 and 12.

“The site is a very useful source of materials for both teachers and learners of English in Vietnam… implementing the strategy ‘Foreign languages teaching and learning in the national education system – period 2008-2020,’” Nguyen Vinh Hien, vice minister of MoET, said at the launch in HCMC last week.

The website provides teachers with useful teaching resources, techniques and methodologies, which have been consulted by Vietnamese and British specialists.

By logging on teachers can select an interactive activity to supplement their lessons. Guidelines for using the activities are in both English and Vietnamese, and there are also low-tech options for classrooms without a computer.

Teachers can find tips on dealing with a range of everyday problems such as correcting errors and managing large classes. There is also a section on professional development and opportunities to become part of a global network of teachers via the online forum. The website contents will be extended to elementary school teachers in the 2011 academic year.

The website is part of the British Council’s four-year project, Access English.

Access English aims to support changes in English language teaching for policy makers, educators and teachers. It has researched primary English language teaching in Vietnam, supported MoET and the national textbook writing team to develop new materials and curriculums, and has supported Danang University and Hanoi Junior Teacher Training College to design training courses for primary school English language teachers. The project has also worked with the National Institute for Educational Sciences to develop a new primary school English curriculum that is being piloted at 92 elementary schools across the country this academic year

The British Council is also working with MoET and several higher education institutes in Hanoi, Danang and HCMC to run a course called Primary Innovations, to train workshop facilitators.

The UK’s international educational organization is also coaching a group of trainers from Vietnam’s English Teacher and Training Network to train secondary school English teachers in eleven provinces throughout the country. At Friday’s launch, MoET and the British Council announced a competition to design a lesson plan or video a lesson using the resources on the website. The winners will fly to the U.K to study English or Singapore to attend the Regional Language Center conference.

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High school contest to mark Ha Noi's 1,000th anniversary

HA NOI — Kieu Thuy Van of the Thach That high school won the special prize at the final round of the Ha Noi Millennium English Contest, jointly held by Apollo English and the Department of Education and Training of Ha Noi, sponsored by Nokia Ovi-Chat, which took place yesterday in Ha Noi.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram of the Ha Noi-Amsterdam high school received first prize, Nguyen Thai Hoang of the Thang Long high school achieved second prize and Nguyen Hong Hanh and Nguyen Le Van Anh, both from the Son Tay high school, shared third prize.

Nguyen Huu Do, director of the Department of Education and Training of Ha Noi, said at the event, "The Ha Noi Millennium English Contest is one of the activities aimed at implementing the National Foreign Languages Programme 2020 and celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of the city."

The contest was an opportunity for Vietnamese pupils to explore Ha Noi's 1,000-year history and culture and improve their English communication skills. It also helps to encourage pupils' learning spirits, and thus widen their knowledge of both the English language and other cultural values, said Do

Khalid Muhmood, chairman of Apollo English, said after the final contest, "We are honoured to create a playground for pupils and it is also an opportunity for them to express their love of Ha Noi. We hope that there will be more educationally meaningful playgrounds like this for young people in Viet Nam."

Also in the final round, another first prize was presented to the Nguyen Hue high school for best musical performance to celebrate the 1,000-year old Ha Noi, among the 10 schools which had the largest number of candidates in the first round.

This contest was officially launched in May and has attracted nearly 2,000 students from more than 100 high schools in Ha Noi. — VNS

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Millenium English contest enters finals

HA NOI — The Ha Noi Millennium English Contest, jointly held by Apollo English and the Department of Education and Training in Ha Noi, sponsored by Nokia Ovi-Chat, has reached its final round, after being officially launched in May. The event will be held on Sunday at the Tuoi Tre Theatre in Ha Noi.

The contest aims to provide Ha Noi school students the opportunity to understand more about the capital's history while at the same time improving their English language skills by telling stories about the capital in English.

After beating nearly 2,000 students from more than 100 high schools, 25 students from 13 high schools in Ha Noi, all with the highest scores in the first two rounds, have been short listed to compete with each other to determine the winner of this contest.

The final round is comprised of three parts: Part One – Quick Q&A, Part Two – Sudden Death, and Part Three – Oral Presentation. In Part One, 25 students will answer 10 questions with varying levels of difficulty.

The 10 students with the highest scores will then enter the next part – Sudden Death. The five best students of that section will then enter the third – Oral Presentation.

The topics for these segments will revolve around the history of Ha Noi. In the last part, the five final students will take turns giving a presentation on the theme "Learning from the 1,000-year history of Ha Noi: what will the youth of today do?"

An additional question from the judging board will be asked after each presentation.

The selection criteria includes a knowledge of history, English language abilities and good presentation skills. The winners will receive valuable awards, scholarships and gifts from Apollo and Nokia.

Along with the 25 students entering the final round, the 10 high schools with the most students joining in the first round will also participate in this final round. These schools will bring exciting performances to the table to celebrate the1,000-year anniversary of Ha Noi. — VNS

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