Ca Tru folk music sees revival

The family of Ca tru -- (from L) drummer Nguyen Van Mui, singer Nguyen Thuy Hoa, and three-stringed lute artist Nguyen Van Khue. Young singer Kieu Oanh (at back)

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The millennium-old northern folk music genre of Ca tru is making a comeback after decades of neglect, with more and more young girls training to become dao nuong, or professional singers.

The music is said to have originated in Hanoi during the Ly Dynasty era around 1,000 years ago, mainly to entertain the royal court just like many other Vietnamese arts.

With the unwritten rule that only young, beautiful girls could become dao nuong, things took a nasty turn in the 20th century when mandarins and high-profile officials began to prey on them.

A stigma soon set in and “good” young girls were no longer taking up Ca tru.

The feudal system may have ended in Vietnam in 1945 but the shame persisted until recently.

It took UNESCO’s conferring of the status of an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding in 2009 for the stigma to be shed and a revival to begin.

It takes years for a young girl to master control over rhythms and tones and become a Ca tru vocalist. It is usually performed as an ensemble with at least two more performers on a ceremonial drum and a dan day, the three-stringed lute.

The most illustrious dao nuong of the 20th century and renowned to this day despite her death 10 years ago was Quach Thi Ho.

Ho is cherished not only for talent but also her great love for and her sacrifice for Ca tru.

During the difficult period in the 20th century, Ho remained steadfast and continued to sing despite being scorned by neighbors.

One of her closest friends is Prof Dr Tran Van Khe, who recorded some of her music in 1976 to take Vietnamese folk music to the outside world.

Two years later, UNESCO and the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation awarded Ho an honorary credential for her contribution to preserving traditional music.

In 1988 the recordings won the top prize at an international traditional music festival in North Korea attended by 29 nations. The same year the Vietnamese government conferred on her the title of People’s Artist, the only Ca tru artist to be thus honored.

Despite fearing the possible extinction of the art form, Ho was hesitant to teach it due to the social prejudices.

Once when writer Luu Trong Van asked her why she refused to teach it, she replied: “Who is willing to learn it? And learn for what?

“A high-profile cultural official told me bluntly that my Ca tru mainly served feudalists and colonialists.

“Let a tree dying out die out,” she quoted him as telling her.

“You just wait to see its flowers blossom,” she replied.

One family

The ancient folk music has been well preserved by at least a family of Nguyen of Hanoi’s Thai Ha, a place with a rich Ca tru tradition.

The family, known commonly as Nguyen Thai Ha, produced many famous singers and three-stringed lute players who performed in royal courts - such as Nguyen Duc Y, Nguyen Van Xuan, and Nguyen Thi Tuyet.

 

Nguyen Thi Tuyet - one of the Ca tru masters of the Nguyen - Thai Ha family

Related Articles

• Australia wants stronger cooperation to vocational education
• City promotes prepaid bus cards
• Overloaded trucks keep damaging roads in south
• 7 detained as train hits 6 cars stuck on tracks
• Saigon-Hanoi charity caravan heads north

Flower road closes, receives 800,000 visits

View more pictures

" style="display:none" >" style="display:none" >" style="display:none" >

Nearly 800,000 people visited the flower-bedecked Nguyen Hue Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City during the seven days the flower show was open to the public.

It was closed at 10pm yesterday – the fourth day of the lunar new year with a street performance.

Over 100,000 people visited the Road yesterday

Tran Hung Viet, deputy director of Saigontourist and chief organizer of the flower show, told Tuoi Tre that on New Year's Eve, more than 100,000 people visited the road and enjoyed a fireworks display there.

Currently, hundreds of workers are cleaning up to return the Nguyen Hue road to normalcy. The job is expected to be finished by 6pm today.

A performance on Le Loi Road to conclude the flower show

This time, the flower festival was themed “New Heights” during the Year of the Cat.

It was divided into various segments this year like “Vietnamese Spirit,” “southern Tet holiday,” “New Heights,” “Peaceful Spring,” “Time of the Season,” and “Humane Garden.”

Under the segment themed “southern Tet holiday” from Le Loi to Nguyen Thiep Streets, organizers created a festive atmosphere using traditional Tet images like the cylindrical glutinous rice cake, watermelon, and flowers with a pair of happy wooden cats.

“New Heights” from Nguyen Thiep to Huynh Thuc Khang Streets was decorated with garlands, multi-colored lanterns, kites, and bamboo flowers, all symbols of the country’s unity and development.

Orchids, stylized lotus petals, baskets of flowers, small boats of flowers, a house of roses and others featured in “Peaceful spring” between Huynh Thuc Khang and Ngo Duc Ke Streets.

“Time of the season” from Ngo Duc Ke to Hai Trieu featured rice paddies, ceramic flowerpots, Tet-themed paintings, and cards.

A foreign tourist posing with two performers walking on stilts during a performance yesterday

Related Articles

• Overloaded trucks keep damaging roads in south
• Flower industry hopes to expand markets in Asia
• Weighstations expose shortcomings
• Ho Chi Minh City bookworms rummage festival
• Train driver, guards face prosecution after accident

Nguyen Hue to become flower road during Tet

The perspective of Nguyen Hue flower road in the Lunar New Year of Cat

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Hue Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City will become a flower-bedecked road themed “New Heights” during the Lunar New Year of the Cat.

The eagerly awaited annual flower show is divided into various segments this year like “Vietnamese Spirit,” “southern Tet holiday,” “New Heights,” “Peaceful Spring,” “Time of the Season,” and “Humane Garden.”

“Vietnamese Spirit” will see the bust of Ho Chi Minh in front of the People’s Committee decorated with apricots and lotus, which is a symbol of Vietnam.

“Humane garden” will see the Cay Lieu (Willow) roundabout decorated like the sun, considered a symbol of new life.

Under the segment themed “southern Tet holiday” from Le Loi to Nguyen Thiep Streets, organizers will create a festive atmosphere using traditional Tet images like the cylindrical glutinous rice cake, watermelon, and flowers while a pair of happy wooden cats will symbolize the year.

“New Heights” from Nguyen Thiep to Huynh Thuc Khang Streets will be decorated with garlands, multi-colored lanterns, kites, and bamboo flowers, all symbols of the country’s unity and development.

Orchids, stylized lotus petals, baskets of flowers, small boats of flowers, a house of roses and others will feature in “Peaceful spring” between Huynh Thuc Khang and Ngo Duc Ke Streets.

“Time of the season” from Ngo Duc Ke to Hai Trieu will feature rice paddies, ceramic flowerpots, Tet-themed paintings, and cards.

The New Year, Tet, is on February 3 this year and the road will remain covered in flowers from January 31 to February 6.

Related Articles

• New road helps tap tourism potential
• PM launches news channel
• Vietnam releases 2010 employment trends report
• IFC: Vietnam needs to increase PPP to support economy
• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010

Youthful stars in concert

Violinist Bui Cong Duy - Photo: Courtesy of HBSO

A shock began last Wednesday’s HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra (HBSO) concert in the Saigon Opera House – a ten-year old boy, Nguyen The Vinh, sitting at the keyboard waiting to begin the opening movement of Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D. It was the start of an evening mostly devoted to star students from Hanoi’s National Academy of Music, though set to conclude with the appearance of the tutor of many of them, celebrated violinist Bui Cong Duy.

Vinh, both formal and breath-takingly nonchalant, was warmly received. A harder task confronted violinist Nguyen Linh Uyen (16) with the second and third movements of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Romantic works demand an expressive emotional commitment many believe even 16-year-olds can’t come up with. But her high notes proved sweet, and her technique allowed her to get away nicely with the difficult third movement.

Bui Cam Ly (18) followed with two short crowd-pleasers, Massenet’s Meditation and Elgar’s Salut d’amour, the second taken at a surprisingly brisk pace. But the best of the youthful violinists was saved until last. Nguyen Thien Minh (17) immediately established his pre-eminence by his confidence and assured stage presence, and gave Pablo de Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen with great brilliance. A mature interpretative disposition and a strong sense of style together brought the first half of the evening to a close with an ovation, and rightly.

But the second half began with an equally stellar performance – Do Hoang Linh Chi (13) playing the opening movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C, K.467. Here was another indubitable stylist, lovingly playful, and showing in her phrasing and emphases a mastery that would have graced a pianist of any age. The orchestra, too, recognized her star quality and dutifully rose to the occasion.

Finally Bui Cong Duy appeared, playing the solo violin part in Nguyen Manh Duy Linh’s Concerto Grosso for violin, piano, percussion and string orchestra. It proved a difficult work to come to terms with for the audience, but, with the composer himself present, this was clearly an important occasion. And if what we shall remember are first and foremost Hanoi’s young instrumentalists, this nevertheless proved a successful and happy event all round.

Related Articles

• Young stars raise profile of Vietnam chess
• HCMC urges efforts to save Dong Nai River
• Mai Phuong Thuy likely to win fifth HTV Award

Vietnamese treasures shine in Seoul's heart

The 19th-century throne of the Crown Prince of the Nguyen Dynasty

Photo: Korea Time

Vietnam and Korea seem to have nothing particular in common due to their geographical distance. But upon closer inspection, we can find that the two countries share many things — Confucian culture, colonial occupation and Chinese influence in history.

In modern times, the two have cooperated in economic exchanges since they established diplomatic relations in 1992.

In an effort to offer insight into the history and culture of Korea through a pan-Asian perspective and highlight the shared culture of the two countries, the National Palace Museum of Korea is holing a special exhibition titled “Treasures of the Vietnamese Nguyen Dynasty” through Feb. 6.

The exhibition features 165 relics and artifacts dating from the dynasty and photographs and videos of historical places in Hue, the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty in association with the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum in Vietnam.

The Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the last Vietnamese dynasty, relocated its capital city from Hanoi in the northern part of the country to Hue in the central region, to unite the cultures of the North and the South within the Confucian cultural sphere and established its borders to what is now present-day Vietnam. The dynasty was under the strong cultural influence of China.

The exhibition hall greets visitors with its glamorous throne of the Crown Prince from the 19th century set front and center, which symbolizes the nobility and dignity of the dynasty.

The exhibition also displays the relics used in shrines and rituals as the country is a Confucian society due to the strong Chinese influence. The rulers succeeded the traditions of previous dynasties and legitimized their authority by building the Nam Giao Esplanade, the Xa Tac Altar and the Temple of Literature.

The dynasty built a slew of shrines such as the Mieu and Thai Mieu within the Imperial Citadel of Hue. The exhibition features a tripod incense burner from 1925, along with a ceremonial sword and instruments used in various rituals.

The middle section of the exhibition features royal attire of the dynasty that shows the styles established at the Qing royal court. The relics, which are similar to those from China, were categorized into ceremonial, formal and casual attire. The imperial family wore boots embroidered with symbolic patterns such as dragons or phoenixes, along with distinguishable hats or gold coronets depending on the ceremony. In everyday life, they wore silk shoes adorned with pearls and jade or gold accessories inscribed with a variety of titles and verses.

In the later part of the exhibition hall, sophisticated craftworks of the dynasty are on display. Items such as silver and lacquer wares were manufactured by the masters of the times and patterns representing the wearers’ dignity were also delicately engraved. Most ceramic pieces were imported while some were custom-made with a taste of the Nguyen court.

An impressive part of the exhibition is the digital reconstruction of the Hue Citadel conducted by KAIST’s Graduate School of Cultural Technology. The 3D reconstruction of the citadel can be seen in the exhibition hall to show the former splendor of the dynasty.

Related Articles

• Mothers share sorrow of war
• Chau Doc’s curried fish vermicelli: Bun nuoc ken
• Documentaries screened to mark Party Congress

Tamarind Street And Its Landmarks

Nguyen Du Street in HCM City’s District 1 has been named unofficially as “the street of tamarind leaves”

The tropical tamarind is among the trees popular on the streets of Saigon. So, it will take one some time to make a full list of streets in HCM City whose sidewalks are lined with rows of tamarind trees—Pham Ngoc Thach, Ly Tu Trong, Hai Ba Trung, Vo Van Tan, Le Thanh Ton and Le Quy Don, to name just a few. Among these names, one stands out: Nguyen Du Street in District 1.

Archives show that the tamarind was first introduced into Saigon by the French authorities about 150 years ago. Saigon Stories does not know for sure how old are the tamarinds on Nguyen Du are. But some are old enough to provide pedestrians with shadowy walkways beneath. The tamarind-lined street has been sources of inspiration for generations of Vietnamese poets and poetesses who praised romantic love. Imagine walking hand in hand with your sweetheart on the sidewalk of the street while tiny tamarind leaves are blowing in the wind. Now it’s time for you to say, “Spring is here, and romance is in the air.”

Historically, Nguyen Du was an old street first built by the French authorities during the time Vietnam was under French domination. It then consisted of two different streets. The first, name Lucien Mossard, ran from Nguyen Binh Khiem Street to what is now Hai Ba Trung Street. The second, Taberd Street, was the rest of the current street. In 1955, the Saigon regime joined the two and renamed it Nguyen Du.

The present 2-km-long street starts from Nguyen Binh Khiem in District 1, and stops at Cach Mang Thang Tam, also in the same district. However, the section of Nguyen Du from Ton Duc Thang Boulevard to Nguyen Binh Khiem Street has been blocked from public access.

By chance, the street lends its romanticism to its own name. Nguyen Du (1765-1820) is one of Vietnam’s greatest poets. The 3,254-line Truyn Kiu (The Tale of Kieu), the poet’s immortal work, is a sad romance in verse, which has moved generations of Vietnamese in love. Excerpts of Truyn Kiu are classic examples of Vietnamese poetic beauty, which have found their ways to official textbooks in the country.

Perhaps the most romantic section of the street extends from the intersection of Nguyen Du and Dong Khoi streets to its end on Cach Mang Thang Tam. The wide sidewalk, particularly the section on the side of the Reunification Palace—the Presidential Palace of the former Saigon regime, is an ideal place for joggers.
In addition to the Reunification Palace, Nguyen Du has other landmarks, too. Walk up the street from the palace toward Hai Ba Trung Street and you’ll pass the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral before reaching the HCM City Central Post Office. Then cross Hai Ba Trung Street and you’ll arrive at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon, one of the biggest hotels in town.

If you walk down the palace toward Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, you’ll pass the HCM City Conservatory on the right. It is on the opposite side of the South Korean Consulate General. Take just a few steps further you’ll arrive at the gate of Tao Dan Park, arguably Saigon’s most famous park.

Some nostalgic Saigonese who must live away from their hometown have referred to their city as “the city of flying tamarind leaves.” You would agree with them if you visit Nguyen Du Street.

Related Articles

• Chau Doc’s curried fish vermicelli: Bun nuoc ken
• Prime Minister discusses relations, co-operation with Lao counterpart

Final three vie for Viet Nam's Top Model

Model behaviour: From top right Nguyen Thu Thuy, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan and Khieu Thi Huyen

HCM CITY — The three top contestants shortlisted from thousands of candidates for the Viet Nam's Next Top Model reality show will compete during the final round in HCM City on January 23.

After participating in training with foreign experts during a programme aired on VTV3 in September last year, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan, Khieu Thi Huyen Trang and Nguyen Thu Thuy said they had learned more about the job of a professional fashion model.

According to organisers, the winner will receive a VND2 billion contract for two years with CA Model, a training course in New York with Wilhelmina Models, the trainer of winners of the beauty contest American's Next Top Model. She will also receive several gifts worth a total of VND800 million.

In order to prepare for the important night, the finalists will have to work even harder for the show later this month.

On Tuesday the three flew to Singapore for a photo shoot for Her World magazine with foreign photographers.

During the final night of the competition, to be held at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon, another 15 candidates who had been selected in the top 18, will model on the catwalk with some of Viet Nam's favourite singers.

The contest, a version of the US hit television series America's Next Top Model, has aired 15 episodes that have contained many exciting and surprising moments.

America's Next Top Model, which premiered on US television in 2003, is a popular annual talent search that chronicles the transformation of everyday young women into potentially fierce supermodels.

The programme concept has been licensed internationally, and there are versions of the series in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and China. — VNS

Related Articles

• Millenium English contest enters finals
• Nadal installed as top seed for US Open
• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010
• Supermarkets stop selling toxic Chinese cups
• Wozniacki cruises to win at Montreal Cup

Delta man becomes Mr Viet Nam

Winner: Mr Viet Nam 2010 Le Khoi Nguyen will represent Viet Nam in the Mr International competition in the Philippines. — VNS File Photo

HA NOI — Le Khoi Nguyen, 20, from the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Dong Thap, has been crowned Mister Viet Nam 2010, beats off 30 other contenders for the title in a pageant in the coastal city of Vung Tau.

He received a cash prize of VND100 million (US$5,000) and will represent Viet Nam at the Mister International 2011 contest to be held in the Philippines.

The competition, which aims to honour the physical beauty, spirit and knowledge of Vietnamese men, was held for the first time in Viet Nam, organised by the Bac Dau Entertainment Co, and broadcast on Viet Nam Television's VTV9.

Do Ba Dat, 24, from HCM City, and Ha Trong Tai, 21, from Ha Noi, were named first and second runners up and won VND50 million ($2,500) and VND30 million ($1,500), respectively.

During the final round of the contest on Saturday night, Nguyen Nhat Duy won the title Mister Sport, while Pham Thanh was named Mister Talent and Vu Duy Hung was dubbed Mister Gentleman. The judges also presented the title of Mister Knowledge to Do Ba Dat, and Mister Environment and Mister Favourite to Le Kien Dinh. Each received a prize of VND10 million ($500).

The judging panel included historian Duong Trung Quoc, designer Nguyen Manh Cuong, photographer Quoc Huy, anthropometrist Tham Hoang Diep, and Mr International 2010 Ryan Terry. — VNS

Related Articles

• Banks scramble for mid-level managers
• IFC: Vietnam needs to increase PPP to support economy
• Vietnam’s tra fish export to Egypt still down
• USDA forecasts strong corn import from Vietnam
• Young stars raise profile of Vietnam chess

Thousands throng downtown for 2011 countdown

Thousands of youngsters sing and dance to celebrate New Year at the round stage in the center of Nguyen Hue Street

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Tens of thousands gathered in downtown Ho Chi Minh City’s Nguyen Hue and Le Loi Streets on the New Year Eve last night to celebrate and took part in a massive Heineken Countdown Party starting 9 pm.

Revelers jamming together to wave in New Year in downtown city

 

Thousands of youths are counting down to the New Year in downtown city

Countdown Party kicks off, 10, 9, 8…

Thousands looking at the countdown clock, eager for a new year

A foreign tourist dancing and singing with locals

Thousands of youths raise their hands to support the singers performing in public

Dong Khoi Street dazzled by lights

The park in front of HCMC People’s Committee covered in colorful neon lights

Singer Ha Anh Tuan shakes hands with fans on Nguyen Hue Street

Youths count down from 20…

Fireworks light up city skies immediately after New Year

International tourists and Vietnamese youngsters in celebration

Related Articles

• Vietnam cuts cocoa area target a third due to slow planting
• Blue seas and unspoiled beaches
• Chau Doc’s curried fish vermicelli: Bun nuoc ken
• City promotes prepaid bus cards
• No milk price hike: Finance Ministry

Coffee museum first placed in HCMC

Tourists take photos of the coffee display at Trung Nguyen coffee shop at Nguyen Van Chiem St., District 1. - Photo: Tuong Vi

Trung Nguyen’s Creative Youth Coffee House next to Diamond Plaza has transformed itself into a coffee museum for the next month.

The garden coffee shop that is on the narrow street between the Youth Cultural House and Diamond Plaza, has 100 items about coffee on display including grinders and roasting machines.  The pieces are part of a collection of 10,000 items about
coffee that belongs to a German coffee lover, Jens Burg.

Burg provided part of his collection to help Trung Nguyen Corp. set up Vietnam’s first coffee museum in Buon Ma Thuot in the Central
Highlands province of Daklak, where the coffee maker harvests most of its beans.

Two billion people world-wide drink coffee, so the exhibition is bound to have appeal. The displays show where coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia and follows its history with stories of different coffee concoctions using butter, milk, herbs and wine.

The café has a large outdoor area shaded by umbrellas and trees and a large glass walled lounge that looks across the garden area. In addition to the different kinds of Trung Ngu
yen coffee, there’s a food menu that features Gia Lai dried noodles, a dish that’s loved by highlanders.

The coffee museum opening in March in Buon Ma Thuot City will be called the Global Coffee Sanctuary and cover 50 hectares. Brazil, Japan, Russia, the U.K, Australia and Switzerland already have coffee museums but the sanctuary will have the largest number of items on display.

“We have made Buon Ma Thuot into a city of coffee to build the
coffee brand for the city, for Vietnam and the world,” Dinh Van Khiet, vice chairman of People’s Committee of Daklak Province, said.

Related Articles

• Coffee museum first placed in HCMC
• Food promotions at Grand and First hotels
• HCMC begins to think about giving up meat
• Australia wants stronger cooperation to vocational education
• Culture Vulture

Three-part exhibit features multiple shades of Ha Noi

Multiple personalities: A painting by Bui Xuan Phai.

HA NOI — An exhibition entitled Ha Noi – City Mirrored in Art displaying works by more than 20 artists who have featured the capital city in their creations opened on Thursday.

The exhibition, curated by Natasha Kraevskaia and Lisa Drummond, both of whom designed their exhibits based on their passion and scientific expertise, will be held in three separate parts.

The first part, to run until December 3, with theme Nostalgic, Utopian, Romantic and Idealised, shows Ha Noi as more of a dreamy than melancholy place, bright and airy rather than dark and muggy. Part one features works by artists such as Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Bao Toan, Vuong Thao, Brian Ring, Do Phan and Tran Nguyen Hieu, who have all portrayed Ha Noi as a romantic and nostalgic place.

A jazz concert by Thaerichens Tentett accompanied the opening ceremony in the courtyard of the Goethe Institute.

Ha Noi – Dystopian, Realistic, and Change will be the theme of the second part of the exhibition which will open on December 7. The six-day exhibition will focus on Ha Noi as an urban structure which is undergoing rapid change and upheaval.

Long considered romantic, Ha Noi is becoming a contradictory city which can be viewed critically through the works by Do Minh Tam, Vu Bich Thuy, Nguyen The Son, Vu Dan Tan, Nguyen Nhu Y and others.

The final part of Ha Noi – City Mirrored in Art will display the artistic research conducted by Hamburg photographer Andre Lutzen along the blurred border between private and public life in the Vietnamese capital.

In his series Public/Private Ha Noi, the artist plays with the contradictions and paradoxical harmonies of these two poles.

Opening on December 16, the final part of the exhibition will run until December 30.

Enjoy the exhibit at the Goethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. — VNS

Related Articles

• Chau Doc’s curried fish vermicelli: Bun nuoc ken
• Saigon-Hanoi charity caravan heads north
• Mothers share sorrow of war
• Local tour operators honored in Thailand
• Controversy reigns over halt in Ha Noi building projects

Epic poems given to province

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Articles

• Aid for thousands in four poor provinces
• Aid for thousands in four poor provinces
• Vietnam, Lao localities look toward socio-economic cooperation
• President Triet on official visit to Laos
• North should ensure sustainable growth

Comedian Nguyen Hanh dies

The much loved comedian, Nguyen Hanh (R), who passed away on Saturday

Comedian Nguyen Hanh passed away at the age of 70 at Hospital 115 last week after a long struggle with diabetes, heart and kidney disease, reports Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.

Nguyen Hanh performed in many cai luong (Southern opera) and drama troupes including Kim Hoang Nhu Mai, Bich Thuan, Kim Cuong, Song Tuy Hong and Tham Thuy Hang among others. Hanh also played in two movies named Loan mat nhung of Cosunams Film Studio and Sau gio gioi nghiem (After curfew) of My Van Film Studio.

Hanh was known by many fans for his role as Tu van nghe in the television drama Gia dinh ong Ky (Mr. Ky’s family) with actors Tam Van, Kim Cuc, Minh Chanh and Tu Trinh.

After South Liberation Day on April 30, 1975, he joined Bong Hong Theater Company and No. 284 Cai luong troupe where he took part in famous pieces such as Doi Co Luu (The life of Ms. Luu), To Anh Nguyet, Pha Le va Cat Bui (Crystal and Dust) and Nhung vi sao khong ten (Nameless stars). Audiences especially loved his role in the drama Ngao so oc hen of the Sai Gon 1 Stage. His last stage role was as a showman in Than tuong nua dem (Midnight idol) by playwright, Thu An. 

In his personal life, Hanh was known for his optimism and sense of humor and his readiness to teach young actors. Most comedians at Saigon Drama Stage and Nu cuoi moi stage called him their father. Hanh’s work and devotion will be a lesson for generations of young artists.

Related Articles

• Vietnamese dies in French hostel fire
• Travel demand up but prices unchanged
• Many bus, taxi firms ignore new price-control regulations
• Wushu artists win three silvers
• Writers’ temple to display bronze drums

A tale of a family’s struggle to cope

Dustin Nguyen’s character, Vo, (L) in a rare moment of intimacy with the rescued prostitute, Suong, played by Do Thi Hai Yen, who also starred in the Quiet American - Photo: Courtesy of BHD

Canh dong bat tan (Floating lives) is a Vietnamese movie for the emotions and the senses. The film-makers beautifully capture the textures and sounds of the Mekong Delta in this aptly named tale about wanderers and how they cope with events in their lives.

The slow moving story takes place on a small wooden diesel motor boat, typical of boats in the waterways in Dong Thap province where the filming was done.

The boat carries the four main characters, who have almost no connection with anyone or anything beyond the boat’s gunwales, except for a flock of ducks.

The sounds of ducks and the beautiful cooing sounds of the teenage son named Dien (played by Vo Thanh Hoa), who tends them, are woven throughout the soundtrack. The ducks embody the uneducated teen’s defiant and sometimes reckless loyalty that he simply lives without question or fear.

The story starts out when Dien saves a beautiful young woman from an all woman village lynching squad, who are screeching for her blood because she prostituted herself to one of their husbands.

The horribly beaten woman named Suong (played by Do Thi Hai Yen) escapes by staggering through a maze of riverside wooden gangways, and by chance collapses on the bow of Dien’s family’s boat. Dien vouches for her to his brooding father, Vo, (played by Dustin Nguyen) and the boat slowly motors her away from danger.

Dien’s sister Nuong (played by Lan Ngoc) nurses her below deck, through three days of semi-consciousness. When she has enough strength, the frank-speaking Suong quickly builds relationships with the brother and sister, but it’s impossible for her to reach the father whose dark energy pervades the boat as it chugs through the canals. To Dien and Nuong, she plays the part of the mother they lost a decade ago and helps to heal some of their long-felt hurt. To the cruel father, who is too obsessed and angered by the way he lost his wife to give his children love, Suong is a worthless prostitute that is nothing but a burden to him. As the duped husband, Dustin Nguyen plays the victim role well and it is shocking when he tries to dump his children also.

The young director, Nguyen Phan Quang Binh delves adroitly into the emotions contained in Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s short story, “Boundless Rice Field”. The audience cries and giggles as they recognize characters from their own lives on the screen. The acting is good without being brilliant and the translation for the subtitles is done with sensitivity. The grainy quality of the film suits the subject matter and goes wonderfully with the sound making it a must to see at the cinema.

One of the amazing things about the life of these wanderers is how vast and impersonal the Mekong Delta is. It is vital for the children to stay with the boat. If they get separated from it, it would disappear forever. The insecurity is almost tangible.

In one scene, Dien climbs a tower in the paddy fields to try and spot Suong; he vainly scans the endless fields and canals and is left in emotional desolation. Lifelines like mobile phones or emails are worthless to this broken family, who live an almost cashless life except for the sale of a few ducks or eggs. It’s a lyrical depiction of the isolating powerlessness of poverty and the sense of smallness in a vast uncaring wilderness. Love is the only security they have.

VND3.3 billion in takings

Canh Dong Bat Tan, which was produced by BHD Co. Ltd. and Vietnam Studio, had VND3.3 billion in takings after three-day showing in the country’s cinemas.

On the first day, the film burned up the box office worldwide. In HCMC, Cinebox Hoa Binh sold 2,000 tickets and Thang Long Cinema 900, eight times more than the Korean movie Hearty Paws and American flick, The Other Guys. It also blitzed Vietnamese production, Inferno, which only sold 670 tickets in its first three-days. Megastar Cineplex Hung Vuong had to get an extra copy so it could have Floating Lives screening in three cinemas with shows starting every half an hour. On three days of last weekend, over 11,000 movie-goers rushed to HCMC-based cinemas Galaxy Nguyen Du and Galaxy Nguyen Trai. A representative of BHD said there are 23 copies of the film currently screening nationwide, 17 of them in HCMC. By Tuong Vi

Related Articles

• A tale of a family’s struggle to cope
• Anti-human trafficking bill goes under the microscope
• General Giap receives 70-year Party badge
• Banks scramble for mid-level managers
• Assoc insists on power price hike despite protests

A tale of a family’s struggle to cope

Dustin Nguyen’s character, Vo, (L) in a rare moment of intimacy with the rescued prostitute, Suong, played by Do Thi Hai Yen, who also starred in the Quiet American - Photo: Courtesy of BHD

Canh dong bat tan (Floating lives) is a Vietnamese movie for the emotions and the senses. The film-makers beautifully capture the textures and sounds of the Mekong Delta in this aptly named tale about wanderers and how they cope with events in their lives.

The slow moving story takes place on a small wooden diesel motor boat, typical of boats in the waterways in Dong Thap province where the filming was done.

The boat carries the four main characters, who have almost no connection with anyone or anything beyond the boat’s gunwales, except for a flock of ducks.

The sounds of ducks and the beautiful cooing sounds of the teenage son named Dien (played by Vo Thanh Hoa), who tends them, are woven throughout the soundtrack. The ducks embody the uneducated teen’s defiant and sometimes reckless loyalty that he simply lives without question or fear.

The story starts out when Dien saves a beautiful young woman from an all woman village lynching squad, who are screeching for her blood because she prostituted herself to one of their husbands.

The horribly beaten woman named Suong (played by Do Thi Hai Yen) escapes by staggering through a maze of riverside wooden gangways, and by chance collapses on the bow of Dien’s family’s boat. Dien vouches for her to his brooding father, Vo, (played by Dustin Nguyen) and the boat slowly motors her away from danger.

Dien’s sister Nuong (played by Lan Ngoc) nurses her below deck, through three days of semi-consciousness. When she has enough strength, the frank-speaking Suong quickly builds relationships with the brother and sister, but it’s impossible for her to reach the father whose dark energy pervades the boat as it chugs through the canals. To Dien and Nuong, she plays the part of the mother they lost a decade ago and helps to heal some of their long-felt hurt. To the cruel father, who is too obsessed and angered by the way he lost his wife to give his children love, Suong is a worthless prostitute that is nothing but a burden to him. As the duped husband, Dustin Nguyen plays the victim role well and it is shocking when he tries to dump his children also.

The young director, Nguyen Phan Quang Binh delves adroitly into the emotions contained in Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s short story, “Boundless Rice Field”. The audience cries and giggles as they recognize characters from their own lives on the screen. The acting is good without being brilliant and the translation for the subtitles is done with sensitivity. The grainy quality of the film suits the subject matter and goes wonderfully with the sound making it a must to see at the cinema.

One of the amazing things about the life of these wanderers is how vast and impersonal the Mekong Delta is. It is vital for the children to stay with the boat. If they get separated from it, it would disappear forever. The insecurity is almost tangible.

In one scene, Dien climbs a tower in the paddy fields to try and spot Suong; he vainly scans the endless fields and canals and is left in emotional desolation. Lifelines like mobile phones or emails are worthless to this broken family, who live an almost cashless life except for the sale of a few ducks or eggs. It’s a lyrical depiction of the isolating powerlessness of poverty and the sense of smallness in a vast uncaring wilderness. Love is the only security they have.

VND3.3 billion in takings

Canh Dong Bat Tan, which was produced by BHD Co. Ltd. and Vietnam Studio, had VND3.3 billion in takings after three-day showing in the country’s cinemas.

On the first day, the film burned up the box office worldwide. In HCMC, Cinebox Hoa Binh sold 2,000 tickets and Thang Long Cinema 900, eight times more than the Korean movie Hearty Paws and American flick, The Other Guys. It also blitzed Vietnamese production, Inferno, which only sold 670 tickets in its first three-days. Megastar Cineplex Hung Vuong had to get an extra copy so it could have Floating Lives screening in three cinemas with shows starting every half an hour. On three days of last weekend, over 11,000 movie-goers rushed to HCMC-based cinemas Galaxy Nguyen Du and Galaxy Nguyen Trai. A representative of BHD said there are 23 copies of the film currently screening nationwide, 17 of them in HCMC. By Tuong Vi

Related Articles

• A tale of a family’s struggle to cope
• Banks scramble for mid-level managers
• Foreign sea leases deprive locals of living
• ASEAN's socio-cultural issues promoted at Da Nang meeting
• Assoc insists on power price hike despite protests

A tale of a family’s struggle to cope

Dustin Nguyen’s character, Vo, (L) in a rare moment of intimacy with the rescued prostitute, Suong, played by Do Thi Hai Yen, who also starred in the Quiet American - Photo: Courtesy of BHD

Canh dong bat tan (Floating lives) is a Vietnamese movie for the emotions and the senses. The film-makers beautifully capture the textures and sounds of the Mekong Delta in this aptly named tale about wanderers and how they cope with events in their lives.

The slow moving story takes place on a small wooden diesel motor boat, typical of boats in the waterways in Dong Thap province where the filming was done.

The boat carries the four main characters, who have almost no connection with anyone or anything beyond the boat’s gunwales, except for a flock of ducks.

The sounds of ducks and the beautiful cooing sounds of the teenage son named Dien (played by Vo Thanh Hoa), who tends them, are woven throughout the soundtrack. The ducks embody the uneducated teen’s defiant and sometimes reckless loyalty that he simply lives without question or fear.

The story starts out when Dien saves a beautiful young woman from an all woman village lynching squad, who are screeching for her blood because she prostituted herself to one of their husbands.

The horribly beaten woman named Suong (played by Do Thi Hai Yen) escapes by staggering through a maze of riverside wooden gangways, and by chance collapses on the bow of Dien’s family’s boat. Dien vouches for her to his brooding father, Vo, (played by Dustin Nguyen) and the boat slowly motors her away from danger.

Dien’s sister Nuong (played by Lan Ngoc) nurses her below deck, through three days of semi-consciousness. When she has enough strength, the frank-speaking Suong quickly builds relationships with the brother and sister, but it’s impossible for her to reach the father whose dark energy pervades the boat as it chugs through the canals. To Dien and Nuong, she plays the part of the mother they lost a decade ago and helps to heal some of their long-felt hurt. To the cruel father, who is too obsessed and angered by the way he lost his wife to give his children love, Suong is a worthless prostitute that is nothing but a burden to him. As the duped husband, Dustin Nguyen plays the victim role well and it is shocking when he tries to dump his children also.

The young director, Nguyen Phan Quang Binh delves adroitly into the emotions contained in Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s short story, “Boundless Rice Field”. The audience cries and giggles as they recognize characters from their own lives on the screen. The acting is good without being brilliant and the translation for the subtitles is done with sensitivity. The grainy quality of the film suits the subject matter and goes wonderfully with the sound making it a must to see at the cinema.

One of the amazing things about the life of these wanderers is how vast and impersonal the Mekong Delta is. It is vital for the children to stay with the boat. If they get separated from it, it would disappear forever. The insecurity is almost tangible.

In one scene, Dien climbs a tower in the paddy fields to try and spot Suong; he vainly scans the endless fields and canals and is left in emotional desolation. Lifelines like mobile phones or emails are worthless to this broken family, who live an almost cashless life except for the sale of a few ducks or eggs. It’s a lyrical depiction of the isolating powerlessness of poverty and the sense of smallness in a vast uncaring wilderness. Love is the only security they have.

VND3.3 billion in takings

Canh Dong Bat Tan, which was produced by BHD Co. Ltd. and Vietnam Studio, had VND3.3 billion in takings after three-day showing in the country’s cinemas.

On the first day, the film burned up the box office worldwide. In HCMC, Cinebox Hoa Binh sold 2,000 tickets and Thang Long Cinema 900, eight times more than the Korean movie Hearty Paws and American flick, The Other Guys. It also blitzed Vietnamese production, Inferno, which only sold 670 tickets in its first three-days. Megastar Cineplex Hung Vuong had to get an extra copy so it could have Floating Lives screening in three cinemas with shows starting every half an hour. On three days of last weekend, over 11,000 movie-goers rushed to HCMC-based cinemas Galaxy Nguyen Du and Galaxy Nguyen Trai. A representative of BHD said there are 23 copies of the film currently screening nationwide, 17 of them in HCMC. By Tuong Vi

Related Articles

• A tale of a family’s struggle to cope
• Banks scramble for mid-level managers
• Foreign sea leases deprive locals of living
• ASEAN's socio-cultural issues promoted at Da Nang meeting
• Assoc insists on power price hike despite protests

"Floating Lives" deeply moves Korean audiences

Actress Do Hai Yen (black dress) casting Suong in “Floating Lives” talks with the audience at the Busan International Film Festival from October 7-15 in South Korea

"Canh Dong Bat Tan” (Floating Lives) has brought audiences of the 15th Pusan International Film Festival to tears in a room filled with the weight of human despair and the beauty of resilient emotions.

It competed in the New Currents category at the film festival which wrapped up today in Pusan port city, South Korea.

South Korean audiences saw the film before Vietnamese can do as of October 22. Silence fell in two projection rooms with nearly 800 seats in Lotte movie-theater as the Monochord’s lament came to a halt. The silent sound of tears was only broken by a heavy round of applause.

Adapted from Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu’s novel, "Boundless Rice Field", the movie directed by Nguyen Phan Quang Binh centers around a family living in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta and a man’s search for romantic redemption.

Father Vo (Dustin Nguyen), daughter Nuong (Lan Ngoc) and son Dien (Vo Thanh Hoa) live nomadically on a boat after the father burned their house down in retaliation for his wife's infidelity.

They drift from one rice field to the next, rearing ducks and doing occasional handy jobs. When Suong (Do Thi Hai Yen), a hooker, joins the family to evade an angry mob, Nuong and Dien welcome her as a surrogate mother and object of pubescent fantasy, while a volatile relationship develops between Vo and her.

Young director Nguyen Phan Quang Binh reaches his audiences most deep-seeded emotions as he digs down through his characters’ cruelty, loss and despair to the most fundamental need and desire for love.

The waterways not only hold and lead the family’s boat, but also symbolize the characters sifting, drifting and endless fluid emotions while also embodying the graceful flow of Binh’s visual storytelling.

The actors deliver an outstanding performance. Nuong conveys not only her suffering but also her strength in containing it and mastering it while living on the edge of that painful abyss seen only through her piercing look. She is able to elicit strong emotions and bring her audiences to earnest tears without long and elaborate dialogues, but with the sheer strength of her acting.

Hai Yen (Suong) surpasses all expectations and proved her critics wrong as she aces a role many had deemed unsuitable for her talent. Her performance makes the onscreen Suong come to life more powerfully than even the carefully described one in the book. Her careful balancing of emotions, with love and compassion on one end and despair on the other, bursts out of the screen with unmatched vigor.

Dustin Nguyen (Vo), plays the most challenging role, as his rage builds up throughout the movie fueled by the pain and shame caused by his wife betrayal.

His is a very articulated acting tale of pain and interior torments ordered through daily acts of cruelty.

The carefully arranged and paired soundtrack talks directly to the audience’s hearts. The sad and lonely sound of the traditional Monochord and the melodies composed by Vietnamese Quoc Trung emerge as direct testimonials from the true soul of the Mekong Delta.

Nguyen Ngoc Tu’s "Boundless Rice Field" was published in the South Korean version in 2007.

All 12 films competing in the New Currents category at Pusan International Film Festival reflect contemporary issues like poverty, war, overpopulation and loss of traditional values. The movies include “The journal of Musan” (South Korea), “Eternity” (Thailand), “Strawberry Cliff” (Hong Kong), My Spectacular (China), The Quarter of Scarecrows (Iraq) and Ways of the Sea (Philippines).

Tickets to “Floating Lives” were sold out one week before the screening, according to organizers.

Related Articles

• Market moves up sharply
• Girls gear up for Vietnam’s Next Top Model
• Credit-Thirsty SMEs Seeking Ways To Survive

“Central Highlands Flame” dies of cancer

Y Moan

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Central Highlands’ pop singer Y Moan drew his last breath at the age of 53 at 15:25 pm on October 1, after a prolonged fight with stomach cancer.

Known by his fans as Y Moan, Y Moan Enuoi’s real name is Y Blieo. He was born September 6 1957, one of seven children in an Ede ethnic family of modest means.

Y Moan was discovered after Vietnam’s reunification in 1976. He left his home in the mountains of Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) and headed for Hanoi upon being recruited by the Song and Dance Troupe.

He studied at the then Hanoi Conservatory of Music from 1979 until 1986. During that time, he met Nguyen Thi Minh Ngau from the northern province of Thai Binh whom he married shortly thereafter. He then also met composer Nguyen Cuong.

Nguyen Cuong wrote Oi M’Drak especially for Y Moan after witnessing his passion for music and love for his land. The song became a turning point for the artists’ respective careers. The song-writer mentored the singer and the two formed a strong bond which lasted throughout their careers.

Y Moan never stopped singing about the Central Highlands' mountains and forests. He also sang songs by known song-writers such as, Tran Tien, Linh Nga Nie K'dam, and Ama No. Songs such as  Oi M’Drak (Hey, M’Drak), Ly ca phe Ban Me (Ban Me coffee cup) and Doi chan tran (Bare foot) expressed his love for his homeland and introduced the beauty of the Vietnamese landscape to millions of people both within and outside the country.

Y Moan’s international performances included China, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Germany, Poland and France.

In 1997, Y Moan was conferred the honorary title of Meritorious Artistfor exceptional artistic achievements by the Vietnamese State.  

In 2000 the Culture and Information Ministry recognized his lifetime career achievements.

He was conferred the title of People’s Artist, the highest honor given by the State to an artists, by President Nguyen Minh Triet during his live show Flame of the Central Highlands on August 6 of this year.

Y Moan’s funeral will be held at his private house in Dha Prong village of Buon Me Thuot City in DakLak Province Tuesday. He will be buried at Dha Prong Cemetery on October 5.

Related Articles

• Energy group asks for 50% price hike
• Poor rural children blaze education trail
• Visit hell then heaven
• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010
• Vietnam: toxic waste dump to the world, officials warn

Paint by the bay like Monet

The famous lighthouse on Ke Ga Bay - Photo: Mong Binh

An American Vietnamese artist will hold an open-air landscape painting workshop from November 10-14 at Princess d’Annam Resort and Spa on Ke Ga Bay in Binh Thuan Province.

For four days, the San Francisco-born Tammy Nguyen will set up the class’s easels on the shores of the Bay with views of the beautiful shoreline and famous lighthouse.

Jean-Philippe Beghin, general manager of the resort, expects the first annual Painter’s Retreat workshop and package would attract art beginners from Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere in the region.

“Everyone who visits Ke Ga Bay leaves with an impression of this spectacular natural landscape,” Beghin said. “Now, with guidance from a renowned American art instructor, Tammy Nguyen, they’ll have the opportunity to leave with their own painting of it.”

Nguyen is a graduate of the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City and traveled to Vietnam on a Fulbright Grant to study traditional Vietnamese lacquer painting in 2007. Her preferred medium is oil, but her investigations of Vietnamese culture have journeyed through lacquer, silk and even embroidery.

“En plein air (outdoor) painting has been enormously influential in Vietnam and continues to inspire many of Thursday’s young artists,” Nguyen said in a statement. “Monet and Renoir were guiding stars for such Vietnamese masters as Nguyen Sang, Bui Xuan Phai, and Nguyen Gia Tri, and on Thursday for many of Vietnam’s fledgling painters.”

Beghin said resorts these days needed to do more than be a blank canvas for someone’s holiday. “We need to provide the tools for the making of memories as well, and this Painters’ Retreat is our gambit.”

Nguyen will work with students to develop texture, color and light. The workshop allows for communal instruction and one-on-one assessments and assistance by Nguyen who has had students in the United States and Vietnam.

The brushes, oil paints, linseed oil, smoks and easels are included. At the end of the retreat, students will be able to share their artworks and experiences in a salon show.

The US$1,525 package covers three four-hour seminars, art materials, three-nights’ accommodation, daily breakfast, two cocktail dinners with the instructor and a spa treatment. Additional charges for supplementary guests sharing the same room, but not the workshop, are US$240 per person.

For more information, call the resort’s marketing director Zulkifli Rahman on (08) 3845 5990 or email dosm@princessannam.com.

Related Articles

• Kids paint for a happy Mid Autumn at Hotel Equatorial
• Paint by the bay like Monet
• Painters show works inspired by nature, nostalgia
• Visit hell then heaven

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

Related Articles

• Poor rural children blaze education trail
• Chau Doc’s curried fish vermicelli: Bun nuoc ken
• Aussie expats gear for footy championship in China
• Market moves up sharply
• Assoc insists on power price hike despite protests