Judgement day beckons idols

Stars in their eyes: Top 2 Viet Nam Idol 2010 Van Mai Huong and Tran Nguyen Uyen Linh. The winner of the series' third season will be announced on Saturday night. — File Photos

HA NOI — Female students Tran Nguyen Uyen Linh and Van Mai Huong will vie to be crowned Viet Nam Idol in the finale of the series' third season on Saturday night.

Performances last Saturday were the final chances for Uyen Linh and Mai Huong to impress judges and viewers with their talents, performing foreign and Vietnamese songs, including a new tune by composer Huy Tuan.

Huong, at only 16 years of age, was not seen to be in a position of strength going into the final, but she has consistently wowed audiences and judges with voice and professionalism.

She sang a fresh rendition of Trai Tim Am Nhac (Music Heart) last week and said the song represented her thoughts about music over her four-month journey with Viet Nam Idol.

Huong bowled over audiences with her cover of Hot and Cold by Katy Perry when she surprised everyone by appearing in a black wig and glasses.

"You can definitely be called a music star despite being only 16 years old," said judge Diem Quynh. "You are very professional to sing a song that makes viewers forget your age."

Quynh believed the young student at the Military Culture and Arts College had a long career ahead of her because of her talent.

Meanwhile judge Quoc Trung said that Huong would be a new image for pop singers and an idol for the teen music audience.

Linh, 22, is a recent graduate of the Viet Nam Academy of Diplomacy. Last week, she sang Sao Anh Chang Ve (Why You Don't Return), composed by the Viet Nam Idol judge, Trung.

She entertained viewers with a wonderful improvisation on the melody and even changed a few words.

"I can sue you for changing my song without permission," laughed Trung. "But I will share the royalties with you because you made it fresh."

Linh's performance of Take Me to the River was so infectious it had the judges joining in singing and dancing along to her performance, which also demonstrated her ability to sing fluently in English.

For the final song, she performed Cam On Tinh Yeu (Grateful for Love) which Huong had performed before. Linh modulated her voice in the song and turned in an emotional performance that moved judge Siu Black.

"I don't want to compare you and Mai Huong, but your singing added much more emotion to the song," said veteran singer Siu Black.

Linh is herself a "veteran", having competed in the previous Viet Nam Idol and Viet Nam Television's song contest. — VNS

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Interactive exhibits reflect loss, change in old Hanoi

A history of the Hanoi Old Quarter is reflected in documentary photos and installation art works on display at an exhibition at the Viet Art Centre, 42 Yet Kieu, Hanoi .

In the exhibition, Reminders of Old Streets, young artists like Nguyen Huy An, Le Tran Hau Anh, Nguyen Quoc Thanh and Tran Hau Yen The tell stories of loss and change to the capital's cultural heritage.

The exhibition is arranged to be interactive, through the display and performances of artisans from Hang Ma street , which were once popular in the old streets.

Nguyen Thanh Loan was interested to find an embroidery frame by which patrons of the exhibition could contribute to the making of an embroidered picture of Hanoi .

"I tried to embroider a small part of the picture. It's a really interesting idea, as if I am able to contribute to a portrayal of Hanoi 's image," she says.

Thanh's artworks play with motifs of the Old Quarter: old houses with curved, tile roofs; young women in traditional robes.

The motifs create a romantic, but commercialised image of the city. The artworks include portraits shot in the streets.

The aim is not to capture the reality of Hanoi (it is not a documentary) or to reconstruct the old images of Hanoi . Instead, it plays with the romantic and sentimental imagination of the city.

Old Hanoi and the present-day expanded capital have shown the importance of handicraft villages and guild streets.

Global integration is challenging Vietnam on how to retain the unique characteristics of its culture. Also the process of westernisation or sinosisation has caused pressure on heritage values.

The heritage of Hanoi 's old streets will be discussed at a seminar on 6pm August 18 at the exhibition space.

It will be joined by art critic Nguyen Quan, painter Tran Hau Yen The and Dr Nguyen Van Huy, former director of Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.

The exhibition will run until tomorrow as part of activities funded by the Vietnam-Denmark Cultural Exchange and Development Fund.

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