Photo competition to spotlight VN's world heritage sites

HA NOI — Amateur and professional photographers will display their best images in a competition entitled Vietnamese World Heritages to be held in July.

Launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions in co-operation with the Viet Nam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA), the Natural Cultural Heritage Department and National Administration of Tourism, the competition aims to draw attention to the value of the nation's UNESCO-recognised world heritages.

UNESCO has recognised the imperial city of Hue, Ha Long Bay, My Son Sanctuary, the ancient town of Hoi An, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the citadel of Thang Long-Ha Noi, as world heritage sites, and nha nhac (royal court music), the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) gong culture, quan ho (love duet singing) in the northern province of Bac Ninh, ca tru (ceremonial singing), and the Saint Giong Festival as tangible or intangible cultural heritage.

The photo competition will award a first prize worth VND10 million and a gold medal from VAPA. Two second prizes worth VND7 million, three third prizes worth VND5 million, and ten encouragement prizes worth VND2 million would also be awarded, along with certificates from VAPA.

About 250 entries will be selected for display at an exhibition to be held in the central city of Da Nang on National Day, September 2, and in Ha Noi on Liberation Day, October 10.

Vietnamese and foreign photographers are being invited to submit entries, in colour or black-and-white. Images should be sized 30 by 45cm and not previously awarded prizes in other competitions held by the ministry or the association.

Contestants could submit up to 11 entries, which is the number of UNESCO heritage recognitions the nation has received, said competition organiser Vi Kien Thanh. All 11 photos can be taken from a single heritage site, he explained.

However, veteran photographer Van Tho argued, "Eleven photos cannot show the beauty of Vietnamese world heritage. I have taken many photos at the Giong Festival, and I propose that photographers be allowed to send more to the organisation." — VNS

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World heritage photo competition begins

HA NOI – Amateur and professional photographers will display their best imeages in a competition entitled Vietnamese World Heritages to be held in July.

Launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions in co-operation with the Viet Nam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA), the Natural Cultural Heritage Department and National Administration of Tourism, the competition aims to draw attention to the value of the nation's UNESCO-recognised world heritage.

UNESCO has recognised the imperial city of Hue, Ha Long Bay, My Son Sanctuary, the ancient town of Hoi An, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the citadel of Thang Long-Ha Noi, as world heritage sites, and nha nhac (royal court music), the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) gong culture, quan ho (love duet singing) in the northern province of Bac Ninh, ca tru (ceremonial singing), and the Saint Giong Festival as tangible or intangible cultural heritage.

The photo competition will award a first prize worth VND10 million and a gold medal from VAPA. Two second prizes worth VND7 million, three third prizes worth VND5 million, and ten encouragement prizes worth VND2 million would also be awarded, along with certificates from VAPA.

About 250 entries will be selected for display at an exhibition to be held in the central city of Da Nang on National Day, September 2, and in Ha Noi on Liberation Day, October 10.

Vietnamese and foreign photographers are being invited to submit entries, in colour or black-and-white. Images should be sized 30 by 45cm and not previously awarede prizes in other competitions held by the ministry or the association.

Contestants could submit up to 11 entries, which is the number of UNESCO heritage recognitions the nation has received, said competition organiser Vi Kien Thanh. All 11 photos can be taken from a single heritage site, he explained.

However, veteran photographer Van Tho argued, "Eleven photos cannot show the beauty of Vietnamese world heritage. I have taken many photos at the Giong Festival, and I propose that photographers be allowed to send more to the organisation." – VNS

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Green film makers get 48 hours in contest

International eco film competition, 48 Go Green, is calling for registration in Vietnam. The competition is an avant-garde festival that gives film-makers the opportunity to express themselves and speak up against the ecological destruction taking place on the planet.

The competition will kick off online at 7 pm local time, February 18.  Entrants will then have 48 hours to make a narrative short film, including writing, shooting, and editing, to submit before 7.30 pm local time, February 20.

At the start each team will be assigned a random theme about the environment, potable water, forests, wildlife, the earth, the next generation, energy, the sea or the planet. The organizer will nominate a character, prop and a line which must appear in the film.

The winner will go to Cannes International Film Festival, accompanied by a US$5,000 cash prize. The 16 top films of 48 Go Green could be selected to screen at the NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 9-14, 2011.

48 Hour Film Project launched its first competition in Vietnam last October and November.

For more information, visit www.48gogreen.com.

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Green film makers get 48 hours in contest

International eco film competition, 48 Go Green, is calling for registration in Vietnam. The competition is an avant-garde festival that gives film-makers the opportunity to express themselves and speak up against the ecological destruction taking place on the planet.

The competition will kick off online at 7 pm local time, February 18.  Entrants will then have 48 hours to make a narrative short film, including writing, shooting, and editing, to submit before 7.30 pm local time, February 20.

At the start each team will be assigned a random theme about the environment, potable water, forests, wildlife, the earth, the next generation, energy, the sea or the planet. The organizer will nominate a character, prop and a line which must appear in the film.

The winner will go to Cannes International Film Festival, accompanied by a US$5,000 cash prize. The 16 top films of 48 Go Green could be selected to screen at the NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 9-14, 2011.

48 Hour Film Project launched its first competition in Vietnam last October and November.

For more information, visit www.48gogreen.com.

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Best shots of Thang Long win awards

HA NOI — Dawn at O Quan Chuong by Nguyen Hoang Duong upstaged 1,500 photographs of Ha Noi to win the Thang Long Moments photo competition on Saturday.

"We hoped to find refreshing angles and emotions of our near and dear city of Ha Noi through this competition. All competing photos were able to capture the normal life of Ha Noi, which is simple but glorious, down-to-earth but classy," said Nguyen Tuan Duc, deputy editor-in-chief of Ha Noi Moi newspaper and the head judge of the competition.

Summer noon by Tran Thi Tuyet Mai and Old Quarter Cafe by Ta Quang Bao were the competition's runners-up.

The 52 final-round photo exhibition, jointly held by Ha Noi Moi newspaper, Sony Electronics and Santa Viet Nam, are now on display at 29 Hang Bai Street, Ha Noi, until Thursday.

Famous stoneware showcased

HA NOI — The famous Bat Trang pottery village in Ha Noi's Gia Lam District is marking the capital's millenium anniversary by producing and showcasing 1,000 stoneware items.

The stoneware will be exhibited from today to Saturday at the village.

"The exhibition aims to celebrate Bat Trang Pottery's cultural and artistic values and its talented potters," said Gia Lam District's Culture and Information Department head Do Van Thinh.

Themed Bat Trang Pottery – Traditional and Contemporary, the exhibition brings together antiques and commercial items, which account for 30 and 70 per cent of the pieces, respectively.

The crafts are dragons from the Ly dynasty, which established Ha Noi as the capital; a carved portrait of King Ly Thai To's historical edict to relocate the capital to Ha Noi; and a 3.15m-tall vase.

Classic Japanese films to be screened

HCM CITY — Akira Kurosawa's cult film Rashomon (1950) will be among the eight to be screened at a week-long festival in HCM City beginning on Friday.

The festival will open with Happy Flight (2008) by Shinobu Yaguchi at the BHD Star Cinema, February 3 Street, District 10, from October 8-14, with support from the Japan Foundation.

Tony Takitani (2004), Kamikaze Girls (2004), Sansho the Bailiff (1954), 5 Centimetres per Second (2007), Yunagi City Sakura Country (2007), and Memories of Tomorrow (2005) will also be shown.

All of them will have Vietnamese voice-overs and English sub-titles.

Tickets can be obtained free at the Japanese General Consulate, Nguyen Hue Street, District 1.

The festival will then move to Nha Trang from October 22 to 24. — VNS

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HCM City student wins TV host competition

Host with the most: Master of Ceremonies Competition winner Nguyen Thi Huynh Giao (left) and runner-up Huynh Trung Phong at the Hoa Binh Theatre in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Ly Vo Phu Hung

HCM CITY — A student at HCM City Foreign Trade University has won this year's annual Master of Ceremonies (MC) competition after impressing the audience with her argument about Vietnamese women marrying foreign men.

Nguyen Thi Huynh Giao's confidence and intelligence during the debate contest convinced two members of the jury, veteran artists Hoang Dung and Dam Loan.

Through her answers, Giao said she wanted to send a message there were still many women marrying foreigners because of true love, not for wealth.

"It is women's right to marry men with whom they can find joy, happiness and respect," Giao said.

The 22-year-old woman of Ben Tre Province also shared her thoughts about married life, saying that love and children were the most important factors in married life, a statement that evoked support from the audience at Hoa Binh Theatre on Sunday.

The only male candidate in the final, Huynh Trung Phong, a teacher at HCM City Physical Education School, was the runner-up of the competition.

Phong of HCM City was confident about his opinions about the practice of tattooing among young people, his topic in the debate contest.

"Tattooing is an art form. It is people's right to have or make a tattoo," Phong said, pointing out the reasons why more and more young people now wanted a tattoo.

However, he said that those who want them should "think carefully before tattooing something onto your bodies".

Two contestants tied for third place, Ho Pham Thanh Giang of Binh Dinh Province, a graduate of the HCM City Economics University, and Dang Thi Bich Nga of Quang Ngai Province, a graduate of the HCM City National University's Economics Faculty.

Nga also won a prize for the person who had the most emotive voice.

Apart from the debate contest, four finalists had to host a talk show with guests.

The guests, comedian Hoai Linh and singers Doan Trang, Ho Quynh Huong and Dam Vinh Hung, provided laughs and a joyful mood.

The MC Competition has been held annually since 2004 by HCM City Television with the aim of finding new MCs for TV programmes. This year's competition attracted nearly 600 candidates from across the country. — VNS

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