French Cultural Center to host Indochina themed discussion

A postcard of Saigon-Cholon in the early 20th century

A collection of about 500 postcard depicting life in early 20th century Indochina in Jean Despiere’s “The old Indochina” will elicit a roundtable discussion at L’ Espace French Cultural Center in Hanoi on October 18.

Professor Nguyen Khac Phi, historian Duong Trung Quoc, translator Duong Cong Minh, and Vietnamese Education Publishing House’s Editor in Chief Nguyen Quy Thao will participate in the discussion themed “The old Indochina”, educing 20th century life in Cambodia and Laos and the three regions of Vietnam.

With “The Old Indochina” Jean Despierre wished to introduce its readers to the visual richness and uniqueness of life in Le Tonkin (Vietnam’s North), L’Annam (Vietnam’s central region), La Cochinchine (Vietnam’s Southern region), Le Cambodge (Cambodia) and Le Laos (Laos).

The name “Indochina” first appeared in “World Mathematical, Physical and Political Geography” a multi-volume cartographic collection by Danish-French geographer and journalist Conrad Malte Bruun (1775-1826) published in 1804. The 12th volume refers to Indochina as comprising Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

The discussion is free and open to the public at L’Espace-French Cultural Center at 24, Trang Tien Street, Hanoi.

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Host provinces set for tourism year

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced the list of provinces that will host the annual National Tourism Year from 2012 to 2017.

Thua Thien-Hue will do the honours in 2012, Hai Phong in 2013, Lam Dong in 2014, Thanh Hoa in 2015, Kien Giang in 2016, and Lao Cai in 2017.

The National Tourism Year is the biggest event on the Viet Nam tourism calendar and is intended to encourage investment in infrastructure facilities and services.

Started in 2003 it has been held in Quang Ninh, Dien Bien, Nghe An, Quang Nam, Can Tho, Thai Nguyen, and Ha Noi. Phu Yen is scheduled to host it next year.

Phan Thiet attracts Russian visitors

The number of Russian tourists visiting Phan Thiet has shot up in the last few years and they now account for 30 per cent of all foreign tourist arrivals.

The number of Russian visitors to Mui Ne in Phan Thiet rose from 17,000 in 2007 to 60,000 in the first nine months of this year.

So far this year, Binh Thuan Province tourism authorities have received delegates from 14 travel agencies in Novosibirsk, Russia who came on fact-finding tours to Phan Thiet.

Viet Nam-Thailand bus link approved

Thailand's Phakbhum Company is set to launch a bus service from Thailand to Viet Nam through Laos enabling travellers to complete the trip in 24 hours.

Fares will cost 1,000-2,000 baht (US$33 - 66), according to Surapong Prasert, the company's CEO.

He said his company will spend 300 million baht ($10 million) to upgrade the 200km Route 12 which runs from Nakhon Phanom province in northeastern Thailand through Kham Muon province in Laos to Quang Binh Province in central Viet Nam.

Surapong said the plan has been accepted in principle by Lao and Vietnamese authorities.

Vinpearl offers half-price promotion

Vinpearlland Tourism JSC has launched a special half-price offer for entry to its theme park for residents of Khanh Hoa Province and people over 40 years old.

The special offer, valid until December, will cut ticket price to VND160,000.

Visitors to the park will get free two-way transport by cable car or ferry to the island and unlimited access to indoor and outdoor games and entertainment at Vinpearl Water Park and Vinpearl Underwater World besides a visit to Truc Lam Tinh Vien monastery.

Visitors can also see musical fountain shows, a circus, and other shows.

Cham celebrate Kate festival

Thousands of Cham people in the central province of Ninh Thuan celebrated Kate, their biggest festival, at the Poklong Gia Rai tower complex last week.

Poklong Gia Rai is a group of Cham temple towers built in honour of the legendary King Po Klaung Garai, who ruled the Champa kingdom from 1285 to 1307. Ninh Thuan has nearly 70,000 Cham people. — VNS

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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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Little stars not dreaming of big time

Bored with walking: Phuong Trinh, 17, began her career on stage at the age of 10 playing a gamut of roles in city theatre productions. —VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Does every actor dreams of becoming a movie star?

Five-year-old Dang Khoi of HCM City, who has acted in many films and TV serials, says: "Being a movie actor is not my dream. I dream of becoming a doctor who takes care of poor women and children."

The most important things in his life are his parents, teachers and friends, he says.

Khoi, who took part in Nhat Tam Lasta Studios' actor training programme for children, has played leading roles in TV series like Giac Mo Co Tich (Legendary Dream) and Mot Ngay Khong Co Em (A Day Without You).

He is now shooting for the film Ve Dat Thang Long (Returning to Thang Long Citadel), a 40-episode work on Ha Noi's history and culture produced by HCM Television.

Like many of his friends, he enjoys watching films but never seriously thinks of himself an actor.

"I saw my son's acting ability and wanted him to join the field because it can make his life more joyful," Khoi's mother says.

But she admits that while her son laps up the adulation he gets from people who have seen him on the screen, his true interest is his family and friends.

Seventeen-year-old Phuong Trinh, who has been an actress from a very young age, retains a child-like innocence despite the accolades she gets from fans, colleagues and critics.

Five years ago, when a director needed a pretty child actor, his first choice was Trinh whose maturity then belied her age.

She had begun her career on stage at just 10, playing a gamut of roles in city theatre productions like Ba Me Nhi (The Little Mommy).

Her latest TV offering is Nhung Ong Bo Doc Than (Single Daddies), a sentimental, 30-part series produced by MT&Pictures.

"I like to act in movies and commercials," she says.

But she is wary of the ivory tower many stars are forced to occupy and wants none of it.

"I love acting in movies but do not want to become a lonely star."

She adds she prefers spending time with her parents and friends who mean everything to her.

Like normal children, she has to finish her homework every day and study hard.

Le Thanh, a theatre director at Nhat Tam Lasta Studios, says: "Most of my students are children and teenagers who enjoy acting for fun but not as a career."

Most of her young wards learn acting for at least six months before joining the industry.

"But the most important lesson I teach them is how to become a good kid. That's what their parents want." — VNS

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Singapore art show in HCMC seeks college applicants

The LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore will hold an arts exhibition and open day at the HCMC University of Fine Arts gallery, 5 Phan Dang Luu Street in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District.

The exhibition will feature works by 17 Vietnamese and Singaporean students studying in the college. Works include five graphic designs, two interior designs, nine paintings, six fashion works, three animations and four short films. There will be information about the college and Vietnamese interested in studying there can enroll at the exhibition.

The college has a growing number of Vietnamese students enrolling in design and film courses. Two film study graduates, Boo Junfeng and Jennie Nguyen Vo Ngoc Diem, will be there to talk about their experience at Lasalle. Boo Junfeng directed a film called Sandcastle which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and has been selected to compete at the Vietnamese International Film Festival in Hanoi from October 17-21. Jennie Nguyen Vo Ngoc Diem, a lecturer at HCMC University of Theater and Cinema, directed one of the short films to be screened at the exhibition. “…We want more Vietnamese students to go abroad to add their vision to international arts education,” said Kim Dy-Liacco, director of marketing at the Lasalle.

Visitors can design a poster for one of the short films being screened at the exhibition, to be in the running for a prize trip to the LASALLE campus in Singapore, including return flights, food and accommodation for four nights, plus VND4 million spending money. All the entries will be uploaded on Facebook, with winners to be decided November 7.

LASALLE offers a comprehensive range of 26 diploma and degree awards in design, fine arts, film, media arts, fashion, dance, music, theatre, art history, art therapy and arts management in the region. As an accredited institution of The Open University, the United Kingdom’s largest university, the undergraduate and postgraduate programs offered by LASALLE are benchmarked against the best universities in the UK, making them internationally recognized.

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Toyota Classics brings Florentine orchestra to Hanoi

Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) on Tuesday announced the lineup for this year’s Toyota Classics concert at Hanoi Opera House.

This year, Toyota presents the Città di Firenze  orchestra from Florence (Italy) conducted by Lorenzo Castriota Skanderbeg. The orchestra featuring tenor, Leonardo Melani, and young pianist, Luu Hong Quang, will play music by Verdi, Puccini and Rossini.

Quang has won several awards “The Piano Recital Award” in 2008 and first prize at “Chopin Piano Competition” in Australia in 2009.

It will be the 13th Toyota Classics in Vietnam supported by  the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“We granted total ticket proceeds of the 12 previous Toyota Classics concerts to support cultural activities and charity in Vietnam. This year TMV will continue what it started last year by using all ticket proceeds for the Toyota Scholarships for Vietnamese Young Music Talents,” said Akito Tachibana, President of TMV.

Since 1990, the humanitarian Toyota Classics has been held annually bringing classical music to the country and enhancing cultural exchange.

So far, the Toyota Classics has attracted audiences of more than 200,000 to154 concerts in the Asia-Pacific. In its 21st year, the event will be held from Oct. 23 to Nov. 12 in Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Bangkok, Seoul, Taipei (Taiwan), Manila and Bombay. 

Tickets cost VND300,000, VND600,000 and VND800,000 and are available at  the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street., Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, or at TMV’s Hanoi branch, eighth floor, Viglacera building, No,1 Thang Long Avenue, Me Tri, Tu Liem, Hanoi.

HSBC grants millennium wish to 100 first-graders

HSBC Vietnam presented VND500 million to Tuoi Tre newspaper’s Study Promotion Society to provide scholarships to100 poor first-graders in Hanoi as part of the bank’s “1,000 wishes for Hanoi” campaign.

During September, the campaign called for Vietnamese people around the country to share their future wishes for the capital to mark the 1000-year anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi Capital.

At the ceremony on Wednesday the bank announced the 1000 winners of the campaign and granted the 10 best entries with a Sony DSC HX1 Cyber-shot digital camera each, valued at VND10 million, together with a specially commissioned Thang Long cup.

To be eligible the wishes meet three criteria: they had to be meaningful, feasible and reveal a way to unlock Hanoi’s potential.  Over four weeks, thousands of wishes were sent in from everywhere in Vietnam, expressing the desires and dreams of Vietnamese people for a rich, prosperous and developed capital that continued to build on the country’s existing strengths and history. The top 1,000 wishes have been posted on www.ngandieuuoc.com.

Each wish of the thousand selected, represented a HSBC donation of VND500,000 to help poor kids start their education.

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