The reality of living with HIV

Speaking for themselves: The exhibition allows visitors to listen to people with HIV tell their own stories. — VNS/Photo

HA NOI — The exhibition Pain and Hope tells the stories of people living with HIV and is one of ten national events being held this year to mark the 20 years since the first case of HIV/AIDS case was diagnosed in Viet Nam.

Since that time, public awareness and education about HIV education have increased considerably, but this was the first time the HIV epidemic has been approached from the perspective of a museum exhibition, said museum director Vo Quang Trong.

"The exhibition aims to encourage wide discussions in society about the HIV epidemic and related issues and create an opportunity for people living with HIV and people working in HIV prevention to share and exchange experiences and professional knowledge, as well as to look back at the response to AIDS by people living with HIV, the Government, and society as a whole in the past 20 years," said Trong.

Through the images and voices of health officers, journalists, volunteers, religious organisations, scientists, and people living with HIV, the exhibition uses the museum language to guide visitors through different stages of emotion experienced by people living with HIV and those working in HIV prevention, he said.

"This is extremely difficult work, but the lessons of the world can't be applied in Viet Nam," said Nguyen Thi Hue from HCM City's AIDS Prevention Committee. "Although peer models are very successful, it depends on the culture of each country. We took things step-by-step. At first, I simply had to obey what my organisation was telling me. Then I began to understand and sympathise with the people."

Materials for this exhibition were gathered from three research sites in the northern city of Hai Phong, the northern province of Dien Bien and HCM City. Materials also came from organisations and individuals in Ha Noi, the northern province of Ninh Binh, the central province of Quang Binh and the southern province of An Giang.

The resulting exhibition has been arranged into sections entitled Pain, Stigma, Will to Live, Joint Forces and Grateful Hearts.

Nguyen Thi Khuyen, 13, a girl from HCM City who lost her mother to AIDS, spoke about her plastic piggy bank displayed in the exhibition.

"My adoptive mother sometimes gives me money to put in a piggy bank, so I take the money out once a year and buy offerings on the anniversary of my mother's death," Khuyen said.

Visitors to the exhibition have left many messages in a guestbook for those afflicted with HIV.

"You are very courageous that you can face the stigma and society's prejudice," wrote one visitor. "Be patient and strong to show how valuable you are."

The exhibition, co-sponsored by the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology and the Centre for Community Health Research and Development, runs through June of next year.

During the event, the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology is also holding ongoing educational activities and events for young visitors to help them experience the exhibition space and more fully understand the HIV epidemic in Viet Nam. — VNS

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Disabled Chinese dancers take stage

Illuminating: The Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe performs a dance entitled Goddess of Mercy with Hundreds of Arms and Thousands of Eyes. — Photo courtesy China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe

HA NOI — A troupe of 50 disabled youth performers from China will appear at the Ha Noi Opera House tomorrow evening, with a simulcast on the giant screen outside.

The China Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe will perform the dances Goddess of Mercy with Hundreds of Arms and Thousands of Eyes and My Dream.

The vocal, musical and dance performances of the troupe cover such styles as ballet, Latin dance, and modern dance, as well as elements from Peking opera and musical drama. New forms, such as sign-language poems and dances by the visually impaired are also included in their shows.

The 110-member troupe was founded in 1987 and was the subject of a documentary film entitled My Dream. It has been honoured by the Disabled People's Sixth International World Assembly as "image ambassadors for 600 million people with disabilities around the world", and by UNESCO as "Artists for Peace".

Tai Lihua, who is hearing-impaired, became a dancer with the troupe at the age of 15 and said she was happy to be a dancer.

"There are hundreds and thousands of outstanding artists in my country," Tai said.

"Disabled artists have been privileged to perform in famous theatres in more than 40 countries. Our country has made this possible for us, and many kind people have helped us realise our dream.

Our success in this special art is an expression of the Chinese culture and humane spirit."

The troupe has presented beauty to the world, said Liu San-zhen, counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Viet Nam. Performers have brought audiences the joy of art, enlightenment of heart and emotional interaction beyond any barriers of language, culture or nationality, said Liu.

The troupe's Ha Noi appearance coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and China. — VNS

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Ceremony honours revolutionary historian

HA NOI — A ceremony commemorating the 125th anniversary of the death of historian Pham Than Duat (1825-85) was held at Ha Noi's Literature Temple on Monday, honouring his great contributions to Vietnamese people's revolution against the French colonialists.

Duat, who was born in the northern province of Ninh Binh, died on November 29, 1885, after the French had sent him into exile on the island of Tahiti.

Duat's life was that of a patriotic intellectual. Born into a poor family, he succeeded in royal exams and worked for King Tu Duc as a royal mandarin. He was put in charge of the Temple of Literature and also served as a tutor to princes. He also contributed substantially to an 1884 book of national history that remains a valuable reference source for current historians.

He became embroiled in the revolution, when he was assigned to resist a French invasion by senior mandarin Ton That Thuyet (1839-1913). Duat and his family were captured by the French in July 1885.

Ha Noi to host National Fine Arts Exhibition 2010

HA NOI — The National Fine Arts Exhibition 2010 representing Viet Nam's fine arts industry will open in Ha Noi today.

On display will be representative works from the 2006-10 period to gauge fine arts development during the process of national industrialisation and modernisation towards global integration.

More than 863 works of art by 735 artists including paintings, graphics, installations and sculptures will be displayed to reflect contemporary life and society from different angles.

The exhibition will run until December 15 at the Viet Nam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts, Hoa Lu Street, Ha Noi. — VNS

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The sour taste of a different pho

Delicious pho chua from Ban Co Street comes with the chicken broth on the side - Photo: Thanh Hang

The rain was falling when I saw the “pho chua” (sour noodle) street stall was still open. I was so happy that I decided to have two bowls. The stall was normally shut when I went past at 6 p.m., but the owner had decided to close late, so I could get out of the traffic jam and try this new soup that I’d been eyeing off for weeks.

I had been introduced to the stall out of sheer curiosity. My friend promised me a strange taste that I would not be able to find anywhere else in Saigon. He said it originated from Lang Son, on the border. But when I asked him to describe in detail, he only scratched his head. “It’s quite difficult to describe it exactly. It’s kind of a mixture of many familiar ingredients, yet it tastes different from any food I have ever tried,” he said. That was all I could dig out of him, so he said I would have to try it myself.

When the bowl of pho chua was placed in front of me, it was just like he said. I recognized all the ingredients but it was an odd mix.

At the base of the small bowl, there was a thick layer of thin strips of fresh swamp cabbage and shredded cucumber, a combination not found in any other dishes of South Vietnam especially not pho. Pho is usually served with special veggies and herbs, such as culantro leaves, basil leaves and bean sprouts. And instead of the traditional beef or chicken meat, I found boiled pork and chicken offal, some shredded chicken, roasted peanuts, fried onion and spicy crackling on the top.

In fact, apart from the pho (noodle) itself, the bowl of pho chua bore no resemblance to traditional pho. I suppose the secret of this dish is the thick tamarind sauce that is the sour part of the dish’s name. I don’t doubt it’s the smell of the sauce that seduces so many passers-by to become regular customers.

So there I was, ensconced in the cozy house while it rained outside, I scooped up a mouthful of pho together with a small slice of chicken liver, took a slurp from a spoon of hot chicken soup. Then I texted the friend who had taken me there, “Well, finally I understand why you do not hesitate to swim through the flooded streets of Saigon to get here for a bowl of pho chua. It’s so yummy, and I’m so warm and happy now.”

The pho chua stall is at the 242 alley, Ban Co Street, District 3, HCMC. The stall opens from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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Festival honours buffalo boys

Revival: Buffalo boys enjoy folk games at a festival in honour of rural children who look after buffaloes at Phong Le Village last weekend. Hard work: Children with their buffaloes in Phong Le Village. — VNS Photos Van Thu Bich

DA NANG — A unique folk festival celebrating the rural children who look after buffalo has been revived near the central city of Da Nang for the first time in nearly 75 years.

The festival, at Phong Le Village in Hoa Vang District's Hoa Chau Commune, gathered 400 locals last weekend with traditional worship customs and folk games as well as performances of tuong (classical drama).

According to local Ngo Van Nghia, this was the first time the festival had been held since 1936.

"The festival not only praises the buffalo children but also celebrates the solidarity of all the working people in the village and wishes for a lucky harvest and wealth for everyone," Nghia said.

"The festival used to be held every three years," said researcher Van Thu Bich from the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism who was the head of the festival preservation team and vows that it has been re-created exactly the same as the original.

"We will now try our best to hold it every two years in order to preserve the local intangible cultural heritage as well as create a tourism product for tourists visiting Da Nang."

For the revived festival, the village was lit up last Saturday with hundreds of lanterns and models of agricultural tools hanging all over the village. Early morning on Sunday, a procession of the 60 buffalo children travelled around the fields of the village, calling out wishes for a good harvest and creating a atmosphere full of cheer and loud laughter. They then participated in folk games like tug-of-war and catching ducks while blindfolded.

They were chosen from 17 clans in the village to take the central roles in various ceremonies at the festival, such as a procession bearing a likeness of the god of agriculture from a holy islet in the village called Con Than to the village's communal house.

Legend holds that ducks were unable to move their feet off the land when they reached the islet, so the locals were afraid to visit it. One day, a herd of buffalo strayed to the islet and local buffaloes boys brought them back safely. Since then, the islet has been a popular place for buffalo children in the village to gather, and the legend became the centrepiece of a special festival for the children. — VNS

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Vietnamese pianists to compete at Chopin tourney in Singapore

HA NOI — Eight young Vietnamese pianists will be competing against 140 others at the First International Chopin Piano tournament from tomorrow to Sunday in Singapore.

The competition, which commemorates the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth, is being organised by the Chopin Society (Singapore) and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

The Vietnamese pianists, who are aged between 10 to 16, will be competing in four of five categories.

Do Hoang Linh Chi, 13, and Hoang Ho Thu, 15, have a lot of experience of international competition, said Ta Quang Dong, a lecturer at the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, who will be accompanying the competitors.

"The contestants can decide for themselves which Chopin pieces they wish to play. The Ha Noi International Piano Contest that was held last September helped the contestants enrich their Chopin repertoire," Dong said.

"The competition is being organised for the first time. It is prestigious though because of the calibre judges."

The judging panel consists of Gabriel Kwok, who has been head of Keyboard Studies at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts since 1989; Francesco Nicolosi, who is one of the most distinguished pianists of the Italian tradition; Snezana Panovska, a highly acclaimed piano professor, who stems from the Republic of Macedonia; Wojciech Switata, a professor at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice; and Warren Thompson, head of the School of Extension Studies at Sydney Conservatorium. — VNS

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VN film wins in Stockholm

Through a child's eyes: A scene from Bi, Dung So (Bi, Don't Be Afraid), which won the best first feature award at the Stockholm Film Festival.

HA NOI — Director Phan Dang Di's first movie, Bi, Dung So! (Bi, Don't Be Afraid), has won Best First Feature at the 21st Stockholm International Film Festival.

His senior cameraman, Pham Quang Minh, won the award for best cinematography. Bi, Dung So! also won best screenplay during the Cannes film festival's critics week, as well as the new talent award at the Asia-Hong Kong Film Festival.

The film is scheduled to open at box offices in Viet Nam next month. It will be broadcast on TV network Arte Channel in France and Germany.

The film narrates the story of a young boy called Bi who lives with his mother, father and aunt in a house in Ha Noi. When Bi's grandfather, who has been absent for many years, suddenly reappears, the family are once again reunited. However, his return turns out to be far from auspicious. Bi's father begins to stay out late, to the point where he stops coming home at all in what appears to be a way of coming to turns with his own loneliness when his own father was absent. Meanwhile, Bi's aunt falls in love with a young man whom she meets on a bus, his father falls in love with a masseuse and his mother behaves as if nothing has changed.

The feature is much more than just a family drama. Director Di represents the lost because he has no way to express complex emotions. The photography borders on poetry and the interesting camera angles and the fascinating film locations, combined with realistic dialogue, turn this film into something extraordinary. Ordinary people become remarkable. The life of the child is nothing short of enchanting, and viewers become intimate witnesses of a family struggling to escape loneliness.

Holly Hunter, who starred in The Piano, headed the jury panel, said she was amazed by power of the scenes and thought the film compelling.

Meanwhile, cameraman Minh's photography was described as poetic and dignified in its simplicity and subtle technical perfection.

The 12-day Stockholm Festival, which ended on Sunday, was launched in 1990. It has become one of the leading film events in Europe. The festival takes place every November and typically features about 180 films from more than 50 countries. — VNS

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