HCM City lights up for Christmas

by Vo Le Hong

Happy Christmas: Underprivileged children received Christmas treats, including decorated gingerbread houses, at the Sheraton Hotel's Christmas tree lighting ceremony last week. — VNS Coutersy Photos by Sunny Rose. Tree of life: The children of the Hy Vong 1 School for Deaf Children and Gia Dinh Disabled Children School sang and danced at the Equatorial Hotel to celebrate the festive season.

HCM CITY — December marks the beginning of the world's leading festive season as people prepare to celebrate Christmas and welcome the New Year.

Streets, homes and malls are bedecked with lights and decorations, and all businesses prepare to do something special for their customers. Luxury hotels in HCM City are in the forefront of such preparations.

The Sheraton Saigon Hotel-&Towers greeted the festive season with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony last week.

The hotel organised the event in collaboration with Saigon Children's Charity, inviting underprivileged kids to join the event along with the hotel's guests. The children were treated to favorite Christmas treats including decorated gingerbread houses which will be showcased at the hotel's Saigon Cafe.

The Equatorial Hotel in District 5 has also reached out to the local community in welcoming the season by inviting disadvantaged children from the city's Gia Dinh Disabled Children School and Hy Vong 1 School for Deaf Children. Children of the two schools and their teachers enjoyed delicious food and received plenty of gifts including chocolates, cakes and candy.

The hotel's lobby has been transformed into a place of festive cheer with live carol singing and a special Toys Become Alive performance by young dancers from the Kitty Dancing Group of the Ben Thanh Theatre.

An exhibition of Christmas Wreaths named Doll's Paradise aiming to depict the joy and happiness of children will be displayed at the lobby of the hotel throughout this month.

The wreaths are made by fashion design students of the Minh Tri Fashion and University of Technology HCM City to raise funds for disadvantaged children. Half the proceeds will go to the schools mentioned abov while the other half will be used to re-produce and teach disabled children to make Christmas wreaths next year.

The Rex Hotel in District 1 is going "Red and White" for this year's festive season with a slew of entertainment programmes. From the Rooftop Garden on the fifth floor of the hotel, guests can not only watch downtown HCM City from a vantage point, but also enjoy performances by talented singers and models, not to mention win one or more of the attractive prizes on offer through lucky draws.

The hotel plans to step up the entertainment with concerts, fashion shows and other programmes in an exciting atmosphere on New Year Eve with a lavish banquet.

At the Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon, panoramic views of the city and the river never fail to impress those who get to the 21st storey open air pool bar. A BBQ dinner with live music rounds off a perfect evening outing for the family.

The Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza on Wednesday had the Sofitel ambassador chorus performing, and the hotel's award winning pastry team pitched in with new log cakes. The log cakes, hampers and special home-made goodies for the festive season can be ordered at the Gourmand Shop throughout this month.

At the Legend Hotel Saigon, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve will be celebrated with a Gala Dinner buffet full of novelties, free flow of beverages, variety entertainment, and live performance by the Essence Band in a yuletide atmosphere. The four-member band will play a medley of Latino rhythms, popular hits, and festival favourites.

The hotel's Atrium Cafe will lay out an impressive buffet throughout December with traditional festive delicacies. Christmas and New Year's Eve gala buffets will be extra special. On Christmas Eve, Santa will give gifts to children. Join a mid-night toast with a glass of sparkling wine after enjoying a New Year's Eve countdown with a balloon drop. A guitar&violin duo will serenade brunch buffet customers.

Vagabond troubadours will roam the land as minstrels playing music for the masses from 7pm onwards in the lobby of the Caravelle Hotel every day this month. Think of a broad line of men in capes, strumming guitars, bandurria, lutes and double-bass and singing. The nine musicians, known as Cuarentuna de Derecho, not only play 1,000-year-old favourites, their repertoire also includes boleros, flamenco and rumba.

At the New World Hotel, the Parkview restaurant invites guests to celebrate Christmans Eve with friends and family with a sumptuous buffet of seafood specialties and Christmas delicacies like roast turkey or duck breast with braised red cabbage and caramelised peaches.

For seafood lovers, the Movenpick Hotel Saigon has for long been the place to try the snow crab, with its sweet and delicate flavor, and the hotel's Lotus Court reintroduces this treat in a new setting. The culinary team here takes great pride in finding creative ways to cook the snow crab and ensure a memorable dining experience.

Meanwhile, the Annual Gala Dinners are a well-established tradition at Hotel Majestic Saigon with a plethora of entertainment options including the clarinet&drum duo, Christmas carols, Xmas dances and live Flamenco music. At the hotel's popular discotheque, prizes can be won for the best dance performances, so go prepared to dine and dance.

You can also celebrate Christmas and/or the New Year with a special set dinner at the Serenade Restaurant on the seventh floor. For folks craving an old time ambience, the Serenade Restaurant is an ideal place with its repertoire of classic and live piano&guitar tunes.

Yet another option to celebrate the two occasions is a gala dinner at the Prima Ballroom – Breeze Sky Bar on the fifth floor. — VNS

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Uncle Ho's father's death noted

To mark the 81st anniversary of the death of President Ho Chi Minh's father, Nguyen Sinh Sac, authorities of Dong Thap in the Mekong Delta opened the Nguyen Sinh Sac Tourist Area in the province's Cao Lanh city.

Sac came to Dong Thap in 1917 to teach and give medical treatment to local residents until he died in 1929. When completed, the area, which is located on 9.3 hectares, will have Vietnamese culture and history displays and a traditional craft village of nine wooden houses built in the traditional southern style. Displays will include palm leaf weaving, metal forging and carpentry, all jobs that Nguyen Sinh Sac did in the province. The village will also feature canals, rows of coconut trees, vegetable farms, maize and sugarcane fields.

Tourists can participate in traditional farming and learn about southern culture when they visit the village, which will open to the public in mid-2011.

Tourism Year focuses on coasts

The National Tourism Year 2011 programme will encourage more protection of the beautiful beaches in the south-central region, which includes the provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan as well as Da Nang city.

During a press conference earlier this week, organisers said the festival, which will kick off in Phu Yen Province' Tuy Hoa City on April 1, will hold more than 30 cultural, sport and tourism events. Under the theme of "Visit Viet Nam Year - Phu Yen 2011: Exotic Beach and Island", major events will include an international mountaineering tournament at Da Bia mountain, a Viet Nam-South Korea cultural exchange, a sea and island month and an ASEAN traditional music festival.

VNAT focuses on four main markets

Viet Nam's tourism industry has singled out China, Northeast Asian countries, Europe, and ASEAN as its four main source markets for next year's business plan.

According to Vu The Binh, head of the Travel Department under the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Viet Nam is expected to welcome 900,000 visitors from China and 800,000 from Europe this year. Meanwhile tourists from ASEAN, mostly Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia, have also been soaring in the past two years.

HCM City tourist discounts

A tourism promotion programme that offers 5 to 10 per cent reduction of prices on tourist products and services was introduced by the HCM City's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism during a ceremony to welcome the city's three millionth visitor in 2010.

Under the programme, the discounts will be offered at hotels, tourist and entertainment parks, shopping centres, restaurants and travel agencies between December 19 and January 9.

Hotels, tourist and entertainment parks and travel agencies that want to join the programme must register at the HCM City Department of Trade and Industry.

Ha Noi hotel ranked in top four

International travel journalists and tourism experts have voted Sofitel Legend Metropole Ha Noi as one of the top urban hotels in the world in the Fifth Annual Hotel and Resort Survey of Cigar Aficionado magazine.

The 109-year-old hotel was ranked after the Four Seasons George V in Paris but was on par with the Peninsula in Hong Kong and the Oriental in Bangkok by the jury, which included travel agents, tour operators and staff from Virtuoso, CBS News as well as Forbes Life and National Geographic magazines. — VNS

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Con Dao listed in top 10-best islands

HA NOI — Viet Nam's Con Dao Island has been named as one of the top ten romantic destinations in the world for 2011 by the UK's Lonely Planet magazine.

Other islands on the list were Yemen's Socotra in Yemen, Australia's Torres Strait Islands, Japan's Yacyana, French Guiana's Iles du Salut, the Republic of Korea's Ulleungdo, Panama's San Blas archipelago, Chinese Taipei's Penghu, the Bay Archipelago and Hog Island off the coast of Honduras and Uganda's Ssese.

Con Dao Island has a strong political and cultural history. Under the French, Con Dao was used as a major prison for opponents of French colonialism.

Con Dao National Park, one of the country's top six biodiversity hotspots for both land and sea, contains thousands of plant and animal species, and provides a range of eco-tourism options.

The island is home to playful black and brown squirrels, many species of native and migratory birds, and even endangered marine animals like the sea cow, green turtle and hawk's bill turtle.

According to the Sai Gon Travel Service Company (Saigontourist), in the wedding season this year Con Dao was one of the most popular honeymoon destinations for young couples.

Quang Binh reserves 21 ancient ca tru tunes

QUANG BINH — Troupes of ca tru (ceremonial singing) in the central province of Quang Binh is now reserving 21 ancient tunes, according to the provincial Culture, Sports and Tourism Department.
The province now has 10 ca tru troupes with 138 artists.

Some of the troupes often hold ca tru classes for local learners aged between 10-20.
Since ca tru was recognised as a cultural heritage in need of urgent protection by UNESCO last year, ca tru troupes in Quang Binh have held over 30 free performances to raise awareness of the art form.
Ca tru, also known as hat a dao or hat noi which dates back to the 15th century, had also been listed among intangible global cultural heritage traditions in danger of disappearing.

HTV to host anniversary of reality-show

HCM CITY – The HCM City Television (HTV) will host an anniversary show for its reality shows Ngoi nha mo uoc (A House of Dreams) and Cau chuyen uoc mo (A Tale of Dreams) at the HTV Theatre tomorrow.

The Hanh Trinh Uoc Mo (A Journey of Dreams) show will feature popular artists, including cai luong (reformed opera) artist Uùt Bach Lan, comedian Trung Dan and singers of Nam Khanh and Ha Tram, who have been guests on two reality shows.

The show celebrates the fifth anniversary of A House of Dreams and the third anniversary of A Tale of Dreams.

The shows, which focus on charitable and other humanitarian activities, are supported by Vina Pomina Steel Co. — VNS

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The Vietnam Sketch

The Saigon Times Concert Harmony of Trust, slated for January 8, 2011, is organized by the Saigon Times Group to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon (January 4, 1991 – January 4, 2011). All the proceeds from the concert will be used to assist disadvantaged students in central provinces.

Over 110 years ago, Spanish maestro Francisco Tarrega visited Granada in his country. In no time, the beautiful Granada inspired Tarrega to compose Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Later, Tarrega’s work became an immortal masterpiece of classical guitar.

That night, almost a year ago, in the hall of the HCM City Opera House, the timbre of Recuerdos de la Alhambra was magically brought to life again, indulging viewers with its musical treat. Characterizing the piece is tremolo, a well-known classical guitar technique of repeating the same note by using two or three fingers. That night, in the extremely tranquil hall, how wonderful the guitar tremolo was!

Filipino-American conductor Dean Anderson

But what made viewers excitedly satisfied was that they were listening to the timbre of guitar tremolo while no guitar was found on the stage. Instead, it was the pipa, a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, played by the famous artist Tu Shan Xiang that caused the spectators to think that they were listening to Recuerdos de la Alhambra performed by a first-class guitarist. Among the audience, Prof. Tran Van Khe, an authority on traditional Vietnamese music, sat enjoying attentively. When the last notes of the piece were over, the entire hall broke into rapturous applause.

The above scene was one memorable moment of the first “Harmony of Trust” Saigon Times Concert music night on January 10 this year in celebration of the 19th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon, the Weekly’s sister publication.

Pipa maestro Tu Shan Xiang

On the night, in fact, Recuerdos de la Alhambra was just one of the works which sent the organizer’s message to the audience. Tu Shan Xiang’s pipa, or later the T’rung, a traditional Vietnamese instrument, played by artist Ngo Tuyet Mai, were successful examples of using music as “a borderless medium” capable of building up and linking trust among humans regardless of their skin colors, races, religions or political opinions. In other words, music in this case could play the role of “Esperanto” helping harmonize trust as the music program’s motto has stated.

In his article introducing the music show by the end of 2009, Thu Hoai, a Saigon Times writer, put it, “The Saigon Times Concert came into being to bring the widely accepted music values closer to the general public. Such music performances are expected to send trust and harmony farther and wider. In a society with so many changes, where a considerable number of values has deteriorated, nothing is worth being built up than trust—the trust in the sustainable existence of cultural values which lay the foundation for a caring and humane society…”

Ukrainian violinist Mira Khomik

This target is further set in the Saigon Times Concert scheduled for January 8, 2011 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon. Like the previous show, the concert night will feature artists from various countries. Performing this time will be artists from the United States, Japan, China, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Vietnam Sketch and From the New World

To prepare for the concert night, Filipino-American conductor Dean Anderson has selectively picked Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)’s Symphony No. 9 From the New World for the performance he will conduct with the HCM City Symphony Orchestra. This work was written by the famous Czech composer during his trip to America and was premiered by the New York Philharmonic. “The ‘New World’ Symphony has come to embody themes of global unity and peace,” said Anderson in an email sent to the Saigon Times. “Since I come as a representative of America, I feel it is appropriate to choose this piece, but also because it has global appeal to all nations, as we live in, and are always striving to enrich our lives, thus creating a ‘New World’ as each day passes.”

The beautiful Ukrainian violinist Mira Khomik will perform two chapters of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto. “It has a lot of depth, sadness, hope, as well as sarcastic elements of illusion of happiness (…) To me personally this piece means a deep connection to my culture and history. Through studying this music and performing it, the work becomes the easiest language to share this story, and fully express myself,” she said.

Japanese soprano singer Rumi Yano will bring to the concert hall a classic folk song of Naples. The song O sole mio was written by Di Capua (1864-1917) in 1898, characterized by habanera, a Spanish dance. In festivals in Italy, this song full of loving words brims with brightness. By offering a Western folk song to be performed by an Oriental singer to the Saigonese audience, the Saigon Times Concert wants to highlight East-West combination on Thursday’s “New World.”

Pipa maestro Tu Shan Xiang’s return will debut in this country a new piece entitled Vietnam Sketch he wrote following his Vietnam visit. To a certain extent, his inspiration can be compared to that of Tarrega when the latter created Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Tu Shan Xiang’s Vietnam Sketch describes an expatriate’s feelings when he first visited Vietnam, seeing in his own eyes “seas of motorbikes” in HCM City (Chapter 1), the charming attraction of “Cham dancers” in My Son (Chapter 2), and, above all, the exceptional vitality of the Vietnamese who attach their life to their “Affectionate Homeland” (Chapter 4). This work has been performed during the artist’s tour of Japan, Korea, the Netherlands and France to mark his 40-year music career.

Community contribution

At the end of the previous Saigon Times Concert, Tu Shan Xiang lingered on to talk with Prof. Tran Van Khe. Looking at the two at the time, one might think that they were cronies who had not met each other for a long time. Reporters didn’t tell what they were talking about. However, music is a topic tolerant of no border. When writing Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Tarrega was on his own. But his work has been shared b y innumerable audiences. In a sense, viewers at the Saigon Times Concert will do the same. Enjoying music during the performances is individual, but viewers’ presence at the event also signifies a contribution to the community.

By organizing the Saigon Times Concert, the Saigon Times Group wishes to bring about sympathy and harmony in an effort to build up trust and enrich community culture for the sake of societal balance. This kind of trust will give hope to the youth, especially those who are poor students suffering the hardships of life.

The tickets of the first Saigon Times Concert gained VND150 million, and all was used to provide scholarships for poor studious students in the provinces. Likewise, all the proceeds this time will be used for scholarships for poor students in central Vietnam where stunning floods raged through the region as a result of not only frustrating nature but also human negligence.

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The Vietnam Sketch

The Saigon Times Concert Harmony of Trust, slated for January 8, 2011, is organized by the Saigon Times Group to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon (January 4, 1991 – January 4, 2011). All the proceeds from the concert will be used to assist disadvantaged students in central provinces.

Over 110 years ago, Spanish maestro Francisco Tarrega visited Granada in his country. In no time, the beautiful Granada inspired Tarrega to compose Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Later, Tarrega’s work became an immortal masterpiece of classical guitar.

That night, almost a year ago, in the hall of the HCM City Opera House, the timbre of Recuerdos de la Alhambra was magically brought to life again, indulging viewers with its musical treat. Characterizing the piece is tremolo, a well-known classical guitar technique of repeating the same note by using two or three fingers. That night, in the extremely tranquil hall, how wonderful the guitar tremolo was!

Filipino-American conductor Dean Anderson

But what made viewers excitedly satisfied was that they were listening to the timbre of guitar tremolo while no guitar was found on the stage. Instead, it was the pipa, a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, played by the famous artist Tu Shan Xiang that caused the spectators to think that they were listening to Recuerdos de la Alhambra performed by a first-class guitarist. Among the audience, Prof. Tran Van Khe, an authority on traditional Vietnamese music, sat enjoying attentively. When the last notes of the piece were over, the entire hall broke into rapturous applause.

The above scene was one memorable moment of the first “Harmony of Trust” Saigon Times Concert music night on January 10 this year in celebration of the 19th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon, the Weekly’s sister publication.

Pipa maestro Tu Shan Xiang

On the night, in fact, Recuerdos de la Alhambra was just one of the works which sent the organizer’s message to the audience. Tu Shan Xiang’s pipa, or later the T’rung, a traditional Vietnamese instrument, played by artist Ngo Tuyet Mai, were successful examples of using music as “a borderless medium” capable of building up and linking trust among humans regardless of their skin colors, races, religions or political opinions. In other words, music in this case could play the role of “Esperanto” helping harmonize trust as the music program’s motto has stated.

In his article introducing the music show by the end of 2009, Thu Hoai, a Saigon Times writer, put it, “The Saigon Times Concert came into being to bring the widely accepted music values closer to the general public. Such music performances are expected to send trust and harmony farther and wider. In a society with so many changes, where a considerable number of values has deteriorated, nothing is worth being built up than trust—the trust in the sustainable existence of cultural values which lay the foundation for a caring and humane society…”

Ukrainian violinist Mira Khomik

This target is further set in the Saigon Times Concert scheduled for January 8, 2011 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon. Like the previous show, the concert night will feature artists from various countries. Performing this time will be artists from the United States, Japan, China, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Vietnam Sketch and From the New World

To prepare for the concert night, Filipino-American conductor Dean Anderson has selectively picked Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)’s Symphony No. 9 From the New World for the performance he will conduct with the HCM City Symphony Orchestra. This work was written by the famous Czech composer during his trip to America and was premiered by the New York Philharmonic. “The ‘New World’ Symphony has come to embody themes of global unity and peace,” said Anderson in an email sent to the Saigon Times. “Since I come as a representative of America, I feel it is appropriate to choose this piece, but also because it has global appeal to all nations, as we live in, and are always striving to enrich our lives, thus creating a ‘New World’ as each day passes.”

The beautiful Ukrainian violinist Mira Khomik will perform two chapters of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto. “It has a lot of depth, sadness, hope, as well as sarcastic elements of illusion of happiness (…) To me personally this piece means a deep connection to my culture and history. Through studying this music and performing it, the work becomes the easiest language to share this story, and fully express myself,” she said.

Japanese soprano singer Rumi Yano will bring to the concert hall a classic folk song of Naples. The song O sole mio was written by Di Capua (1864-1917) in 1898, characterized by habanera, a Spanish dance. In festivals in Italy, this song full of loving words brims with brightness. By offering a Western folk song to be performed by an Oriental singer to the Saigonese audience, the Saigon Times Concert wants to highlight East-West combination on Thursday’s “New World.”

Pipa maestro Tu Shan Xiang’s return will debut in this country a new piece entitled Vietnam Sketch he wrote following his Vietnam visit. To a certain extent, his inspiration can be compared to that of Tarrega when the latter created Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Tu Shan Xiang’s Vietnam Sketch describes an expatriate’s feelings when he first visited Vietnam, seeing in his own eyes “seas of motorbikes” in HCM City (Chapter 1), the charming attraction of “Cham dancers” in My Son (Chapter 2), and, above all, the exceptional vitality of the Vietnamese who attach their life to their “Affectionate Homeland” (Chapter 4). This work has been performed during the artist’s tour of Japan, Korea, the Netherlands and France to mark his 40-year music career.

Community contribution

At the end of the previous Saigon Times Concert, Tu Shan Xiang lingered on to talk with Prof. Tran Van Khe. Looking at the two at the time, one might think that they were cronies who had not met each other for a long time. Reporters didn’t tell what they were talking about. However, music is a topic tolerant of no border. When writing Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Tarrega was on his own. But his work has been shared b y innumerable audiences. In a sense, viewers at the Saigon Times Concert will do the same. Enjoying music during the performances is individual, but viewers’ presence at the event also signifies a contribution to the community.

By organizing the Saigon Times Concert, the Saigon Times Group wishes to bring about sympathy and harmony in an effort to build up trust and enrich community culture for the sake of societal balance. This kind of trust will give hope to the youth, especially those who are poor students suffering the hardships of life.

The tickets of the first Saigon Times Concert gained VND150 million, and all was used to provide scholarships for poor studious students in the provinces. Likewise, all the proceeds this time will be used for scholarships for poor students in central Vietnam where stunning floods raged through the region as a result of not only frustrating nature but also human negligence.

Related Articles

• Vietnam Air accepts web check-in for int’l flights
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The Vietnam Sketch

The Saigon Times Concert Harmony of Trust, slated for January 8, 2011, is organized by the Saigon Times Group to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon (January 4, 1991 – January 4, 2011). All the proceeds from the concert will be used to assist disadvantaged students in central provinces.

Over 110 years ago, Spanish maestro Francisco Tarrega visited Granada in his country. In no time, the beautiful Granada inspired Tarrega to compose Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Later, Tarrega’s work became an immortal masterpiece of classical guitar.

That night, almost a year ago, in the hall of the HCM City Opera House, the timbre of Recuerdos de la Alhambra was magically brought to life again, indulging viewers with its musical treat. Characterizing the piece is tremolo, a well-known classical guitar technique of repeating the same note by using two or three fingers. That night, in the extremely tranquil hall, how wonderful the guitar tremolo was!

Filipino-American conductor Dean Anderson

But what made viewers excitedly satisfied was that they were listening to the timbre of guitar tremolo while no guitar was found on the stage. Instead, it was the pipa, a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, played by the famous artist Tu Shan Xiang that caused the spectators to think that they were listening to Recuerdos de la Alhambra performed by a first-class guitarist. Among the audience, Prof. Tran Van Khe, an authority on traditional Vietnamese music, sat enjoying attentively. When the last notes of the piece were over, the entire hall broke into rapturous applause.

The above scene was one memorable moment of the first “Harmony of Trust” Saigon Times Concert music night on January 10 this year in celebration of the 19th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon, the Weekly’s sister publication.

Pipa maestro Tu Shan Xiang

On the night, in fact, Recuerdos de la Alhambra was just one of the works which sent the organizer’s message to the audience. Tu Shan Xiang’s pipa, or later the T’rung, a traditional Vietnamese instrument, played by artist Ngo Tuyet Mai, were successful examples of using music as “a borderless medium” capable of building up and linking trust among humans regardless of their skin colors, races, religions or political opinions. In other words, music in this case could play the role of “Esperanto” helping harmonize trust as the music program’s motto has stated.

In his article introducing the music show by the end of 2009, Thu Hoai, a Saigon Times writer, put it, “The Saigon Times Concert came into being to bring the widely accepted music values closer to the general public. Such music performances are expected to send trust and harmony farther and wider. In a society with so many changes, where a considerable number of values has deteriorated, nothing is worth being built up than trust—the trust in the sustainable existence of cultural values which lay the foundation for a caring and humane society…”

Ukrainian violinist Mira Khomik

This target is further set in the Saigon Times Concert scheduled for January 8, 2011 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon. Like the previous show, the concert night will feature artists from various countries. Performing this time will be artists from the United States, Japan, China, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Vietnam Sketch and From the New World

To prepare for the concert night, Filipino-American conductor Dean Anderson has selectively picked Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)’s Symphony No. 9 From the New World for the performance he will conduct with the HCM City Symphony Orchestra. This work was written by the famous Czech composer during his trip to America and was premiered by the New York Philharmonic. “The ‘New World’ Symphony has come to embody themes of global unity and peace,” said Anderson in an email sent to the Saigon Times. “Since I come as a representative of America, I feel it is appropriate to choose this piece, but also because it has global appeal to all nations, as we live in, and are always striving to enrich our lives, thus creating a ‘New World’ as each day passes.”

The beautiful Ukrainian violinist Mira Khomik will perform two chapters of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto. “It has a lot of depth, sadness, hope, as well as sarcastic elements of illusion of happiness (…) To me personally this piece means a deep connection to my culture and history. Through studying this music and performing it, the work becomes the easiest language to share this story, and fully express myself,” she said.

Japanese soprano singer Rumi Yano will bring to the concert hall a classic folk song of Naples. The song O sole mio was written by Di Capua (1864-1917) in 1898, characterized by habanera, a Spanish dance. In festivals in Italy, this song full of loving words brims with brightness. By offering a Western folk song to be performed by an Oriental singer to the Saigonese audience, the Saigon Times Concert wants to highlight East-West combination on Thursday’s “New World.”

Pipa maestro Tu Shan Xiang’s return will debut in this country a new piece entitled Vietnam Sketch he wrote following his Vietnam visit. To a certain extent, his inspiration can be compared to that of Tarrega when the latter created Recuerdos de la Alhambra. Tu Shan Xiang’s Vietnam Sketch describes an expatriate’s feelings when he first visited Vietnam, seeing in his own eyes “seas of motorbikes” in HCM City (Chapter 1), the charming attraction of “Cham dancers” in My Son (Chapter 2), and, above all, the exceptional vitality of the Vietnamese who attach their life to their “Affectionate Homeland” (Chapter 4). This work has been performed during the artist’s tour of Japan, Korea, the Netherlands and France to mark his 40-year music career.

Community contribution

At the end of the previous Saigon Times Concert, Tu Shan Xiang lingered on to talk with Prof. Tran Van Khe. Looking at the two at the time, one might think that they were cronies who had not met each other for a long time. Reporters didn’t tell what they were talking about. However, music is a topic tolerant of no border. When writing Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Tarrega was on his own. But his work has been shared b y innumerable audiences. In a sense, viewers at the Saigon Times Concert will do the same. Enjoying music during the performances is individual, but viewers’ presence at the event also signifies a contribution to the community.

By organizing the Saigon Times Concert, the Saigon Times Group wishes to bring about sympathy and harmony in an effort to build up trust and enrich community culture for the sake of societal balance. This kind of trust will give hope to the youth, especially those who are poor students suffering the hardships of life.

The tickets of the first Saigon Times Concert gained VND150 million, and all was used to provide scholarships for poor studious students in the provinces. Likewise, all the proceeds this time will be used for scholarships for poor students in central Vietnam where stunning floods raged through the region as a result of not only frustrating nature but also human negligence.

Related Articles

• Vietnam Air accepts web check-in for int’l flights
• Painters show works inspired by nature, nostalgia

Con Dao listed in top ten best islands

HA NOI – Viet Nam's Con Dao Island has been named as one of the top ten romantic destinations in the world for 2011 by the UK's Lonely Planet magazine.

Other islands on the list were Yemen's Socotra in Yemen, Australia's Torres Strait Islands, Japan's Yacyana, French Guiana's Iles du Salut, the Republic of Korea's Ulleungdo, Panama's San Blas archipelago, Chinese Taipei's Penghu, the Bay archipelago and Hog island off the coast of Honduras and Uganda's Ssese.

Con Dao Island has a strong political and cultural history. Under the French, Con Dao was used as a major prison for opponents of French colonialism.

Con Dao National Park, one of the country's top six biodiversity hotspots for both land and sea, contains thousands of plant and animal species, and provides a range of eco-tourism options.

The island is home to playful black and brown squirrels, many species of native and migratory birds, and even endangered marine animals like the sea cow, green turtle and hawk's bill turtle.

According to the Sai Gon Travel Service Company (Saigontourist), in the wedding season this year Con Dao was one of the most popular honeymoon destinations for young couples. – VNS

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