Love duets in the limelight at Lim Festival

Traditionally tuned: (left) Singers perform quan ho love duets in a-cappella style at the Lim Festival. (above) Young people enjoy a folk game. — VNS Photos Vu Ngoc

BAC NINH — A love duet singing festival kicked off yesterday in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

The two-day festival gathered dozens of amateur and professional love duet (quan ho) singers at communes of Noi Due, Lien Bao and Lim Town.

The singing would be in a-cappella style (without musical instruments) which was the local style of love duets, People's Committee deputy chairman Nguyen Huu Manh said.

The entertainment would take place on six stages scattered throughout the area and on boats, temples and the homes of 10 local love duet artists.

Folk games such as traditional swinging, wrestling, hide and seek and card games will be organised.

The festival activities and also venues were widely publicised in a leaflet campaign, Manh said.

The art of love duets was inscribed in the UNESCO's representative list of intangible cultural heritage in September, 2009. — VNS

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Spanish magazine spotlights ‘Great Wall of Vietnam’

Spanish writer Mark Jenkin has extolled the wonderful beauty of Son Doong (Mountain River Cave) in Quang Binh central province.

In a reportage entitled “Vietnam Cave” published in the National Geographic magazine in January, M. Jenkin wrote “There is a jungle inside Vietnam’s mammoth cavern.”

M. Jenkin cited his teammate Jonathan Sims, who was a member of the first expedition to enter the cave, as saying that his team could explore two and a half miles of Son Doong before a 200-foot wall of muddy calcite stopped them.

They named it the Great Wall of Vietnam.

The passage to Son Doong is perhaps 300 feet wide, the ceiling nearly 800 feet tall: room enough for an entire New York City block of 40-storey buildings, he wrote, adding that “And the end is out of sight.”

Located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park recognized as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO in 2003, the cave, 200m high and 150m wide, is believed to be almost twice the size of the current record holder, Deer Cave in Sarawak Malaysia.

The massive cavern currently said to be the largest-known cave on Earth was discovered by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991.

However, not until 2009 was it made known to the public when a group of British scientists from the British Cave Research Association, led by Howard and Deb Limbert, conducted a survey in Phong Nha-Ke Bang.

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Farmers turn jockeys as festive mood lingers

Farming horses and jockeys who are farmers in normal days are on the race which is held once a year

It was early morning Friday. On the most level stretch in a hilly area in An Xuan in the central Phu Yen Province, the eagerly awaited horserace began. All the animals were farming and draft horses, and were ridden by farmers.

When the staring siren went off, 32 horses set off amid the clamor of excited crowds.

Some galloped towards the finish line, others decided to turn back despite their riders’ best efforts to cajole them to run in the right direction.

Some others slowed down to a trot after an impressive gallop. One even headed out of the racecourse and towards the crowds.

The animals, small horses that are native to the area, have just reins since a full set of harness would be too big for them, a spectator explains to us.

The riders, dressed in their daily clothes and without any footwear, apparently wore any helmet they could lay their hands on.

Origin not known

The annual race has been held for very long though locals do not know when it started.

In 2006 it was acknowledged as an official cultural event of the province. Held on the ninth of the first lunar month, it draws thousands of locals and people from nearby provinces.

In this mountainous agricultural area where crops are cultivated on remote hillsides, the only means of transport are these hard-working animals.

Before the race, they have a week off during Tet and are fed a special diet to prepare for the race.

Interestingly, a farmer and one of the jockeys said mares were easier to raise and work harder than stallions, adding that out of the 32 racers, 28 were females.
All four of the animals that made it to finals were mares.

“I woke up early in the morning and rode 30 kilometers here,” 65-year-old Tran Van My from the nearby An Hoa commune said with a satisfied smile.
“What a payoff, this interesting race.”

An American freelance photographer introducing himself Jaques who seemed to be enchanted with the race, said: “I have never seen such a strange, wild, fascinating race like this. My friends in Binh Dinh Province told me about this.”

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Quan wins French student beauty pageant

Vo Hong Quan, a junior vocal music student at Virty-sur-Seine Music College, beat 15 contestants to be crowned Miss Spring 2011 at a beauty contest among Vietnamese students in France.

At the finale in Paris-based Armande Bejart Theatre Saturday night, 20-year-old Quan - who was awarded a scholarship to study in France after gaining outstanding academic achievements in Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music - won the title for her grace and skills.

The first runner-up is Nguyen Tuyet Mai, who majors in finance at Paris Sorbonne 2 University while Tran Thanh Tam, the sophomore student studying Economic Management at Paris 11 University is the second runner-up.

Tam also won Miss Photogenic and Miss ao dai (traditional long dress) at the final round.

Organized by of the Vietnam Students’ Association, the third annual event attracted participation of 15 Vietnamese students in France, who entered the final round.

“The beauty contest is to create a playground for Vietnamese students as well as overseas Vietnamese in France (OVF),” said Vo Xuan Hoai, General Secretary.

After the contest, the winner along with OVF members will participate in many activities including assisting Vietnamese students in France and acting as a bridge for friendship between Vietnam and international friends.

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Love duets tune up

BAC NINH – A love duet singing festival kicks off today in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

The two-day festival will gather dozens of amateur and professional love duet (quan ho) singers at communes of Noi Due, Lien Bao and Lim Town.

The singing would be in a-cappella style (without musical instruments) which was the local style of love duets, People's Committee deputy chairman Nguyen Huu Manh said.

The entertainment would take place in six tents scattered throughout the area and on boats, temples and the homes of 10 local love duet artists.

Folk games such as traditional swinging, wrestling, hide and seek and card games also will be organised.

The festival activities and venues had been widely publicised in a leaflet campaign, Manh said.

The art of love duets was inscribed in the UNESCO's representative list of intangible cultural heritage in September, 2009.

The art is also performed in other festivals in the province such as the O Village festival (on the lunar 4th and 5th of the first month) in Xuan O Village; the Nhoi Village Festival (lunar 7th of the first month); the Diem Village Festival (lunar 5th to 7th of the first month) in Yen Phong District; the Dinh Bang Village Festival (lunar 12nd to 16th of the second month) in Tu Son District. – VNS

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Vietnam girl wins World Press Photo Award

The 54th World Press Photo Contest's 2nd prize of Contemporary Issue for 2010 will be bestowed on America-based photojournalist Ed Kashi for his photo of a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl struck with Agent Orange.

The photo, announced winner at a press conference last week, captures a slice of life of Nguyen Thi Ly, a third generation suffering from Agent Orange in the central province of Da Nang which was heavily affected by the Vietnam War.

The picture earlier also won the first prize of Germany Unicef’s 2010 Photo of the Year last December.

Vietnam Agent Orange victims touch Briton’s heart

Ly pictured in this photo that won 2nd prize

Through a project for the non-governmental organization “Children of Vietnam” which supported Agent Orange victims, photographer Ed Kashi had come to live with Ly’s family for 4 days to complete his photo series.

This year’s World Press Photo premium award went to South African photographer Jodi Bieber with her portrait of an 18-year-old Afghanistan woman whose nose and ear were cut off by her husband and his family under a Taliban verdict.

The photo of the year 2010

56 other photographers from 23 countries were crowned winners of this year’s contest. Sport, general and spot news, daily life, nature, contemporary issues, portrait, art and entertainments are among the 9 categories of the renowned world’s photography award.

The contest also saw a record number of 108,059 images submitted. The number of participating photographers was 5,847, representing 125 different nationalities.

An award ceremony will be held on May 7 in Amsterdam to honor winning photographers and their work.

 "Old Iron Market burns" taken in Haiti earned first prize of General News single for Italian photograper Riccardo Venturi

 

"The Flying Cholitas" by Italian photographer Tamagni Daniele earned second prize of Art and Entertainment

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Lady Gaga wins three Grammys, swears on stage

Lady Gaga accepts her award for Best Pop Vocal Album for "The Fame Monster" at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, February 13, 2011

Photo: Reuters

Rapper Jay-Z and flamboyant pop singer Lady Gaga overshadowed front-runner Eminem at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, winning three awards each by the midway mark.

Lady Gaga had the censors reaching for the mute button after she exclaimed, "Oh, s---!" when she accepted her third award, for best pop vocal album.

Urban pop singer Cee Lo, accompanied by singer/actress Gwyneth Paltrow and a band of Jim Henson puppets, censored himself when he performed "Forget You!," the family-friendly version of his nominated tune "F*** You!"

Bob Dylan, in a rare Grammys appearance, may have had viewers reaching for their mute buttons as the folk-rock icon croaked through a version of "Maggie's Farm" backed by acoustic bands Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers.

The star of the show, as far as millions of young girls are concerned, was likely best new artist nominee Justin Bieber. The 16-year-old Canadian performed acoustically, rolled out some African drummers, rapped with Will Smith's son Jaden, and danced with his mentor R&B singer Usher.

Jay-Z's trio of awards included a pair for his duet with Alicia Keys on "Empire State of Mind," a love letter to New York that will compete for record of the year later in the ceremony. The hip-hop star received six nominations in all.

Lady Gaga was honored for her album "The Fame Monster," and received two awards for her song "Bad Romance." She performed her new single "Born This Way" after hatching from an egg that was wheeled on stage.

 

Lady Gaga performs her new song "Born This Way" at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California February 13, 2011

She had time to change into a bondage-style outfit by the time she received her third award. After her outburst, she got serious by noting, "I had this dream when I was really young that I could be whoever I wanted to be."

Eminem, who leads the field with 10 nominations, received a single early Grammy. He will go head-to-head with Jay-Z for both record of the year and best rap album, and will also vie for song and album of the year.

But his losses to the likes of Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and even jazz icon Herbie Hancock indicated that the awards show would not be an early valentine to the rapper.

As cited by AFP, American jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding won best new artist Grammy.

Miranda Lambert wins first Grammy

Country singer Miranda Lambert won the first Grammy of her career after making her Grammys performance debut with song of the year nominee "The House That Built Me."

British rock band Muse turned up the volume with their song "Uprising," and also won a Grammy for their efforts. The band bested the likes of Pearl Jam and Neil Young to win best rock album for "The Resistance."

However Young earlier won a Grammy for best rock song, the first time the veteran rocker had been recognized for a musical performance.

Other multiple winners included classical producer David Frost with four prizes, while British rock guitarist Jeff Beck and soul singer/songwriter John Legend had three each.

Country trio Lady Antebellum, also up for six awards, won two prizes for their song "Need You Now," which will vie for song and record of the year. Rock band the Black Keys and Usher also scored two awards each.

Country trio Lady Antebellum

Canadian band Arcade Fire won the best album Grammy on Sunday for their record "The Suburbs".

According to AFP, the Montreal-based indie group's latest record had been up against "The Fame Monster" by Lady Gaga, "Recovery" by Eminem, "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum and "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry on the best album shortlist.

Canadian band Arcade Fire

They perform at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards  

 

Lady Gaga arrives being carried in an egg shaped vessel at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California February 13, 2011

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