Market slightly drops back

The local market broke the 13-day rising streak with a mild losing session on Wednesday while liquidity rose to the highest level over the past month on strong profit taking. The VN-Index lost 2.41 points, or 0.51%, from the day earlier to close at 466.99.

The market opened higher and quickly moved up to the daily high of 475.45 before dropping back in several stages. It fell into the red from the end of the second session before staging a short-lived recovery and finally closing at above the daily low.

On the southern bourse, there were 81.4 million shares worth nearly VND1.3 trillion traded at the end of the day, rising 19% and 8% against the previous day respectively. Bids fell a mild 6.7% to around 120 million shares while offers soared 37.5% from the day earlier to 117.4 million shares.

Losers slightly outnumbered gainers by 138 to 107, of which 50 stocks shot up to the ceiling prices and 40 stocks dropped to the floor prices. Blue-chips were mostly lower across the board albeit with some exceptions such as MSN, BVH and VCF.

Sacom Development and Investment Corp. (SAM) was the most traded stock for liquidity, inching up 1.3% against the previous day to VND7,400 per share with 4.3 million shares traded. PetroVietnam Transportation Corp. (PVT), the second biggest traded stock, gained 1.9% to VND5,300 on the volume of 2.8 million shares.

Foreigners once again increased net selling. They acquired 6.4 million shares worth VND202.7 billion and offloaded 11.1 million shares worth VND325.4 billion, making up 15.7% and 25.2% of the market’s buying and selling value respectively.

The Hanoi market fell back on Wednesday although turnover improved to over VND1 trillion. The HNX-Index fell 1.92 points, or 2.42%, against the previous session and ended the day at 77.33.

Advancers and decliners were almost equal at 164 to 145, including 49 stocks going to the ceiling prices and 12 stocks dropping to the floor. Foreigners were slight net sellers again, accounting for 1.1% of the buying value and 2% of the selling value.

Viet Dragon Securities Co. in its daily comment said profit taking surged strongly on the two bourses while buyers turned cautious again on Wednesday. Furthermore, the broker noted another negative sign as foreigners maintained heavy net selling for three sessions in a row.

There were around 1.6 billion shares worth VND20 trillion changing hands on the two markets since the lowest level in August, putting a huge volume of shares under heavy selling pressure given no new supporting information. However, the VN-Index would enjoy positive news from low CPI (consumer price index) in September. It might continue correcting and then hover around 440 points, the broker predicted.

via www.WeOnTech.com

Composer's family seeks copyright protection

Contemplation: Music by late composer Trinh Cong Son, above, has been highly popular with students and young people. His younger sister has asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for help to stop unauthorised use of his music. — File Photo

HCM CITY — A younger sister of late composer Trinh Cong Son has sent a letter to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, asking that it help put an end to the unauthorised use of Son's music.

Trinh Vinh Trinh said she had been entrusted by the family to protect the intellectual property rights of the celebrated composer who died 10 years ago.

Son's music, most of which he wrote in the 1960s and 1970s, is highly popular with students and young people.

Three years ago, Trinh, on behalf of Son's family, asked music concerts, bars and music clubs that used Son's music to pay copyright fees.

However, most concerts have not paid fees to Son's family.

"The unauthorised use of Son's music has been going on for a long time, which has prompted us to raise our voice," she said.

"We want to collect copyright fees for Son's music to have money to set up Trinh Cong Son Fund to assist young talented artists at Son's will."

Many music concerts have been organised in Ha Noi and HCM City to mark Son's 10th death anniversary this year.

"Of these, only Ru Tinh (Lullaby to Love) concert bought the rights to perform Son's songs," Trinh said.

"Son's music copyright fees may reach VND1 billion (US$50,000) a year, the highest for any composers in Viet Nam," said Pho Duc Phuong, director of the Viet Nam Centre for Protection of Music Copyright.

"As a composer, I understand the difficult problems faced by Son's family as his music copyright has been violated publicly and more often," Phuong said.

According to Phuong, Son's family has not signed a contract with the centre, which has been entrusted by more than 1,000 songwriters and composers to collect royalty fees from those who use their materials.

"Son's family has called music concert organisers about the copyright violations, but few of them are ready to buy a copyright for the use of his music," Phuong said. — VNS

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Comic classics for Japanese

HA NOI — A book collection of comics titled Danh Tac Viet Nam (Vietnamese Famous Literary Works) will be translated into Japanese and published in Japan later this year. Japan is considered one of the strongholds of the comic art form.

The collection includes Chi Pheo by Nam Cao and Giong To (Thunderstorm) by Vu Trong Phung.

The publishing work is being carried out by the Phan Thi Company, a pioneer publisher of Vietnamese comics. It aims to bring classic novels closer to young readers through comics.

The company has published many comics in the past 10 years, such as Than Dong Dat Viet (Vietnamese Child Prodigies) and Truyen Hay Su Viet (Interesting Stories of Vietnamese History).

Students who have forgotten Vietnamese history can quickly recall it through these books, said Phan Thi My Hanh, the company's director.

Diplomats to help disadvantaged

HCM CITY — The Consular Club of HCM City will organise its annual charity art auction to raise funds for disadvantaged people on March 4.

At the Art Auction, under the hammer will go paintings, decorative artworks and photographs by both Vietnamese and foreign artists and amateurs.

A highlight will be an antique Uchikake kimono, a formal Japanese garment often worn by brides or on stage.

The auction will be held at the Sherwood Residence, 127 Pasteur, District 3.

Last year more than 100 works of art were sold, including paintings by well-known artists like Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, Do Hoang Tuong, Nguyen Than and Tran Van Thao, raising over US$15,000.

The money has already been spent on 29 projects meant to improve the lives of the poor.

More bronze drums to be made

HA NOI — Kinh Do Investment and Media Company and the AMC Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, under the patronage of the Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Association and the Viet Nam Historical Science Association, plan to cast 37 bronze drums.

The traditionally made drums will be presented to the Hung Kings Temple in the northern province of Phu Tho, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ha Noi and Vietnamese embassies abroad.

Craftsmen from the central province of Thanh Hoa have been commissioned for the work.

The Viet Nam Historical Science Association is funding the project.

Hue student wins Japan design prize

HA NOI — Phan Khanh Trang from Hue University of Arts won the Grand Prize in a traditional cloth design competition sponsored by the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Viet Nam.

The awards ceremony will be held today at the centre. Workshops and an exhibition of furoshiki – traditional Japanese cloth used to wrap everything from grocery items to presents – will run until March 10.

Literature, arts members meet

HA NOI — Representatives from 63 literature and art associations took part in the first annual meeting of the Union of the Viet Nam Literature and Arts Association in Ha Noi yesterday.

Members were discussing the association's activities in 2010 and plans for this year.

At the meeting, poet Huu Thinh, who is president of the association, said the focus last year was patriotism, humanity and social morals.

From 2010-15, he said the association's key task would be to promote public virtue and nurture new talent. — VNS

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Football on Phu Quoc for expats

Mango Bay Phu Quoc Resort invites registrations for its fourth football tournament for expats in May - Photo: Courtesy of Mango Bay Phu Quoc Resort

Mango Bay Phu Quoc, an eco-luxe resort will hold its fourth football tournament for the expat community in Vietnam, on Saturday May 7.

The Mango Bay Vietnam’s ‘Champions League’ is an annual tournament taking place at Cua Can Stadium on beautiful Phu Quoc Island. This year, eight expat teams will compete for the title on a brand new pitch for a bigger cup.

The registration fee is US$150 per team of 10, including a goal keeper, six starting players and three substitutes. Complimentary water will be provided, and each player can enjoy a reduced rate of US$12 per person for a special BBQ night. The cost is US$15 for nonplayers.

“We expect this year’s football tournament to attract ‘the usual suspects’ from previous years and some newcomers from the expat community in Vietnam. It’s one of the best ways to socialize and get to know each other better,” said Ronan Le Bihan, Mango Bay’s general manager, in a statement,

The tournament runs all day, with group matches in the morning and finals in the afternoon.

Mango Bay has special promotion during the event of three nights for the price of two, with rooms and bungalows starting from US$40 to US$75.

For information, email Ronan at gm@mangobayphuquoc.com. Player names must be sent by April 20.

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Job fair for students on Saturday

Vietnam Centre Point Education & Media Group in conjunction with the HCMC University of Social
Sciences and Humanities will hold a job fair for students at the university on Saturday.

All students, who are looking for a part-time job to gain experience, are invited to the event to meet with enterprises that are seeking employees.  A free course on communication skills will also be offered.

Students could win the lucky draw with a special prize of English learning scholarship.

Huynh Trong Hieu, director of Viet Huy Ltd, Co.; Le Xuan Khue, executive director of Hang Viet Company; Tran Huu Phuc Tien, director of Vietnam Centre Point Education & Media Group and Huynh Thi Kim Hoan, lecturer of the Business Edge teaching program will be giving talks.

The job fair will be at Hall C at the university at 10-12 Dinh Tien Hoang Street in HCMC’s District 1 at 8 a.m..

For further information, contact the Vietnam Centre Point at 8E Luong Huu Khanh Street, District 1, HCMC or tel: 3925 3183 or 0919 751 275, email: dtsv@vietnamhopdiem.edu.vn, website: http://www.vietnamcentrepoint.edu.vn.

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Bob Dylan plays in HCMC

Bob Dylan will play songs by the famous Vietnamese songwriter, Trinh Cong Son, at his HCMC concert - Photo: Official website of Bob Dylan

The legendary American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will perform in Vietnam for one night only on his 2011 tour at the HCMC-based Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), 702 Nguyen Van Linh Parkway, District 7, on April 10. 

He will sing at Loretta Grounds of the university in front of around 10,000 fans in a live show called “Bob Dylan commemorates Trinh Cong Son”. Trinh Cong Son, who wrote over 500 songs during his lifetime for Vietnam’s music, died in 2001. He was considered the Bob Dylan of Vietnam for his moving antiwar songs in the 1960s and 70s.

Bob Dylan has been a major figure in music for five decades with his songs such as Blowin’ in the Wind and The Times They Are A Changin’ which became the anthems for the US civil rights and antiwar movements. The 70-year-old artist Bob Dylan has won many Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and many others throughout his career.

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Vietnamese comic books translated into Japanese

Shin’E Toshihiko (L), director of the Vietnam National University in Hanoi-Kyoto University Collaboration Office, talks with artists from the Danh Tac Viet Nam comic series - Photo: Tuong Vi

Phan Thi Media Education and Entertainment JSC has agreed for Vietnam National University in Hanoi-Kyoto University Collaboration Office to translate the company’s comic series Danh Tac Viet Nam (Vietnamese Famous Works) into Japanese.

Phan Thi adapted the country’s great literary works into comic books last year. Danh Tac Viet Nam has three famous titles Chi Pheo by Nam Cao, Tat Den (Turn off the light) by Ngo Tat To and Giong To (Thunderstorm) by Vu Trong Phung.

“It’s a great opportunity for Vietnamese comic books to be promoted in Japan, which is home to a great number of comics,” Shin’E Toshihiko, director of the Vietnam National University in Hanoi-Kyoto University Collaboration Office, told the Daily.

The titles will be translated into Japanese together with another comic book published by Phan Thi named Orange about basket ball at Vietnamese schools. The translations will be done by Japanese lecturers who are teaching the language in Vietnam.

In August the Japanese version will be entered into Comiket, the Japanese Comic Market, which is the world’s largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, in August and December. It attracts over a half million people to join and many amateur comic artists attend.

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