Hue’s sensational sweet soups

Che hat sen (lotus seed sweet soup)

The imperial city of Hue is not just famous for its citadels and pagodas. As a popular saying goes, “Hanoi has 36 streets, Hue has 36 kinds of sweet soup.”

The central city’s iconic che, as it is broadly known, is usually made from various kinds of beans and sometimes sticky rice, and can be served hot or cold as a dessert.

A particular feature of Hue dishes, including che, that sets them apart from other regional cuisines in Vietnam, is their relatively small serving size and refined presentation, a vestige of their royal origin.

There are two types of Hue sweet soup, che cung dinh (royal sweet soup sold in restaurants) and che hem (hem means an “alley” in Vietnamese). The first is famous for its sophisticated cooking process and presentation while the second is a bit simpler.

But both reflect Hue people’s patience and devotion to work, which usually make their dishes sensational and unique.

It is very common for people drop into sidewalk shops run by street vendors in Hue to enjoy a bowl of sweet soup costing just VND5,000 (25 US cents).

Xich lo drivers drive tourists into narrow alleys where small shops serve even more delicious stuff for the same price.

The most popular che cung dinh dishes are che hat sen (lotus seed sweet soup; see photo), che hat sen long nhan (lotus seeds wrapped in longan pulp), and che dau ngu (kidney beans sweet soup).

The alleys sell a wide range of sweet soups, including che bap (corn sweet soup), chebot loc thit quay (sweet soup made from cassava flour and roasted pork), che khoai mon (taro), che chuoi (banana), and che buoi (sweet soup made from pomelo peel, green beans and cassava flour).

Hueans are proud of two ingredients that are unique to their sweet soup: lotus seeds and corn.

The best lotus seeds come from plants growing in Tinh Tam Lake, which records say King Minh Mang of the Nguyen Dynasty ordered built for entertainment. His servants used to make him fragrant tea from the seeds and petals taken from its lotuses.

The best corn comes from a field in Con Hen (Clam Isle), a poor area where residents make their living mostly from fishing and farming.

The islet is now a popular tourist spot which has many food shops selling com hen (clam rice) and che bap.

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Violinist of Vietnamese origin wins prize at int’l contest

Ailen Pritchin, a Russian violinist of Vietnamese origin, won the third prize of EUR10,000 (US$13,328) in cash at the seventh international Frits Kraisler violin competition, which wrapped up in the Austrian capital city of Vienna Thursday.

The Vietnamese-Russian violinist, 22, is currently studying at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. His father Nguyen Van Thong, is a businessman and his Russian mother, Marina Pritchina, is a teacher in Saint-Petersburg.

Ailen won four first prizes at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Japan and third prize at the international violin competition in Sweden last year.

The young violinist plans to get a doctorate degree at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, which will provide him with opportunities to perform worldwide.

First prize of the Frits Kraisler competition this year was worth EUR15,000 ($19,992) and second prize EUR12,000 ($16,000). These prizes went to Russian violinists Nikita Borisoglebsky and Ekaterina Frolova.

Frits Kraisler (1875-1962) was an Austrian musician and a violinist of exceptional talent. The international violin competition named after him was organized for the first time in 1979.
 

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Violinist of Vietnamese origin wins prize at int’l contest

Ailen Pritchin, a Russian violinist of Vietnamese origin, won the third prize of EUR10,000 (US$13,328) in cash at the seventh international Frits Kraisler violin competition, which wrapped up in the Austrian capital city of Vienna Thursday.

The Vietnamese-Russian violinist, 22, is currently studying at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. His father Nguyen Van Thong, is a businessman and his Russian mother, Marina Pritchina, is a teacher in Saint-Petersburg.

Ailen won four first prizes at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Japan and third prize at the international violin competition in Sweden last year.

The young violinist plans to get a doctorate degree at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, which will provide him with opportunities to perform worldwide.

First prize of the Frits Kraisler competition this year was worth EUR15,000 ($19,992) and second prize EUR12,000 ($16,000). These prizes went to Russian violinists Nikita Borisoglebsky and Ekaterina Frolova.

Frits Kraisler (1875-1962) was an Austrian musician and a violinist of exceptional talent. The international violin competition named after him was organized for the first time in 1979.
 

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Cafés becoming new rendezvous for HCMC drama lovers

Photo: Tuoi Tre

For Ho Chi Minh City coffee shops, serving just food and beverages is almost passé – the latest trend is to offer books, chess boards, and even theatrical performances.

Bet Cafe at 57A Tu Xuong Street, District 3, staged the first play three years ago and now at least five cafes do it though only two of them, Bet and Lit, advertise publicly and have a license.

The actors are usually amateurs or theater arts students who are yet it to make big stage, the owner of Bet Café, Thien Kiem, said.

“It took me a year of preparations and two more for trials to bring a drama stage inside a coffee shop,” she recalled. “I faced innumerable difficulties.”

Many of her friends considered it odd, she said.

The first obstacle was getting a license from the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“My group of young performers and I were patient,” she told Tuoi Tre.

Under the law, all performances and drama scripts must get approval from local authorities before being staged.

Initially, Bet Café staged plays once a week before making it thrice a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Some show draw an audience of up to 100 visitors who enjoy food and drinks alongside the show.

“I like watching plays here as they are very realistic without props, lights, or special effects,” a customer said.

Some plays have become favorites at Bet Café -- Tinh Song Tinh Chet (Love Alive, Love Dead), Doan Tuyet (Breaking), and Sau Mot Con Dong (Aftermath of a Storm).

Kim said the café has a target of staging a new play every month.

At Lit Café, 3/13 Thich Quang Duc Street, Phu Nhuan District, plays are staged every Wednesday and Thursday.

At both places, visitors can also exchange ideas and talk to performers.

Theater cafes are becoming a place for young performers to test their skills while also earning a livelihood.

NNCK is a typical group. Hoang Minh Phi and Nhu Thao set it up out of their love for theater after failing to complete theater school.

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Lavish funerals as rich Asians go out in style

Lavish funerals in vogue as rich Asians go out in style

Photo: Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR - Demand for luxury funerals is booming in Southeast Asia, driven by the rising ranks of the wealthy in the region.

From $100,000 gold-plated caskets to million dollar burial plots, a growing number of the rich are making the passage to the afterlife with the best that money can buy.

"Our clients tell us their loved ones deserve the best in life and in death," said Au Kok Huei, the group chief operating officer of Malaysia's NV Multi Corporation Berhad, Southeast Asia's sole listed bereavement services provider.

The company offers a range of funeral services and runs cemeteries and columbariums in six countries - Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan.

Its 100,000 clients are mainly ethnic Chinese who make up more than 40 million of Southeast Asia's population. Muslims make up the majority of the population in the region, but lavish funerals are frowned upon by the religion.

Company officials said demand for luxury funerals among the ethnic Chinese has been growing especially in Indonesia, which has a small but affluent Chinese community and in Singapore, where the company runs a $22 million columbarium.

Among the more popular top-of-the-line products are a burial urn crafted from Canadian jade priced at 188,000 Malaysian ringgit , while a gold-plated casket costs 388,000 ringgit. Prices for a basic burial provided by smaller firms start from about 4,000 ringgit.

The company's most expensive burial plots are on hilltops, conforming to Chinese geomancy principles. Each costs 1.6 million ringgit and wealthy customers usually purchase several adjacent plots for their family members.

"Cemetery like a garden"

To expand further the company said it plans to offer pre-planned funeral services tied to investments in palm oil or rubber plantation schemes.

Profits from these investments are used to defray the cost of the customer's eventual funeral.

NV Multi aims to finalise a foray into China with Chinese partner next year, where it will eventually compete with players outside Southeast Asia including Hong Kong-listed Sino-Life Group Ltd, a funeral service provider in Taiwan and China.

Chief executive officer Kong Hon Kong, who founded the company 20 years ago, said the idea to set up the company came after he was asked to manage a relative's funeral.

"Local cemeteries were poorly run and eerie, so I thought: 'why can't we manage a cemetery like a garden so our children will want to visit us after we pass away'?"

The goal led him to design a showcase memorial park near Kuala Lumpur, currently the largest in Southeast Asia.

Landscaped to resemble a recreational park, the sprawling 809-acre facility features burial plots divided according to the respective religious beliefs of its customers.

A statue of Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, venerated by Taoists and Buddhists, stands on the head of a kilometre-long dragon replica, while a 20-feet statue of Jesus takes centre stage at the Christian section of the cemetery.

The dead buried at the memorial aren't limited to humans. A corner is dedicated to cats and dogs, with over 100 burial plots costing 4,900 ringgit each.

"The next generation won't be afraid to go to the cemetery again," said businessman Loke Kam Weng, whose father is buried in the cemetery.

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Dragons to greet Hanoi for 1,000th birthday

A fireworks performance by Els Comediants

Music, acrobatics, dance, and spectacular fireworks by Spanish and Vietnamese artists will be on display October 2 to celebrate Hanoi’s millennium anniversary.

The Festival of Dragon show to be held at the My Dinh National Stadium will depict the legend of the city from a Spanish perspective.

Nineteen artists from Spain’s Els Comediants group and 18 artists from the Vietnam Circus will perform.

The show will start with a blue dragon waking up from a long slumber in the northeast of the country. It breaths fireballs into the sky and creates the islands in Ha Long Bay. The islands become green and more beautiful, waking up the gods, including the Fire God, who is considered to be closely connected with the lives of humans.

The festivities reach a climax with the gods deciding to seek out the other dragons, like the fire dragon, air dragon, and land dragon, to congratulate the dragon for the city’s millennium anniversary.

The centerpiece of the stage will be a giant dragon, 10 meters wide and 10 meters tall, whose eyes can move to express emotions.

The ideas and scenario of this program are built by Spanish artists from Els Comediants group.

The group is popular for its impressive performances, not only in Spain, but also all over the world. It performed at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992.

Nguyen van Tinh, head of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s International Cooperation Department, highlighted Spain’s goodwill for Vietnam and promised a successful festival.

This festival will be organized by the Spanish embassy o and the ministry. Admission will be free.

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Vietnamese short stories introduced in Germany

BERLIN — A collection of short stories entitled Tuong Ve Huu (The Retired General), marking the 10th Berlin International Literature Festival, has been presented in Germany.

Author Nguyen Huy Thiep and Guenter Giesenfeld, president of Viet Nam-Germany Friendship Association, who took part in translating the collection into German, both discussed the works with various audiences.

The collection was presented in order to introduce new Vietnamese literature to German audiences.

Free movies for Ha Noi anniversary

HA NOI — A programme entitled Nhung Ngay Phim Viet Nam (Days of Viet Nam Films) will be screened as part of the Ha Noi anniversary celebrations on October 1-10 at the National Cinema Centre and August Cinema.

Admission will be free for movies including Long Thanh Cam Gia Ca (Musician in Thang Long Citadel) and Vuot Qua Ben Thuong Hai (Passing Shanghai Wharf) on the opening day.

The Viet Nam Cinema Department has organised the programme which will be shown throughout the country.

Late poet's birthday honoured in music and verse

HA NOI — Late poet To Huu's 90th birthday will be honoured at a programme of music and verse titled Dep Vo Cung To Quoc Ta Oi (Our Nation Is Very Beautiful) at the Ha Noi Opera House next Saturday.

Singers will recite the poet's works and the Viet Nam Writers' Association will hold a conference to discuss To Huu's poems.

Viet Nam's Next Top Model to premiere on VTV3

HCM CITY— The first episode of Viet Nam's Next Top Model, a television reality show that scouts potential female models, will be broadcast on the national entertainment channel VTV3 at 8pm next Thursday.

At two auditions last month in Ha Noi and HCM City, 18 girls were short-listed from more than 1,500 contestants aged between 18 and 25 from around the country.

The show will follow every move of the semi-finalists who will live together in a Cast House in HCM City for two months where they will be filmed 24/7.

They will be stripped of all means of communications to the outside world and will have no access to a mobile phone, computer, internet or newspaper.

On each show, a contestant will be eliminated after participating in challenges in different modelling skills like a photo-shoot, cat-walk and make-up.

Two finalists will be pitted against each other in the final gala show which will be aired live at the end of January.

This is the first season of the show, which is based on the show America's Next Top Model on CBS, a national TV network in the US. — VNS

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