Vietnamese models to take part in Seoul festival

HA NOI — Models Nguyen Ngoc Lan Huong and Quang Thinh will participate in the 6th Asia Model Festival today in Seoul, South Korea.

Huong, 1.75m tall, was named as fourth placed runner-up in the Miss Model of the World 2009 beauty contest held in China last year. Meanwhile, male model Thinh is 1.85m tall and won fourth prize at the Viet Nam Manhunt 2006. He also won Best Supermodel Photo 2008, Promising Model 2008 and Most Beloved at Manhunt 2008 in South Korea.

The Asia Model Festival Awards are presented annually by the Korean Models' Association. This year's event will draw over 30 models from 16 countries and will be graced by a bevy of South Korean stars and celebrities.

New TV series showcases local fashion designers

HCM CITY — VCTV12 started broadcasting fashion series The Maze in HCM City yesterday.

Top models Thanh Hang, Vo Hoang Yen, Ngoc Quyen and Kim Minh will display collections by top local designers like Hoang Ngan, Vo Phan Huy, Chung Thanh Phong, and Kelly Bui.

Ngo Quang Hai, who produced art-house movie favourite Pao's Story and the 2008 Dep Fashion Show 2008 directed the show.

Hard Rock Cafe seeks VN entries for London gig

HCM CITY — Hard Rock Cafe is giving Vietnamese bands the chance to be one of four Global Ambassadors of Rock to play at Hard Rock Calling 2011 in London's Hyde Park, one of the world's most anticipated music festivals.

In celebration of the brand's 40 anniversary, Hard Rock has launched its first Global Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands, giving the rock bands the opportunity of a lifetime.

Hard Rock Cafe HCM City has asked for Vietnamese entries for the qualification round.

The best 12 bands will have an audition with a judging panel made up of famous musicians and rock music experts on February 16.

The winner will represent Viet Nam at the regional finals.

Bands need to apply to participate by sending in entries to Uyen Tran – Chloe of Hard Rock Cafe HCM City via email uyen.tran@vtijs.com.

The entry email should contain a demo in MP3 format, profile photographs and a 50-100 word bio.

Deadline for entries is January 31. — VNS

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Ethnology museum celebrates Tet with diverse programme

Multi-cultural: Visitors join in a traditional ethnic Thai dance at the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology festival last year. — Photo courtesy Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology

HA NOI — The Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology will hold its annual Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations on February 6-8, with music, food and games – and the participation of 90 representatives from six ethnic groups from around the country.

The Raglai from the central province of Ninh Thuan and the Dao Lo Gang and Na Mieo from the northern province of Lang Son will be participating in the holiday programme for the first time.

Traditional performances will include gong ceremonies of the Raglai, prayers for peace and good crops by the Na Mieo, Tay and Dao Lo Gang, the lion dance of the Nung, and the bamboo pole dance of the Thai, as well as calligraphy, water puppetry of the Kinh majority.

Kids will be able to join in a variety of folk games, including swinging, wrestling, walking on stilts, chess playing and stick pushing. They also be able to make their own folk toys under the instruction of ethnic people, including making figurines and pinwheels.

This year, visitors will be able to enjoy traditional food from the Tay ethnic group, such as roast pig with mac mat (a type of wild leaf), steamed glutinous rice, dried buffalo meat and traditional cakes.

About 150 student volunteers will join museum staff in helping visitors enjoy the events.

The events would help preserve and popularise the precious cultural traditions of Viet Nam, said museum director Vo Quang Trong.

Visitors would gain a better understanding of the cultures of the different ethnic groups, as well as join in the spirit of the festivities, Trong said. — VNS

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Job skills course for students

Students interested in learning hands-on work skills are invited to register for a training course by Students’ Culture House and Vietnam Centre Point Education & Media Group at 643 Dien Bien Phu Street in HCMC’s District 3.

Participants will be familiarized with skills needed to be a promoter at an exhibition/fair, secretary or receptionist with discounted tuition fees from VND200,000 to VND500,000. The organizers will also organize monthly exchange programs between employers and students.

After finishing the course, students will be introduced to jobs at companies and organizations that are seeking employees.

Students are invited to attend a presentation by Tran Huu Phuc Tien, director of Vietnam Centre Point Education & Media Group, Nguyen Ba Tai, sales director of TCL Vietnam and Le Dinh Huan, lecturer of the Business Edge teaching program at Students’ Culture House on Saturday.

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

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Cartoon is not only for children: Japan film director

Japanese film director Hara Keiichi

Tuoi Tre recently had an interview with Japanese film director Hara Keiichi, who arrived in Hanoi to attend the Japanese Cartoons Festival organized from January 14-16.

Some of his films are well received and critically acclaimed across the world, including "Crayon Shin-chan" and "Doraemon"; the latter has even become a household name to many children and adults in Vietnam. "Crayon Shin-chan" tells stories about the many adventures of five-year-old Shinnosuke "Shin" Nohara and his parents, neighbors, and friends; and "Doraemon" is a robotic cat that comes from the 22nd century to stay with the Nobis’ family in 20th century. In return for the Nobis’ special love for him, Doraemon often helps them with the devices from 22nd century.

Is it a growing trend in Japan to feature social issues, such as school violence, suicide and adultery, in cartoons?

Cartoons conveying social messages actually started in Japan some 40 years ago. I still remember a film that had much influence on me then. It was “Ultra man”, describing the poignant tragedies of the American War in Vietnam.

Although Japan is well known in the world for cartoons, not all Japanese cartoons are of high quality and few choose to deal with pressing social issues in a thought-provoking way. Most cartoons in Japan are simply for entertainment.

That explains why most people are still prejudiced with an idea that cartoons are merely for children.

What is the success formula for cartoons?

In Japan, the making of cartoons is “socialized” to attract investment from diverse sources, and to minimize the risk of business losses.

What’s more, some cartoons have been adapted from famous novels in the hope of drawing their fans to the theatre to watch the film.

Many agencies, from television stations, advertisement firms, to distributors, publishers and music producers are all willing to join hands in making cartoons.

How do Japanese cartoon makers approach controversial topics?

However thorny the subject matter, it is always balanced or smoothed out by the emphasis on humanity and love.

So, Japanese film producers often establish controversial issues against a background of fraternity or motherhood or something else. The use of appropriate music also helps soften the rough edges of the issues.

In Japan, cartoons are commonly set in primary and secondary schools.

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Free documentaries to be screened in Vietnam

Six free documentary films produced in the 1960s will be aired at a two-day Vietnam Documentary Film Festival in Hanoi, starting today to mark the country’s Communist Party’s anniversary, falling on February 3.

At the fest, the audience will have a chance to see six films namely “Images of late President Ho Chi Minh’s life”, “The South in My Heart”, “Ho Chi Minh – His Image”, “General Vo Nguyen Giap – one Century, one Human Life”, “Communist Soldiers”, and “From Ba waterfall to Son La hydroelectric plant”.

Also in the program, the filmmakers will have a Q&A session with the audience.

In other news, Ho Chi Minh City-based Idecaf will screen the film “Luon o ben con” (Always by your side), which won the Best Documentary award at the Vietnam International film festival in Hanoi last October.

Tickets costing VND15,000 (US$0.75) each are available at 28 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

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Singers reflect on roles

Singers Day: Hoang Hai performs at a conference on the music industry held in northern Quang Ninh Province. — VNS Photo

QUANG NINH — The respect of singers for the public and for composer's copyrights were central topics at a recent conference held within the framework of the fifth annual Singers Day this week in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Musician Le Quang, one of the initiators of the day six years ago, said that today's singers were better at communicating with the public and, although sometimes rivals in competing for the music market, with each other. Singers were showing greater respect for the audience through their enhanced performing styles and musical productions targeted at specific audiences, Quang said.

Recent conflicts over copyright between singers and songwriters reflected a lack of professionalism in the country's music industry, said singer Hoang Hai, noting that he had avoided such conflicts by generally working with established composers and signing proper contracts with them, even those who were his close friends.

"Some singers are asking to be paid more for their labours, which is fine," Hai said, acknowledging that the topic of payments was rather too "sensitive" to be discussed in greater detail.

"But they shouldn't ask too much," he added. "I think a singer should contribute to society within a possible scope that they can manage."

Hai elaborated by saying a singer could not be expected to join in all charity shows and needed to be able to be selective in where he or she could appear.

Overseas Vietnamese singer Ngoc Anh recounted her experiences dealing with the media, which fiercely criticised her performance in a see-through top in the 1990s. She kept silent at the criticism and drew a lesson to dress more properly when performing.

"I think that's a kind of professional and cultural standard," she said.

Singers Day 2011 gathered over 200 local and overseas Vietnamese singers to events which ended yesterday, including performances and a charity gala to raise a funds for the poor in Quang Ninh. — VNS

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Culture Vulture

At the recent international conference on don ca tai tu (music of the talented) in HCM City, discussions centred on the measures needed for the art form to be recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of the world. Viet Nam News spoke with ethnomusicologist Prof Tran Van Khe about the possibility of achieving this goal.

Could you share some ideas about the conference?

The conference was one of many important activities established to create documents to submit to UNESCO that would help us win recognition of the music as an intangible cultural heritage of the world. The conference was an opportunity for Vietnamese musicians to compare their thoughts about traditional music.

The conference showed that both Vietnamese and foreigners pay interest to don ca tai tu. Attending the conference, I felt very happy listening to many foreign experts talk about traditional Vietnamese music.

Many of the foreigners had spent a lot of time studying the music. Their knowledge was even more extensive than some Vietnamese people. Their opinions will help find the way to preserve the music, so I think the conference was successful.

What do you know about don ca tai tu?

Tai tu music is not music used during ceremonies. It is the kind of music for the poor performed by a small number of musicians and for small groups of listeners. Many people don't understand tai tu music. They think it is non-professional, or something amateur.

Tai means talent and tai tu means talented person, but the players and singers don't perform the music to earn a living. They perform for their own pleasure and for audiences without thinking of money.

The people who play tai tu music are people with noble characteristics. They use the music to replace their speech to talk with each other. People who attend the music performances are very close friends.

The audiences also contribute to the performance. In modern performances, audiences often clap their hands or present flowers to the performers, but they don't participate in the same way as they do in tai tu music. Audiences can help inspire tai tu music performers.

Are there similar kinds of music in other countries?

Yes, there are several kinds of impromptu music like don ca tai tu in the world, especially in India. Indian performers often have an improvisational style. Gagok in South Korea is another example. But not many of them have community values like don ca tai tu.

What do you think about the current situation of don ca tai tu in Viet Nam?

In the past, people performed don ca tai tu for amusement, not for money. But now everyone does it differently. It has been performed on the stage, so it no longer has the same feeling and sense that was followed in the past. It has become semi-professional or even professional.

The art of don ca tai tu in its original sense should be preserved and popularised.

Playing the music is difficult but playing it with deep feeling is even more difficult. That requires hard practice. The young generations now love to learn Western music.

What do you think about asking for recognition from UNESCO at a time when the musical performances have not retained the original sense or purpose?

It is OK if the music has the value of an intangible culture and is loved by the community. The documents that we have to submit do not require a fixed value. The culture can change over time. Of course, we should mention the unavoidable development of the music. In the past, Vietnamese did not perform don ca tai tu as a job. It was considered a higher art form than folk music. Folk music can be imitated but tai tu music should be taught well. We should not apply Western music to don ca tai tu.

Do you have any suggestions to help preserve the music for younger generations?

In order to preserve music, we should create favourable conditions for musicians to live, play music and teach it to young generations. We should give scholarships to poor children who love music and explain music to them so that they will love it and study it with all of their hearts. — VNS

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