Drawings of Vietnam on display in Kremlin

An exhibition of 20 drawings by children who participated in an art contest organized by the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association is underway at the museum of the Moscow Kremlin, reports VNA.

The exhibition vividly displays children’s impressions of Vietnam and its culture based upon personal knowledge, what they learned through reading books, watching television and surfing the internet, said Miss Regina Udarena of the Association.

Miss Udarena said the contest was launched by the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association in October last year as part of the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The contest was open to all children of Russian, Vietnamese or other descent aged two to sixteen. Nine children will be selected for the highest prizes and five of them will receive an all-expense paid trip to visit Vietnam in the time ahead.

Spring music released for Tet

Young singers Noo Phuoc Thinh and Dong Nhi sing Ly Ruou Mung at the Golden Ochna awards ceremony in HCM City last week. — Photo courtesy of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper.

Albums and singles praising spring are ready to welcome Tet (Lunar New Year) this year.

The single Ly Ruou Mung (A New Year Toast), written by late composer Pham Dinh Chuong in 1952, was licensed to be performed in Viet Nam by the Performing Art Agency in early January.

With a joyful melody and lyrics about wishes for a happy new year to all people, the song is being aired on television and radio, and performed at theatres by singers of different generations.

The Mai Vang (Golden Ochna) awards ceremony in HCM City last week saw young singers Noo Phuoc Thinh and Dong Nhi sing Ly Ruou Mung.

The song is the theme track on the album of the same title released by the Phuong Nam Film (PNF) last week. It features the voice of veteran singer Quang Dung and award-winning singer Pham Thu Ha.

"Hearing Quang Dung's Ly Ruou Mung singing, I was moved," said Nguyen Van Giap, 67, who also likes compositions by late musician Trinh Cong Son.

The album also consists of eight famous songs celebrating spring, including Ben Em Mua Xuan (Together with You in Spring) by Hoai An, and Xuan Que Toi (Spring in My Homeland) by Duc Tri. They are sung by young and veteran singers, such as Ha Anh Tuan and Bao Yen.

Phan Mong Thuy, PNF's director, said to local media: "The sales of the album has reached 2,000 copies."

The company also introduced two other albums Mua Xuan Dau Tien (The First Spring) of singer Phuong Thanh, and Tinh Tu Mua Xuan (The Whisper of the Spring) of Xuan Phu.

Two productions, which sold about 1,000 copies after a week of release, feature familiar songs about spring like Diep Khuc Mua Xuan (Chorus on Spring) and Xuan Tren Dat Khach (Spring on Foreign Land), both composed by Quoc Dung.

"The sales have been phenomenal. It proves that local audiences are still interested in songs about spring and they continue to support traditional visual products," Thanh said.

Quang Dung took only two weeks to complete his album Tinh Tu Mua Xuan, including signature songs celebrating spring, like Diu Dang Sac Xuan (Sweet Colours of Spring) and Khuc Nhac Ngay Xuan (Song on Spring).

"I hope listeners will feel spring when listening to the album," Dung said.

This year, young composers have been working with singers of their age to present new songs about spring.

Chau Dang Khoa, in his mid-20s, and Noo Phuoc Thinh have produced the song Nhung Ngay Xuan Ruc Ro (Bright Spring Days) in a pop and dance style.

"To a young singer like me, releasing completely new songs about spring is truly a big challenge," said Thinh, 27, who received the Mai Vang award for Favourite Singer given by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper.

Khoa, who has composed several hits for pop stars like Ho Ngoc Ha since 2012, has introduced two other new spring songs Vui Nhu Tet (Joyful Tet) and Don Tet Que Huong (Celebrating Spring).

"I hope my songs will receive a warm welcome from audiences. I know it takes a specific period of time for them to become familiar with new works," he said.

Khoa's songs were performed last Wednesday in the Tet Trong Tam Hon (Tet in the Soul) show in HCM City, along with two new songs about spring composed by veteran Duc Tri.

A DVD of the show will be released soon.

Lunar New Year festivities held at Metropole Hanoi

Hanoians have a chance to enjoy a traditional Vietnamese market of the Tet lunar new year in open-air courtyard at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi from January 29-31.

The three-day event called Cho Que (countryside market) anchors a multi-faceted approach to the annual observance, which also includes presentation of lucky red envelopes to guests on the first day of the new year, a dragon dance and a Vietnamese banquet par excellence at Spices Garden.

At Cho Que, vendors have set up shops & dressed in traditional garb, to sell food, handicrafts and colourful paintings made of Do paper from Dong Ho village.

Visitors will have an opportunity to take part in Banh chung (Vietnamese Square Sticky Rice Cake) making competition, a children’s drawing contest on traditional conical hat, and others.

Spring press festival kicks off in Hanoi

The 2016 Hanoi Spring Press Festival, an important annual media event in the capital, officially kicked off on January 29 at the Hanoi Friendship Cultural Palace.

This year’s festival features 26 booths displaying hundreds of spring publications from central and local press agencies in Hanoi as well as other localities.

The publications, including magazines, printed and pictorial editions, audio and television products and online newspapers, praise the Party and Uncle Ho as well as introduce achievements in all fields that the country, particularly the capital, has made over the last year.

At the opening ceremony, the Hanoi Journalists' Association presented 2015 Ngo Tat To Press Awards to the most outstanding journalists and gave awards to press works reflecting ‘good people, good deeds’.

The two-day event offers a good opportunity for central and capital press agencies to meet and review their development during the past year.

Once the festival concludes, the organising board will send publications to attend spring press festivals in other provinces as well select high-quality publications to present to people in remote areas and soldiers who are working in border and island areas.

On the same day, the Hanoi municipal Party’s Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and Fatherland Front Committee held a meeting with leaders and reporters from central and local press agencies in the capital on the occasion of upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.

Over 1,000 antiques showcased in Binh Thuan

The Binh Thuan Department of Culture, Sport & Tourism inaugurated Binh Thuan Exhibition House and introduced to public 1,000 precious antiques on January 30.

The house which located on Ba Trieu Street in Phan Thiet City covers an areas of 400 sq.meters. Over 1,000 antiques are divided seven display objects focusing on the country’s cultures such as  the Sa Huynh, Da Kai, Cham Pa, ethnic minorities…

Of these, many collections are introduced for the first time, meeting people’s demand.

Ba Den Mountain Festival to focus on traditional cultural activities

The Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival 2016 will open on February 11 (the fourth day of the first Lunar month 2016) at the Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area in the southern province of Tay Ninh with a focus on traditional cultural activities.

The month-long festival is expected to welcome 1.5 million visitors, an increase of 10% compared to the previous festival in 2015.

Vice Chairman of Tay Ninh provincial People's Committee and Head of the Festival Organising Board Nguyen Thanh Ngoc said that as a national scale festival, the event will be held formally to meet the demand of tourists as well as educating the people on the national tradition.

Ngoc noted that the festival is also hoped to contribute to promoting the cultural and tourism potential of Tay Ninh to call on investment in the province.

Cultural and sports activities, folk games, and song and dance performances among others will take place during the festival to entertain visitors.

Over VND2 billion (US$90,000) has been invested in upgrading infrastructure at the tourist site, installing lighting systems and decorating the site in addition to a volume of goods worth over VND4 billion (US$180,000) to serve tourists.

Prima Art launches golden dragon paintings

Seeing demand for luxury gifts that contain Tet (Lunar New Year) wishes, Prima Art has launched a set of unique golden dragon paintings.

The painting “Huyen thoai rong vang” (golden dragon legend), 146.5 cm by 224 cm, features the golden dragon wrapping around the pole with forward head posture. Underneath the dragon is a crystal ball made of 10,000 crystals symbolizing eternal prosperity.

Besides, the word “fu” written in Chinese calligraphy symbolizes success, wealth and luck. According to Prima Art, this fengshui work is made of 24K gold.

Prima Art also offers smaller golden dragon paintings with sizes ranging from 18x20cm to 60x77cm and 100x120cm.

Dragon is the fengshui mascot symbolizing luck and strength. Many successful people look for those golden dragon paintings in the hopes of bringing prosperity and career success.

The paintings are available at Prima Gold Boutique and shopping centers in HCMC and Hanoi such as Lotte, Vincom, Parkson, and Diamond Plaza.

Whole world to be featured in circus in Saigon next month

An alluring circus with international artists is due to take place next month at a green venue in Ho Chi Minh City to treat audiences to a spectacular stunt-filled performance during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tet), event organizers said recently.

The show, which will run from February 8 to February 21 in a theater situated in Gia Dinh Park, is expected to have spectators going wild after they witness acclaimed performances by artists hailing from Mongolia, Russia, and the Czech Republic.

“Although the expenditure was costly, we always try to satisfy spectators with exotic circus shows consisting of never-before-seen acts and artistry of an international level during the springtime,” Nguyen Duc The, director of the theater, said.

The circus gala, which is operated by the theater and the Hong Loc carnival circus troupe, will be centered on “Five Continents,” directed by Nguyen Phi Son, director-in-chief of the show.

The show comprises of five sections, each of which will feature a continent with a combination of circus artistry, dance performances, musical shows, body contortion, acrobatics with aerial rings and silks, juggling with diabolos, and more - all of which will be performed by artists from Mongolia, Russia, and the Czech Republic.  

Young Vietnamese artists from the Bau Troi Xanh (Blue Sky) circus troupe, whose performance includes wheel rolling, acrobatics with ropes, and unicycling will join their foreign colleagues.

According Hong Loc, director in chief of the Hong Loc circus troupe, as the next lunar year is considered to be ‘governed’ by the monkey, the circus gala will also feature exotic monkey feats alongside performances with bears, boas, crocodiles, among others.

Ticket prices range from VND120,000 (US$5.37) to VND250,000 (US$11.21)

The Lunar New Year, celebrated in Vietnam to honor family reunion and recreation, will begin on February 8. It will host a myriad of ceremonial preparations as well as festive exhibitions which customarily last from one week before until one week after that date.

Hanoi celebrates Russia’s year of cinema

The centre for Russian science and culture in Hanoi marked "the year of cinema" in Russia with a ceremony held on January 29.

The event featured the extract screening of films made during the Soviet era and quizzes on the Russian film industry.

Speaking at the ceremony, Russian Charge d’Affaires in Vietnam Vadim V. Bublikov stressed cultural engagement has always been an integral part of the multifaceted cooperation between Russia and Vietnam.

He hoped the screening of Russian films in Hanoi will boost the two countries’ mutual understanding and support in the field.

The centre plans to screen a series of Russia’s most popular films in response to the cinematic year celebrated in the eastern European country.-

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/TT