Versatility of singer Tung Duong

The year of 2014 marked the ten-year anniversary of Tung Duong’s singing career, after rising to fame in the 2004 Sao Mai – Diem Hen (Morning Star – Rendezvous) national singing competition .

In April, he was named ‘Singer of the Year’ and his project ‘Doc Dao’ (Single Path) was honoured as the Music Programme of the Year at the prestigious Music Dedication Awards.

Immediately after receiving both awards, Tung Duong organised his own liveshow entitled ‘Tung Duong sings love-songs’, leaving a deep imprint in the heart of music lovers.

Co-ordinating with famous singer Trong Tan and diva My Linh, Tung Duong’s liveshow brought audiences an interesting and innovative music experience, with not only love ballads but also songs of deep sentiment and beauty.

At the age of 30, his singing voice seems to have become even more expressive. Listeners can feel the specific features in his original music style, especially the national spirit instilled in his songs.

With the live show entitled ‘Ao mua dong’ (Winter Coat), Tung Duong’s fans saw his versatility and creativeness in performance, as well as his passion for singing melodic songs

After the ‘Winter Coat’ performances, Tung Duong released an album entitled ‘Tung Duong sings love songs Vol. 2’, intended as a meaningful gift to the country’s music lovers.

Singer My Tam in the international arena

Music lovers increasingly admire the talents of singer My Tam who continuously gained remarkable achievements in the international music arena in 2014.

She was selected among other nominees for the World's Best Female Artist, Best Worldwide Act and World’s Best Entertainment Artist categories at the 2014 World Music Awards for the second time.

In May, she was honoured by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry as one of 25 artists with the best-selling albums in the world.

At the awards ceremony of the Top Asia Corporate Ball 2014 in November in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, My Tam received the "Asia's Music Legend" award. The event is supported by the Malaysian Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ministry of Industry and Trade to honour individuals and organisations in Asia who have made significant contributions to the region’s arts.

The award not only was an honour for the talented pop star but also brought great pride to the Vietnamese music industry.

The highlight of My Tam’s career last year was her live concert tour entitled ‘Heartbeat’, which was performed free of charge for students.

The shows attracted around 35,000 young music lovers in Ho Chi Minh City and 25,000 students in Hanoi, setting a record for the number of audience members attending her live shows in the country. With this success, the well-known pop singer was named ‘Vietnamese superstar’ by the fan page of the World Music Awards.

Impressive achievement in world cinema

Nguyen Hoang Diep is known as the director of many outstanding films for teenagers including‘Bo tu 10A8’ (The Foursome of 10A8) and ‘Chit va Pi’ (Chit and Pi) as well as the producer of 'Bi, Dung So!' (Bi, Don't Be Afraid!), which left a long-lasting impression on the public.

However, it was not until the film ‘Dap canh giua khong trung’ (Flapping in The Middle of Nowhere), a dark and sensual drama on the intricate emotional consequences of sexual intimacy, that the name of the 32-year-old female director became well-known in the country’s film industry.

The film was named the Best Film by the Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean (FEDORA) at the 71st Venice Film International Festival in September last year. Also with ‘Flapping in The Middle of Nowhere’, Nguyen Hoang Diep won the Best Director Award at the 16th Bratislava International Film Festival in Slovakia.

The 99-minute-film once again brought pride to Vietnam’s film industry with the Special Jury Award for best feature film at the third Hanoi International Film Festival in November.

Furthermore, after six screenings at the 36th Festival of the Three Continents in Nantes, in France from November 25 to December 2, Nguyen Hoang Diep and the ‘Flapping in The Middle of Nowhere’ film making team were honoured with a special prize.

The film has not only been a breath fresh air for the Vietnamese independent film industry but it also has inspired young film makers with ambitions of introducing their projects to the world.

Surely, after the great achievements of ‘Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere’, Nguyen Hoang Diep will continue to be as successful in her upcoming projects.

The return of talented actress

After eight years of absence from Vietnamese screens, the beautiful actress Truong Ngoc Anh has come back with her impressing role of Huong Ga in the film of the same name by director Cuong Ngo.

With her experiences as the over 40-year-old woman in reality, Truong Ngoc Anh brought her true emotions to the screen.

The role has helped her gain great success winning awards, including ‘Best Movie Actress’ and ‘Favourite Movie Actress’ at the Face of The Year Awards Ceremony in December.

Despite her long absence, Truong Ngoc Anh is back to her former glory and has managed to maintain the love of Vietnamese cinema lovers.