Motivational speaker Vujicic to visit Viet Nam again

Australian motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, who was born without limbs, will participate in Toa Sang Nghi Luc Viet, meaning bright Vietnamese Energy, a writing contest about disadvantaged people.

Launched in November 2013 with an aim to honour energetic disadvantaged people, and to raise the awareness of young people about having a responsible and righteous lifestyle, the contest received nearly 2,000 entries from across the country.

Vujicic will visit Viet Nam next month to participate as a special guest in a gala event which will be held in HCM City's Phu Tho Gymnasium on May 21 and in Ha Noi's My Dinh Stadium on May 24.

The inspirational speaker had been welcomed warmly by the media and the public during his first visit to Viet Nam in May 2013. He had addressed tens of thousands of people in both HCM City and Ha Noi, including many local disadvantaged people who surprised him by their "enthusiastic response", according to Vujicic.

Three books written by Vujicic – Life Without Limits, Unstoppable, and Limitless – have also been published in the Vietnamese language, and have become best-sellers in the country.

U.S. MasterChef winner becomes KOTO goodwill ambassador

Vietnamese American Christine Ha, the U.S. MasterChef winner, has been named as goodwill ambassador of KOTO (Know One, Teach One) organization to join in KOTO’s mission of empowering at-risk and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.

Ha, who was born in California in 1979, will use her influence and personal interest in social issues to promote KOTO throughout this year.

“Christine Ha will be such an inspiration, not only to the Vietnamese community both abroad and here in Vietnam, but to the hundreds of KOTO kids. She will use her popularity and knowledge to give back to the community through the KOTO goodwill ambassador program,” said KOTO founder Jimmy Pham AM.

Ha said in a statement, “I was put in this position to help others and give back to my community, whether locally or globally, and I look forward to this newfound relationship with KOTO and I hope to touch the lives of the KOTO trainees through my involvement.”

Ha, whose Vietnamese name is Ha Huyen Tran, is an American chef and writer from Houston in Texas. She is the first blind contestant of MasterChef USA and the winner of its third season in 2012. She is an exceptional role model for the KOTO trainees given her triumphs in overcoming the challenges of her blindness and her deep passion for food and cooking.

KOTO is a not-for-profit social enterprise founded by Jimmy Pham AM that empowers at-risk and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam through its holistic training program including vocational, English and life skills. KOTO has trained over 600 graduates with 100% job placement.  KOTO offers an opportunity for people from different parts of the world to share their lives in the spirit of advocacy for the betterment of at-risk and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.

Free screening of The Leaves of Time

The film Nhung Chiec La Thoi Gian (The Leaves of Time) will be screened for free tomorrow from 1.30pm to 4.30pm at the Saigon International Film School (SIFS) in HCM City.

The screenplay was directed by Le Cung Bac and written by Chau Tho and Bui Quang Dat.

It is part of a ongoing project called Xem Phim Chieu Thu 7 (Saturday Afternoon Movie) organised by SIFS each month.

The programme screens local and international films for audiences who can meet and talk to invited guests, leading directors, scriptwriters and experts in the movie industry in Viet Nam.

The film this month depicts a love story at a pottery kiln in Binh Duong City.

At the screening, Chau Tho will give a talk about the career of a scriptwriter for both television and feature films.

Audiences can register for the programme at link.sifs.edu.vn/xemphimlan14. SIFS is located at 15A Hoang Hoa Tham Street.

Songstress Lam Truong to perform

Popular singer Lam Truong will stage a solo performance in HCM City tomorrow at a sound and light show for fans celebrating his 20-year career.

Affectionately known as Pop Prince in the 1990s, Truong will perform with his younger friends, pop singers Minh Thu, Tieu Chau Nhu Quynh and Le Hieu, before an expected audience of 1,000 at the Nguyen Du Gymnasium.

The 43-year-old Truong said he was confident he can win over young fans.

"I'll provide them with something new in my style of performance, instead of just my voice," Truong said.

Though he will be singing the songs that shot him to fame, he said new styles were needed by Vietnamese performers.

His live show, called Dau An (Hallmark), will employ high-tech equipment and will be televised on HTV Television's HTV3.

The show Dau An will take place on April 5 in 116 Nguyen Du Street Street, District 1.

Mother of the Land fest held in Hue

Thousands of visitors have been flocking to the Hon Chen Temple for the spring festival to worship the Goddess Po Nagar, also known as Mother of the Land in the Champa culture.

The temple lies on a hillside looking down on the poetic Huong River and the only entrance to the holy temple.

The festival's main ceremonies included a parade welcoming the Mother Goddess to the temple and a ritual music performance.

Visitors had the opportunity to watch ritual dancing and light incense for their families. Dancers wore colourful traditional clothes for a unique performance that brought a holy atmosphere to the ceremony. The highlight of the festival was a boat procession that included many colourful vessels decorated with traditional flags.

The temple and its festivals play an important role in the lives of local people and followers from around the country.

Under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) and the reign of King Dong Khanh, the temple served as a national monument to worship Mother Goddess.

Aside the ritual significance, the complex of wooden temples provides a unique glimpse into traditional architecture.

More television channels for urban viewers

Fifteen new digital television channels have been on air on Vietnam Television (VTV) for viewers in Hanoi, HCMC, Danang, Can Tho, Haiphong and the northern area of Quang Nam Province.

To watch those new channels, including three in HD, viewers in those urban areas should own the new TV sets with a digital video broadcasting device, which is better known as DVB-T2 in Vietnam, or install their old sets with a set-top box to decode digital TV signals from the channels.

The new channels are part of the Government’s television digitalization project, which kicked off on Tuesday in order to help Vietnamese people enjoy a wider selection of TV channels and more diverse programs. According to this project, television stations will stop airing all their analog TV channels next year.

Following the project, electronics companies will be allowed to import and produce TVs with a screen measuring more than 32 inches and integrated the digital video broadcasting device DVB-T2.

Around 100 types of TVs with the DVB-T2 device and different brands have been available on the domestic market, including LG, TCL, Sharp, Toshiba and Panasonic. These new TV models are sold on par with the prices of normal TVs.

Le Quoc Cuong, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications, told a press conference here on Tuesday that half of the households in Vietnam had not had television sets with a decoding device able to receive digital TV signals.

Therefore, the Government has decided to set aside VND1.71 trillion (US$81.12 million) to help those poor households buy set-top boxes to install into their old TV sets. The money will be disbursed by the Vietnam Public-Utility Telecommunications Service Fund under the Ministry of Information and Communications.

“Like other localities, HCMC will conduct a survey on poor households to help them benefit from the fund,” said Cuong.

Cuong said 95% of the households in HCMC were now using cable and satellite television services so the city had an advantage to follow the television digitalization project. He added that a complete halt to the analog TV channels next year would not impact much on citizens.

The HCMC Department of Information and Communications said as to reduce the cost of the television digitalization change, the HCMC Integrated Circuit Design Research and Education Center (ICDREC) has successfully created a standard decoding device like the DVB-T2 at a low production cost. This device will be soon available on the market.

SCTV, AVG, VTV and other local television houses now have to import set-top-boxes for sale at VND500,000-600,000 (US$23.7-28.46) per item.

Binh Da Festival regconised as national intangible cultural heritage

Binh Da festival of Thanh Oanh district in Hanoi has been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, according to a decision announced by the Ministry of Culture , Sports and Tourism on April 1.

Binh Da festival is takes place annually from the 25 th day of the second lunar month to the fifth day of the third lunar month to commemorate the nation’s legendary father Lac Long Quan .

The festival includes many activities, including ancestral offerings, a drum performance, a procession and various folk games, attracting both locals and visitors.

Under the decision, three other sites in Bac Lieu province were also added to the national relics list, including the Thien Hau Cung and Dinh Tan Huong architectural, artistic relics and the commemorative site of musician Cao Van Lau.

Concert commemorates the late musician Trinh Cong Son

A concert Nhung Som Mai Viet Nam (Mornings Vietnam) will be held at Ho Ban Nguyet (Crescent Lake) Park in Phu My Hung, HCMC on April 5.

The event commemorates the 13th anniversary of Trinh Cong Son’s death. Audience will enjoy famous pieces by Son including Chieu Tren Que Huong Toi (Afternoon in My Country), Mot Buoi Sang Mua Xuan (A Spring Morning), Nguoi Gia Va Em Be (The Elderly and Children), Goi Ten Bon Mua (Call the Names of Four Seasons).

Saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan, director Nguyen Quang Dung, well-known singers Cam Van, Thanh Lam, Hong Nhung, Duc Tuan, Hoang Quyen, Dinh Huong, and contestants of reality TV show Giong Hat Viet Nhi 2013 (The Voice Kids) will perform the show.

The performance will be broadcasted on HTV7, HTV9, VTV4 channels.

On April 11, a music show Bong Nui (The Shadow of the Mountain) honoring Son will also take place at the Soviet-Vietnamese Friendship Cultural Palace in Hanoi.

Vocalists Tung Duong, Duc Tuan, Ngoc Mai, Hong Nhung and saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan will perform in the concert.