Exhibit raises money for poor children, photographers 

A photo display to raise money for poor children and photographers, titled “Vietnam’s Vitality 2,” is running at the Ho Chi Minh City Exhibition House until April 4. 

The exhibit introduces viewers to 92 vivid, realistic and diversified pictures of the Vietnamese land and people by 44 domestic photographers.

People can contribute to the charity fund by purchasing individual photos or a book of the exhibit.

Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to poor senior photographers and disadvantaged children in HCMC’s Can Gio District.

Artist Vi Quoc Hiep will also be on hand to paint portraits of viewers during the exhibition at 92 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, HCMC.

Hiep’s paintings are known for evoking the exquisite and sophisticated beauty of the resort town of Da Lat in the central highland province of Lam Dong.

Northern culture fest to highlight folk traditions 

The Bac Ninh Province People’s Committee March 31 announced an upcoming festival from April 14-18 titled “Bac Ninh Literature – Gather and Shine.”  

Addressing the press at Kinh Bac Cultural Center, event organizers said the festival will feature several activities related to art, culture, music and sport.
 
In addition, there will be a relics exhibition and folk music singing contest along with local art displays including Dong Ho paintings, Phu Lang terracotta, Dai Bai bronze works, Dong Ky woodworks, and time-honored Quan ho performances.
 
Traditional folk games like chicken fighting, releasing pigeons and human chess will round out the event.
 
The highlight of the festival will be an April 17 ceremony to award a certificate of merit to Bac Ninh for its Quan ho songs, which are being recognized as a “World intangible heritage” by UNESCO.
 
On the occasion, provincial officials will grant certificates of merit to 40 Quan ho craftsmen.

2nd int’l percussion fest coming to HCMC 

More than 60 local and foreign musicians will join the second international percussion music festival titled “Cracking Bamboo” in Ho Chi Minh City at the Conservatory of Music on April 3. 
 
Audiences will be treated to a combination of European contemporary music and Southeast Asian traditional music performed with percussion instruments.

Hanoi hosted the festival earlier on March 26-27.

Cracking Bamboo is part of the “German Year in Vietnam 2010” program marking the 35th anniversary of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic relations.

Free tickets are available at HCMC’s Goethe Institute at 335/4 Dien Bien Phu Street in District 3 from March 29.

 Awards presented for best stage script and play

Over 50 awards, including 11 A prizes, were presented for best stage scripts, plays and theoretical works in 2009 at the ceremony held by the Vietnam Stage Artists’ Association yesterday.

Stage script prize went to 11 scriptwriters with two B prizes, three C prizes, five consolation prizes and one prize from the Arts Council. Two stage scripts which won the B prize were ‘Beauty and Hero’ by Chu Thom and ‘Dien Bien’s pennant’ by Le Quy Hien.

10 A prizes and 22 B prizes were presented in the category of stage play. Many of them had won prizes in professional stage competitions held in 2009, including the reformed theatres entitled ‘Loyalty to Thang Long’ and ‘Relocating the capital’, the play ‘Beauty and Hero’, the popular opera ‘Roll of honour’, etc.

In the theoretical works category, researcher Vu Ngoc Lien won the A prize for his work named ‘Dao Tan’.

There were about 100 artworks in different genres of drama, popular opera and reformed theatre, featuring various aspects of history, folk legend, revolutionary war and modern life.
 
Charity art performance to support disabled people and orphans 

The seventh charity art performance entitled ’One Heart - One World’ will be held at the Hanoi Friendship Palace on April 11, announced the Vietnam Association in Support of Disabled People and Orphans in a press conference yesterday.

The third National Conference on honoring outstanding disabled people, orphans and supporters will take place on April 12. 

The two events which are jointly organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Vietnam Association in Support of Disabled People and Orphans in co-ordination with the Vietnam Television and Media Max joint stock company are in anticipation of the Vietnam Day of Persons with Disabilities, April 18.

After six times of organizing it, the ’One Heart - One World’ programme has become an information channel which helps the community get closer to the work of supporting people with disabilities and orphans. The programme is also aimed at calling on sectors, organisations and individuals to join hands to help improve the quality of life for orphans and disabled people. 

The Association in Support of Disabled People and Orphans has set a target to provide vocational training for 1,500 disabled people and orphans in 2010.

It will also provide cataract surgeries for 2,500 poor blind people and rehabilitation treatment for 500 disabled people.

Furthermore, the association plans to provide 5,000 wheelchairs for disabled people, 1,500 bicycles and 2,500 scholarships for orphans in 10-15 communes.

The programme will be broadcast live on Channel 1 of the Vietnam Television on April 11. It has so far received the sponsorship from the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Corporation and Mobifone Company with two sim cards of 0933666666 and 0933999999 for auction.
 
Exhibition tells of lives of Mekong residents

Nine stories of the lives, dreams and struggles of the people of three Mekong River countries - Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia - are featured at an exhibition in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.

“The Mekong’s story: Challenge and dream,” a mobile exhibition, was jointly opened at the provincial museum on March 30 by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Heritage and Culture under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The stories focus on the traditional and contemporary customs, and the lives and culture of people in the three countries where generations have relied on the legendary river for their survival.

The stories are told via a collection of 200 artefacts and photos, providing visitors an insight into the lives of millions of Southeast Asian residents living along the river as well as their struggles against natural disasters and environmental pollution.

Visitors are enabled to experience and explore the diverse cultures of the three nations through each story, as well as share their own dreams with the local residents.

The exhibition aims to call upon people to contribute to reducing poverty, protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable development along the river.

The three-month event is part of a cultural preservation project sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and carried out by 15 museums and agencies of the three countries over the past four years.

The exhibition will move on to Cambodia, Laos and Sweden from now until 2012.

Foreign art troupes from 25 countries to join Festival Hue 2010

Fifty foreign art troupes from 25 countries registered to take part in Festival Hue 2010 as announced by the Hue Festival Centre on March 30.

At the event, there will be many activities, including singing and dancing performances, circus acts, water puppetry, film screening and exhibitions.

In particular, art troupes will not only perform in the city but also visit rural areas such as Phuoc Tich old village, A Luoi and Nam Dong mountain districts, Lang Co Beach in Phu Loc district, Thuan An Beach in Phu Vang district, Sia town in Quang Dien district and Thanh Toan bridge in Huong Thuy town.