Art & Entertainment News in Brief 16/10 Exhibition displays Vietnam’s sacred objects An exhibition, introducing 14 sculptural works on Vietnam’s sacred objects, opened on October 15 in Da Nang city, the central coastal province of Da Nang. The works were selected from entries at a contest on Vietnam’s sacred objects, which was launched in July, 2015. The contest aims to encourage artisans at Non Nuoc fine arts stone village to create sculptural works consistent with Vietnam’s habits and customs at historical sites, pagodas and temples. The event, co-organised by the Da Nang municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, aims to promote the unique values of art heritage and offers visitors an opportunity to view two of Vietnam’s main sacred objects: the lion and nghe (a fictional creature). With the displays, the exhibition promises to help visitors learn about and discriminate between Vietnam’s sacred objects and sacred objects which are inconsistent with Vietnam’s habits and customs. On the occasion, the organising board presented two second prizes, two third prizes and two consolation prizes to outstanding works. Vietnam's landscapes to appear on UK TV A video clip advertising Viet Nam's tourism will be aired on the UK's Travel Channel from October 20. The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) signed a contract with the channel for the 30-second video featuring Vietnamese culture, seas, islands and nature to be screened a total of 300 times of which 20 per cent is broadcast during prime time. Previously, Viet Nam advertised tourism on the BBC, CNN and other channels. VNAT chose the Travel Channel this time because the UK is one of Viet Nam's key tourism markets and UK nationals currently enjoy a 15 day visa waiver. From now till the end of this year the VNAT will launch a number of promotion activities in Singapore, London (UK), Hong Kong (China) and Bangkok (Thailand).  Queen songs to be covered at Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe Viet Nam will host a music show "Queen Tribute Night" on October 16. The show will feature famous songs of the legendary rock band, which will be covered by the six-member ID Talent band of Indonesia. The event will start from 9 pm at 39 Le Duan Street in District 1. Entrance is free.  Hypersonic Music Festival to hit HCM City An electronic dance music party called Hypersonic Music Festival will be held in HCM City on November 27. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, a Belgian electronic DJ duo composed of brothers Dimitri Thivaios and Michael Thivaios, will perform. They were ranked second in the DJ Magazine's annual Top 100 DJs poll. Vietnamese DJs Slim V and Kruise will also perform. The festival will take place at Quan Khu 7 (Military Zone 7) Stadium in Phu Nhuan District. Tickets are VND500,000-2 million (US$23-91), and can be purchased at www.ticketbox.vn/hypersonic. Top DJs to play spooky Halloween fest "Escape Halloween," one of the city's biggest annual Halloween parties, will be held in the Phu My Hung Urban Area in District 7 on October 24. The party will feature Israeli electronic duo Infected Mushroom, Dutch progressive house DJ and producer Dannic, and Dutch DJ duo Sick Individuals. Prizes will be given for outstanding Halloween costumes. The party will open from 3 pm till late at Lot 13 on Tan Trao Street in District 7. A special combo ticket for both Escape Halloween and Escape New Year 2016, planned for late December, is priced at VND549,000 per person. It is available at http://teetalk.vn/vi/ve-escape-2015.html and http://ticketbox.vn/escapeparty until October 21. Concert to tell Vietnamese myths  The Standpoint Theories concerts featuring Vietnamese legendary myths will return to the Ben Thanh Theatre from October 15-17. The stories will be told with music, dance and lights, performed by the X-Clown Hip Hop Dance Crew, DJ/producers Jase Nguyen and Andre Ngo and illustrator Hoang Trung of Viet Nam. Au Co, an immortal mountain fairy who married Lac Long Quan will be one of the myths portrayed. Others are about the god of Tan Vien Mountain known as Son Tinh: Chu Dong Tu, a poor fishermen who fell in love with Princess Tien Dung; Princess Lieu Hanh, one of Viet Nam's Mother Goddesses; and Ba Chua Xu, known as Lady of the Realm. Also performing are the electronic duo Space//Panther, bassist Gareth Katz, percussionist Eric Meftah and visual artist/scenographer Daniel Day Long of the US, and animator/scenographer Julien Noyer of France. The show will begin at 8 pm on October 15-17. The theatre is at 6 Mac Dinh Chi Street in District 1. Tickets can be purchased from www.ticketbox.vn.  Viet Nam orchestra hosts free harp classes The Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra, in-coordination with the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange, have organised free Getting to know the Harp classes. The classes, conducted by Japanese harpist Aya Matsumoto, will be held on October 17, 18 and 31, and November 1, from 9am to 12pm, at the Japan Foundation Centre, 27 Quang Trung Street. To join the class, enroll at the Department of Foreign Affairs at The Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra on 226 Cau Giay Road, Tel: (04) 38331448, email: dnghvn@gmail.com.  Hanoians to lock eyes at experimental event Today the Active English Hub set up a site for locals to take part in the World's Biggest Eye Contact Experiment, a global event created by Liberators International—a social organisation that creates inspiring large scale participatory acts of kindness, dance and human connection in public places. The experiment was devised by the organisation founders as a way to counteract the human isolation they saw in today's society – they say the vulnerability human interaction involves is avoided by avoiding sustained eye contact with community members.  Holding eye contact with another person can evoke many feelings, which can be scary, especially when society encourages people to repress their deepest emotions and-or conform. To participate in the event, attendees are asked to bring two pillows/cushions and a picnic rug. They will sit with and make eye-contact whoever comes to sit on the other cushion. Several cities in Australia, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium and Brazil will also take part. The Ha Noi event will take place from 5pm to 8pm at Hoan Kiem Lake.  Panama handicraft and photo exhibition in Vietnam A Panama handicraft and photo exhibition will take place at the National Library of Vietnam in Hanoi on October 26-30 under the framework of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties. It will showcase photos of Panama’s land, people, historic relics and attractive destinations like San Blas and Bocas Del Toro sea. Besides, Panama’s handicraft products, TAGUA jewellery and traditional costumes will also be on display. Through the exhibition, Panama wants to introduce its diverse cultural identities, peaceful landscapes, hospitable and friendly people and a dynamic nation, which is a trade centre in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Vi-Giam singing fascinates Australian audience Vietnam’s Nghe Tinh Vi-Giam folk singing, part of the Humanity’s Intangible Heritage, has left a striking impression on the audience at the Asian Festival 2015 recently held in Australia’s Adelaide city.  The concert was performed on a stage in the middle of a lake against the backdrop of a floating market carefully designed by the Vietnamese students’ union in Adelaide.  The artists came all the way from Nghe An province, the folk art’s cradle.  Vi-Giam, a UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritage of humanity, is popular in nearly 260 villages in central Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. The folk music, estimated to have 15 tunes of Vi and 8 airs of Giam, is a repartee sung while working. Thus, it reflects the work, cultural life and feelings of the residents in the central coastal provinces.  Besides the folk singing, the overseas Vietnamese students brought other musical performances, folk games and a boat race to entertain festival visitors.  The event also featured performances of students from Thailand, Japan, the Republic of Korea and China. Countryside market depicts VN culture A countryside market depicting Vietnamese culture will take place at the Culture Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups from October 16 to 18 to celebrate Vietnamese Women's Day on October 20. The market is located in Ha Noi's Ba Vi district, which is about 50 km west of downtown. At the market, visitors have chances to enjoy traditional foods, including banh duc (plain rice flan), bun rieu (noodles in crab chowder), banh te (rice cake), banh da (dry pancake), etc. In fact, they can even try to make these kinds of foods themselves. This countryside market also introduces to market goers products of traditional handicrafts such as palm-leaf conical hats, wine, to he (children's toy made of rice flour), bamboo pens and so on. Additionally, visitors can take part in traditional games, including bat chach trong chum (catch eels in jars), bit mat dap nieu (beat pot while blindfolded), and they can enjoy water puppetry performances and hat xam (songs sung by blind buskers). This countryside market is considered as a cultural activity that contributes to attract more tourists to the Culture Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups.  Central province increases preservation competency The Prime Minister has approved a project to set up a vocational training centre for restoration and preservation of heritage sites in the central province of Quang Nam. The initiative aims to increase management and competency over preserving cultural and relic sites. It could also increase the value of local cultural heritage spots. The three-year project will receive support from the Italian Government’s non-refundable official development assistant fund, 1.2 million EUR from the Polytechnic University of Milan (Polimi) and 200,000 EUR from the local budget. The project will create a training centre for officials and specialists in the area, under the Quang Nam Vocational Collage School. A laboratory on archeological architecture will also be built. The work is also expected to increase preservation and protection of the world-acclaimed My Son Sanctuary, and generate jobs in the area. Italian-financed project to upgrade cultural heritages in Quang Nam approved The PM has approved an Italian-sponsored project, which aims to establish a vocational training center for conservation and restoration of monument in the central province of Quang Nam. The project, launched within two and a half years from 2015-2018, is sponsored through a non-refundable aid of more than€1.2 million from Italia and €200,000 from the province’s budget. The project is aimed at enhancing the management and restoration capacity of cultural and historical relics of Vietnamese relevant agencies, contributing to increasing the value of the province’s heritage. It also improves the conservation conditions for My Son temple complex, which has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site since 1999. “German Season in Vietnam” art program to open in Opera House  On occasion of the visit of German Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Frank Walter Steinmeier to Ho Chi Minh City, a cultural exchange program themed “German Season in Vietnam” will be kicked off at Ho Chi Minh Opera House (7 Cong Truong Lam Son Street, District 1) on October 23 by the German Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. The program will be opened from 19:45, is part of activities to mark the 40th anniversary celebrations of German-Vietnamese diplomatic relations (1975-2015). Vietnam Idol 2015, Vietnamese -German Nguyen Trong Hieu, singers Lam Vissay & Kimmese, Ho Trung Dung and German –Vietnamese dancers will perform in the program. Seven pieces of Russian literature introduced to Hanoi public The Russian Centre for Science and Culture (RCSC) and the Vietnam-Russia Literature Fund hosted a ceremony in Hanoi on October 14 to introduce to the public seven pieces of Russian literature in Vietnamese, under the fourth phase of the project to translate Vietnamese and Russian literature into each other’s language. The titles, both classic and modern, included “A Girl without a Dowry” by Alexander Ostrovsky; “Marxism and the Philosophy of Language” by Valentin Voloshinov; “Cathedral Clergy” by Nikolai Leskov; “The Eternal Husband” and “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; “Night Watch” by Sergei Lukyanenko; and a travel book by Konstantin Alexandrovich Vyazemsky. The translation project was initiated in 2012 in line with the Russian President’s decision, aiming to promote friendship and enhance cultural exchange between the two countries, Director of the RCSC, Elena Zubtsova said at the launching event. The Vietnamese versions of Russian titles have been attracting an increasing number of readers so far, as well as drawing younger generation’s attention to Russia’s classic and modern literature, Zubtsova added. All translations from the first three phases have been occupying top positions in Vietnam’s libraries and schools, she said, hoping that the project would continue in the future so as to help Vietnamese readers to access more translations of Russian literature. So far, the RCSC and the Vietnam-Russia Literature Fund have completed translation of 25 Russian titles to Vietnamese, and one Vietnamese literary work to the Russian language. Exhibition highlights Vietnam’s sovereignty over seas and islands An exhibition, which features official documents, maps and artifacts affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos, officially kicked off in the northern mountainous province of Son La. On display are a wide range of valuable documents and ancient maps of Vietnam dating back to the 15th century, including Dai Viet nation’s map published in 1490 and An Nam’s map in 1836. Additionally, hundreds of documents on Hoang Sa archipelago, including three official maps from China’s Qing Dynasty and the Government of the Republic of China, as well as six world atlases published in 1827, prove clearly that Hoang Sa does not belong to China. The exhibition also showcases various photos and documents highlighting the geography and natural beauty of the two archipelagos as well as featuring the naval soldiers who are protecting the nation's sea and islands, and showing the patriotism of Vietnamese people. Notably, visitors will be introduced to research on Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa island district in Da Nang city that was conducted by the Da Nang Institute for Socio-Economic Development from 2010 to 2011. The event is expected to contribute to communicating the aims and policies of the Party and State on protecting the nation’s sovereignty over seas and islands as well as on exploiting seas and islands’ potentials for the country’s economic development. The event will last until October 25. Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to celebrate 20th founding anniversary The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology will organise a number of activities to celebrate its 20th founding anniversary. A ceremony is scheduled to take place at 3pm on October 24 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and receive the Labour Order, first class. The same day, at 4pm, the museum will open two displays: ‘Mot Thoang Chau A’ (Asia Moment) with artifacts donated by Kaneko Kazushige, and ‘Vong Quanh The Gioi’ (Round the World) with artifacts donated by Professor Le Thanh Khoi. The displays offer visitors an opportunity to discover and learn more about Asia, Africa, America and Oceania. Additionally, a scientific workshop ‘Museum – Community, Conception and Approaching Method’ will be held at the museum at 8 am on October 23. The workshop is expected to offer researchers and managers in the field of cultural heritage and museums a chance to share experiences on research, collections, displays, training and communicating information. Established on October 24, 1995, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has served as a research centre and public museum with a mission to collect, document, preserve and exhibit the cultural heritages of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups. It houses over 29,000 exhibits, including approximately 25,000 objects related to Vietnam’s ethnic minorities and their cultures. Southern cake festival becoming bigger tourist attraction The fifth southern traditional cake festival is scheduled to take place in Can Tho from April 15 to 19, 2016 as the highlight of the Mekong Delta Tourism Week and the 2016 National Tourism Year. At a working session with municipal People’s Committee leaders in Hanoi on October 13, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Huynh Vinh Ai suggested the city intensify advertising efforts to make the festival a bigger tourist attraction. According to the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s director, Tran Viet Phuong, the festival will comprise nine activities with the aim to introduce visitors to the southern region’s traditional cakes. A cake-making contest, a cake exhibition and a street carnival will also be held during the festival. The southern region is famous for numerous cakes that dates back thousands of years. The most famous of these are banhtet, a cylindrical glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and pork fat; banh u, a small, pyramidal glutinous rice cake; and banhtet la cam, a cylindrical violet glutinous rice cake. Other traditional cakes eaten daily and on major holidays include banhxeo (pancake) and banhbodua (coconut-flavoured sponge cake). The fourth festival, held from April 27 to May 1 this year, attracted around 160,000 visitors with more than 100 types of cakes and 50 specialty dishes. Traditional rural market of Northern region reappears in Hanoi The traditional rural market, a unique cultural characteristic of Vietnam’s Northern provinces, will be on display to visitors at the Vietnamese Ethnic Groups Culture-Tourism Village in Son Tay district, Hanoi from October 16-18. The market will feature various traditional cakes, food and drinks of the northern provinces, including banh duc (rice cake made of rice flour), bun rieu (crab noodle soup), banh cuon (Vietnamese steamed rice rolls), banh te (rice cake), banh nep (glutinous rice cake), keo keo (barley-sugar), xoi (steamed glutinous rice), banh da nuong (fired rice pancake), banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) and banh day (round glutinous rice cake). At the market, visitors have a chance to learn more about a wide variety of traditional handicrafts, such as making non la (conical hats), to he (a traditional toy made with glutinous rice powder) and bamboo pens. Additionally, visitors can also join stimulating traditional folk games at the market including catching loaches (a fish native to South-East Asia) in jars, blindfolded pot smashing, playing catch and making a range of cakes and candies. Water puppetry artisans from Hai Duong province and hat xam (blind buskers’ singing) artists from the Vietnam Traditional Opera Theatre will give unique performances throughout the event. The reappearance of the northern region’s traditional rural market aims to contribute to the preservation and promotion of cultural identities of Vietnam as well as educating and instilling national patriotism and pride among younger generations. The event is expected to attract a large number of both Vietnamese and foreign visitors to the Vietnamese Ethnic Groups Culture-Tourism Village. A space for vegetarian food and acoustic music Local artists Quang Thao and Dinh Toan have opened Quang Thao 2 restaurant in District 3, HCMC to serve vegetarians. But what makes Quang Thao 2 particular is a space called “Nam (mushroom) Acoustic Show” on the third floor where acoustic music is performed. Equipped with an acoustic guitar and a violin, the Nam Acoustic Show presents live music performances on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in a variety of themes which are popular among Saigonese. Apart from Vietnamese songs, the restaurant holds music shows in English, Japanese and Chinese, and invites spectators to sing. Quang Thao 2 is located at 331/4A Le Van Sy Street, District 3, HCMC. The music show regularly starts at 8:30 p.m. VNS/SGT/SGGP/VOV/VNA