ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 15/5

The event is one of the State level activities to mark the 120th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh?s birth.

The festival will officially open in the evening of May 15 in Nghe An ? Uncle Ho?s birthplace. It will attract performers from Nghe An, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Thanh Hoa, Tuyen Quang, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Soc Trang which will join a Sen Village singing contest, perform in Vinh City and other districts in Nghe An and hold exchanges with students.

Around 1,000 artists, and students will attend a concert at the opening ceremony highlighting the major landmarks of Uncle Ho?s life and career, his great contribution to the national independence and his deep love for his homeland, as well as the Nghe An people?s love for Uncle Ho. Radio the Voice of Vietnam will broadcast the concert live on VOV1 at 8pm.

On the occasion, Nghe An province has also held a wide range of activities to mark Uncle Ho?s birthday, such as offering incense and flowers at President Ho Chi Minh?s memorial house, a meeting, a youth camp, the opening of an air route between Vinh and Hanoi and a film week on Uncle Ho.

Preserving Hanoi?s cultural heritage - a thorny issue

Many people are highly concerned about measures to protect the beauty of Hanoi?s cultural heritage, which is in dire need of a master plan.
The master plan for Hanoi until 2050, which was made public to gather public opinion, will be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly at its next session in Hanoi.

Many have said that attention has only been paid to the planning itself, not the problems contained within it. For example, the construction of Van Cao-Hoang Van Tham road saw part of the former Dai La citadel razed to the ground.

Dr Nguyen Van Son, Director of the Co Loa and Hanoi ancient citadel Centre, said that Vietnam has been able to preserve only unearthed objects but they do not have any experience in detecting and preserving objects lying deep underground. He added that the costs of doing this is also a problem.

The Old Quarter in downtown Hanoi is also food for thought as preservation must be coupled with improving the local people?s living standards, said Do Thi Lan, vice head of the Urban Planning Department.

She went on to say that trade villages in Hanoi are under pressure from urban expansion and massive construction.

However, writer Hoang Quoc Hai said preservation must be selective as the resources are limited. He said that the set targets must be specific and achievable. He warned that Hoan Kiem lake and its surrounds are being seriously threatened by surrounding ?giants? (implying unaesthetic tall buildings), which irritate people who are concerned about Vietnamese culture, including many tourists from overseas.

The master plan for Hanoi aims to build a historical, cultural urban area with beautiful scenery and sympathetic architect. The planners have set out the criteria for the city: Green-Cultured-Civilized-Modern.

However, things are not be as simple as they seem with the zoning plan extending its scope to many surrounding areas.

Dr Nguyen Doan Tuan, head of Hanoi?s Department of Relics and Beauty Spots, remarked that the planning must be as detailed as possible, taking into account both preservation and development. The relevant agencies must take pains to identify and prioritize what needs preserving.

France still major partner at Hue Festival

French artistes will play a substantial part in the 2010 Hue Festival, which takes place in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue from June 5-13.

Ngo Hoa, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People?s Committee and Head of the festival?s organizing board, said that one theatre group from the region of Poitou-Charentes will entertain visitors with installation and street art while the funk band Les Traine-Savates will play at the festival?s opening ceremony and various other open sites in Hue City during the festival.

One of the more bizarre acts comes from the Siphon Cosmique Theatre Group which will perform a show featuring ploughing machines at Nguyen Trai High School in Thuan An Township and at the tile roofed bridge at Thanh Toan.

During the festival, famous photographer S?bastien Laval will exhibit his photos of ethnic minority groups from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia at the royal palace in Dien Tho and in Nam Dong District. Laval will also place huge portraits of ethnic minority people at various sites throughout the city.

French artistes have appeared at the 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 Hue Festivals and France has also helped the province to carry out many other cultural and social projects.

?Vietnam Week? to be held in Acapunco, Mexico

A press briefing was held in Mexico?s Acapunco city, Guerrero state, on May 12 to announce the organisation of the first ?Vietnam Week? to be held in the city from May 19-28.

At the function, Vietnamese ambassador Pham Van Que said a monument of late President Ho Chi Minh will be inaugurated in Miguel Aleman avenue of the coastline city of Acapunco on the occasion of his 120th birth anniversary.

The Director of Mexico?s Social Development Department, Erika Lorena Lurhs Cortes, said the building of President Ho?s monument in Acapunco city is a great honour for Guerrero state.

She also highlighted Vietnam?s achievements in national liberation and construction and spoke highly of Vietnam?s ties with Mexico in general and with Guerrero state in particular, especially in agriculture, coconut plantation and processing, tourism and economic experience sharing.

?Vietnam Week? will include a photo exhibition on Vietnam, introduction of the country?s culinary arts and handicraft products and music performance

A seminar on Vietnam-Mexico economic, tourism and trade cooperation and a signing ceremony of an MOU to recognise Ha Long city of Vietnam?s Quang Ninh province and Acapunco city as sister cities will also be held during the week-long event.

Gala celebrates first Congress for Ethnic Minority groups

A gala evening spotlighting the cultures of 54 ethnic minorities was held at the My Dinh National Convention Centre in Hanoi on May 12 to celebrate the first Congress of Ethnic Minority groups in the country.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Huynh Dam and leaders of the Party and State attended the event and enjoyed the performance alongside 1702 representatives from the ethnic minority peoples. 

The programme was broadcast live on Vietnam Television.

The event also attracted 1,400 students from universities across the country. During the gala, dances, drums and ethnic minority wine-drinking ceremonies took place.

455 artistes from 30 provinces and cities nationwide recreated scenes of the peoples from mountainous areas and their traditions.

The gala evening underlined the national unity of Vietnam?s ethnic minority groups.

Sourced=Vietnam