A selection of noteworthy artistic and cultural events to take place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on March 25 - 31. HANOI PERFORMANCE Beyond Sound 2019 #1 – Katsura Yamauchi & Guests 8 – 9.30 pm on March 25 Heritage Space, 1st Floor, Dolphin Plaza 6 Nguyen Hoang / 28 Tran Binh, My Dinh 2, Hanoi The first show of Beyond Sound 2019 is a live music performance and film screening by Katsura Yamauchi (Japan) and guest artists. Attending fee: VND150,000, VND 120,000, VND100,000. Subscription Concert Vol. 118 8 pm on March 28 Hanoi Opera House 1 Trang Tien Str., Hanoi You are invited to Subscription Concert Vol. 118 with the performance of: Conductor: Honna Tetsuji Soprano: Angela NISI and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra Ticket prices: VND 200,000 – VND 350,000 – VND 500,000. EXHIBITION Exhibition “Dreaming” VICAS Art Studio 32 Hao Nam Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi The exhibition features works by six artists from Hai Duong. … [Read more...] about Events in Hanoi & HCM City on March 25
Ogden nash poems list
Tết customs in the Nguyễn royal court
A printing block mentions ancient customs practised by the Nguyễn dynasty during the Lunar New Year holiday. Photo from the National Archives Centre No 4 Viet Nam News By Mai Duyên & Cao Quang Tết Nguyên Đán (Traditional Lunar New Year) is the biggest among traditional festivals for the Vietnamese people. Today, many ancient customs are still practised in the former royal capital. Many people ask the same question: How was the Lunar New Year organised by the Nguyễn kings in the past? There is a rare source of material that mentions the customs – the wood printing blocks from the Nguyễn dynasty (1802-1945), which have been kept at the National Archives Centre No 4. The blocks contain details on traditional customs practised for the Lunar New Year. The preparation work starts months before Tết. On the first day of the last lunar month, Nguyễn kings organised the Ban Sóc ceremony to distribute calendars for … [Read more...] about Tết customs in the Nguyễn royal court
Vietnamese teacher spreads the word in Laos
Viet Nam News Tú Linh QUẢNG TRỊ — “Việt Nam – Our motherland/With vast paddy fields, no paradise on earth can be comparable/ Cranes’ wings spread over the sky/ Trường Sơn Mountain hides in fluffy clouds.” An extract from poet Nguyễn Đình Thi’s Việt Nam - Our Motherland is the first lesson Hoàng Ly Ly, 24, from Cam Lộ District in the central province of Quảng Trị teaches her Vietnamese students in Seno, a small town in Savannakhet Province, Laos. It was a special day when Ly, graduating from Quảng Trị Province’s College of Education with honours more than two years ago, submitted her letter asking to voluntarily teach language and literature for Vietnamese children living in Laos. Ly was sent to Nguyễn Trãi Primary School in Seno Town. The school has 223 students, all Vietnamese. While Lao teachers are in charge of social and … [Read more...] about Vietnamese teacher spreads the word in Laos
Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage
1. Nha Nhac - Vietnamese court music Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2003), Nha Nhac, meaning “elegant music” refers to a broad range of musical and dance styles performed at the Vietnamese royal court from the 15th to the mid-20th century. Nha Nhac was generally featured at the opening and closing of ceremonies associated with anniversaries, religious holidays, coronations, funerals and official receptions. Among the numerous musical genres that developed in Vietnam, only Nha Nhac can claim a nationwide scope and strong links with the traditions of other East Asian countries. Nha Nhac performances formerly featured numerous singers, dancers and musicians dressed in sumptuous costumes. Large-scale orchestras included a prominent drum section and many other types of percussion instruments as well as a variety of wind and string instruments. All performers had to maintain a high level … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage
Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritage
Nha Nhac - Vietnamese court music (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam possesses an array of intangible cultural heritages that have been recognized by UNESCO. 1. Nha Nhac - Vietnamese court music Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2003), Nha Nhac, meaning “elegant music” refers to a broad range of musical and dance styles performed at the Vietnamese royal court from the 15th to the mid-20th century. Nha Nhac was generally featured at the opening and closing of ceremonies associated with anniversaries, religious holidays, coronations, funerals and official receptions. Among the numerous musical genres that developed in Vietnam, only Nha Nhac can claim a nationwide scope and strong links with the traditions of other East Asian countries. Nha Nhac performances formerly featured numerous singers, dancers and musicians dressed in sumptuous costumes. Large-scale orchestras included a … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritage
Social News 7/8
Legal framework for child care on the internet Vietnam, with 64 million Internet users (67% of its population), is among Asian countries having the biggest number of Internet users. A majority of these users are children and teenagers, who are exposed to both benefits and dangers. In addition to close attention from parents and schools, a legal framework is needed to protect children from the risks of the cyber world. While browsing the Internet, children may encounter unexpected information and people. Their personal information can be hacked. More seriously, children can become victims of swindles, exploitation, harassment, and sex abuse. Online game and smartphone addictions can harm children’s mental and physical health. Parents should teach children how to find and use information on the Internet. Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department for Children of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, said, “Parents play a very important role. They should be … [Read more...] about Social News 7/8
Social News 26/4
Alternative education approaches proving popular Modern Montessori International (MMI), a Singaporean company specializing in early childhood education, opened its largest overseas pre-school campus at the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in southern Binh Duong province in mid-2017. The new campus was built with initial investment of $2 million and is the company’s first in Vietnam directly owned by MMI Singapore. According to Mr. Steven Kho, Country Manager of MMI Vietnam, they intend to almost double student numbers to 170 by September. MMI Vietnam is one of many schools offering the Montessori method of education. For the past ten years, people in Vietnam have begun to refer to Montessori as a great educational method for children, especially those aged six years or less. A wide range of investment models for education in accordance with the new method have been developed at all levels to meet demand among parents. Montessori is a method of education that is … [Read more...] about Social News 26/4
Translation is a
Viet Nam News The Việt Nam Writers Association Award for the best translation work of 2017 went to translator Lê Đức Mẫn for the work Gore ot Uma (Wit Works Woe) from the Russian language by Aleksandr Griboedov (1795-1829). The translator is popular among the generation of Vietnamese readers who enjoyed his works released during the 1970s. Born in 1941, translator Mẫn has so far translated over 40 popular Russian works into Vietnamese including novels by Mikhail Lermantov and Boris Vasilyev, plus hundreds of Russian poems. Diễm Anh interviewed Mẫn about the role of translation in the nation’s cultural life and development. Could you something about your translation work which won the association’s award? It is a comedy in verse by Aleksandr Griboedov, who has a special fate. It was the first and the only work by Griboedov. However, the work was not published because it satirises the society of post-Napolenoic Russia - … [Read more...] about Translation is a
Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritages
A singer and a musician of Ca Tru, which is in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam boasts a wide range of intangible cultural heritages recognised by UNESCO. 1. Nha Nhac - Vietnamese court music Nha nhac, Vietnamese court music, is named in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Photo: VNA) Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2003), Nha Nhac, meaning “elegant music” refers to a broad range of musical and dance styles performed at the Vietnamese royal court from the 15th to the mid-20th century. Nha Nhac was generally featured at the opening and closing of ceremonies associated with anniversaries, religious holidays, coronations, funerals and official receptions. Among the numerous musical genres that developed in Vietnam, only Nha Nhac can claim a nationwide scope and … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritages
Saigon has a gem called ‘com tam’
With its peculiar taste and scent, broken rice has long been considered a favorite by people of all ages and economic backgrounds in Saigon, and only in this city can its true flavor be found. Com tam, as the food is called in Vietnamese, basically refers to a rice dish whose main ingredient is broken rice, a kind of rice that seems to have been smashed by a crushing machine. A single spoonful of the delicacy is well enough to strike one’s sense of taste dumb with satisfaction. The spicy sauce adds not only to the aroma of the well-grilled pork and the smell of oily onions that are served along with the rice, but it also adds to the stiffness of the broken rice, creating a mixture of harmony, yet distinct with varied flavors. Com tam suon trung: broken rice with grilled pork and omelet sold for VND22,000 (~US$1.00) at a university in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tien Bui An upgrade of ingredients Com tam was originally consumed by the poor who could not afford to enjoy … [Read more...] about Saigon has a gem called ‘com tam’