Sep
25
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Vietnam wins two gold medals at Int’l Circus Festival
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VietNamNet Bridge – Circus performances titled Du Chong Dau (Swinging) and Thang Bang Tren Day Thep Chung (Balancing on a String) by the Ho Chi Minh City Circus Troupe won gold medals at the International Circus Festival in Almaty City in Kazakhstan from September 11-16.
Thang bang tren day thep chung (balancing on a string) performance.
The Vietnamese circus troupe scooped two out of three gold medals at the festival which attracted artists from nine countries including France, Germany, the US, Russia, Vietnam, Belorussia, Latvia, Uzebekistan and Kazakhstan.
Earlier, Du Chong Dau (Swinging) by circus artists Hoang An and Thu Hien and Thang Bang Tren Day Thep Chung (Balancing on a String) by Thu Hien received silver and gold medals at the 11th Moscow International Youth Festival in Circus Arts 2012 in Moscow.
Two performances have officially received an invitation to attend the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival to be held from January 2014.
‘Power of the Arm’ performance by circus artists Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep of the Ho Chi Minh City Circus Troupe has also been invited to participate in the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival in January 2013.
‘Power of the Arm’ triumphed over many contestants and won the Grand Prix Award at the 10th International Circus Festival ‘Circuba 2011’ in August in La Habana in Cuba.
Du chong dau (Swinging) performance.
The performance also won three prizes at the 13th International Circus Festival in Italy from October 13-17, which included a silver medal and two minor titles awarded by the world’s leading circus groups- - Monte Carlo Circus and Cirque du Soleil.
‘Power of the Arm’ got the Silver Lion Award on October 31, 2011 at the 13th Int’l Circus Festival in Hebei Province in China.
The performance also took first prize at the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia young circus talent competition in 2009 and a gold medal at the Hanoi International Circus Festival in 2010.
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Sep
25
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Pens at the ready for prestigious national writing competition
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VietNamNet Bridge – Young professional and amateur writers are invited to participate in a writing contest organised by three prestigious national organisations.
The National Writing Competition 2012 for Young Writers, organised by the HCM City Writers' Association in co-operation with Tre (Youth) Publishing House and Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, will award prizes in the categories of fiction and short stories.
The contest's theme focuses on the lives of young people, their challenges and dreams in a changing world.
Organisers hope the competition, which has been held every two years since 2000, will give the writers under the age of 40 a chance to develop their careers as well as bring writers and publishers together to introduce new, quality books for readers.
Reputed authors including Nguyen Dong Thuc and Doan Thach Bien will be part of the jury.
All the high-quality contributions will be printed and distributed by the Tre Publishing House.
The participants must submit no fewer than six short stories or a novel of no more than 200 pages on A4 paper.
They should send their works by post to the contest's organising board, at 161B Ly Chinh Thang Street, District 3, HCM City.
Prize winners will be announced next year.
Previous competitions have produced winners who have gone on to become popular among young readers, like Nguyen Ngoc Thuan, Nguyen Huong, Hong Hanh and Nguyen Ngoc Tu.
Nguyen Ngoc Tu, in particular, has succeeded in impressing both young and older readers by focusing on rural life, featuring the simple lifestyle of farmers in her native land, the southern province of Ca Mau.
Her first book, Canh Dong Bat Tan (Endless Fields), proved to be a bestseller as soon as it hit the shelves in HCM City bookshops in 2005.
Nearly 2,000 copies were sold in the first two days of its release.
The book was also honoured with the Southeast Asian Writers Award in 2008. The award is given annually by the Thai Royal Family to encourage and honour poets and writers in the ASEAN region
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Sep
25
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Hawaii guitar melodies touch hearts
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VietNamNet Bridge – The sweet melodious sounds of Hawaiian guitar music were resounding from the Heritage House on Nui Truc Street on Saturday evening, touching the hearts of audience of all ages that packed the venue.
Striking a chord: Artist Bui Bach Lien (left) plays Hawaiian guitar
at a concert held on Saturday evening in Ha Noi.
Many of them arrived half an hour before the show started, hoping to get good seats.
Most of the audience were of an older generation, looking to be reminded of the melodies that had inspired them so long ago.
Over the last 30 years, there were few opportunities for them to listen to the Hawaiian guitar, as it got left behind with the development of so-called modern music.
The two-hour concert on Saturday evening was special for those who are passionate about the Hawaiian guitar, when amateur but talented artist Bui Bach Lien, head of the Ha Noi Hawaii Guitar Club, played some of her favourite repertoires and told stories about the genre.
The well-known sweet melodies that have charmed generations of Vietnamese audiences included Suoi Mo (Dream Stream), Con Kenh Xanh Xanh (Green Canal), and Diem Xua (Old Flame), became ever more profound when they were played with the Hawaiian guitar through Lien's skilful hands, despite her old age.
"I've always wanted to share the magic sound of the Hawaiian guitar with everyone. For me, it's like a speciality of Ha Noi and I want to share this with everyone," said Lien.
The Hawaiian guitar was originally invented and popularised in the US state of Hawaii in the late 19th century. Legend has it that Joseph Kekuku, a Hawaiian schoolboy, discovered the sound while walking along a railroad track strumming his guitar. He picked up a bolt lying by the track and slid the metal along the strings of his guitar. Intrigued by the sound, he taught himself to play using the back of a knife blade.
Hawaiian guitar was introduced to Viet Nam in the 1930s by Hong Kong British musician William Chan.
Known by Vietnamese name "Ha Uy Cam", it had a great vogue in Viet Nam from the 50s to the 70s thanks to the compositions of well-known composers/musicians including Doan Chuan, Nguyen Thien To and Pham Manh Dat.
The sound of the Hawaiian guitar was at that time "phenomenal" in the country's music industry. It inspired passion among music-lovers for its nobleness and romanticism. Classes to teach the Hawaii guitar were opened everywhere in the country, attracting many students.
However, the guitar has been forgotten over the last 30 years.
Today, only a minority of old people and a few young people who love music know about its name. And those who once loved the Hawaiian guitar long for its profound sounds.
Lien is among the rare Vietnamese women who are attached to the guitar and pursue the dream of preserving it and popularising the sound.
The 70-year-old retired teacher first learned to play the guitar 50 years ago, despite opposition from her parents. Her first teacher was musician Doan Chuan, who soon recognised her talent and helped her perform at national festivals.
Lien didn't become a guitarist, but worked as a math teacher as her parents had wished, but she has always lived with a great passion for the guitar and founded the Hawaii Guitar Club in 1997 that still gathers her friends and other guitar lovers.
Despite many difficulties, the club, located in her house on Phan Van Truong Street, holds performances every Sunday and attracts the participation of amateur and professional musicians.
"I wish to preserve this guitar sound, and I want to teach young people how to play so it will not be lost," Lien confided.
"I hope that one day, this style will be taught at the Ha Noi Conservatory of Music, so young people will be able to preserve and develop it."
The show on Saturday featured performances accompanied by talks from cultural researchers, students and musicians. They discussed the Hawaiian guitar style and demonstrated some practical guitar playing tips to the audience.
Some of the audience expressed a desire for Vietnamese historians to help restore this art in Viet Nam.
"The sound of this guitar has penetrated my blood and my soul. I have a CD compilation of this guitar and listen to it every week", said Dinh Cong Giang, an audience member.
"I hope that the sound of the guitar can spread, and not only among old people."
According to historian Le Van Lan, who also played the Hawaiian guitar during his youth, to help restore the art, everyone should know its origins and precious value.
"What is special about this guitar is that it can create the melodious sounds of the sea waves and the wind," he said.
"It's interesting that we succeeded in making this guitar a Vietnamese speciality with our (playing) style and rich culture."
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Hanoi hosts exhibition of Japanese KIRIGAMI
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25/09/2012 09:15:45
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Vietnamese-origin writer wins US National Book Award
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25/09/2012 08:45:04
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Nguyen Truong Son wins first prize at Davines hair show
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25/09/2012 08:36:03
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Elderly scholar determined to complete book
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25/09/2012 08:34:24
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Nexttop DJ 2012 launched
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25/09/2012 08:32:47
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Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2013 planning underway
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25/09/2012 08:29:46
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Travel awards honour low-cost carrier VietJetAir
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25/09/2012 08:27:34
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Exhibition introduces Japanese paper-cutting art
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25/09/2012 08:25:55
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Nam Dinh to celebrate royal heritage
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25/09/2012 08:21:56
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