Culture, tourism week in Highlands

The Buon Ma Thuot Culture and Tourism Week 2009 with theme of Legend of the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) Elephants will be held in Buon Ma Thuot City and Buon Don District in Dac Lac Province from November 16-22.

The highlight of the week will include elephant racing, a culinary festival, a green Central Highlands tourism programme, a performance by an Asian theatre group, an exhibition of artistic photographs, a religious ceremony on the river by the E De ethnic minority group and a voyage of discovery through magnificent waterfalls and the Nam Ka Forest.
The cultural values of Tay Nguyen elephants, gongs and Buon Ma Thuot coffee products will also be highlighted. This major cultural event aims to boost the rapid and sustainable development of Dac Lac’s tourism, helping the province become the Tay Nguyen regional economic and cultural hub.

Vietnamese book expo in Paris

An exhibition on books has opened for the first time at the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in Paris, France.

More than 500 books are on display in various genres including Vietnamese culture, society, literature, customs, cuisine, travel and Ha Noi.

Beside books by domestic writers, the exhibition also displays books by French authors and Vietnamese writers, translators and researchers living in France.

Singing contest changes rules again

Detailed regulations of a national TV singing contest organised bi-annually by Viet Nam Television have been announced in a press conference here.

This year’s Sao Mai (Morning Star) contest is basically the same as previous one’s. The best nine contestants will enter the final round that requires them to perform songs of chamber, folk and light music styles.

However, in an attempt to rejuvenate the contest, finalists will be asked to perform two songs. The first will be optional but the second will be chosen by the organisation board.

It is reported that 1,500 contestants have registered for the contest in the North while this figure is 1,400 in the South.

The preliminary round’s will be held in three region’s of the country and from there, nine contestants from each region will be selected for the final. This will take place in the Thuan Thao resort, Tuy Hoa city of the central province of Phu Yen from November 22 to December 20.

From among those 27 contestants, nine will be selected to attend the final night and award ceremony which will be broadcast live on the Viet Nam Television at 8pm on December 20.

Mai Trang takes top prize at dance fest

The dance troupe Mai Trang won three prizes for performances at the HCM City’s Dance Festival, which ended on Sunday.

The performances, titled Tieng Long (Voice of the Heart), Suoi Hoa (Flower Spring) and Dem Dai Ngan (Night in the Jungle) were granted three of six A-level prizes for Best Performance at the awards ceremony held at the HCM City Opera House.

Three other A prizes were given to the ABC troupe’s Dem Hoi Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands’ Festival Night) dance, the Duo’s Khat Vong (Aspiration) and the Rang Dong’s Trong Hoi Non Song (National Festival Drum).

The festival’s panel of judges also gave nine B prizes, 12 C prizes and 15 prizes for encouragement.

This year’s dance festival, organised by the HCM City Dancers’ Association, the Youth Cultural House and Saigon Media Co, attracted 25 dance troupes from state and private sectors.

As part of the bi-annual event, 65 folk, traditional and contemporary dance performances were held at the city’s Youth Cultural House, featuring concepts related to social problems, the country’s past, present and future, and love for family and country.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News