Coke CEO visits Vietnam

VietNamNet Bridge - Visiting Coca-cola CEO Neville Isdell has vowed to expand on his company's corporate social responsibility programmes within Vietnam. The head of the world's largest beverage maker made the commitment to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi, on May 31.Isdell said that his company would focus its efforts on community based poverty reduction and education programmes while also looking to expand investment and business operations in Vietnam within the next five years.The PM told Isdell that Vietnam appreciates the contributions to initiatives involving poverty eradication, social equality and environmental protection by major foreign companies operating in the country.

He went on to assure the Coke CEO that by next year the investment environment would be improved upon as further international commitments would have been implemented

Where will the $1bil loan go?

VietNamNet Bridge – It is expected that the Government will issue $1bil worth of international bonds in September 2007, two years after the first bond issuance in 2005. A question has been raised: where will the $1bil go?Vinashin gets 8% per annum interest with investment
A Vinashin’s shipyardAccording to the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin), the actual volume of capital the group received from the previous $750mil worth of bond issuance was $731.45mil. Vinashin has to pay $51.56mil in interest annually, twice a year, through its account at BIDV.Vinashin has allocated the sum of money to 180 projects listed in the development plant for 2006-2010. 50% of the sum of money has been reserved for upgrading, expanding and building new shipyards, 30% for the projects aiming to localising shipbuilding products (steel and engine production), including the project on building the factory making container wall at the Lai Vu Industrial Compex, 30,000 TEU a year. The remaining 20% will be used to develop a fleet with the total loading capacity of 300,000 DWT.A leader of Vinashin’s Financial Company said that by April 30, VND7,400bil ($462mil) had been disbursed. Around VND650bil ($40.62mil) has been recovered from projects that have become operational already, and then have been re-invested in other projects.The sums of money awaiting disbursement have been put under the management of Vinashin’s Financial Company, and will be loaned to Vinashin’s members to fund their production projects (VND3,700 or $231.25mil by April 30). The other money has been deposited at banks.In general, Vinashin earned the interest rate of 8% last year from capital maintenance and development before disbursement, higher than the interest rate Vietnam has to pay bond holders, the official said.He also said that Vinashin has programmed the debt payment. The total value of the orders Vinashin will fulfill has reached $10bil, 65% of which will be for export. Meanwhile, Vinashin can recover capital from investment projects within 10 years.Where to inject $1bil?According to the Ministry of Finance, the Government will issue $1bil worth of international bonds in September. The money to be raised from the bond issuance will be allocated to three enterprises.Some $700mil out of the $1bil will be injected in the Dung Quat oil refinery, which will help it to reach $2.5bil in investment capital.A sum of $240mil will be loaned to Vinalines (Vietnam Shipping Lines) to develop its fleet. The project on the fleet development has been approved by the Ministry of Transport, which said that the investor can recover capital within 5-7 years.Vinalines’s report (not clear if it was audited or not), showed that in 2006, the corporation’s turnover was VND11,241bil ($702.56mil), and the profit was VND551bil ($34.43mil).The remaining $60mil is expected to be given to the Song Da Corporation, which will undertake the Xe Ca Man 3 hydropower project in Laos. The power plant, once operational, will provide electricity to Laos and Vietnam.
(Source: Tuoi tre)

HCM City to screen Vietnamese classics free

A scene in Glorious Time in Me Thao HamletVietNamNet Bridge – From May 15-29, the Institute of Cultural Exchanges with France (IDECAF) and Saigon Movies Media will screen six award-winning Vietnamese movies for free.
The six classics of Vietnamese cinema are Tuoi Tho Du Doi (Stormy Childhood), Chung Cu (Apartments), Mua Len Trau (The Buffalo Boy), Mua Oi (The Season of Guavas), Me Thao- Thoi Vang Bong (Glorious Time in Me Thao Hamlet) and Thoi Xa Vang (A Far Time Past).
All of these movies will be shown at IDECAF Cinema at 28 Le Thanh Ton, District 1, and Dong Da Cinema at 890 Tran Hung Dao, District 5, HCM City.
During the screenings, audience members will also have chances to meet the directors of the Buffalo Boy, Apartments, Glorious Time in Me Thao Hamlet and the Season of Guavas.
The screening of these movies is supported by Fonds Sud Cinema, an agency run by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsoring film projects.
Notes on the films
Stormy Childhood
This was the first movie by director Nguyen Vinh Son. Produced in 1990, the film was adapted from the famous novel of the same name by writer Phung Quan. Stormy Childhood is about the daring adventures of a boy called Mung.
The movie won the Silver Medal at the 1990 Vietnam Film Festival and was conferred with a special award by the Ministry of Defence to commemorate the 50th birthday of the Vietnam People’s Army (1994).
The film will be screened at 7pm on May 15 and 29 at IDECAF.
Apartments
Directed by female director Viet Linh, the film reproduces a period in Vietnamese history after 1975 to the latter half of the 80s with social upheavals as well as individuals’ ups and downs.
Apartments will play at 7pm on May 18 at IDECAF and at 7pm on May 20 at Dong Da.
The Buffalo Boy
This was the first movie by overseas Vietnamese director as well as physics doctor Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh.
Adapted from a work of the same name by writer Son Nam, the Buffalo Boy portrays the beauty of southern Vietnamese waterways. The film has won many international awards such as the FIPRESCU prize at the Palm Springs International Film Festival; best director at the Chicago and Cape Town international film festivals; Golden Unicorn for best feature movie at the Amiens International Festival; Special Prize at the Amazonas International Film Festival, and best cinematography at the 50th Asian Pacific International Film Festival.
The Buffalo Boy will be screened at 3pm on May 19 at IDECAF and 7pm on May 21 at Dong Da.
Glorious Time in Me Thao Hamlet
Another film by Viet Linh, Glorious Time In Me Thao Hamlet was adapted from the novel Chua Dan by famed writer Nguyen Tuan.
The movie will be screened at 7pm on May 22 at Dong Da.
A Far Time Past
Directed by overseas Vietnamese Ho Quang Minh, and adapted from a famous novel of the same name by writer Le Luu, A Far Time Past is about the comedies and tragedies in the life of Gian Minh Sai in the northern countryside.
The movie won the Silver Kite for best feature film (there was no Golden Kite) at the 2004 Golden Kite Awards as well as best soundtrack for musician Dang Huu Phuc at the 11th Shanghai International Film Festival.
The film will play at 3pm on May 22 at Dong Da and 7pm on May 25 at IDECAF.
Guavas Season
Directed by Dang Nhat Minh, Guavas Season is about the memories of a mentally retarded 50-year-old man about an old garden and house from childhood.
The film won the Golden Lotus at the 13th Vietnam Film Festival.
It will be screened at 7pm on May 23 at Dong Da and at 7pm on May 24 at IDECAF.
(Source: Tuoi Tre)

Overseas Vietnamese singers returning to perform en masse

Overseas singers Tuan Ngoc, Thai BaoVietNamNet Bridge - In 2007 and 2008, Vietnamese stages will be flooded with overseas Vietnamese singers, a musician and a show organiser said.
Bridges
The first company to sign exclusive performance contracts with overseas Vietnamese singers is Rang Dong Studio.
These days, the firm continues to be a bridge for overseas singers who harbour dreams of being famous in Vietnam. The studio is completing papers to bring home Nguyen Hung, a famous male singer and dancer in the Vietnamese community in the US.
Phuong Nam Culture Company is also working on an exclusive agreement with female singer Le Thu. And to attract more audiences, Van Nghe Tearoom is planning to debut 5 overseas singers.
Xuan Hoa, Van Nghe’s director, said: “For business reasons, we can’t announce the names of our exclusive singers yet. Yet, one thing is certain: these voices have established their own firm standing in recent years.” It is rumored that two of the five singers at Van Nghe are veteran names Khanh Ha and Don Ho.
Domestic companies have been longing for opportunities to work with overseas Vietnamese singers. Most of these singers are often busy in long-term contracts with foreign studios.
But now many middle-aged singers have ended their overseas contracts, so it is easier for domestic studios to explore exclusive opportunities with them.
Little effort and much profit
Domestic companies don’t have to invest much in marketing names of foreign singers since most of them have long been familiar to Vietnamese audiences in and out of Vietnam.
Xuan Hoa said that Viet Kieu singers often had a stable number of followers. “As for us, who decide to search for overseas singers, we don’t have to put much effort in advertising since they are already famous.”
“We only need to invest seriously in such items as scripts and stage design in order to attract audiences, though the prize of overseas singers’ shows are often higher than usual,” she added.
Truong Thi Thu Dung, Rang Dong’s director, agreed: “When deciding to sign exclusive deals with overseas singers, we don’t pay as much attention to revenues as the brand name of Rang Dong Studio. Our products will be more diverse and colourful thanks to these deals.”
It seems easier for domestic companies to sign exclusive deals with overseas Vietnamese singers than domestic ones. Some explain that it is because most Viet Kieu singers yearn to perform in their homeland after many years living abroad.
Thus, money isn’t always what they are looking for. But domestic companies affirm that they don’t take advantage of this tendency of overseas singers. Ms. Thu Dung said: “Our job is to consult and help overseas singers to understand Vietnamese laws better rather than exploit them. The reputation of the company is an essential thing to us."
"That is the main reason why most exclusive deals last two years at most. Afterwards, singers are free to explore other opportunities in Vietnam. Then, they will also be more familiar with Vietnamese laws and can stand on their own.”
(Source: NLD)

How rich are Vietnamese singers

VietNamNet Bridge - “If you say that star singers are very rich, then you don’t really understand them. Few people get rich by singing alone,” said pop star Thanh Thao.
Earning billions and spending billions
Top-tier pop singers like Thanh Lam, My Linh, Hong Nhung, Lam Truong, Dan Truong, Phuong Thanh, Dam Vinh Hung, My Tam, Ho Quynh Huong and Thanh Thao are generally considered very wealthy.

Singer Thanh ThaoIndeed, they earn at least VND10million (US$625) dong for a show, and their monthly earnings from shows are estimated to be around VND100million (US$6,250).
Many singers say that there are months when they earn VND100million, or much less, or much more. And they all remind one not to calculate what they earn without mentioning what they “invest”.
Most top-tier singers have their own managers, fashion designers and make-up artists. An outfit designed exclusively for a Vietnamese star may cost as much as US$1,000. The price for make-up services for a show is around VND500,000 (US$31).
A manager costs from VND3-5million (US$188-313)/month. Gasoline is around VND4-6million/month. Dancers for a song cost VND1million. Other expenses include brand-name shoes, bags, and hats to accompany different sets of clothing.
Asked about money, singer Thanh Thao said: “Indeed I have a lot of money but I also spend a great deal. A CD often costs VND200million and a VCD may be as much as VND400-500million. I release 2-3 albums a year and spend more than VND10million on clothes monthly, not to mention make-up, shoes, family expenses and charity work. All of these expenses may take up half of my earnings.”
At the peak of her career 4 or 5 years ago, Thanh Thao was able to buy a nice small house and a car. “If you say that star singers are very rich, then you don’t really understand them. Few people get rich by singing alone,” added Thanh Thao.
Making the best of stardom

Dan TruongPeople consider Dam Vinh Hung and My Tam to have the highest income among Vietnamese singers at present. Asked about this, Dam Vinh Hung said, smiling: “Compared to international stars, our incomes are specks of sand.”
“After 10 years of singing, I’m satisfied that I’ve bought a house for my family, sent my nieces and nephews to the best schools, helped my younger sister and some friends start up their own businesses and done charity work.”
When asked what the highest amount he’d ever received for his appearance in a show was, Hung answered without hesitation that it could be as high as VND40-50million. "But such a show is rare,” added he.
As for whether he considers himself rich, Dam Vinh Hung said he was just “comfortable” since he still had many ambitions.
"When people still love you, you have to make the best of your opportunity and focus all of your heart and mind and energy on singing in order to have high incomes. Some days I pocket tens of millions of dong only to spend much more on things,” said Hung.
Thanks to their efforts and the public, not only do star singers have houses and cars but also their own companies, studios and other things despite all of their expenses. Yet, some singers confidently say they deserve whatever they receive after all those days of sweating and even crying.
Ho Quynh Huong, for instance, recalled her tearful first days in Saigon begging for a chance to perform for a very little amount of money and even for free.
Her income now is high enough to be ranked as a star singer but she said she wasn’t rich, though there has been news that she wore a US$5,000 suit in a show.
Ho Quynh Huong didn’t deny it. But she said she had a passion: shopping for unique things. She bought the suit on a trip abroad. Yet, afterwards, she regretted such extravagance.
As for Phuong Thanh, she has billions dong on hand one moment but can be empty-handed the next after mortgaging her house to have money for a live show. She said as long as audiences still wanted to listen to her sing, she must try to sing and all of her money would be spent on her singing career.
(Source: Tien Phong

Vietnamese singers catch attention with simultaneous projects

09:21' 14/05/2007 (GMT+7)
Ho Quynh Huong in Diamond NoirVietNamNet Bridge – Given a very competitive musical market, Vietnamese singers are exploring ways to catch public attention. One of them is to release many albums or hold some liveshows at the same time.
Record makers
Perhaps pop star Ho Quynh Huong is the only singer daring enough to declare that she will also record two different albums per year.
She has indeed made good her promise. After releasing Star of Love and 14M-2222 in January 2006, Ho Quynh Huong debuted two different albums, Non Stop and Diamond Noir, at the end of April 2007.
“I want to satisfy both types of audiences at the same time: discriminating audiences who are willing to give new experiments a chance, as well as general listeners of common commercial music,” she said.
There are also singers who record two or more albums at the same time without such official and unequivocal announcements as Ho Quynh Huong’s. In 2006, for instance, Dan Truong released four albums simultaneously in order to catch as much public attention as possible before his large-scale live show to commemorate his 10-year singing career.
And some singers are starting to think about an even more impressive way to attract attention than merely releasing many albums in a year. It is to organise more than one large-scale live show annually.
Dam Vinh Hung is an example. In 2007, this singer will have two multi-billion dong live shows for two different types of audiences, old-style and contemporary music lovers. Each of the shows will be performed for at least three nights in both the north and south.
Forging ahead
In Vietnam, singers can’t live by selling albums alone. It is because newly released albums are quickly counterfeited by smugglers, and album producers often suffer much loss as a result.
Vietnamese singers support themselves by wandering everywhere to perform: from big stages to small gatherings; from cities to rural towns; from Vietnam to other countries. So it occurs to them to diversify their styles to satisfy such diverse audiences.
Yet, whether singers who record different types of albums simultaneously succeed or not is not certain. Most of the “twin” albums so far haven’t left any permanent mark on the public’s heart.
Yet, famous Vietnamese musicians such as Tu Huy and Thanh Tung have been very successful with their “twin” albums. Alone and Sleepless Heart by Thanh Tung, for instance, are still considered two of the best albums of contemporary pop.
These two albums were made according to an international trend: they are collections of different kinds of songs written by the musician at different periods in his career. Another popular way of the world to make twin albums is to record a CD to accompany a VCD or a DVD.
The themes and songs of such two albums are often the same. Pop star My Linh with the very successful CD-VCD album My Linh’s Voice is considered the pioneer in this effort.
“n in 1” is considered a new way of recording albums in Vietnam, which is very much a Vietnamese invention. Cam Ly, for example, has made 3 “n in 1” albums, each of which includes a CD, a DVD and a VCD karaoke.
According to recording companies, “n in 1” are difficult to counterfeit and attractive to buyers who pay a lower price for them than if they buy several separate products. And through “n in 1” albums, singers can “attack” audiences on all fronts: listening, watching and karaoking.
(Source: Tuoi Tre)

State-owned film studios in review

A scene in Hanoi, HanoiVietNamNet Bridge – With movies like the White Silk Dress and the Rebel, private film studios are showing off their potentials, making those interested in Vietnamese cinema wonder where State-owned studios are in the race.
Falling behind
A director of a State-owned studio once said that no amount of money could solve the fundamental problems of State-owned companies: bulky bureaucracy and a passivity which has been existing since the time of government subsidies.
Politics has created works steeped in propaganda content unattractive to audiences. High-quality products such as Pao’s Story and Living in Fear resort to joining international film festivals as a face-saver. Even award-winning films as these don’t attract viewers.
State-owned studios’ marketing efforts have been unprofessional and unsuccessful. Vietnam Film’s marketing campaign for Right-Side Heart Campaign or Film Studio 1’s efforts to advertise Living in Fear, for instance, haven’t done anything to increase ticket sales.
Quality aside, the commercial success and professional distribution of recent products like Long-Legged Girls, Female Robber, When Men Are Pregnant, Hired Birth, Fighter Story, and Dancing Boys, and even the strait-laced high-quality The White Silk Dress, seem to suggest that private studios have precisely what State-owned ones don’t.
Partnership: a good way out?
Battling against private studios, several State-owned companies such as Liberation Film have been more active in producing commercial films attractive to viewers like Dancing Girls, Getting a Saigon Wife or Shoot as It Rings. Most of these movies, however, can only compete during Tet, the only season during the year for domestic films.
Thus, working with foreign partners seems to be a good way out. But many joint-ventures of high quality haven’t won Vietnamese viewers’ hearts. Hanoi, Hanoi, a Vietnamese-Chinese film, which has recently received the Golden Kite for Best Feature Film, is yet to play in theatres.
Many award-winning projects before it have failed due to overdue distribution: they were screened so long after being awarded that the public almost forgot what awards they had received. Yet, working with private companies seems more fruitful. Shoot As It Rings, a commercial success of the 2007 Tet, was produced by Liberation and Dao Thu studios.
Vietnam Film’s and Thien Ngan Film’s recent collaboration on two future projects, Death Dance and Wood Rescuer, for instance, should suggest to State-owned studios that working with their domestic private counterparts may be the best way to survive.
There have been talks about the government’s privatising State-owned companies. But when this process will take place and how long it will take are still matters of great uncertainty. Many say that these companies as well as their management units don’t want privatisation, which often means cutting down on jobs and independent financing without government support.
For the past few years, the progress of Vietnamese cinema has seeming been due chiefly to the efforts of private as well as overseas Vietnamese companies rather than State-owned studios.
(Source: SGGP)

Alarming cases of teachers mistreating students

Deputy Minister Dang Huynh Mai visiting TramVietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese newspapers have recently reported a series of cases of teachers hurting students’ physical and mental health, leading the country to question the professional ethics of teachers.
From grilling to poisoning
The event that turned public and media attention to teachers’ treatment of students was the case of 10-year-old student Huynh Thi Ngoc Tram becoming panic-stricken after being accused of stealing VND47,800 from the class fund and questioned by local police.
On the morning of March 14, Tram and another student from An Hiep Elementary in Dong Thap province, who had been earlier accused of stealing class money, were summoned by the official in charge of students’ affairs. After both of them denied the charge, the school’s president ordered them to be taken to the commune’s police for further investigation.
According to Tram’s family, for weeks after the investigation, Tram was shocked, refused to go to school and many times in the middle of the night, woke up crying, “Don’t send me to the police, please. I didn’t steal.” Later Tram was taken to the hospital and sent to live with her maternal grandma to recover.
After Tram came another serious case. Huynh Thi Be Ty, a 7-grade student from Hoa Binh Junior High also in Dong Thap, attempted suicide after her teacher checked her body in front of the class to find out whether she had stolen VND100,000. Ty was hospitalised for a week, during which time her teacher did not once visit her.
And the most recent case is that of a math teacher from Gia Lai province who punished 20 students for creating disorder during exams by hitting each of these students. Two of them were so seriously beaten that they were sent to the hospital. Before hitting them with a ruler, the teacher warned them many times to behave.
The most serious case, however, is a kindergarten teacher’s attempt to poison students for personal grudges against the school’s president. Do Thi Lien from Linh Nam Pre-school in Hanoi put mouse poison into children’s meals in order to get the school’s president to give her back her former post as an accounting staff instead of being assigned to head a class.
Officials’ response
Investigations have been made and those teachers and school officials involved in these cases have been disciplined.
These cases, especially that of Huynh Thi Ngoc Tram, have caught the attention of the Ministry of Education and Training, which is in the process of trying to reform and improve the Vietnamese educational system.
Yet, teachers sometimes aren’t the only ones to blame. Deputy Minister Dang Huynh Mai, who has personally visited Ngoc Tram, said, “Recently, there have been some cases of teachers treating students in the wrong way. These teachers are to blame for their inappropriate behavior.”
“For instance, in Ngoc Tram’s case, the official in charge of student affairs thought about sending Tram to the local police since his relative is a policeman. He thought that children would tell the truth before the police. Yet, there is another detail. Tram’s parents got angry with her for getting into trouble with the police, so they scolded her and burned her books. This might have also terrified Tram. So perhaps parents should also know children’s psychology.”
According to Ninh Thi Hong, the chief investigator of the Commission of Population, Family, and Children, many children complain that adults don’t listen to their opinions; though they are half-grown up mentally and physically, they need to be listened to, and explained to if they are wrong.
Ms. Hong said that she and the Ministry of Education and Training had investigated children’s rights in school and observed that most students didn’t get enough attention from teachers. Many teachers think their responsibility is only to teach. Thus, children, even naughty ones, aren’t often the ones to blame. Ms. Hong added that children are just and they listen, though there are exceptions.
(Source: VNE, TT, TP)

Copyright problems in the digital age

When Harry Potter Vol.6 first appeared in bookstoresVietNamNet Bridge – The Berne Convention, TRIPs, and other copyright agreements are helping to improve the Vietnamese publishing market, but the explosive development of the Internet is throwing new obstacles in the way of Vietnam’s effort to protect publishing copyrights.
The copyright joke
During one of the most-awaited publishing events of 2005, Youth Publishing House’s publication of Harry Potter’s Volume 6, a serious copyright problem occurred.
No sooner had Volume 6 hit bookshelves than a group of fans translated it into Vietnamese and released the translated version widely on the Internet.
This seriously affected the sales of Youth Publishing House, which had spent a great deal of time and money to buy the copyright as well as organise promotional activities.
Yet, Internet violations of copyrights were then too new a phenomenon and the publisher’s president, Quach Thu Nguyet, decided not to take any legal action.
Now, two years later, the Internet in Vietnam is fast becoming the harbour of copyright violators. Many popular works have been appearing in bookstores and on book websites simultaneously. Some examples are Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Yoshimoto Banana’s Kitchen and Goodbye Tugumi.
Immediately after being published by Nha Nam Company, they appeared at e-books.com. And despite First News’s rigorous copyright protection efforts, its recent release, Failure to Atone, is also available on the Internet.
It isn’t only translated works that have to suffer what some domestic authors consider “the copyright joke”. The copyrights of domestic products have also been blatantly violated.
Writer Nguyen Nhu Phong’s Chay An has very recently appeared at the copyright trading centre, but it is also available at thuvien-ebooks website with attractive introductions.
Famous writer and scholar Nhat Chieu and his latest short stories are suffering a similar fate. Almost all of the works by famed domestic authors are now available on the Internet.
Some authors pay much attention to copyright violations in publishing, yet remain indifferent to violations on the Internet.
Determination to crack down on violations
Youth Publishing House plans to release Harry Potter’s Volume 7, the last and the most-anticipated volume, at the end of July 2007.
According to Pham Sy Sau, who is in charge of topic exploration and copyright trading at Youth Publishing House, this year, the publisher is determined to protect its right to distribute Harry Potter Vol. 7 in Vietnam.
It will request any website posting illegally translated versions of the book to remove them or ask responsible authorities to enforce copyright laws. How successful Youth Publishing House’ efforts will be is uncertain.
This publisher’s determination shows that publishing businesses are starting to pay attention to copyright violations on the Internet though cracking down on copyright violations in general and on the Internet in particular isn’t a problem that can be solved in a short time.
(Source: SGGP)

What’s On May 21 - 27

Festivals in May
Ha Giang
Khau Vai Love Market Festival
Time: 27th day of the third lunar month.Place: Khau Vai Commune, Meo Vac District, Ha Giang Province.Characteristics: This is the place for couples in the region to make a date, and it is also the place for former lovers to meet each other, and look for boy or girls friend.
Bac Ninh
Dau Festival
Time: 18thday of the third lunar month.Place: Mo Dao Commune, Que Vo District, Bac Ninh Province.Objects of worship: Mr. Bính, a general of the 18th Hung King.Characteristics:Big procession, kite flying contest.
Do Temple Festival
Time: From the 14th to the 16th day of the third lunar month. The main festival day is on the 15th day of the third lunar month.Place: Dinh Bang Village, Dinh Bang Commune, Tu Son District, Bac Ninh Province. Objects of worship: Eight kings of the Ly Dynasty. Characteristics: The procession of palanquin from Dan Pagoda (Co Phap) to the temple, barbecued buffalo used as sacrifices - offering.
Dove releasing Festival (Thiet Ung Festival)
Time: 27th day of the third lunar month. Place: Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province.Characteristics: Contest of each flock of 10 doves (5 couples) in the end of spring. During this time, the weather is nice, rare wind, without kestrels and hawks (they usually fight dove). The areas which are famous for this games: Hoang Mai, Dong Anh (Hanoi), Duong River, Dau (Bac Ninh Province).
Lang Son
Ta Va Pagoda Festival
Time: 12th day to the 15th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Chi Lang Commune, Trang Dinh District, Lang Son Province.Objects of worship: The Buddha, Agriculture genie, Quan Cong and Luu Bi.Characteristics: Praying for good crops, worshipping, human chess playing.
Hai Phong City
Dragon Boat Race Festival
Time: April 1 (by solar calender).Place: Cat Ba Town, Cat Hai District, Haiphong City.Objects of worship: President Ho Chi Minh interested in fishing work.Characteristics: Boat race celebrates the day President Ho Chi Minh paid a visit to Cat Ba fishing village in 1959 and that day is also the traditional day of aquiculture.
Ha Doi Festival (Coupling Festival)
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.Place:Ha Doi Village (Tien Thanh Commune) and Cam Khe Village (Toan Thang Commune), Tien Lang District, Haiphong City.Characteristics: Making sacrifice to the village's tutelary god, "going to the field" ceremony.
Ban Village Yen Nhan Festival
Time: 11th day of the fourth lunar month.
Place: Ban Town, Yen Nhan Village, My Hao District, Hung Yen Province.
Objects of worship: General Doan Thuong (Dong Hai Royal Highest) of Ly Dynasty.
Characteristics: Procession, boi chess, cock fighting, hau dong, sortilege.
Tu Phap Pagoda Festival
Time: The 8th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Van Lam District, Hung Yen Province.Objects of worship: Four female deities: Phap Van (Cloud Deity), Phap Vu (Rain Deity), Phap Loi (Thunder Deity) and Phap Dien (Light Deity).Characteristics: Festival of exchanging visitors and helpers in some villages, a great procession of villages that worship Ladies but only processions of three Ladies Van, Vu, Loi come to Lady Dien. The villagers believe that if Lady Dien is taken out of the pagoda, the village will fire.
Quang Ninh
Bach Dang Festival
Time: 9th day of the fourth lunar month.
Place: Festival center is at Tran Hung Dao Temple - Vua Ba Shrine and other temples and communal houses in Yen Hung District, Quang Ninh Province:
- Yen Giang Communal House (Yen Giang Commune)
- Trung Ban Communal House (Lien Hoa Commune)
- Trung Coc Temple (Nam Hoa Commune)
- Dien Cong Communal House (Dien Cong Commune)
Objects of worship: Tran Hung Dao.
Characteristics: Bach Dang traditional swimming festival.
Khai Uong Festival
Time: The good day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Yen Hung District, Quang Ninh Province.Characteristics: Tien Cong worshipping ceremony in communal house and shrine, then people go to the field to sow rice.
Ha Tay
Ba Giang Kite Flying Festival
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.Place: Hong Ha Commune, Dan Phuong District, Ha Tay Province.Objects of worship: Sir Nguyen Ca, deputy general of King Dinh Tien Hoang.Characteristics: Kite flying contest, banh day procession, rice cooking contest.
Lien Bat Village Festival
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.Place: Lien Bat Commune, Ung Hoa District, Ha Tay Province.Objects of worship: The first saint (Dang Si), the second saint (Dang Xa), the third saint (Dang Lang).Characteristics: Palanquin procession, procession to give prominence to spirit of fondness for learning and the treasure cultural knowledge.
Quat Dong Festival
Time: 12th to the 16th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Quat Dong Commune, Thuong Tin District, Ha Tay Province.Objects of worship: Le Cong Hanh, the founder of embroidered with laces and also was the first doctoral candidate under the reign of Mac Dang Dung.Characteristics: Incense offering ceremony, recalling worship.
Tri Chi Festival
Time: 4th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Tri Trung Commune, Phu Xuyen District, Ha Tay Province.Objects of worship: Linh Lang Dai Vuong, who had great merit in resistance war against Tong enemy.Characteristics: Sacrifice-offering ceremony, god procession, stick fighting, chess playing.
Tu Nhien Commune Festival
Time: 1st day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Tu Nhien Commune, Thuong Tin District, Ha Tay Province.Objects of worship: Chu Dong Tu, princesses Tien Dung and Tay Sa, and Dao Thanh (general of Hai Ba Trung).Characteristics: Water procession, boi chess.
Ha Nam
Doi Pagoda Festival
Time: 21th day of the third lunar month.Place: Doi Pagoda, Doi Son Commune, Duy Tien District, Ha Nam Province.Objects of worship: Buddha.Characteristics: Worshipping Buddha, puppetry, wrestling, chess playing.
Thai Binh
Dong Xam Temple Festival
Time: From the 1st to the 3rd day of the fourth lunar month. Place: Hong Thai Commune, Kien Xuong District, Thai Binh Province. Objects of worship: Mr. Nguyen Kim Lau - the founder of silver carving in the 15th century.Characteristics: Procession of the founder, boat racing, ca tru, cheo singing.
Hau Trung, Hau Thuong Festival
Time: 25th day of the third lunar month.Place: Bach Dang Commune, Dong Hung District, Thai Binh Province.Objects of worship: Ly Bi and his Queen.Characteristics: God procession and making sacrifice to the god, martial art game: wrestling.
La Van Festival
Time: 20th day of the third lunar month.
Place: Quynh Hong Commune, Quynh Phu District, Thai Binh Province.
Objects of worship: The Queen of azolla, National Master Nguyen Minh Khong and the village's tutelary god.
Characteristics: Water procession, tutelary god procession, saint procession, performing the traditional work of growing azolla, wrestling, unicorn dancing, Chinese chess.
Thanh Hoa
Ban Fair
Time: 15th day of the fourth lunar month. It is held once every 3 years.
Place: Dinh Tuong and Dinh Tang communes, Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Objects of worship: Mr. and Mrs. La Sat.
Characteristics: Spring festival, selling and buying oxes, cows, buffaloes, farming implement and agricultural productions to pray for good luck.
Hanoi
Chem Temple Festival
Time: 14th to the 16th day of the fourth lunar month. Place: Thuy Phuong Commune, Tu Liem District, Hanoi. Objects of worship: Ly Ong Trong and his wife - Princess Bach Tinh. Characteristics: Water procession on river, releasing pigeons.
Chi Nam Festival (Phu Dong Festival)
Time: 8th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Le Chi Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi.Objects of worship: Saint Dong, Mr. Hien Cong, who had merit of fighting Yin invaders.Characteristics: Sacrifice-offering ceremony, battle performance, stick fighting, stick vieing, and coconut vieing.
Dong Co Temple Festival
Time: 4th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Tay Ho District, Hanoi.Objects of worship: Bronze Drum Genie.Characteristics: The festival is held in commemorating King Ly Thai Tong when he made the procession of Bronze Drum Genie in Dan Ne (Thanh Hoa) to Thang Long (Hà Noi now), set up a temple to worship the genie.
Le Mat Village Festival
Time: The 23rd day of the third lunar month. Place: Le Mat Village, Viet Hung Ward, Long Bien District, Hanoi. Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god of Hoang Family. Characteristics: Snake dance.
Le Xa Village Festival
Time: 15th day of the third lunar month.Place: Le Xa Hamlet, Mai Lam Commune, Dong Anh District, Hanoi.Objects of worship: Dao Ky and Phuong Dung (generals of Hai Ba Trung).Characteristics: Procession, sacrifices, plaiting cord contest, ca trù singing, quan ho singing, duck catching, and cock fighting.
Thuong Phuc Village Festival
Time: the 16th day of the second lunar month, the 14th day of the fourth lunar month and the 27th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Thuong Phuc Village, Ta Thanh Oai Commune, Thanh Tri District, Hanoi.Objects of worship: Prince Ly Tham, Zen Buddhist Ho Ba Lam.Characteristics: Contest of rowing boat on river (sometimes uses wood boat, sometimes uses coracle). Rice cooking contest (A couple cook rice while going and dancing); trong quan singing on boat in the evening.
Vo Village Festival
Time: 9th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Hoi Xo Hamlet, Phu Dong Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi.Objects of worship: Duc Hoa Bao Chinh and two his younger sisters.Characteristics: Tiger dance.
Yen My Village Festival
Time: 17th day of the third lunar month.Place: Yen My Commune,Thanh Tri District, Hanoi.Objects of worship: The village's tutelary god Cao Son Royal Highest.Characteristics: Traditional games: bird fighting, duck catching, seesaw playing, pots smashing contest, rice cooking contest.
Quang Binh
Bao Ninh Village Festival
Time: From the 14th day to the 16th day of the fourth lunar month. Place: Bao Ninh Commune, Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province. Objects of worship: Nhan than (father and son of fisherman) and Ca Ong (whale).Characteristics: Procession of Ong's bone, "Ho khoan, cheo can" performance, bong (flower) dance. Sea festival involves the ceremony of floating paper boats, paper fish to the sea and praying, the boat race of six villages.
Cau Ngu Festival
Time: 14th day of the fourth lunar month.Place: Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province.Objects of worship: Ca Ong (whale).Characteristics: Procession of Ong's bone from village to communal house.
Khanh Hoa
Thap Ba - Po Nagar Festival
Time: 20th to the 23rd day of the third lunar month. Place: Vinh Phuoc Ward, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province. Objects of worship: The Goddess of the Region (the Cham). Characteristics: Rites: washing statue and clothes changing, offering dance to Goddess, ghe racing, boi singing at night.
Can Tho City
Binh Thuy Communal House Festival (Thuong dien)
Time: 12th to the 14th day of the fourth lunar month. Place: Binh Thuy Ward, Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City.
Objects of worship: Thanh Hoang Bon Canh (God of Land).
Characteristics: Thuong dien ceremony (worship God of Land after harvesting rice), praying for peace, sacrifice ceremony, procession of god on dragon and phoenix-decorated palanquin, welcoming royal ordinance on three splendidly-decorated boats, bôi singing in three nights.
Ho Chi Minh City
Ba Thien Hau Pagoda Festival ( Ho Chi Minh City)
Time: The 23rd day of the third lunar month. Place: 710 Nguyen Trai Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. Objects of worship: Lady Thien Hau. Characteristics: The via Ba (her birthday anniversary) ceremony is hold at Thien Hau Pagoda, which is one of the oldest pagodas of the Chinese in Cho Lon. Many Chinese people come to the festival, they make two effigies of Ong Thien (Good God) and Ong Ac (Evil God) with 3m long. At the end of the festival, the effigies are burned for worshipping.

Exhibitions
Hanoi

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Nguyen Van Huyen Rd, Cau Giay Dis, Tel: 04 7562193
- Exhibition featuring Ha Noi Life under the Subsidy Economy, till June 15.
- Exhibition entitled Contemporary Ecologies: New Energies for Italian Architecture, till June 8.

Maison Des Arts
31A Van Mieu, Tel: 7478096
- Paintings and sculptures exhibition featuring 18 Hanoian artists, till July 30.


Ho Chi Minh City

HCM City Museum
65 Ly Tu Trong St., Dist 1.
- Display on ceramics from HCM City and neighbouring areas, daily 8am-5pm, till Sept 22.

L'en tete Restaurant & Bar
139 Nguyen Thai Binh St, Dist 1, Tel: 8214049
- Exhibition featuring 45 works of watercolour, lacquer and oil paintings on theme of landscapes by two female artists Cao Thi Duoc $ Ho Thi Kim Quy, on going.

Tu Do Art Gallery
53 Ho Tung Mau St., Dist 1. Tel: 8210966
- Contemporary art, daily 9am-7pm, till June 30.

HCM City Fine Art Museum
97A Pho Duc Chinh St., Dist 1.
- Collection of more than 200 oil paintings by Hue-born artist Pham Luc, till June 15.

Performances
Hanoi

Ha Noi Opera House
1 Trang Tien St., Tel: 9330131
- Contemporary ballet The Light Source with dancers of the VNOB, May 24 & 25, at 8pm.
- Symphony concert, German conductor Colin Metters with the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra, May 26 & 27, at 8pm.
All tickets available at the Ha Noi Opera House or can book at www.ticketvn.com.

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Nguyen Van Huyen Rd, Tel: 04 7562193
- Ca Tru performance on Sun of the fourth week every month.

Hanoi Daewoo Hotel
360 Kim Ma Rd, Tel: 8315000
Lake View
- Ha Noi panoramic view and large selection of drinks with the popular Trio in town, from 8.30pm-11.30pm every Mon-Sat lively at Sky Lounge.

Guoman Hanoi Hotel
83A Ly Thuong Kiet St. Tel: 8222800
Helmsman Bar
- The Hot Beat Band direct from the Philippines, from 8pm-12 midnight Mon-Thu and until 1am on Fri, Sat and eves of public holidays, except Sun.
Melia Hanoi Hotel
44B Ly Thuong Kiet St, Tel 9343343
Latino Bar
- Filipino trio 3rd Dimension, Mon-Fri from 8.30 onwards & Saturday from 8pm onwards.
Sheraton Hanoi Hotel

K5 Nghi Tam, Xuan Dieu Road, Tay Ho District, Tel: 04 7199000

Oven D'Or
- Magnum Art-Jazz brunch, Sat and Sun.

Ho Chi Minh City

Park Hyatt Sai Gon Hotel
2 Lam Son Sq, District 1, Tel: 08 85202329
Park Lounge
- Live performance featuring romantic music collection by Awa Traore, vocalist, pianist, songwriter, musical manager & professor from Montpellier, France, 8pm till midnight, Tue-Sun.

Sheraton Sai Gon Hotel & Towers
88 Dong Khoi St., Dist 1. Tel: 8272828
The Lounge
- Classical jazz, blues performance by Francisca & Co. Quarter, 7pm-11pm, Tue-Sun.
Nightspot-Level 23
- DJ Night by DJ Phu Nguyen, every Monday, from 8.30pm onwards.

Windsor Plaza Hotel
18 An Duong Vuong St, District 5, Tel: 833 6688
Ngan Dinh Club
- Live Western and Vietnamese music by the Silver Star, daily from 8pm.

Novotel Garden Plaza Saigon
309B-311 Nguyen Van Troi St, Tan Binh Dist, Tel: 8424365
Lotus Bar
- Live performance by Filipino singer Jeffey Mendoza, 6pm-8.45pm, Tue-Sun.

Lobby Lounge
- Live music by Vietnamese Cultural band, every Mon.

Viet de Latin Restaurant
- Live music by the Stardust Band, from the Philippines, nightly 8pm-11pm, except Mon.

Caravelle Hotel19 Lam Son Sq, Dist 1, Tel: 08 8234999

Sai Gon Sai Gon Bar
- Live performance by the Filipino band Sapphire, 8:30pm-late Tue-Sun.
- Latino music by seven-member group La Fiesta, from different nationalities including Britain, Spain & France, every Mon, from 9pm.

Rex Hotel
141 Nguyen Hue St, District 1, Tel: 8299084
Rooftop Garden
- Los Lamados Filipino band, nightly from 8pm (except Monday).
Hoa Mai Restaurant
- Daily folk live band & dancers, 7.30pm-9pm.
Cung Dinh Restaurant
- Daily folk music & dance: 12-1pm & 7.30pm-9pm.
Duxton Hotel Sai Gon
63 Nguyen Hue St, District 1, Tel: 08 8222999
The Bar
- Piano live music, 4-8pm. Happy hours at 5-7pm.


Cinemas
Hanoi


Ngo Thanh Van and Johnny Tri Nguyen in the film 'The Rebel'.Dan Chu Cinema
211 Kham Thien St, Tel: 8253911
- Garfield 2 (US, DV)
- 88 Minutes (US, DV)
MegaStar Cineplex
191 Ba Trieu St, Tel: 9743333
- DOA: Dead Or Alive (US, OV)
- Night At The Museum (US, OV)
- Ghost Rider (US, DV)
- The Rebel (VN)
- Curse Of The Golden Flower (China, OV)
- Norbit (US, OV)
- Garfield 2 (US, DV)
- Saigon Eclipse (VN)
- Wild Hogs (US, OV)
European Children Film Festival 2007
- Les Chronicles (France, ES), at 7pm, May 21-22.
- Mr Biot's Tryumph (Poland, ES), at 5pm, May 21.
- Winky's Horse (The Netherlands, ES), at 5pm, May 22 & 7pm, May 24.
- Harry Porter And The Goblet Of Fire (United Kingdom, ES), at 5pm, May 23 & at 7pm, May 24.
National Cinema Centre
87 Lang Ha St, Tel: 5141716
- Curse Of The Golden Flower (China, DV)
- Garfield 2 (US, DV)
- DOA: Dead Or Alive (US, DV)
- Wild Hogs (US, DV)
Ho Chi Minh City
Dong Da Cinema

890 Tran Hung Dao St., Dist 5. Tel: 9234833
- DOA: Dead Or Live (US, OV).
- The Rebel (VN, ES).

Thang Long Cinema

19 Cao Thang St., Dist 3 Tel: 8393993
- DOA: Dead Or Live (US, OV).
- The Rebel (VN, ES).

Galaxy Cinema
116 Nguyen Du St, Dist 1, Tel: 08 8228533
- DOA: Dead Or Live (US, OV), 11.20am, 1.15pm, 3.10pm, 5.5pm, 7pm, 8.55pm
- The Rebel (VN, ES) 11.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm, 5.30pm, 7.30pm & 9.30pm.
Galaxy Nguyen Trai Cinema
230 Nguyen Trai St, Dist 1, Tel: 9206688
- The Rebel (VN), 9.30am-9.30pm.
- Confession of Pain (Hong Kong, OV), 8.50am-9.20pm.
- The Departed (US, OV), 8.40am-9.35pm, till May 26.
European Children Film Festival 2007.
- Punktchen und Anton (Germany),at 7pm, May 21.
- Hop/Hop (Belgium), at 7pm, May 24.

Dining Out
Hanoi
Melia Hanoi
44B Ly Thuong Kiet St, Tel: 9343343
Latino Bar
- Ay Mamacita - daily lunch, $7.80 per person.
- Senoritas Night - Ladies Night with 3rd Dimension band's performance every Wed.
El Patio
- Cava & Cocktails Sunday Brunch, every Sun, 11.30am-2.30pm.
- International lunch & dinner buffets. $18.00++ per person.
El Oriental Restaurant
- Quick service lunch daily.
- Saturday Vietnamese seafood dinner buffet. $25.00++ on Suns.
Sofitel Plaza Hanoi
1 Thanh Nien Road - Tel: 8238888
Song Hong Bar
- Oyster Night on every Thursday, 5pm - 8pm, $2.5++ per oyster, $25++ per dozen.
Brasserie Westlake
- International Delights: Mon-Thu & Sun. Lunch buffet, $18.8++ per person. Buffet dinner: $22.8++ per person.
- Sea Food Delicacies: Fri & Sat. Dinner buffet. $24.8++ per person. Free Carlsberg draught beer every day.
Brasserie Westlake
- International Delights: Mon-Thu & Sun. Lunch buffet. $18.8++ per person. Buffet dinner: $22.8++ per person.
- Sea Food Delicacies: Fri & Sat. Dinner buffet. $24.8++ per person. Free Carlberg draught beer everyday.
Summit Lounge
- Happy Hour, everyday from 5pm-7pm. $8++ per hour - free flow of draught Carlberg beer.
New Panoramic Grill on every Wed, from 6pm-9pm, $9.5++/per person.
Ming Palace
- Flavours of Hanoi on every Sat & Sun evening. $17++/per person.
Fortuna Hotel
6B Lang Ha St. Tel: 8313333
Tiffin Bistro Bar
- Asian seafood and BBQ buffet lunch. Mon-Fri.
Red Lantern restaurant
- Saturday and Sunday dim sum buffet lunch.
Emperor Restaurant
- Daily Japanese Nabe.
Hanoi Daewoo Hotel
360 Kim Ma Rd, Tel: 8315000
Cafe Promenade
- Weekend BBQ buffet dinner, Fri-Sun, priced at & 16++/adult, & 10.50++/child.
- Daily international buffet
La Paix
- Mediterranean Steak House: offering beef, veal, lamb, and seafoods. A-la-carte menu.
Edo
- Weekend lunch & dinner buffet, Sat & Sun.
Silk Road
- Traditional Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine, priced from $20++.
Le Gourmet
- All kinds of freshly baked bread, pastries, cookies, chocolate, wine, spirits and gourmet specialities.
Hilton Hanoi Opera
1 Le Thanh Tong St, Tel: 9330500/550
Chez Manon
- Buffet Royale: light foods, tea and coffee available daily.
- Sunday brunch: Mediteranean buffet. Kid's meal is available.
Ba Mien
- Vietnamese dishes from Mon to Fri. Dinner a-la-carte.
- Afternoon tea is served daily.
Cafe Opera
- A variety of cakes and cookies. Daily happy hour from 5.30pm onwards.
Sofitel Metropole Hanoi
15 Ngo Quyen St, Tel: 8266919
Spices Garden Restaurant
- Hanoi Street lunch, Mon-Sat.
- Hanoi Street Sunday lunch.
- Vietnamese Culture Night: Vietnamese foods and traditional music, every Friday.
Le Beaulieu Restaurant
- Les Ateliers du Beaulieu - open kitchen, lunch buffet, Mon-Sat.
- Sunday lunch, every Sun.
La Terrasse du Metropole
- Drinks and dinner- a-la carte, daily from 5pm-10.30pm.
Le Club Bar
- Afternoon tea and chocolate buffet, daily from 3pm-5.30pm.
Ho Chi Minh City
Renaissance Riverside Hotel Sai Gon
8-15 Ton Duc Thang St, Dist 1, Tel: 8220033
Riverside Cafe
- A Taste of Japan featuring international buffet with authentic specialties and a live cooking station, 6pm-10pm, May 17-June 2.
- Seafood extravaganza with freshest seafood in town, daily 6pm-10pm.
- Luncheon buffet, 12noon-2.30pm, Mon-Sat.
Kabin Chinese Restaurant
- A selection of 40 kinds of dim sums, soups, special main courses and Chinese desserts, daily 12 noon-2.30pm, till May 31.
Poolside Terrace
- Grill Nights with selection of grilled lobster, tiger prawns, reef fish and lots more, 6pm-10pm, Fri & Sat Night.
Amara Sai Gon Hotel
323 Le Van Sy St, Dist 3, Tel: 8439999.
Cafe Singapore
- International favourites and Asian specialties with live music entertainment, daily breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Steakhouse
- Juicy Australian and New Zealand steaks with excellent wines from France and Australia.
Omni Sai Gon Hotel
253 Nguyen Van Troi St, Phu Nhuan Dist, Tel: 8449222
Cafe Sai Gon
- Mongolian BBQ, hotpot, seafood and kebab grill for lunch, Mon-Sun, till May 31.
- Lobster & salmon buffet cooked in Italian style for dinner, till May 31.
Lotus Court
- "Chef special recommendation" - promotion including braised salmon's head, braised brisket pork with preserved vegetable, till May 31.
Nishimura
- Japanese delights by chef Ryoichi Iwashita, from Osaka, daily till May 31.
OJ'S
- New cake of the day & amp; cake of the month.
- Soup, salad and sandwich, 50% discount after 6pm, daily thru May.
Legend Hotel Saigon
2A-4A Ton Duc Thang St, Dist 1, Tel: 8233333
Atrium Cafe
- Family Sunday Brunch buffet, daily 11am-2.30pm, till May 31.
Oggi Steak&Bar
- 10% discount on steak a la carte, till June 4.
Nang Tam Vegetarian Restaurant
384/40 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St, Dist 3, Tel: 8483874
- More than 80 vegetarian dishes for daily lunch and dinner.
Norfolk Hotel
117 Le Thanh Ton St, Dist 1, Tel: 8295368
Corso Bistro
- Chef's suggestion for daily lunch and dinner, till May 31.
- Rotating 3-course executive set lunch menus, Mon-Sat.

VietNamNet Bridge

Staging American play in Vietnam

David and actress Tuong Vy playing the game of imitating each other while talkingVietNamNet Bridge – One month ago, David Chapman embarked on a project to adapt famous American playwright Tennessee Williams’s Summer and Smoke to Vietnamese theatre and it has proven to be successful.
Games
Different from Vietnamese directors who often know beforehand whom they want to perform what role, David announced a public casting open to all acting students at the HCM City College of Theatre and Cinema.
During the casting, while students were all in a flutter, David asked them all to sit in a circle and play games. They were fun little games like looking into each other eyes or holding a thing and acting as though it was something else.
The anxiety melted away so fast that some students even forgot they came to compete against others and laughed and spoke freely. In a far corner, Karen, David’s colleague, silently observed how the contestants played their games and revealed their feelings and characters.
The games continued even after the actors had been chosen and throughout the practicing and rehearsing process. In one game, players imagined they were all sitting on a gigantic, balancing plate. They had to move in such a way as to keep the plate in a state of balance without tilting.
David said this game taught actors how to fill up unnecessary space on the stage and use meaningless sounds to convey meaningful messages.
Games sometimes went for so long that they took up time for practice. But no actors thought their time had been wasted.
Focusing on process
Graduating from University of Northern California, 25-year-old David Chapman came to Vietnam in September 2006 on an Asian Fund scholarship to study modern folk opera and theatrical activities in a country he had only known through “war” stories.
He later asked the Asian Fund to sponsor a Vietnamese-American theatre project. Summer and Smoke was thus translated into Vietnamese and adapted to the stage of The Gioi Tre (Young World ) Theatre in HCM City.
David made a point of doing things in the “American” way: Signing contracts with all actors, requesting them to come on time and work in a professional, serious and enthusiastic way. Yet, not all actors regularly came to practice since they were either busy with families or other shows.
In the eyes of young David Chapman, process is more important than result, especially in theatre. He thus paid the same amount of money for actual performances as well as practice sessions.
On the first performance night, the team had to borrow such things as vests, wide brim hats, coats, bottles and glasses all from a team member since renting them from other official sources was too troublesome.
All troubles seem to have paid off because since its debut, Summer and Smoke, which is about a professor’s daughter’s one-sided love for a young wild doctor, has received positive reviews and been called a play that deserves to be watched and thought about.
The last three performances of the play will be at 8 pm on May 25-26 and at 5 pm on May 27 at Young World Theatre at 125 Cong Quynh, District 1, HCM City. Entrance is free.

Vietnam’s mobile phone market to be re-divided?

VietNamNet Bridge – The participation of PetroSetco, a member of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), in the mobile phone distribution market has proved that this fertile land is no longer in the hands of big IT and telecom firms.

Seeking partners as counterbalance

The cooperation between the PetroVietnam Tourism and Services Joint Stock Company (PetroSetco) and Nokia is established based on Nokia’s target to confirm its No.1 position and expand its market share after ten years in Vietnam.

According to Tran Manh Phuong, Nokia Vietnam’s Business Manager, Nokia had tried to seek a partner for over one year.

“In the next 3-5 years, the mobile phone market is forecast to see many changes so we need a professional distribution system through potential partners. PetroSetco is the top candidate with potentials in finance, human resources, business network and importantly the support from its parent group – PetroVietnam,” Mr Phuong said.

Tran Cong Tao, Chairman of PetroSetco’s Management Board, said that as a multi-area group, it should not be surprising that PetroSetco has developed a telecom product distribution company (PV Telecom).

Mr Tao said that PV Telecom has opened eight branches nationwide in an effort to develop a distribution network that covers rural and urban areas.

“Joining hands with Nokia is a good starting point for PV Telecom. Nokia brand is an advantage for PV Telecom in entering the telecom product distribution market,” Mr Tao added.

PV Telecom is a ‘layman’ in the playground that has long been for IT distributors but according to Huynh Van Thi, senior advisor for PV Telecom, Nokia’s solution is seeking a partner with financial potential, sustainability and who is ready to invest, so experience at distribution is an auxiliary aspect because the two sides will organise the network to serve their needs together.

The commitment made by PetroSetco is not cooperating with other mobile phone producers, except for Nokia.

“The market needs real distributors, not normal traders, so we will have to try our best to make the difference to seek the market share of the newcomer,” Mr Thi said.

PetroSetco becoming Nokia’s partner is due to Nokia wanting a distributor who can be a counterbalance to the Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT), which is holding up to 80% of the market share of Nokia in Vietnam. Therefore, PetroSetco has immediately gathered a team including members who were consulters for Nokia in Vietnam and other countries.

Meanwhile, FPT, the largest distributor of mobile phones of most leading names like Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Verty seems to be worried about this competition. Revenue from mobile phone accounted for around one-half of FPT’s total distribution revenue in 2006, up to US$539 million (higher than the revenue of the whole group in 2005 - $517 million). This level is considered its peak because the growth was up to 50% in 2006.

“PetroSetco is directly supported by Nokia and it is strong at financial ability because it is a subsidiary of PetroVietnam. The risk of losing market share and profit is a very real possibility,” said a representative of FPT.

Busy mobile phone market

It is still unknown whether PV Telecom will be successful in this new field or not but before they jump in this market, competition is already fierce.

The sale of the Vietnamese mobile phone market in 2006 was approximately US$900 million, over 40% more than 2005. This area is considered the hottest with around 30 million subscribers forecast for the end of 2007. The market, thus, is big enough to attract big companies.

In that context, producers surely don’t want to ‘put all eggs into a basket” when seeing Nokia’s example, which lost its market share after its distributor, Dong Nam Associates, collapsed in 2002.

The mobile phone distribution market is being divided into different directions. If FPT combines with famous brands in Vietnam, smaller companies have also ruled a certain part of the market, for example P&T with Sony Ericsson, An Binh with Dopod and BenQ-Siemens, Pacific Dragon with O2, Thanh Cong Mobile with Panasonic, Innostream and Pantech.

CDMA-based mobile information network operators like S-Fone, HT Mobile, and EVN Telecom have their distribution systems. Viettel also has its retail system. In addition, there are many dynamic and modern chains of mobile shops of the Mobile World, A Telecom, Thanh Cong Mobile and Nettra.

The mobile phone market, as a result, is not a special playground for any distributor when mobile network operators also become distributors. While big firms aim to build professional distribution models, retail companies also want to create their own distribution models.

Experts have said that there will be many more companies taking part in this market before foreign firms are allowed to be directly involved in the distribution network in 2009.

According to Huynh Van Thi, PetroSetco’s participation in the distribution market not only aims to attack the mobile phone field but to become a distribution channel in the IT market for any eligible producer.

In the new condition of competition, not only Nokia, but any producer will target a ‘counterbalance’ when they are strong enough to create a tripodal position in business and ruling the market.

(Source: TBKTSG)

The Steel (Mill) Age?

VietNamNet Bridge – More and more investors are queuing to get permission to invest in steel projects. However, not many projects have been licenced so far.Rushing to apply for steel mill projects…In August 2007, Korea’s Posco will start the construction of a steel mill in Phu My II Industrial Zone (IZ) in the south, capitalised at $1.128bil. The project was granted an investment licence in November 2006.

Prior to that, a $1bil project invested in by Thailand-based Tycoons Steel International, a subsidiary of Taiwan’s Tycoons Group International, located in Dung Quat Economic Zone (central province of Quang Ngai), was licenced in September 2006.A series of steel projects are awaiting appraisal from relevant ministries. These include 1. the joint venture steel company between Indian Essar and the Vietnam Steel Corporation in Ba Ria-Vung Tau ($527mil in investment capital, and 2mil tonnes/year in capacity); 2. the $1bil project suggested by Sun Steel and Taiwanese E-United Group in Ong Keo IZ in Dong Nai province; 3. the 4.5mil tonnes/year Thach Khe steel complex.Moreover, the construction of a lot of small-scale steel projects, capitalised at between $30-60mil, is to be started in Phu My II IZ. These include ones run by Taiwan’s Tong Hwei, specialising in making ingot steel, and 100% domestic owned Hoa Sen Joint Stock Company, specialising in making steel and construction materials.Meanwhile, a lot of steel mills which witnessed ground breaking ceremonies recently are now due to begin operating. In April 2007, the 180,000 tonnes/year Hoa Sen cold rolled steel mill was put into operation in Song Than 2 IZ in Binh Duong province.The Phu My steel mill invested in by Pomina Company in Phu My IZ is scheduled to be operational on the trial basis in July 2007 before it is put into official operation two months later. … but licensed projects slow in implementationWhile investors are racing against time to obtain investment licences, licenced projects have been very slow in implementation.Posco has been allocated 130 ha of land at Phu My II IZ for the site of the steel project, which will help the investor to kick off the project in August as previously scheduled. However, other investors seem to be not so lucky.Most of the steel projects which were licenced last year have not made much progress, including the well-known Tycoon’s.According to Tran Trung, Deputy Head of the Dung Quat IZ Management Board, Tycoons could not start the construction in May as planned due to uncompleted site clearance.“We planned to allocate 233 ha of land to Tycoons in the first phase, but to date, only 150 ha of land are ready,” he said. Meanwhile, the project on the Thien Hung stainless steel mill in My Xuan A IZ in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, which was licenced two years ago, remains on paper.“The investor is facing financial difficulties. Besides, it has to make a report on the impact of the steel mill on the environment, so it has asked to delay the project implementation until April 2008,” Le Minh Chau, Head of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau IZ Management Board, said.Impact on environment, a big question“State management authorities need to thoroughly examine the steel projects, to find out which products will be churned out, which technologies will be used, and most importantly, to find out if the projects will have any bad impacts on the environment,” said Nguyen Tien Nghi, Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Steel Association.According to Mr Nghi, Vietnam’s steel industry just can make construction steel (rolled and bar steel), while highly technical steel products (flat, plate, sheet) still cannot be produced domestically, and need to be fed with imports.What worries experts and State management authorities most is the quality of technologies and equipments of the projects.“If Vietnam does not make thorough examination of the project’s technologies, it would have to bear very bad consequences in the environment,” Nguyen Manh Quan, Director of the Mechanics, Metallurgy and Chemistry Department under the Ministry of Industry.“There are more and more steel projects which have ‘problems’ with technologies,” Mr Quan said.(Source: Tuoi tre)

The builders of “pottery road”

VietNamNet Bridge – Joel Bennett, lecturer at the US’ Santa Rosa Junior Art University in California, has come to Vietnam for the ‘pottery road’ project. The husband of painter Nguyen Thu Thuy has to bury his ‘passion’ – old cars – to serve his wife’s project.

Arriving at Bat Trang pottery village these days, asking for the road to the pottery painting station for the Red River dike path, locals will immediately introduce the Son Ha pottery enterprise.

At the enterprise, journalist-painter Nguyen Thu Thuy and her collaborators (sculptor Do Quoc Vi, a lecturer at the Industrial Art University and some members of the Hanoi Young Painters’ Club) are passionately creating designs for the first pottery paintings for the Red River dike road.

American artist comes to Vietnam for the pottery road

Among artists who are working in Bat Trang these days to prepare for the pottery road project is a US man whose clothes are always smeared with clay, like his Vietnamese colleagues. That’s Joel Bennett, a lecturer at Santa Rosa Junior Art University in California, who came to Bat Trang in early May to assist with the pottery road project.

Invited to participate in this ambitious project, Bennett at first couldn’t imagine how the road would be decorated. But walking on the dike road, one side of which is the Red River and the other side, peaceful Hanoi city, with the eyes of an experienced pottery artist he was able to envision the wall.

Bennett visited Bat Trang pottery village to see pottery products produced by traditional techniques and he couldn’t hide his love for the pottery items with the cobaltic colour of the village. Bennett is now very busy with his job at the pottery enterprise in Bat Trang and Thuy and her husband have to bring clothes and belongings to Bat Trang for Bennett.


Joel BennettBennett has taken part in a series of pottery exhibitions named “Summer Meeting” in Vietnam. In 2005, Bennett, a Cuban sculptor and Vietnamese sculptor Do Quoc Vi participated in a stone sculpture camp in Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province of Vietnam and organised a stone exhibition in Bat Trang Village.

Bennett said that he loved Vietnam and respected President Ho Chi Minh. He was arrested for two days in 1969 when he demonstrated against the Vietnam War.

In his first visit to Vietnam in 1992, Bennett paid a condolence visit to President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. The organisation of an exhibition on the pottery road project at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology on the occasion of President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday (May 19) was also the idea of this artist.

Bennet will design the first pottery painting of 2m long for the pottery road project. He suggests turning the project into an international one through inviting some foreign artists to take part in the project without coming to Vietnam. He said that he will call for his colleagues in other countries to send one or two pottery paintings to Vietnam. Each work will have the name of the author, the name of their country and the pottery material.

It is hoped that the idea of Bennett will make the pottery road a special one with pottery paintings from various countries in the world.

Bennett said that in the three years of implementing this project he would come to Vietnam very often to directly make pottery paintings with Vietnamese colleagues and make pottery paintings in the US as well and send them to Vietnam by sea.

Busy on the ‘pottery road’

Every week painter Thuy has to go to Bat Trang pottery village 3-4 times to directly make pottery paintings. The weekend is for writing as a journalist and the remaining time is for designing patterns to make pottery paintings.

While the author of the pottery road project is busy running from Hanoi to Bat Trang village, her husband – Nguyen Huy Cuong – is also busy with his wife’s project.


Painter Thuy makes the sketch of the first pottery paintings.Cuong is a journalist like his wife. Though Cuong is not a member of the pottery road project, he is an efficient assistant to his wife in carrying out the project. Thuy and her husband are sketching the first pottery painting, which reflects the Dong Son civilisation. Their house is now full of pottery samples.

Involved in this project, Thuy doesn’t have much time to do housework but her family understands her job and helps Thuy to have more time for the project.

Since the project was just an idea till it was about to become reality, Cuong was always the one who took care of the capital for the project. He sold his antique 1949 Peugeot 203 to get money for his wife’s project.

This car has stayed with Cuong and Thuy’s family for over ten years and it has been used in three films, including the US film named “The Quiet American”. However, this is not the first time Cuong has sold a car to help his wife. Previously he sold a Citroen Traction Avant manufactured in 1937. Cuong said that if needed, he would sell two other Mercedes to support his wife’s project.

It is very sad for a collector of old cars like Cuong when he has to say goodbye to his cars but he is ready to “sacrifice” his hobby to contribute to a meaningful project that his wife and artists are performing. “When I help my wife implement this project, I understand that I’m contributing my small part to a job of great meaning,” Cuong said.

Kieu Minh