France hosts Vietnamese culture month
HA NOI — Vietnamese culture month is being held in the French region of Bretagne. Over 3,000 attended the opening ceremonies at the Grand Theatre Square to see a performance of 100 models in ao dai (the Vietnamese traditional robes) by designers Minh Hanh, Trong Nguyen and Viet Lien. The month will also feature workshops on Vietnamese culture and history, a photography exhibition, literary exchanges and a Vietnamese film festival.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the month aims to promote Viet Nam's image with the French people. The festivities take place until May 27.
Director Noyce gives the inside scoop on Hollywood
HA NOI — Australian director of The Quiet American, Phillip Noyce, will visit Viet Nam to attend the launch of a translation of his biography on May 27.
The biography, entitled Backroads to Hollywood by Ingo Petzke, about Noyce's journey in Hollywood as an outsider, is being published here by Sai Gon Media, the first in Southeast Asia.
Sai Gon Media talked with Noyce about publishing his biography in Viet Nam when he was in Ha Noi last October to head the jury for the first Viet Nam International Film Festival.
He will lead a workshop on filmmaking techniques at Lotus College in HCM City on May 28. On May 31 he will meet filmmakers in Ha Noi.
Noyce's movie was released in 2002 to rave reviews. It appeared in more than 20 top-10 lists, including those of the US National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.
Special events to mark Museum Day
HA NOI — In celebration of the International Museum Day on May 18, the Museum of Ethnology in Ha Noi will hold several programmes to enhance visitors' knowledge of the nation's ethnic groups.
The museum's first 100 visitors that day will receive special gifts and free guided tours will be held in Vietnamese, along with a series of presentations on the museum's cultural preservation efforts.
Dance contest raises HIV/AIDS awareness
HA NOI — A hip-hop dance contest entitled Start Dancing, Stop AIDS has ended, with the first prize going to the F.United group from Ha Noi's Le Quy Don High School and the Obsession group from HCM City's Hung Vuong High School.
The contest, the first of its kind, was open to all high schools students in Ha Noi and HCM City and drew the participation of 200 students from 18 schools. It was organised by Dance4life Viet Nam and the Big Toe Dance Crew to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS among young people. Three leading teams from HCM City will give a free performance at the Hard Rock Cafe on Sunday.
The Dance4life programme reaches an average of 6,400 students every year in Viet Nam with its school-centred HIV prevention programme. — VNS