Festival

Italy team wins Danang International Fireworks Festival 2018By Nhan Tam An impressive fireworks display by Italian team Martarello S.R.L. on the final night of DIFF 2018 - PHOTO: NHAN TAM Italian team Martarello S.R.L. won the first prize worth US$10,000 at the Danang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) 2018, themed “The Legend of Bridges,” which concluded on June 30. This was the second consecutive time Martarello S.R.L. had won the DIFF. Atlas PyroVision team from the U.S. were the runners-up. The Italian team’s stunning performance demonstrated boats carrying dreams, optimism and friendship, with vibrant firework displays and charming Italian music background. The performance by runners-up Atlas PyroVision treated the audience to memorable moments with sparkling fireworks and explosive music. An exciting flashmob performance by Danang students on the closing night of DIFF 2018 - PHOTO: NHAN TAM The night was opened with a flashmob show by … [Read more...] about Italy team wins Danang International Fireworks Festival 2018

HCMC university to host Kurosawa Akira film festival By Nhat Linh World-renowned films by legendary Japanese director Kurosawa Akira will be screened at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities HCMC’s film festival - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ORGANIZER The HCMC-based University of Social Sciences and Humanities will hold a film festival featuring the most popular films by world-renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Akira from June 16 to 22. During the week-long festival, the organizer will screen Kurosawa’s five films, including Rashomon (adapted from two short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa), Ikiru (inspired by Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich), Throne of Blood (adapted from Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth) and Ran (adapted from Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear). Dreams, a 1990 Japanese-American magical realism film comprising eight vignettes written and directed by Kurosawa, will also be screened. With English subtitles for all of … [Read more...] about HCMC university to host Kurosawa Akira film festival

Luis Fonsi to bring big hit Despacito to Vietnam Luis Fonsi performs at the 2015 Latin Billboard Awards in Coral Gables, Florida on April 30, 2015. The Puerto Rican artist will perform in Vietnam for the first time at Cocofest 2018 - PHOTO: REUTERS Luis Fonsi, best known for his worldwide hit “Despacito”, will perform at Cocofest 2018 in Danang next month. Released in early 2017, Despacito led Billboard Hot 100 in 13 weeks and Hot Latin Songs chart in 27 weeks, and has become the most listened song on Spotify. The hit has also become the most watched video on Youtube with more than 5 billion views. Earlier in May, Luis Fonsi announced on his Instagram the next destinations of his Love and Dance World Tour, with Vietnam on the list. Luis Fonsi, born in 1978, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. Initially molded as a traditional Latin balladeer, one who sings romantic songs with much dramatic flair over sweeping string arrangements, he enjoyed much success as … [Read more...] about Luis Fonsi to bring big hit Despacito to Vietnam

By Kathy Stewart | @KStewartWTOP June 2, 2018 7:42 pm 06/02/2018 07:42pm "We hope that this festival will remind everyone that we are on one journey of humanity together," said festival co-founder Wendy Chan. WASHINGTON — The One Journey Festival held Saturday at the National Cathedral celebrated the talents and contributions of refugees. “We hope that this festival will remind everyone that we are on one journey of humanity together,” said festival co-founder Wendy Chan. Over 3,000 people were expected to turn out for the event focused connecting cultures through food, fashion, music and dance. One Journey also boasted food trucks in order to give visitors a literal taste of other cultures. In the kid’s corner, children were able to create welcome cards for refugees. Event-goers were able to talk to refugees around the world. And various music and dance groups performed throughout the day. Chan said Americans know about the … [Read more...] about One Journey Festival aims to change negative narrative of refugees

The diplomat told a press conference in Hanoi on April 23 that the event marks the 70th anniversary of Independence Day of Sri Lanka (February 4) and the 48th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Sri Lanka (1970-2018). (Photo for illustration) The event will be jointly held by the Sri Lanka Embassy in Vietnam, the VWM and the Hanoi Association of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises. The first-ever festival is expected to serve as a bridge between small-and medium-sized enterprises of the two countries. Visitors to the festival will have a chance to get an insight into the island nation as well as the relationship between Sri Lanka and Vietnam through sketch and photo exhibitions, booths and a fashion show. Vietnam and Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations in 1970. The two countries are targeting USD 1 billion in two-way trade by 2020. Source: VNA … [Read more...] about Festival promotes Sri Lankan culture in Hanoi

Elephants versus humans in a giant Thai waterfight. — AFP Photo Viet Nam News AYUTTHAYA — Elephants used their trunks to shower floral-clad Thais with water on Wednesday in a street fight celebrating the kingdom’s traditional new year, a raucous festival known as Songkran that will bring revellers out for a nationwide water battle this week. The animals, whose wrinkled hides were decorated with paint, splashed and sprayed in the streets of Thailand’s former capital Ayutthaya, a tourist hotspot famed for its ancient temple ruins. A mix of Thais and foreigners armed with water guns and buckets fired back at the elephants, who were controlled by handlers — known as mahouts — riding on their backs. "Today our children (elephants) are having fun and the foreigners who come to Ayutthaya are happy to inherit the Thai tradition," Tawan Sudso, an organiser of the annual event, said. The Buddhist new year festival officially starts on April 13 and runs … [Read more...] about Elephant water battle heralds Thai new year

Visitors ​at Lac village of Mai Chau district (Photo: VNA) Hoa Binh (VNA) – A northwestern region community-based tourism village festival concluded in Mai Chau district of Hoa Binh province on October 9 after three days. According to the organising board, visitors to the festival were impressed by the cultures of ethnic minority groups. Along with preserving and promoting cultural identities of the groups, the festival also helped strengthen national unity.   [Community tourism brings changes to mountainous area] Twenty collectives with outstanding contributions to the organisation of the festival were honoured as part of the event.   Within the framework of the festival, a conference was held in Mai Chau district to seek enhance the sustainable development of northwestern region community-based tourism. With its natural landscapes … [Read more...] about Festival helps promote northwestern community-based tourism

NDO – The first Ban Gioc Waterfall Festival and Then Singing and Dan Tinh Performance - Cao Bang 2017 officially opened in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang’s Trung Khanh district on October 7. The event features the largest waterfall in the country on Vietnam - China border lines and "then" (god) singing – a traditional kind of oratorio art by local ethnic minorities, accompanied by an indispensible instrument of “then” singing – the “dan tinh” (gourd lute). The event is part of a series of activities by Cao Bang with the purpose of introducing the image of the homeland and people to friends in the country and internationally, as well as promoting tourism development and attracting more visitors to the location. It also aims to honour, preserve and facilitate the special folk art forms of Tay and Nung ethnic groups in Cao Bang. The ritual ceremonies were held at the Buddhist … [Read more...] about Cao Bang opens first Ban Gioc Waterfall Festival

NDO – The 2017 ‘Nghinh Ong’ (Whale Worship) Festival kicked off in the coastal town of Can Thanh, Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City, on October 3. The annual festival is an event for fishermen to show their respect for the whale and their gratitude for a bumper catch. In 2013, the festival was officially regconised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Huynh Thanh Nhan, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, said that, with aim of promoting the traditional value of folk festivals, this year’s Nghinh Ong festival features many activities in commemoration of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country, as well as commemorating the founders of the land. The event is considered as an opportunity for local people to introduce their history, culture and destinations to visitors, he added. The three-day festival, from … [Read more...] about Nghinh Ong festival kicks off

NDO – A paragliding festival kicked off on September 23 at Mu Cang Chai district’s Khau Pha mountain pass, Yen Bai province, attracting the participation of 111 domestic and foreign pilots. The event is the biggest annual paragliding event in Vietnam, attracting thousands of people to Khau Pha pass which is one of the longest mountain passes in Vietnam at more than 1,200 metres above sea level. With the theme “flying over ripening rice fields”, the festival is a highlight of the Muong Lo Culture Tourism Week, in Nghia Lo town of Yen Bai province. During the two-day festival, many activities were held, including paragliding performance, paragliding contests and training for visitors who wished to participate in the paragliding activities. The festival aimed to honour the beauty of local terraced fields as well as encourage the protection of natural landscape. The festival also sought to highlight the hard work of … [Read more...] about Over 110 pilots join paragliding festival in Yen Bai