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| Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski speaks at a press conference (Photo: baoquocte.vn) |
The event will create opportunities for both locals and visitors to experience Australian cuisine, as well as helping to reinforce Australia’s international reputation as a supplier of high-quality food and beverages, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski said at a press conference on October 11, reported VOV.
The Ambassador also revealed that the most anticipated dishes are the roasted lamb, Australian beef, and kangaroo “snags” (sausages). This is along with a collection of delicious beverages sch as Australian wine, spirit, and juices.
Taste of Australia represents an annual series of events organised by the Australian Government in Vietnam aimed at bringing together producers, distributors, retailers, restaurants, and organisations in both countries to showcase the best that Australia has to offer.
Cinema expected to help attract more international tourists
According to VNA, with beautiful landscapes and unique cultural heritages, Vietnam has great potential to promote tourism through cinema.
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| A filmmaker learns about Vietnam at Vietnam’s tourism - cinema promotion programme in the US. (Photo: hanoimoi.vn) |
Although the country is considered to be attractive to world filmmakers, yet the connection between cinema and tourism remain loose.
With efforts to promote the connection, Vietnam hopes to boost tourism through cinema activities. With beautiful landscapes stretching from the North to the South and many unique cultural heritages, Vietnam has great potential to promote tourism through cinema.
Vietnam has been chosen as a filming location for famous films namely "The Lover", "Indochina", "The Quiet American", "Pan", and "Kong: Skull Islands". Through these films, Vietnam is known to more international tourists.
For example, after the release of the film “Indochina” in 1992 with some scenes filmed in Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh province), Thai Hoa Palace, Tu Duc Tomb (Thua Thien -Hue province), and Tam Coc - Bich Dong (Ninh Binh province), the number of European tourists, especially French holidaymakers, has increased sharply, accounting for 80% of international visitors to the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area.
The film “Kong: Skull Islands” in 2017 is also said to help increase the number of international visitors to Trang An in the northern province of Ninh Binh and Ha Long in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said that, among the 12 fields of the cultural industry, cinema and tourism are the two key industries. Their connection will be an important driving force for economic development. The cinema-tourism connection is an inevitable trend to effectively develop and promote tourism, he said.
Nicholas Simon, Founder and Managing Partner of Indochina Productions – a renowned film production in Hollywood, said that Vietnam has a lot of potential to become a world film studio with many places possibly being used as backdrops for filming scenes such as Ha Long Bay, Hoi An or Hanoi.
In addition, Vietnamese people are very hospitable while the working environment is pleasant, which are among reasons why international filmmakers want to come to Vietnam.
On September 25, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism organised a programme to promote Vietnamese tourism and cinema in the US with the theme "Vietnam - New Destination of World Cinema". The event was expected to open the door for cooperation between world filmmakers and Vietnam, thereby increasing the country's attraction.
During the event, many memoranda of understanding on cooperation in tourism and cinema between agencies, localities, Vietnamese enterprises and US partners were signed. Notably, the People's Committee of Quang Binh province and Vietnam Airlines signed a cooperation agreement with Indochina Productions; and the Vietnam Cinema Association signed an agreement with the Asian World Film Festival (AWFF).
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong said that the cooperation between Vietnamese and US filmmakers paves the way for Vietnam to become a leading destination for US filmmakers. Vietnam is ready to cooperate with foreign partners in film projects, he added.
At Vietnam’s tourism - cinema promotion programme in the US, Vietnamese and international experts agreed that there is great potential to promote tourism - cinema development in Vietnam. However, the Vietnamese market still has many shortcomings and obstacles. For example, there is not much information about Vietnam.
Director Nicholas Simon from Indochina Productions suggested that Vietnam should have preferential policies, reduce costs and administrative procedures for filmmakers.
Phillip Noyce, Director of the film "The Quiet American", added that Vietnam needs to train professional human resources and favourable conditions for the cinema industry.
Phong said that that Vietnam is making efforts to simplify filming licences, provide tax incentives, and necessary support for international film crews.
With cooperation programmes signed by Vietnamese localities, companies and foreign partners, it is hoped that in the coming time, there will be more international film crews coming to Vietnam, bringing opportunities for Vietnam to promote its tourism.
Exhibition brings Vietnamese artists’ paintings closer to French audiences
Works of three renowned Vietnamese painters are being showcased at an exhibition at Cernuschi Museum - an Asian art museum in Paris, France.
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| Visitors to the exhibition (Source: VNA) |
The exhibition, which opened on October 3, features different themes corresponding to three stages in the artists' careers, from their time in Indochina to their experiences in France and their artistic development there.
Artists Mai Thu (1906-1980), Le Pho (1907-2001), and Vu Cao Dam (1908-2000) are regarded as pioneers of modern arts in Vietnam. Graduating from the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine (Indochina School of Fine Arts), the artists decided to develop their careers in France and set up families there, thus they possessed a love for the homeland and a deep connection to the European country.
This is reflected in their paintings, which embody both traditional Vietnamese artistic sensibilities and concepts from contemporary Western arts learned at the Indochina School of Fine Arts.
Anne Fort, manager of Vietnamese art heritage, said that despite the fact that the artworks of these artists are very famous in the international art market, the public are still not very familiar with these masterpieces.
The exhibition is an opportunity to introduce the life, careers, and styles of these artists to art lovers in France, she noted.
Nguyen Thi Mai, a Vietnamese expatriate in France, said the exhibition brought back her childhood memories, and she expressed her honour of enjoying two wonderful cultures. Mai found in the artworks a poetic beauty and richness of colour, alongside a delicacy that sometimes distinguishes them from Western artists’ works.
The exhibition, entitled “Pioneers of modern Vietnamese arts in France", will run until March 9, 2025.
'Q'pop & Quechua Concert' to celebrate Vietnam-Peru ties
Peruvian and Vietnamese artists will gather together on October 23 at the 'Q'pop & Quechua Concert' in the Hanoi Opera House to mark the 30th anniversary of both nations' diplomacy.
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| 'Q'pop & Quechua Concert' to celebrate Vietnam-Peru ties |
The concert represents a unique blend of Peru's indigenous language, Quechua, and modern pop style music, with the event promising to deliver a fresh musical experience through a range of vibrant songs and captivating dances.
This performance will not only strengthen the friendship between Peru and Vietnam, but also provide opportunities to further explore the distinctive cultures of both countries.
Peruvian singer Lenin Tamayo, who has been dubbed the founder of ‘Q-pop’, will perform at the function. He combines traditional Andean folk music with pop inspired instrumentation and dance.
His songs mix Quechua, one of Peru’s indigenous languages, with the official tongue of the Inca Empire and Spanish.
Furthermore, Peruvian singer Yolanda Pinares will join Vietnamese guitarist Vu Hien and đàn tỳ bà (plucked four-string instrument) artist Phan Thuy to put on special performances for local audiences. The concert will then take place on October 24 at Hanoi University (HANU).
Both concerts are free, with audiences able to receive invitation tickets via the fanpage of the Embassy of Peru in Vietnam.
Craft village, creative design festival opens in Hanoi
The craft village and creative design festival 2024 opened in Hanoi's Thuong Tin district on October 11, alongside an exhibition featuring the district's One Commune-One Product (OCOP) products and handicrafts, reported VNA.
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| Visitors at the festival. (Photo: chinhphu.vn) |
The event is among activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the capital city (October 10,1954-2024) and the district (August 28, 1954-2024).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Dinh Thang said that the events aim to help businesses, production establishments and artisans across Hanoi to promote their OCOP and handicraft products.
There are performances featuring the production process and local crafts. They are expected to help boost tourism development in the craft villages, he said.
Visiting the festival and exhibition, lasting until October 14, organisations and individuals can learn about creative design activities and the process of making products with economic, technical and aesthetic values, satisfying different needs and tastes.
Hanoi is home to 1,350 craft villages with about 176,000 households engaging in traditional crafts, accounting for 45% of the total number of craft villages in the country. Thuong Tin district alone has 50 craft villages recognised by the municipal People's Committee and 81 villages with crafts./.