HA NOI – A photo exhibition by French professional Sebastien Laval, entitled Communities through Time, will open tonight in Ha Noi.
The black-and-white photos tell stories of the lives of ethnic people in three countries: Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam.
Through the photos, Laval shows portraits, traditional customs and changes in people's lives. Without titles, visitors could think, feel and freely discover the characters, "try to meet them, talk to them, look at them and understand them", Laval said.
Born on March 11, 1973, in Alfortville, Laval discovered photography when he was given a black-and-white camera by his father. He moved to Paris to work as an assistant for a photo studio in 1992 and cultivated his knowledge by studying black-and-white photos. He began working as a professional in Poitiers.
Laval visited Viet Nam for the first time in 1995 and is acclaimed by Vietnamese and tourists for his outstanding and lively views.
The exhibition runs until February 11 at L'Espace, the French Cultural Centre, Trang Tien Street.
Ha Noi-based music academy students to perform in HCM City
HCM CITY — The HCM City Ballet and Symphony Orchestra (HBSO) will present a concert featuring Vietnamese students from the Ha Noi-based Viet Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) at the Opera House tomorrow.
The concert will open with a performance by Do Hoang Linh Chi, who won first prize in a piano contest at the 2009 ASEAN International Competition in Jakarta, Indonesia.
HBSO conductor Nguyen Anh Son, a graduate of Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory in Opera and Symphonic Conducting, will lead the performance.
Renowned violinist Bui Cong Duy will play the Concerto Grosso for Violin, Piano, Percussion and String Orchestra by Nguyen Manh Duy Linh, who has an MA in composition from Russia's Magnitogorsk State Conservatory.
Chorus master Tran Nhat Minh, a graduate of Russia's Tchaikovsky Conservatory, will wield the baton.
The show will open at 8pm on January 19 at the HCM City Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1.
Tickets cost VND150,000-VND250,000 and are available at the theatre.
Project promotes youth's awareness of reproductive health
HA NOI — The Rutgers Nisso Groep (RNG) and World Population Fund (WPF) have formed a new organisation to promote sexual and reproductive heath for young people.
Through the Rutgers WPF projects, young people will be able to exercise their creativity to express their thoughts on the issues of sexual and reproductive heath and rights through such artforms as mime, painting, fashion, dance and drama.
The WPF has been active in Viet Nam since 1995, connecting with young people to address such issues as the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. The Netherlands-based RNG has focused on research, knowledge transfer and developing and implementing effective and innovative interventions in sex education and counselling.
Rutgers WPF representative Jerry Clewett said that if sexual and reproductive rights are realised, "then we can enter a happier world where there are less unplanned pregnancies, less abortions, less discrimination against people living with HIV and greater understanding by the youth of their sexuality." — VNS