HA NOI — Indian rock band Parikrama performed for students at the Ha Noi University of Social Sciences and Humanities on Sunday.
Indian ambassador to Viet Nam Ranjit Rae attended the performance.
The performance was part of the New Delhi-based band's first trip to Viet Nam, which also saw them performing on Saturday at the Indian Festival of Light, staged by the capital city's Indian community.
The band covered well-known hits such as Open Sky, Tears of the Wizards and We will rock you along with some of their own original songs.
Parikrama has been playing for almost 20 years and have built up an online fan club with more than 34,000 registered fans, according to the band's guitarist, Subir Malik.
The band has toured 15 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
Concert raises funds for flood victims
HCM CITY — A charity concert organised by HCM City's organisations on Monday raised nearly VND14 billion (US$7 million) for flood victims in the central region.
The Vi dong bao mien Trung ruot thit (For Siblings in the Central Region) concert was held by the HCM City Youth Culture House and the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper in co-ordination with the HCM City Television and the Central Natural Relief Fund at the culture house.
The concert featured performances of singers, including meritorious artist Quynh Lien, Van Khanh, Nguyen Phi Hung, Nguyen Vu and My Le.
Artist Quynh Lien, who helped the HCM City Women's Association provide relief directly for flood victims in the central region, said, "When we saw the misery and want, I couldn't hold back my tears."
Singers performed songs written about people in the central region to express their love and sympathy with the flood victims.
Travellers lured by cheap Viet Nam
HA NOI — International travellers have identified Viet Nam as the destination that has a special culture, beautiful landscapes and affordable prices.
The findings are revealed in the latest survey by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism and the Asian Pacific for Tourism Association of 7,000 travellers from 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Viet Nam was particularly attractive to tourists from Thailand, Australia, Japan and Singapore.
New tour to Sa Pa terraced fields
SA PA — The Sa Pa terraced fields in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai are expected to attract more tourists since a local tour company designed a new itinerary.
The tour will offer visitors the chance to absorb the poetic landscape and learn about the difference between terraced fields among different ethnic groups.
Sa Pa's terraced fields were named last year among the top seven most magnificent terraced fields in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine.
The Lao Cai authority plans to submit to UNESCO a request to recognise the Sa Pa terraced field together with the Muong Hoa ancient rocks and Hoang Lien National Park as the World's Cultural Heritage complex.
Ha Noi-themed songs published
HA NOI — A collection of 1,000 songs about Ha Noi was presented to music lovers nationwide on Monday.
The collection includes works from 400 composers from various generations of Vietnamese musicians.
Although many musical genres are represented, love songs dominate.
Serenade by the late composer Van Cao – the author of the Vietnamese anthem – has been revealed for the first time.
Portraits to be shown in Tokyo
HA NOI — Twenty-three portrait paintings by Phuong Quoc Tri will be showcased in Tokyo in his first-ever exhibition abroad.
According to Tri, the most important element of his genre is knowing how to depict the spirit of the face. His paintings almost always depict women, whose faces bear a light sadness.
Khoang Khac (The Moment) will open on Saturday. — VNS