HA NOI — Famous artists from Viet Nam and South Korea joined in a chamber music performance at the capital's Opera House on Saturday.

According to the Korean Culture Centre in Viet Nam, the night marked the 19th anniversary of Viet Nam-South Korean diplomatic ties and the 100th birthday of the Opera House.

Vietnamese artists, including pianists Duong Minh Chinh and Tran Thi Tam Ngoc, and three South Korean artists performed under the baton of conductor Lim Jun-oh.

The organising board expects the performance to boost cultural ties between the two countries.

City announces downtown Tet programme

HCM CITY — The Saigontourist Holdings Co announced a range of programmes for Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations in the city centre.

Activities, to be held from December 26 to January 26, include a music show and fireworks for both New Year's Eve and Lunar New Year's Eve (which falls on January 25 this year), the Banh Tet festival, and flowers on Nguyen Hue Street.

During the Tet holidays, many streets in the city's downtown District 1 will become luminous and appealing, thanks to special light shows.

Four streets to be decorated include Le Loi, Dong Khoi, Nguyen Hue and Le Duan. In addition, a lit ball resembling the Earth will be set up at the roundabout at the Le Duan-Pham Ngoc Thach crossroads. The ball will carry a message of peace for the New Year.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street and the Banh Tet Festival, well-known traditional activities during the holidays, were first organised in 2004.

New stamp collection to be issued in April

THUA THIEN-HUE – The Ministry of Information and Communication has approved a proposal by Thua Thien Hue Province to issue a stamp collection next year featuring Japanese-style bridges in Viet Nam.

The stamps will be issued on April 8, a day after the opening ceremony of Hue Festival 2012 and the Tourism Year in the northern-central region.

The collection, called Rooftop Bridges, includes stamps printed with the images of the Thanh Toan Bridge in Hue, the bridge at Thay Pagoda in Ha Noi, and Kim Son Bridge in Ninh Binh.

Elvis Phuong to celebrate long career

HCM CITY — Vietnamese-American singer Elvis Phuong will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his singing career with a live concert in HCM City on Wednesday called Dong Doi (My Way).

Phuong, real name Pham Ngoc Phuong, achieved success almost as soon as he embarked on a career singing rock'n'roll, pop, and Vietnamese folk songs in what was then Sai Gon in 1962.

He migrated to the US in 1975 and has since been to Viet Nam many times.

The 67-year-old is popular in both his adopted and native countries for his strong voice and bold, distinctive style.

He released two music videos in Viet Nam, Giot Nang Ben Them (Sunlight on the Veranda) and Que Huong (Motherland), in 1996 and four years later held his first live concert in HCM City.

At Wednesday's concert he will sing 25 Vietnamese and foreign songs.

The concert is at White Palace, 194 Hoang Van Thu Street, Phu Nhuan District. Tickets cost from VND2 million to VND3 million.

Proceeds from the show will be donated to the city's Tet (Lunar New Year) funds to help poor people. — VNS