Standing obo-ation: French oboist Camille Joutard performs Mozart's Concerto for oboe and orchestra in C Major at A French Night at the HCM City Opera House on Sunday. — VNS File Photo

HA NOI  (VNS) — Several cultural activities will highlight French culture during French Week in Da Lat City in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

The week will be kicked off on Monday with the opening of an exhibition featuring hundreds of valuable documents, maps and photos about Da Lat.

Entitled Da Lat: Founding History and Development through Maps, the display will unveil documents and objects which were collected and authenticated by a team of French and Vietnamese researchers of the French School of Far Eastern Research (Ecole française d'Extreme Orient). Later, the display will be presented in HCM City, Nha Trang and Ha Noi.

Also, the ongoing mobile movie screening programme, hosted by the French Embassy, will stop in the city's Alexandre Yersin Park for the screenings of comedy De vrais mensonges (Beautiful Lies) and Un plan parfait (A Perfect Plan) on Monday; and the Cesar Award-wining Intouchables and the Oscar-winning The Artist the next evening.

Another highlight of the week will be the appearance by well-known French writer Partrick Deville at Book Cafe on December 11 to launch the Vietnamese-language version of his book Yersin, Peste&Cholera (Yersin, Plague&Cholera).

The book won the 2012 Femina Prize – the second most important literature prize in France. The Vietnamese versions have been published by the Tre Publishing House.

French Week in Da Lat will also put on display a photo exhibition by French photographer Sebastien Laval, starting on December 12.

Also, a concert entitled Crossed Visions will wrap up French Week on December 15, featuring the band VietVoDaHouse, along with a visual performance by French artist Stephane Pucci.

According to French Ambassador Jean-Noel Poirier, French Week in Da Lat is a meaningful cultural event, meant to assist in celebrating the city's 120th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of the relation between Viet Nam and France.

Best of France, Viet Nam

In the meanwhile, HCM City will host the biggest French festival for the ongoing Year of France and Viet Nam on December 14-15.

The highlight of the festival will be two live concerts Bonjour Vietnam, co-organised by District Music 360 and Dynamic Life, with sponsor Moxdeals.vn.

The concert will include performances from Vietnamese upcoming and famous artists. It will be open to the public for free from 8pm to 10pm.

In addition, there will be dance shows and live art performances, as well as a regional selection for the Louis Lesaffre Cup to discover the best bakers in Viet Nam who could later take part in the Bakery World Cup in France.

The event also include a market exhibiting and selling French and Vietnamese high-quality products, informative workshops, exhibitions and games.

Organised by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Viet Nam, the event takes place at the 23rd September Park next to Ben Thanh Market in District 1 in HCM City. For details about the concerts, visit www.moxdeals.vn or www.districtmusic360.com.

‘A French Night'

This Sunday, the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera's A French Night will feature well-known French and international music works.

The concert at the HCM City Opera House will be conducted by Nicolas Chalvin, musical director of the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie based in the French cities of Chambery and Annecy.

It will also feature French oboist Camille Joutard, who will play Mozart's Concerto for oboe and orchestra in C Major, K314.

Other famous pieces will include Ma Mere L'Oye for orchestra by Maurice Ravel, Dance for string orchestra by Cyrille Lehn, and Cesar Franck's Symphony in D Minor.

Chalvin was a successful chamber and orchestral musician before deciding to devote himself entirely to conducting. She joined Pays de Savoie as an oboe soloist.

For ticket booking and delivery, contact 08 38237419, 0909493938. — VNS