Category: Sports

Berlin: The ‘Suite Kieu’ (To khuc Kieu) by Vietnamese music professor and guitarist Dang Ngoc Long was one of the six works played by Zafraan Ensemble – a German group based in Berlin that is well-known for its classical concerts with a distinct crossover flair at the House of World Cultures in Berlin on March 1.

The other five works are composed by artists from Algeria, Angola, Cuba, Ghana and Chile.

“Suite Kieu” features ‘The Tale of Kieu’ – a literary legacy left by great poet Nguyen Du. With Vietnamese materials based on European harmony, Long composed the ‘Suite Kieu’ in 2016. He wrote it for Zafraan Ensemble at the request of this band, playing with guitar and flute, clarinet, violin, and piano.

Zafraan Ensemble’s performance formed part of the cultural and artistic activities to reminisce the past between Germany and countries within the framework of the exhibition “ECHOS DER BRUDERLÄNDER”, a multidisciplinary project on international relations heritage.

Professor Dang Ngoc Long is known as the per
son who brought Vietnamese music, from Nghe Tinh folk songs to Quan Ho folk songs, to Europe.

As the art director of the International Guitar Competition and Festival Berlin, Long has turned Vietnamese folk songs into arrangements in this major music competition. To promote Vietnamese music, he composed seven suites to enhance the value of the German translation of the Tale of Kieu./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The ordinary yet peaceful lifestyle of Nung ethnic people has been preserved well in Bac Hoa hamlet, Tan Son commune, Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province.

Visiting the hamlet, nestled against the mountains and is blessed with a smooth stream creating a picturesque landscape, tourists can immerse themselves in the simple life of this ethnic community consisting of 160 households.

Especially, there are households that have preserved the traditional Nung structures with rammed earth walls and yin-yang tiled roofs.

Together with the distinctive culture and lifestyle of local villagers, these traditional houses are a signature feature attracting tourists to visit and explore.

There are so many things to do here for tourists – admiring the picturesque landscape, visiting traditional rammed earth houses, learning about the scarf hand-weaving or traditional indigo dying process, and tasting delicious local food.

According to Deputy Chairman of Luc Ngan district’s People Committee Truong Van Nam, with an
aim to preserve the cultural values of Bac Hoa hamlet and the ethnic identity of the Nung people, the People’s Committee has implemented plans for the restoration and conservation of rammed earth houses.

‘The district has also included the rammed earth houses in Bac Hoa hamlet in a programme for conservation and promotion of cultural heritage of ethnic minorities in the period from 2020 to 2030,’ he said.

In addition, the province has also established a Soong hao singing club, aiming to promote and preserve the traditional singing art form of the Nung ethnic group.

Head of the hamlet Vi Van Cheo said that in recent years, his village has greeted many visitors, including researchers, tourists, students and enthusiasts who came to explore and experience the unique cultural traditions of the local Nung community.

Experts and tourist enterprises believe that community-based tourism and agritourism would be most suitable for the hamlet. However, it is necessary to have a strategy to promote the image and attra
ct a large number of tourists to Bac Hoa./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnam’s top female badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh made a great surprise at the 2024 German Open Badminton Championship by defeating former world champion Ratchanok Intanon in the quarterfinals of the women’s singles event on March 2 (Vietnam time).

This is the first victory of Linh, ranked 23th in the world, over Ratchanok Intanon, who is currently ranked 14th in the world and won the World Championships in 2013 and held the position of world’s No.1 in women’s singles in 2016.

With a high level of confidence, Linh concluded the game with a 2-0 victory overall, enabling her to go further at the tournament.

In the semi-finals, Linh will play Kim Ga Eun from the Republic of Korea, who is ranked 13th in the world and No. 2 seed of the 2024 German Badminton Open. Kim once defeated Linh at the 2023 China Masters./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Fans of Disney creations will have a chance to see their favourite characters on stage at an exclusive musical performance to be presented in Hanoi next week.

Disney 101: The Ultimate Showdown, to be staged by the Impact Theatre Saigon (ITS), is expected to be an unforgettable event for hardcore fans who have followed Disney’s 101-year journey. The performance is also a “101” class for those who want to understand why this name has such an attraction.

The vibrant musical performance is a dynamic combination of a live band and more than 20 professional musical artists from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Singapore.

During the two-hour show, the audience will witness an intense theatrical combat between Team Disney Classic and Team Disney Channel – High School Musical confronts The Little Mermaid, Hannah Montana battles Mulan, The Lion King meets Phineas and Ferb.

Theatre-goers can sing, dance and laugh with their favourite Disney characters. They are also invited to cosplay to transform themselves int
o their favourite Disney characters for a chance to receive beautiful gifts from ITS.

In January, the ‘showdown’ had its successful debut in HCM City, attracting thousands of theatre-goers to enjoy.

Commenting on the performance, conductor Tran Nhat Minh, who is co-founder of the Saigon Pops Orchestra, said: “ITS has professional musical programmes that have been staged at a high level.”

According to Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc, ITS is always smart in creativity and attracts fans with their talent.

Receiving such positive response from the audience in HCM City, the ITS has decided to bring the performance to even more audiences in Vietnam. All artists along with all the vibrant staging, choreography, costumes and visuals from the shows in HCM City will be brought to Hanoi.

About 1,600 fans in the capital city will have the chance to enjoy the Disney 101 during two concerts on March 8 and 9.

Since its establishment in May 2023, ITS, an educational and performance-oriented theatre platform for thespians
in Vietnam, has implemented and collaborated on more than 23 projects in performance, education and community engagement. It has successfully introduced musicals to more than 10,000 theatre-goers in HCM City, Hanoi, Da Nang and other locations./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup’s draw will be take place on May 21 in Hanoi, featuring a new logo and brand identity.

This is the 15th edition of the football event and will be held from November 23 to December 21. Ten ASEAN national teams will compete to win the Championship title, the most coveted prize in the region.

The ASEAN Football Federation and title partner Mitsubishi Electric launched a new logo and brand identity for the event.

As part of the rebranding, the region’s premier competition formerly known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup, has also been renamed as the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024.

Designed in the five colours shared by the various flags of ASEAN nations, it symbolises the unity and bond of the 12 AFF Member Associations woven together in their spirit of competition.

Held biennially, ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup is the region’s largest football event. Since its inception in 1996, the competition, which features ASEAN national teams has grown from strength to
strength with each edition.

In 2022, the Cup achieved a record of more than 438 million viewers on television and digital streaming platforms. Additionally, digital media channels Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X registered 4.2 billion views of event-related videos.

The tournament is considered FIFA’s official event in 2016. Only four teams have won title after 14 editions. Defending champions Thailand lifted the cup seven times. Singapore won four, Malaysia one and Vietnam two.

In the previous finals, Thailand beat Vietnam 3-2 on aggregate to take the title./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnam will continue taking part in sport competitions, especially the ones combining electronic and traditional sports in the future, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang told the ministry’s regular press briefing on February 29.

She made the remark in response to the media’s question about a Vietnamese team’s victory on February 27 in the final of the Games of the Future 2024’s phygital basketball invitational event in Kazan, Russia, and the possibility of other teams to be sent to such competitions in the future.

Hang said the participation in regional and international sports competitions will help promote people-to-people exchanges, solidarity, friendship, and mutual understanding between the people of Vietnam and other countries.

‘We believe that based on this victory and experience from the event participation, Vietnam will continue engaging in other tournaments, especially the ones showing the trend of combining electronic sports and traditional sports, in the future
,’ the spokeswoman added./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: National top volleyballer Tran Thi Thanh Thuy has received numerous offers to play abroad after her recent outstanding performances for Vietnam.

The outside hitter is currently playing for Japanese PFU BlueCats with her contract expiring in April.

She will return to her Vietnamese club, VTV Binh Dien Long An, who loaned the star to the Japanese side.

After watching her matches with the national team in various tournaments in 2023 including the FIVB Challenger Cup in France, international clubs have shown interests in signing the national team captain.

According to VTV Binh Dien Long An, clubs from Russia, Turkey, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia are eyeing the 1.93m player. And if Thuy agreed, she would be allowed to move.

“We always give the most favourable conditions for athletes to compete abroad, compete and improve their quality based on the athlete’s wishes,” Nguyen Trinh Anh Phuc, an official of VTV Binh Dien Long An, said.

“We will wait for Thuy to return home, have a meeting between her, her
family and the coaching staff to listen to the thoughts and wishes of the individual athlete before officially making a decision.”

A scout from Turkey has reportedly held discussions with Binh Dien Long An to make Thuy the first Vietnamese in their country and Europe.

Turkey is the world No 1 women team. They also won the European Championship and the FIVB Volleyball Nations League in 2023 and are unbeaten at the Paris Olympic qualification.

Turkish clubs also appear to be superior to the rest of the world. At the 2023 World Women’s Club Championship, the two finalists were Vakifbank SK and Eczacibasi Dynavit of Turkey.

However, VTV Binh Dien Long An officials said there was much work to be done to secure a deal. The biggest problem was that the scout did not disclose information about which club that wanted to sign Thuy, so it was difficult to come to further agreements.

Thuy did receive an offer from Europe in 2022 but she chose to play for PFU BlueCats.

“We must research if the club is really suitabl
e for an Asian athlete or not. In my opinion, Thuy’s decision to stay in Japan at time was right because she ensured her income as well as earned opportunities to develop,” said scout Chau Le who helped bring Thuy to Japan.

“Going to Europe, planning must be carefully prepared, because there are many issues that must be taken into account such as the team’s potential, the coaching style and culture of each team.”/.

Source: Vietnam News Agency