Sunday, May 20, 2012

Odd fact in Hanoi | Look At Vietnam

Odd fact in Hanoi

May 20, 2012

LookAtVietnam – If they seek a place to visit, Hanoians will never mention museums. Parents who are always eager to seek useful addresses to enrich their children’s knowledge never think of taking their kids to museums, though nearly 20 museums of Hanoi are situated at the best locations.

VietNamNet randomly asked some people the same question: “Do you take your children to museums?” The common answer was “no.” They said they never thought about taking their kids to museum and they did not remember the last time they had visited a museum.
Instead of going to a museum, they took kids to shopping malls during weekends, where kids could play at an amusement site for kids while their parents could drink coffee, go shopping and then they enjoyed a movie together.
Why are museums not favored by Hanoians?
With around seven million people, Hanoi has less than 20 museums. Worse, most of museums are unattractive to visitors.
Hanoi’s museums cannot compete with other forms of entertainment and are losing visitors since they lack methodological marketing and development strategies. They also lack amazing products and lag behind the development of Vietnamese society.
Only the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology regularly designs new programs to draw visitors, the remaining museums are always quiet because they do not have interesting events. This museum earns VND12.5 billion (over $600,000) last year compared with VND780 million (over $40,000) of the Vietnam Fine-art Museum and VND1.46 billion (over $70,000) of the Vietnam History Museum.

At the Vietnam History Museum.

The number of visitors to the Vietnam Museum of History, a big museum in Hanoi and Vietnam, felt from 167,000 in 2008 to 73,000 in 2011. The museum’s managers explained that the number of visitors dropped because tourism firms did not cooperate with the museum anymore.
Annually, this museum receives VND13 billion ($600,000) from the State budget to maintain its operation. It is assigned to earn yearly revenue of VND2 billion ($100,000) but the museum can earn over VND1 billion, mainly from hiring its space to organize weddings and restaurants. Last year, investment in this museum was VND43 billion ($2.1 million).
“I think that we need to have a contemporary art museum. Though it is late, we should build such a museum. We should not increase the number of museums but we should better develop the existing museums. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is a good example for other museums,” said Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh, who holds a culture master degree from the Paris 9 University.
According to a comprehensive plan on developing Vietnam’s museum system to 2020, more museums will be built, including the National History Museum. This will be one of the biggest museums in Vietnam, covering 9,000sq.m near Hanoi’s West Lake. The work will be completed in the next five years.

Hoang Vy

Sunday, July 18, 2010

First 41 voices chosen for next round of Vietnam Idol -

First 41 voices chosen for next round of Vietnam Idol - ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT - VietNamNet: "Thirty-seven have been selected from more than 5000 northern contestants of Vietnam Idol 2010 who participated in the preliminary round at the Hanoi National Convention Hall from July 3-7.

Dreaming of instant fame, 17,000 register for ‘Vietnam Idol 2010’ tryouts
Vietnam Idol returns
Hanoians endure scorching sun for Vietnam Idol

Nearly 5000 people queued in temperatures of nearly 40oC to register for the 3rd Vietnam Idol in Hanoi.

Four more contestants passed the preliminary round in the Central Highlands on July 9.

Today, July 13, the preliminary round for the southwestern region will start in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and then in HCM City from July 21-25.

After audition rounds, 100 contestants will enter the qualifying rounds to choose 16 for the semi-finals. The audience can vote for their favourite voices from the semi-final rounds. Contestants will be divided into three groups to perform solo. Ten will be selected for the finale. The final gala will be held in HCM City on December 25 and broadcast live on VTV6.

The winner will receive $20,000 and have his/her own album produced by the show organizers.

The competition is open to Vietnamese who are 16 to 30 years old. The jury has three members, including singer Siu Black, movie director Nguyen Quang Dung and musician Quoc Trung.

Vietnam Idol will air on VTV6 at 9pm Tuesday and Saturday from August 21 to December 25.

In total, the organizing board has already received applications from 22,614 contestants.

PV

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They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.