Arts and Culture

Arts and CultureSatire
0

K-Pop Star Joon-Ho Doesn’t Take His Own Life

Posted byNguyen Ayi
By Joe Fotalattee
Seoul, South Korea— The entertainment industry was left in shock, when K-Pop sensation Joon-ho “J-Hope” Park has defiantly chosen to not take his own life. Industry insiders are scrambling to comprehend how a star consistently surrounded by pressure, unrealistic beauty standards, and crippling loneliness could possibly come to the conclusion that jumping off the top of his penthouse apartment building wasn’t a good idea.
Sources close to J-Hope reveal a distressingly long list of incentives that should have prompted a tragic end. Among these are:
1. Endless Comparisons: From his stunningly perfect vocal range to his seemingly naive grin, J-Hope faces unrelenting comparisons to his fellow idols. After all, how can one contend with the jaw-dropping looks of every other K-Pop star? All you need is a toaster and a bathtub, J-Hope!
2. The Insatiable Fanbase: With millions of devoted fans demanding both flawless performances and personal interactions, the pressure should be too much. How could one respond to 10,000 fan messages a day? Wouldn’t it be easier to suck on a tailpipe for five minutes with those blowjob Botox lips, J-Hope?
3. The Whimsical Punishment of “Breakup Cutes”: In K-Pop, break up songs are just an opportunity to market a new skincare line—because nothing heals a broken heart quite like a fresh 12-step regimen. Can you imagine being a part of that genius yet miserable cycle? Time to break-up with yourself and use that Gucci belt on your neck, J-Hope!
4. Diet Culture Gone Wild: As one of the elite stars, J-Hope is expected to adhere to a diet that includes approximately 5 rice grains a day, washed down with a smoothie made of pure misery. How easy would it be to add a touch of arsenic, J-Hope?
5. The Polished Facade: With multiple plastic surgeries
… Read more
Arts and CultureNews
0

Where To See Fireworks On January 22

Posted byNguyen Ayi

By Joe Fotalattee

On January 22 (the first day of the Lunar New Year), fireworks will be set off for 15 minutes at 00:00 at six locations with assistance from charitable organizations.

The Saigon River tunnel (Thu Duc City), Ben Noc Monument Memorial Temple in Thu Duc City, Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11, Can Thanh Town in Can Gio District, Ben Duoc Martyrs Memorial Temple in District Cu Chi, and the Memorial of Martyrs of Mau Than 1968 in Binh Chanh District.

The Vietnam Beat previously compiled a list of Rooftop Bars to see the skyline, and many of the same venues will have events on January 22.

Along with fireworks, many yearly Lunar New Year celebrations continue to take place, including the Duong Sach Festival, from 17:00 on January 19 to January 26. Le Loi (District 1) was chosen over Nguyen Van Binh Book Street this year. In addition, Nguyen Hue Flower Street, Spring Flower Festival, and Tet Flower Market are all in the works.

Additionally, the city hosts a variety of cultural and artistic events, including Cai Luong performances at Tran Huu Trang Theater and in front of the City Cultural Center from January 14 to February 5, as well as Don Ca Tai Tu performances from January 20 to January 29 in front of the Opera House.

Arts and Culture
0

Dates To Know For Traditional Tet Celebrations

Posted byNguyen Ayi

By Joe Fotalattee

Listen up, foreigner, do you feel like you never know what is going on? It’s time to look ahead to the nearly month long holiday of Tet 2023, The Year of The Cat, and the secrets of the start, end and in-between.

Although the official national holiday is six days, January 21 through January 26, the celebrations last roughly 30+ days, from the “Minor New Year” or “Kitchen God Day” January 14 to Tet Nguyen Tieu — the “First Full Moon of the Year” February 5.

Key dates:

January 14: During a Feast and House Cleaning “Kitchen God Day” households are cleaned and feasts are enjoyed. Three gods—God of the Kitchen, God of the Land and House, and God of the Market—are in charge of overseeing people’s homes and property in Vietnamese culture. The three deities go to Heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month to make their annual report and offer prayers for the upcoming year. On New Year’s Eve, they return to Earth and pick up where they left off. Vietnamese families clean their homes on this day and prepare a tray of traditional farewell offerings including boiled or steamed chicken.

January 17–19:
A traditional and indispensable dish for the Vietnamese New Year is Chung cake. They resemble square cakes and are encased in bamboo or banana leaves. They are made of glutinous rice, pork, and green beans. The shape of Earth is traditionally thought to be square with heaven being round. Vietnamese people make Chung cake to show their gratitude to their ancestors and their country of origin.

January 21 is Vietnamese New Year’s Eve:
Typical of Western New Years Eve, New Year’s Eve is a time for gathering with family, wrapping up the year’s events, and getting ready for the … Read more

Arts and CultureTravel
0

The Ninth Da Lat Flower Festival

Posted byNguyen Ayi

More than 400 professional and amateur artists participated in the ninth Da Lat Flower Festival, which kicked off on December 18 evening in the same-named city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

The biennial cultural-tourism festival was first held in 2003 and honors the importance of flowers and horticulture in the resort city of the Central Highlands, promotes tourism and trade, and calls for more cooperation and investment.

This year’s festival, with the theme “Da Lat – The City of Four Flower Seasons,” carries on the tradition of showcasing the city’s culture and inhabitants while promoting Da Lat as the nation’s Flower Festival City.

 

 

Arts and Culture
1

Saigon Opera House Christmas Festival On December 16 and 17

Posted byNguyen Ayi

Register with Vietnam Beat to receive monthly arts and event reminders

by Joe Fotalattee

The Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) announced that a Christmas concert would take place at the Saigon Opera House on December 16 and 17.

Conductor Tran Nhat Minh, who received training in Russia and Italy, will direct the performance and serves as the HBSO chorus master. Vietnamese performers Pham Khanh Ngoc, Dao Mac, and Duyen Nguyet will perform alongside the symphony orchestra and choir of the HBSO and the children’s choir from the Republic of Korea.

Ticket prices vary depending on seating location: 1.000.000 – 850.000 – 700.000 – 550.000  (150.000VNĐ For students only).

The concerts begin at 8pm.

The Schedule: 

  • Leroy Anderson, an American light music composer who lived from 1908 to 1975, is scheduled to open the Christmas concert with his well-known orchestral composition Christmas Festival.
  • International vocal competition winner Pham Khanh Ngoc will perform Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate. Then, the chorus “For Unto Us a Child is Born” from Handel’s Messiah.
  • Soprano soloist Duyen Nguyet will belt out Max Reger’s German Christmas song Maria Wiegenlied.
  • Dao Mac, a baritone who has performed in a variety of roles for the HBSO operas, including Papageno in The Magic Flute and Doctor Falk in Die Fledermaus, will then perform a Christmas Scherzo by American arranger and keyboardist Don Sebesky and O Holy Night.
  • Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, played by the solo orchestra, will be followed by the HBSO chorus performing Variations on Jingle Bells.
  • For a finale, a group of Korean children who live in Ho Chi Minh City will then perform on stage while singing holiday songs from the movie Home Alone and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

 

Arts and Culture
0

Children Of The Mist and 578:Magnum Are In Running For Oscars

Posted byNguyen Ayi

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has chosen two Vietnamese movies as contenders for the 2023 International Feature Film Award.

The list included 144 documentaries, 92 foreign language films, and 27 animated movies.

Nhung Dua Tre Trong Suong (Children of the Mist) and “578: Phat Dan Cua Ke Dien” (578: Magnum), two Vietnamese movies, are included on the list.

Luong Dinh Dung’s action film “578: Magnum” was submitted to the Academy Awards in September.

Children of the Mist, directed by Ha Le Diem,  has screened at film festivals across the world, including the U. S. , Kosovo, Singapore, Australia, France, Mexico, and Cambodia.

“Children of the Mist” is contending at the Oscars after it won Best International Film at the 2022 Docaviv Film Festival in Israel and Best Directing Award at the International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) in the Netherlands.