Dantri/DTiNews selected seven outstanding cultural events of the year.
UNESCO recognition
Hung King worshipping ceremony
The worshipping of the Hung Kings in Phu Tho Province was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage representative of humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) on December 6.
A collection of woodblocks printed with Buddhist sutras at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Bac Giang Province was officially recognised as world documentary heritage by UNESCO at its 5th Memory of the World Committee for Asia Pacific meeting in Bangkok.
Currently UNESCO is considering recognising Tuy An stone musical instruments and bugles from Phu Yen Province as a cultural heritage.
Unsuccessful threatre merger
A drama show at the Youth theatre
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided in April to set up Vietnam National Theatre by merging the Youth and Vietnam Drama theatres. The ministry claimed that the move followed demands by artists from the theatres.
However, after the decision was announced, almost all the artists involved voiced their opposition to the merger. They said that the plan was only the idea of director and People’s Artist Le Hung who submitted the project to the ministry.
In response, the ministry was compelled to abandon the plan.
Foreign franchise TV shows rule airwaves
Hit TV show The Voice
Foreign originated entertainment and reality TV shows dominated the nation’s TV viewing with domestic version of the UK’s Got Talent, The US show The Voice, Just the Two of Us, Vietnam Idol (Pop Idol), Dancing with the Stars and Next Top Model.
Apart from huge profits and advertising opportunities, the programmes were marred by controversy. Phuong Uyen was forced to resign as music director from The Voice after being accused of result fixing, while Minh Hang was condemned for using a recording by Lan Anh without prior permission in the opening of Dancing with the Stars.
Vietnamese Asia's Top Model contestant Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang suffered a double scandal after sex photos were leaked online and she became the centre of a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism fracas, as authorities moaned that the show hadn't approached them for clearance for her to appear on TV abroad.
Singer’s charity monk kiss
Dam Vinh Hung’s monk kiss
Singer Dam Vinh Hung’s playful kiss given to two monks at a charity event in HCM City on November 4 saw the singer fined by cultural authorities.
The two monks were named and shamed, while one resigned from his vocation and the other was forced to remain in his pagoda cell for three months.
Dam Vinh Hung was forced to apologised for his good natured joke.
Ban overturned for overseas singers
A poster of Bang Kieu’s show in Hanoi on October
In late September, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Department for Performing Arts spokesperson Nguyen Thanh Nhan announced that Overseas Vietnamese singers Khanh Ly and Bang Kieu would perform in Vietnam after having bans overturned.
The lifting of the ban offers the first opportunity for Khanh Ly to sing in Vietnam for than 30 years.
While Khanh Ly has yet to perform, Bang Kieu participated in a show in Hanoi in October after leaving Vietnam a decade ago.
Hanoi International Film Festival
People's Artist Nhu Quynh at the second Hanoi International Film Festival
The second Hanoi International Film Festival featured the participation of artists from 38 countries and territories.
A total of 37 films competed at the festival and 117 films, including 42 domestic movies which were shown in the capital’s cinemas.
Vietnam had only two films entered in the festival, underlining the weaknesses of the domestic film industry.
Street music hits Hanoi
Street music
A project to bring music to Hanoi’s street was launched in 2011.
Performances by young artists from Hanoi Music Academy were held each Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning at 61 Ly Thai To Street.
In 2012, the Luala concert helped bring music to Hanoi’s streets with the participation of well known singers Thanh Lam, Hong Nhung and My Linh.
